Outback won't start. Won't do *anything*

[Jason]

My wife returned from a week in Europe today - she flew to England then
on to Spain and back to Newark, NJ from Spain.

When she tried to start her '07 Outback wagon nothing happened. The dash
didn't light up at all. Folks at the parking garage hooked up a jump box
but that didn't do anything either. She wound up calling Subaru Roadside
Assistance. After far too many hours they showed up and couldn't get the
car to do anything either. So, they towed it to a dealership in NJ where
it will sit for a few days.

I suspect the immobilizer "feature" is the culprit, but this has never
happened before so I don't know what behavior to expect. Is the "do
nothing" response what should happen?

I'm left wondering about two things: did someone tamper with the car
while it was parked, or could some aggressive airport security X-ray
scanner have fried the RFID chip in the key?

Any thoughts?

TIA

Jason

 

[Bob's Backfire Burrito]

My wife returned from a week in Europe today - she flew to England then
on to Spain and back to Newark, NJ from Spain.

When she tried to start her '07 Outback wagon nothing happened. The dash
didn't light up at all. Folks at the parking garage hooked up a jump box
but that didn't do anything either. She wound up calling Subaru Roadside
Assistance. After far too many hours they showed up and couldn't get the
car to do anything either. So, they towed it to a dealership in NJ where
it will sit for a few days.

I suspect the immobilizer "feature" is the culprit, but this has never
happened before so I don't know what behavior to expect. Is the "do
nothing" response what should happen?

I'm left wondering about two things: did someone tamper with the car
while it was parked, or could some aggressive airport security X-ray
scanner have fried the RFID chip in the key?

Any thoughts?

TIA

Jason

Failed fuselink.....check to see if it blew AND WHY...or if it simply
failed.
It's the first link in the electrical system.

 

[Bugalugs]

My wife returned from a week in Europe today - she flew to England then
on to Spain and back to Newark, NJ from Spain.

When she tried to start her '07 Outback wagon nothing happened. The dash
didn't light up at all. Folks at the parking garage hooked up a jump box
but that didn't do anything either. She wound up calling Subaru Roadside
Assistance. After far too many hours they showed up and couldn't get the
car to do anything either. So, they towed it to a dealership in NJ where
it will sit for a few days.

I suspect the immobilizer "feature" is the culprit, but this has never
happened before so I don't know what behavior to expect. Is the "do
nothing" response what should happen?

I'm left wondering about two things: did someone tamper with the car
while it was parked, or could some aggressive airport security X-ray
scanner have fried the RFID chip in the key?

Any thoughts?

TIA

Jason

Left a door partly ajar...interior light on....flattened the battery?

Been there ....done that

 

[Todd H.]

Left a door partly ajar...interior light on....flattened the
battery?

Unless the flattened battery became a dead short somehow, that
wouldn't explain why the jump box didn't at least bring a light on.

The main fuse seems to be the most plausible explanation.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

Unless the flattened battery became a dead short somehow, that
wouldn't explain why the jump box didn't at least bring a light on.

The main fuse seems to be the most plausible explanation.

Is it possible someone tried to vandalize/steal and crawled underneath
and cut a battery cable? Maybe they sorthed the fusible link?

weird.


Carl

 

[bgd]

New subes suck.

Not that we needed to hear details of your wifes fabulous trip.
car alarm go off until it was done or what.

 

[Jason]

New subes suck.

Not that we needed to hear details of your wifes fabulous trip.
car alarm go off until it was done or what.

If that had happened, jumping it should have worked. It didn't. Nothing
happened. I think either the immobilizer kicked in for some reason or
the master fusable link burned out (why?).

Jason

 

[Todd H.]

If that had happened, jumping it should have worked. It didn't. Nothing
happened. I think either the immobilizer kicked in for some reason or
the master fusable link burned out (why?).

The immobilizer on most cars anyway is a relay to the starter motor,
or I suppose someone may have gotten the ignition involved. I don't
see how an immobilizer would ever prevent lights from even coming on
or kill all power since that sortof defeats even the alarm system from
functioning.

 

[CompUser]

I'm left wondering about two things: did someone tamper with the car
while it was parked, or could some aggressive airport security X-ray
scanner have fried the RFID chip in the key?

Any thoughts?

A 3d possibility: the helpful buckos at the
airport hooked up their jumpbox with leads
reversed.

 

[AS]

Second the reversed jump leads.

A 3d possibility: the helpful buckos at the
airport hooked up their jumpbox with leads
reversed.