Subaru Outback Complaints (2003)

93 consumer complaints on file.

#10048108November 18, 2003
POWER TRAIN:CLUTCH ASSEMBLY:PEDAL/HAND LEVER(MOTORCYCLE)
CONSUMER HAD A DIFFICULT TIME DEPRESSING THE CLUTCH PEDAL WHEN DRIVING. CONSUMER STATED CLUTCH PEDAL WAS TOO CLOSE TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, MAKING IT HARD TO ENGAGE.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10045525November 5, 2003
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
I BOUGHT A NEW 2003 SUBARU OUTBACK WAGON APPROXIMATELY ONE WEEK AGO FROM SENATOR SUBARU, 3655 FLORIN ROAD, SACRAMENTO, CA 95823, 916-427-1234. I PICKED IT UP ON OCTOBER 27, 2003. ON OCTOBER 31, 2003 I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR BECAUSE IT WAS SHAKING BADLY AND STALLING WHILE DRIVING AND ON STARTUP. I PICKED THE VEHICLE UP ON NOVEMBER 1, 2003, AND THE DEALER TOLD ME THAT THE COMPUTER HAD TO BE RESET AND THE PROBLEM WAS FIXED. I DID NOT RECEIVE A SERVICE REPORT CHECK OUT SLIP. ON NOVEMBER 1, 2003 IT HAD THE SAME PROBLEM AND ON NOVEMBER 2, 2003, UPON START UP THE VEHICLE EMITTED A NOXIOUS CLOUD OF SMOKE FROM THE REAR. THE AT OIL TEMP LIGHT CAME ON FOR THE DURATION OF A SHORT DRIVE OF APPROXIMATELY FIVE MINUTES. I TOOK THE VEHICLE BACK IN FOR SERVICE ON NOVEMBER 3, 2003. THE MANAGER, MOE, TOLD ME THAT IT WAS NOT SENATOR SUBARUS PROBLEM; IT WAS SUBARU OF AMERICAS PROBLEM. HE SAID THAT HE WOULD BE UPSET TOO IF THIS HAPPENED TO HIM. THE DEALER FOUND A CODE 11" WHICH WAS A TRANSMISSION CODE NOT ACCOMPANIED BY AN ENGINE CODE. THE MAINTENANCE MANAGER TOLD ME THAT THIS INDICATED THAT THE CAR STALLED WHILE BEING DRIVEN. THERE HAVE BEEN AT LEAST FOUR OTHER COMPLAINTS REGISTERED WITH THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRAFFIC SAFETY ADMINISTRATION OF STALLING WHILE BEING DRIVEN OR ON STARTUP FOR THIS PARTICULAR YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL. (SEE ATTACHED COPIES OF COMPLAINTS). ON NOVEMBER 4, 2003, THE DEALERS SERVICE MANAGER ASKED ME TO PICK UP THE CAR BECAUSE THEY CAN NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. ON NOVEMBER 5, 2003, THE DEALERS SERVICE MANAGER AGAIN CALLED ME AND SAID HE COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. HE SAID HE CLEARED THE CODE 11; THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. HE ADVISED ME TO PICK UP THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE HAS A DANGEROUS CONDITION (STALLS WHILE BEING DRIVEN) WHICH HAS BEEN IN THE DEALERSHIP UNSUCCESSFULLY TWICE.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10040053October 22, 2003
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
THE VEHICLE SURGED AFTER COMING TO A STOP WHEN THE BRAKES WERE APPLIED. THE DEALER RESET THE COMPUTER, BUT COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE SURGED NUMEROUS TIMES AFTER THAT, ALWAYS AFTER COMING TO A STOP. THE CONSUMER HAD TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO A DIFFERENT DEALER, WHO SUGGESTED THE COMPUTER BE REFRESHED. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT SURGED SINCE THEN. *AK *SCC *JB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10036950August 31, 2003
TIRES:SIDEWALL
WHILE DRIVING IN A MIDDLE LANE ON I-270, I SUDENLY BECAME AWARE OF A BUMPING NOISE. I PULLED OVER TO THE RIGHT SHOULDER THROUGH SEVERAL LANES OF TRAFFIC. WHEN I CHECKED THE TIRES, I SAW THAT THE SIDEWALL OF MY PASSENGER SIDE REAR TIRE HAD BECOME COMPLETELY DISATTACHED FROM THE TREAD. THE TIRE WAS ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT ON MY 2003 SUBARU OUTBACK. A FIRESTONE DEALER INSPECTED THE TIRE IN DETAIL, BUT COULD FIND NO PUNCTURE OR OTHER CAUSE OF TIRE FAILURE BESIDES SPONTANEOUS DISINTEGRATION. FIRESTONE WANTED $56 TO REPLACE IT UNDER WARRANTY, AFTER TREADWEAR MEASUREMENT, EVEN THOUGH TIRE HAD ONLY 6800 MILES ON IT.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10037810August 28, 2003
TIRES
WHILE DRIVING AT 50 MPH RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW OUT. ORINGINAL TIRES ON VEHICLE. *AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10032755August 13, 2003
