2005 SUBARU BAJA Complaints

I OWN A 2005 SUBARU BAJA WITH 27,000 MILES ON IT. I NOTICED A RATTLE COMING FROM THE RIGHT REAR AND FOUND A STABILIZER MOUNT TO THE RIGHT TIRE BROKEN COMPLETELY OFF WHERE THE ROD CONNECTED TO IT. IT LOOKED LIKE THE METAL HAD FATIGUED UNTIL IT JUST BROKE. THERE WAS A MINOR INDENTATION ON THE CONNECTING ROD, BUT NOTHING THAT WOULD INDICATE A MAJOR IMPACT. I COULDN'T BELIEVE HOW THIN THE MOUNT MATERIAL WAS. IT LOOKED MORE LIKE BODY SHEET METAL THAN ANYTHING STRUCTURAL. *TR

(1) BRAKES FAILED TO ENGAGE IN A ROUTINE TRAFFIC STOP. (2) ABS FEATURE DISENGAGED BRAKES OVER BUMPY SURFACE, DISABLING MY ABILITY TO STOP AND CAUSING MY CAR TO COLLIDE WITH THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. (3) SUBARU DENIES ANY CULPABILITY ALTHOUGH THIS PROBLEM IS WELL KNOWN AMONG SUBARU OWNERS. MY BRAKES HAVE FAILED IN THIS MANNER MANY TIMES PREVIOUSLY, BUT THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME INVOLVING AN ACTUAL COLLISION. *NM

TIRE TREAD COMING APART ON BRIDGESTONE POTENZA RE92 TIRES. ORINGINAL EQUIPMENT ON 2005 SUBARU BAJA. *NM

THIS IS REGARDING A 2005 SUBARU BAJA TURBO, VIN #:[XXX]. IN SERVICE DATE IS 6/9/04. PLEASE KNOW THAT THIS VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW. IN FEBRUARY, 2005 THE PROBLEM FIRST MANIFESTED ITSELF. THIS IS A STEERING CONCERN. ON MAKING A HARD RIGHT OR LEFT HAND TURN AS WELL AS A K TURN, THE STEERING COLUMN AND/OR WHEEL LETS A VERY LOUD SQUEAL. THIS SOUNDS LIKE A STUCK PIG!! WHEN THIS HAPPENS THE STEERING BECOMES VERY HARD TO MANEUVER ALMOST AS THOUGH IT WENT BACK TO UNASSISTED STEERING. AFTER THE TURN IS COMPLETED THE STEERING RETURNS TO NORMAL. THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF THE LOCAL DEALER ON AT LEAST FIVE OCCASIONS. THE LAST TIME HE KEPT THE VEHICLE FOR A DAY AND A HALF AND GAVE ME A LOANER. BECAUSE IT DIDN'T "SQUEAL" FOR THEM THEY SAY THEY HAVE NO WAY TO MAKE A DIAGNOSIS AND/OR REPAIR. FOR A VEHICLE THAT WAS PURCHASED BRAND NEW I FIND THIS SITUATION UNACCEPTABLE. I AM FEARFUL THE STEERING COULD GO OUT AT ANY MOMENT WHEN DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY, OR ANYWHERE FOR THAT MATTER, AND COULD CAUSE A ACCIDENT FOR MYSELF OR OTHER MOTORISTS. THE SUBARU CORPORATION HAS OFFERED NOTHING IN THE WAY OF SOLUTIONS.*JB UPDATE 07/18/2012 *JS INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I DO HAVE ONGOING PROBLEMS WITH MY BRAND NEW SUBARU BAJA TURBO 2005. SOMETIMES WHEN I DRIVE IN THE FREEWAY, I HEAR WINDY NOISE DOES AT 70 MPH IN COLD TEMPERATURES. I CALLED SUBARU OF AMERICA FOR A POSSIBLE FIX FOR THIS ISSUE. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE T.O SUBARU DEALER TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM HOWEVER THEY DENIED ME THE WARRANTY BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T DUPLICATE THE WINDY NOISE WHEN THE MECHANIC DROVE THE CAR WITH HIS SERVICE MANAGER. FOLLOWING AFTER THE DENIAL I MADE AN APPOINTMENT WITH THE MECHANIC FOR A TEST DRIVE, DROVE THE CAR AND SHOWED THE NOISE THAT I HEARD AND HE AGREED THERE IS AN EXISTING NOISE, AFTER I DROVE THE VEHICLE HE FIRST MENTIONED AS SOLUTION TO BUY WIND REFLECTOR, LATER WHEN I MENTIONED TO THE MECHANIC ABOUT THE WARRANTY HE DIDN'T SAY ANYTHING. UNTIL WE ARRIVE BACK TO THE DEALER HE MENTIONED TO ME THAT THERE WAS A LADY IN ANOTHER SUBARU WITH THE SAME PROBLEM AS MINE AND HE WILL LOOK ON THE RECORDS WHAT HE DID AT THAT TIME TO FIX THE LADY'S CAR. I CALLED SUBARU OF AMERICA AND SPOKE WITH MR. SHUMAKER TO HELP ME TO RESOLVE THIS ISSUE, HE CREATED CASE # 783649 LATER ON I GOT NOTICED THE T. O. SUBARU DEALER DENIED THE WARRANTY BY THE SERVICE MANAGER; TAKING A POSITION AS HE WAS THE ONE THAT DIAGNOSTIC THE PROBLEM. THAT I WAS TOLD BY MR KEVIN SHUMAKER,I WAS SO IRRITATED DUE TO THE FACT HIS MECHANIC PROMISED ME FOR A FIX INSTEAD HIS MANAGER DENIED THE FIX. I JUST WANT THIS WINDY NOISE PROBLEM BE FIX ONCE FOR ALL PROOF THAT SUBARU OF AMERICA AWARE OF THIS WINDY NOISE OFFERING A CATALOG WHERE THEY OFFER WIND REFLECTOR. I MAY FILE LAW SUIT FOR MISREPRESENTATION AND DISHONESTY TO HONOR WARRANTY IN REGARDS WITH THIS ONGOING ISSUE I HAVE, I ASKING YOU DEPARTMENT TO FOLLOW AN INVESTIGATION IN THE WAY THIS DEALERSHIP WORKS IN REGARDS WITH WARRANTY ISSUES AND INSTEAD OF PROVIDED IT THEY TRY TO SELL EXTRA EQUIPMENT SUBARU OF AMERICA DOESN'T ACCEPT MY CLAIM BECAUSE IT NEEDS TO BE VERIFY BY A SUBARU DEALER AND I'M STILL STUCK WITH THIS WINDY NOISE ON MY CAR. THANK YOU. *JB

