Subaru Outback Complaints (1997)

79 consumer complaints on file.

#8003163January 30, 2002
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:FUEL INJECTION SYSTEM
CONSUMER NOTICED SPOTS ON THE DRIVEWAY. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER WHO DETERMINED THAT O RINGS WERE LEAKING AND HAD TO BE REPLACED, ALSO THE FRONT CRANK SEAL NEEDED REPLACED. *AK *JB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#899867December 5, 2001
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:GASOLINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:IGNITION:MODULE
ENGINE WILL STALL INTERMITTENTLY DURING NORMAL OPERATION OF VEHICLE WHILE TRAVELING AT ANY SPEED. DEALERSHIP HAS EXAMINED VEHICLE AND REPLACED SENSOR VALVE TWO TIMES AND COMPUTER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / DOCUMENTATION.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#785796November 26, 2001
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
CONSUMER STATES THAT ENGINE BLOCK AND HEAD ARE CRACKED WITH NO SIGNS OF OVERHEATING, SUBARU MECHANIC COULD NOT FIND NO MECHANICAL REASON WHY THIS OCCURRED. MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED. *TT
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#898775November 5, 2001
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:COIL SPRINGS
RECALL 01 V 216 000/FRONT COIL SPRING: UNABLE TO GET DEALER; HASSETT DEALERSHIP; WANTAH, NY; PHONE# 516/785-7800 TO HONOR RECALL DUE TO NO PARTS BEING AVAILABLE. FEEL FREE TO PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION ON THIS MATTER.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#896833September 25, 2001
WHEELS:RIM
PIN HOLES INSIDE WHEEL ON FRONT PASSENGER'S SIDE; TIRES WOULD GO FLAT OVERNIGHT WHEN PUT ON RIM. HAD NOT CONTACTED DEALER, BUT REPLACED RIM.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#896058September 10, 2001
WHEELS
THERE IS AN AIR LEAK AT WELD ON FRONT RIGHT ALUMINUM WHEEL. TIRE CONTINUALLY HAS LOW AIR PRESSURE. SEARS TIRE CENTER DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION / ATTACHMENTS.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#883784March 22, 2001
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES:TAILGATE:LATCH
WHEN DRIVING REAR TAILGATE COME UNLATCHED. TAILGATE DID NOT STAY FULLY LATCHED. ALSO, NOTE TAILGATE HAS NOT COME FULLY OPENED. CONSUMER HAS YET TO CONTACT DEALER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#740350February 2, 2001
POWER TRAIN:MANUAL TRANSMISSION
OUR 1997 SUBARU SHARES THE COMMON PROBLEM DOCUMENTED AT HTTP://FORUMS.VMAG.COM/SUVSUBARU0200/MESSAGES/5096.HTML : NAMELY, AS WITH OTHER SUBARU OUTBACKS AND FORESTERS, IT WILL SPONTANEOUSLY SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR INTO NEUTRAL -- COMPLETELY BY ITSELF. IT HAS BEEN TO THE SOUTHERN OREGON SUBARU DEALER IN MEDFORD, OREGON TWICE AND THE DEALER HAS REFUSED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BOTH TIMES (EVEN THOUGH IT IS BOTH A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL AS AN IN-WARRANTY COVERED DEFECT). IT WAS REPORTED TO THE SOUTHERN OREGON SUBARU DEALER WITHIN APPROXIMATELY THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP WHEN WE HAD POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED THAT IT WAS NOT MERELY A PROBLEM WITH INCORRECT PLACEMENT OF THE SHIFT LEVER DURING SHIFTING. FOLLOWING THE DEALER'S INITIAL REFUSAL TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, SUBSEQUENT CONTACT WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA RESULTED IN THE ASSIGNMENT OF CASE NUMBER 201743. ACCORDING TO SOA, THE DEALER ALLEGEDLY WAS CONTACTED. NEVERTHELESS, ON THE SECOND ATTEMPT TO HAVE THE PROBLEM CORRECTED, THE DEALER AGAIN REFUSED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A WELL-DOCUMENTED PROBLEM CHARACTERISTIC OF SUBARU OUTBACK AND FORESTER VEHICLES (SEE THE WEB SITE CITED AND RELATED COMMENTS.) IT APPEARS THAT SUBARU IS UNWILLING TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM UNLESS REQUIRED TO BY NHSTA. PLEASE PROTECT MYSELF AND OTHER SUBARU OWNERS BY MAKING THIS A MANDATORY SAFETY RECALL. THANK YOU. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN SUMMARY. *AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#731250September 13, 2000
STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST:PUMP