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS, AND WITH MULTIPLE DRIVERS, I HAVE HAD 2 2003 OUTBACKS WITH FREQUENT STALLING WHEN MOVING FROM NEUTRAL TO FIRST, OR TO REVERSE. THIS IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS WHEN MOVING OUT INTO TRAFFIC. SUBARU DENIES RECEIVING PRIOR COMPLAINTS (DESPITE THE MATERIAL ON YOUR SITE) AND IN GENERAL DENIES THAT THERE IS ANY PROBLEM. THEY ALSO COMPELLED ME TO SIGN A "GAG" CLAUSE AS PART OF A DEAL WHEREBY THEY EXCHANGED CAR # 1 FOR CAR # 2. I HAVE ARBITRARILY PUT IN A SPECIFIC MONTH, DAY AND YEAR BUT IT HAS HAPPENED ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS. ALSO CAR # 1 HAD 2 INCIDENTS OF THE ENGINE RUNNING TOO ROUGH TO BE DRIVEN, PROGRESSIVELY LOSING POWER AND THEN QUITTING - WHEN RESTARTED, RAN FINE. ALSO CAR # 1 HAD 1 EPISODE OF TURNING OVER WELL BUT REFUSING TO START.*AK
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10029500July 15, 2003
POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
NAR 07-15-2003 THE CONSUMER VEHICLE MADE HIGH FREQUENCY NOISES THAT EFFECTED THE HEARING ON THE DRIVER INSIDE OF THE CAR WHILE DRIVING AT A SPEED ABOVE 50 ML HR, ALSO SERIES OF STRONG MULTIPLE JERKING OCCURRED. *CB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10018128May 5, 2003
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
CONSUMER STATES THAT WHILE DRIVING AND WITHOUT WARNING THE VEHICLE WILL STALL. THE DEALER WAS NOTIFIED. *ND WHEN BRAKING TO STOP OR MAKE A TURN THE VEHICLE WILL STALL. THE CONSUMER WAS TOLD THAT THEE ARE OTHER VEHICLES (SAME MAKE/MODEL) WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. *SCC
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10014511April 17, 2003
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
CAR KEEPS SHUTTING OFF IN INFREQUENT INTERVALS. FIRST AT 375 MILES AND BY 9000 MILES IT DID IT 9 TIMES. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER 6 TIMES AND JUST NOW SUBARU IS ADMITTING TO HAVING OTHER CARS WITH THIS ISSUE. ALL 2003 6 CYLINDER ENGINES. I WAS TOLD AFTER THE 4TH TIME AT THE DEALER THAT THEY CANNOT FIX IT, END OF STORY. THEN AFTER FILING A COMPLAINT WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL OFFICE THEY ARE WORKING ON IT AGAIN. THEY ARE NOW STARTING TO REPLACE STUFF AND WANT TO PUT A BLACK BOX IN. THIS CAR SHUTS OFF ONLY AT A STAND STILL SO FAR BUT THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS. SUBARU ADMITS TO HAVING MORE CARS LIKE THIS AND THEY ONLY COULD FIX HALF OF THEM. *JB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10014538March 27, 2003
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE, STEERING:HYDRAULIC POWER ASSIST SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION, VISIBILITY:POWER WINDOW DEVICES AND CONTROLS, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
NAR 03-27-2003 MR THE CAR DIES INTERMITTENTLY AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 20-25 MPH ON DECELERATION. THE POWER IS COMPLETELY LOST WITH NO POWER STEERING CONTROL. ADDITIONAL ITEMS NOTICIED .. SHIFTING IN TRANSMISSION AT LOW SPEEDS, DASHBOARD CREAKS AND DRIVERS WINDOW FAULTY. *CB
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#10009798March 4, 2003
WHEELS, STEERING
THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED PROBLEMS WITH THE WHEELS. THE VEHICLE DID NOT TURN WHEN NEEDED. *NLM *TS
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#770289December 1, 2002
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:WIRING:INTERIOR/UNDER DASH
DEALER SUBSTITUTED CHEAP AFTERMARKET SECURITY SYSTEM FOR REQUESTED SUBARU UPGRADE, TAMPERING WITH FACTORY WIRING IN PROCESS. WHEN CHALLENGED, DEALER REPLACED SYSTEM WITH SUBARU UPGRADE. HOWEVER, I AM CONCERNED THAT THE STRIPPED, SOLDERED AND MOST LIKELY CUT WIRES IN THE FACTORY HARNESS COULD PRODUCE A SHORT OR BACKFEED THAT MAY DAMAGE ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS OR LEAD TO FIRE. IN ADDITION, ONE BUNDLE OF WIRES INTERFERES WITH THE MOVEMENT OF MY RIGHT FOOT FROM ACCELERATOR TO BRAKE. DT
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#769809November 17, 2002
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
THE SECOND FAILURE OCCURED ON 11/14/2002. CAR WAS NOT MOVING ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WAS DEAD, CAR DID NOT TURN OVER. DT
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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