DT:CONSUMER HAS A SUBARU BAJA AND THE HAND BRAKE DOES NOT KEEP VEHICLE FROM ROLLING BACKWARDS ON A HILL. CONSUMER TOOK VEHICLE TO DEALER 3 TIMES. FIRST, DEALER ADJUSTED BRAKE, BUT THIS DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. CONSUMER BELIEVED THIS ACTUALLY MADE PROBLEM WORSE. CONSUMER SAID THAT VEHICLE ROLLED FASTER AFTER ADJUSTMENT. ON THE OTHER TWO TRIPS TO DEALER NOTHING WAS DONE TO VEHICLE OTHER THAN TECHNICIAN TAKING VEHICLE ON A TEST DRIVE TO SEE THE PROBLEM. TECHNICIAN SAW THE PROBLEM AND SAID THIS WAS NORMAL. CONSUMER HAS HAD THIS PROBLEM SINCE HE OWNED VEHICLE. IT WAS BOUGHT NEW. NO BRAKE WORK WAS DONE T OTHER THAN THE ONE ADJUSTMENT THAT DEALER MADE.*AK

VEHILDE ENGINE HAS KNOCKING SOUND WHEN STARTED FROM COLD AND FOR THE FIRST 15 MINUTES OF OPERATION. IT SOUNDS LIKE BAD VALVE GEAR AND WE HAVE HAD A "TENSIONER" BRACKET REPLACED BY THE DEALER, BUT I AM NOW HEARING ABOUT A "PISTON SLAP" ISSUE ON THIS MOTOR THAT I CANNOT FIND A REPORT ABOUT. IT WILL BE INTO CLASSIC SUBARU IN ATLANTA TOMOROW TO ATTEMPT A REPRODUCTION OFTHE NOISE AFTER LEAVING VEHICLE OVERNIGHT TO PROPERLY SIMULATE THE COLD-START CONDITIONS.