2005 SUBARU LEGACY Complaints

2005 SUBARU LEGACY GT WAGON WITH 55K STARTED INTERMITTENTLY ABOUT NOV 1, 2008. THE HEATING/AC DISPLAY WOULD GO DEAD BUT THE FAN WAS ON AND KEPT BLOWING WHATEVER TEMP WAS LAST SELECTED BUT NONE OF THE CONTROLS WOULD CHANGE IT. COULD NOT DUPLICATE AT THE DEALERSHIP SO THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. ABOUT 2 WEEKS LATER IT WENT FROM INTERMITTENT TO 100% DEAD. RADIO STILL WORKS AND I'VE NOTICED THAT THE RADIO DISPLAY DOESN'T DIM AT NIGHT EVEN THOUGH THE REST OF THE INSTRUMENT PANELS DOES. I CANNOT CONTROL ANY OF THE DEFROST OR HEATING/AC CONTROLS. *TR

STRONG GAS ODOR IN CABIN COMING FROM THE ENGINE WHEN THE WEATHER IS UNDER 38* FEELS LIKE IF THERE IS ANY KIND OF SPARK THE CAR WILL BLOW UP WITH ME IN IT , NOTIFIED SUBARU WHO TOLD ME I WAS THE FIRST ONE WITH THIS COMPLAINT, WHICH IS NOT TRUE, AS I SAW ONE MORE COMPLAINT LIKE THIS IN HERE. *TR

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2005 SUBARU LEGACY 2.5GT. LAST NIGHT, WHEN I WAS TRYING TO START THE VEHICLE, IT SHUT OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF STARTING AND THE VEHICLE COMPLETELY WENT DEAD. THIS MORNING, I NOTICED THAT THERE WAS A LARGE AND DEEP BURN MARK IN THE HEADLINER SURROUNDING THE MAP LIGHT PANEL AND THAT PART OF THE MAP LIGHT AS WELL AS THE AUTO-DIMMING MIRROR WERE MELTED. *TR

LTR FWD FM (VA) OWNER OF A 2005 SUBARU LEGACY GT CONCERNED THAT SERVICE BULLETIN RELEASED BY SUBARU ONLY ALERTED DEALERSHIPS NOT THE VEHICLE OWNERS RE TURBOCHARGER DEFECT, REPLY TO ROANOKE, VA OFC. *TGW WHILE DRIVING, THE VEHICLE STARTED MAKE A WHINING SOUND FROM THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE WHINING QUICKLY TURNED TO A RATTLE AND THEN RAPIDLY TO A CLANGING NOISE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER AND UPON INSPECTION, IT WAS DETERMINED THE TURBOCHARGER WAS BLOWN. APPARENTLY, SUBARU ENGINEERS DECIDED TO ROUTE LUBRICATING ENGINE OIL TO THE TURBOCHARGER THROUGH A BANJO BOLT. THE BANJO BOLT HAS AN INTERNAL MESH SCREEN THAT FILTERS THE OIL AND ENSURES THAT THE OIL FLOWING TO THE TURBO IS CLEAN. IF THE SCREEN IS CLOGGED OR BLOCKED IN ANY WAY, THIS WILL RESULT IN DECREASED FLOW OF OIL TO THE TURBO. A TURBO WITH INADEQUATE OIL FLOW WILL BASICALLY SELF-DESTRUCT AND SEND TINY SHARDS OF METAL INTO THE ENGINE'S COMPRESSIONS CHAMBER.*JB

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, PULLED OVER IMMEDIATELY AND CHECKED OIL ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ALSO LOOKED THROUGH OWNERS MANUAL. THE OIL WAS A QUART LOW, TURBO MAKING SUCTION NOISES, PICK UP FROM A STOP OR QUICK THROTTLE TO PASS ON HIGH WAY WAS GONE. ADDED A QUART OF OIL AND HAD AN OIL CHANGE & CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DIAG DONE THE NEXT DAY ( DROVE MAYBE 60 MILE WITH LIGHT ON). AFTER THE OIL CHANGE METALLIC NOISE FROM PASSENGER SIDE OF ENGINE COULD BE HEARD AND EXHAUST WAS POURING OUT THICK SMOKE. THE CODE WAS P011 TIMING ISSUE, TURBO BANJO (OIL LINE FILTER) CLOGGED. CAR HAS 64K ON IT OIL CHANGED EVERY 4000. FOUND THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE THAT IS A VERY HOT TOPIC ON MANY SUBARU FORUMS. SUBARU WILL NOT COVER UNDER THIS ISSUE WARRANTY SIGHTING THAT CONSUMER MAINTENANCE CAUSED SLUDGE TO BUILD UP ON THE BANJO BOLT FILTER. YET SUBARU HAS NO MENTION OF CLEANING OR MAINTENANCE OF THE TURBO BANJO BOLT FILTER IN THE OWNERS MANUAL. THIS ISSUE CAUSED MY CAR AND OTHERS TO HAVE ENGINE DAMAGE REQUIRING THE CUSTOMER TO FIT A 4 TO 11 THOUSAND DOLLAR BILL TO FIX. SUBARU SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL AND REFUND CUSTOMERS THAT HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET. *TR