BACKGROUND: MY 1997 SUBARU OUTBACK DEVELOPED A PROBLEM THAT INVOLVED A FAILED PIECE OF EQUIPMENT AND COLLATERAL DAMAGE FROM THIS FAILURE. I TOOK MY SUBARU OUTBACK TO JIM NORTON SUBARU OF TULSA, OK, FOR REPAIR. ACCORDING TO THE SERVICE MANAGER DARRIN JOHNSON AND THE MECHANIC, LORIN, THE PROBLEM RESULTED WHEN THE BOLT THAT SERVES AS A SPINDLE TO THE TENSIONER PLATE SHEARED OFF THUS CAUSING ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO PLASTIC COWLING, BELTS, AND THE FACING PLATE THAT ANCHORED THE BOLT. ESTIMATE FOR REPAIR WAS QUOTED AS $512.61 WITH A REPLACEMENT OF THE TIMING BELT IN ADDITION TO THE OTHER BELTS. I TOLD MR. JOHNSON THAT I WAS ALARMED THAT THIS BOLT SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE AND WONDERED WHAT IT MEAN TO SAFETY OF DRIVING AT INTERSTATE SPEEDS OF 70+ MILES PER HOUR. I TOLD MR. JOHNSON THAT SUBARU AMERICA SHOULD BE CALLED TO ALERT THEM OF THIS FAILURE.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#726520August 3, 2000
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
LOCAL SUBARU DEALER HAS SOLD THESE PARTS SEVERAL TIMES RECENTLY. IT APPEARS TO BE A KNOWN PROBLEM. WHEN THIS FAILS THE PULLY SYSTEM OF THE ENGINE FALLS APART, LITERALLY, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF ELECTRICAL POWER, POWER STEERING, BRAKE WARNING... THIS WOULD HAVE BEEN DANGEROUS HAD WE NOT BEEN ON A BACK ROAD WITH NO TRAFFIC. *AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#864594June 30, 2000
SUSPENSION
CONSUMER WAS TRAVELING ABOUT 50MPH ON THE HIGHWAY AND VEHICLE STARTED TO VEER TO THE LEFT AND RIGHT, GOING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THEN, VEHICLE VIOLENTLY STARTED GOING BACKWARDS, HITTING A BRICK WALL . *AK
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#860792April 24, 2000
POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHEN DRIVING AT ANY SPEED CONSUMER NOTICED SPEEDOMETER WAS NOT WORKING CORRECTLY, WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE ACTUAL SPEED OF TRAVELING. ALSO, RPMS SLOWED DOWN, AND VEHICLE JERKED FORWARD. CONSUMER HAS CONTACTED THE DEALER. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER DETAILS. *AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#850404October 12, 1999
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH ON WET PAVEMENT VEHICLE HYDRO PLANED. DRIVER APPLIED THE BRAKES, AND VEHICLE SLID OFF THE ROAD AND RAN INTO BRICK WALL. *AK
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#849722October 4, 1999
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD WIPER/WASHER
WINDSHIELD WIPERS WOULD ACCUMULATE SOME KIND OF FILM ON THEM WHEN IT STARTS TO RAIN. THIS ONLY HAPPENS ON THE OUTSIDE OF THE VEHICLE. THIS CAUSES HAVOC & POOR VISIBILITY FOR THE DRIVER. *AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#849796October 4, 1999
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:LINKAGES, STEERING:RACK AND PINION, SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATES OUT OF CONTROL WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH. THE BRAKING SYSTEM DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY WHILE VEHICLE IS ACCELERATING. ALSO PROBLEMS WITH RACK AND PINION STEERING. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#548454September 9, 1999
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:CRUISE CONTROL
WHEN BRAKING TO A STOP THE ENGINE DOES NOT DOWNSHIFT CAUSING HIGH IDLE. MJS
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#609662September 8, 1999
VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS
DRIVER'S WINDOW SWITCH FOR RR WINDOW.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#844804August 11, 1999
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP
THE BRAKING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED, CAUSING BRAKE PEDAL TO FEEL "MUSHY," AND HAD EXTENDED STOPPING DISTANCE, WHICH COULD CAUSE A CRASH. CURRENTLY AT DEALER'S. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION AND VIN#. *AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#545861May 27, 1999
SUSPENSION:FRONT:SPRINGS:LEAF SPRING ASSEMBLY:HANGER,BRACKET
POSSIBLE FAILURE OF RECALLED FRONT TRANSVERSE LINK MAY HAVE CAUSED VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY SHAKE VIOLENTLY, LOOSE BRAKING ABILITY AND RUN OFF ROAD INTO A GUARDRAIL. DRIVER SUSTAINED A FEW BRUISES.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#838175May 19, 1999
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
WHEN CRUISE CONTROL IS SET VEHICLE ACCELERATES OVER THE SET SPEED. BRAKES HAVE TO BE APPLIED SO CRUISE CAN BE DISENGAGED. DEALER CANT DUPLICATE PROBLEM. *AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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