TO NHSTA THREE TURBOS HAVE FAILED WITHIN A 2 MONTH SPAN ON A 2005 SUBARU LEGACY GT SEDAN. LEADING UP TO EACH FAILURE THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN CONSISTENTLY AT ~60 MPH FOR 15 TO 20 MILES. THE CONSEQUENCE OF THESE FAILURES HAS BEEN LOSS OF POWER ON THE HIGHWAY WHICH COULD HAVE CAUSED A WRECK (BUT LUCKILY DID NOT). TO CORRECT THIS FAILURE THE TURBO WAS REPLACED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. IT FAILED AGAIN THE SAME DAY DUE TO THE NUT HOLDING THE TURBO TOGETHER FALLING OFF. SUBARU REPLACED THAT TURBO BUT IT FAILED AGAIN AFTER 2 WEEKS. I TOOK IT TO A SUBARU DEALERSHIP THIS TIME WHERE THEY SAID IT FAILED BECAUSE A SMALL MESH SCREEN BECOME BLOCKED BY SLUDGE AND WOULD NOT HONOR THEIR MECHANICAL FAULT WARRANTY. I PAID TO HAVE IT REPLACED BUT I HAVE NOT YET PICKED UP THE VEHICLE SINCE I CANNOT TRUST IT NOT TO BREAK (NOR WILL SUBARU WARRANTY THE PART IF THE SCREEN BECOMES BLOCKED AGAIN, THIS SLUDGE COULD BE CAUSED BY THE INITIAL TURBO FAILURE, SINCE THE BROKEN TURBOS THROW METAL THROUGH THE OIL SYSTEM.) THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE INSTEAD OF A MAINTENANCE ISSUE BECAUSE OF THE CONSISTENT FAILURES UNDER THE SAME CONDITION WHICH IS NORMAL HIGHWAY DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE FAILURE RATE FOR THIS SPECIFIC SUBARU VEHICLE IS MUCH GREATER THAN NORMAL WITH AN EPA REPORT (REF #GR08-054C EPA # 3595) SHOWING "UNSCREENED WARRANTY CLAIMS" (MINIMAL FAILURE RATE?) OF 4.55% AS OF SEP 12, 2008. THIS RATE IS ON AVERAGE 3 TIMES HIGHER THAN OTHER TURBO VEHICLES PRODUCED BY SUBARU AT THE TIME. (INCIDENTLY MAZDA HAS JUST RECALLED THEIR NEW 2010 TURBO MAZDA3'S DUE TO TURBO FAILURE FROM PERIODS OF IDLE OR LIMITED ACCELERATION DUE TO OIL POOLING IN THE TURBO, THESE ARE THE CIRCUMSTANCES UNDER WHICH THE SUBARU TURBO'S HAVE FAILED)

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU LEGACY GT PURCHASED IN 2009. THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG WOULD NOT OPERATE WITH AN OCCUPANT IN THE PASSENGER'S SIDE SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO MAKE REPAIRS TO CORRECT FAILURE. THERE WERE NO RECALLS ON THE YEAR, MAKE AND MODEL FOR FRONTAL AIRBAGS, ONLY SIDE AND WINDOW AIRBAGS. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE UNDER 62,793. UPDATED 01/29/10. *LJ UPDATED 01/29/10.*JB

THE TURBO IN MY 2005 SUBARU LEGACY GT SPLIT IN HALF WHEN I WAS DRIVING HOME FROM WORK. IT MADE A SQUEALING NOISE, WITH NO WARNING LIGHTS PRIOR TO THE TURBO GOING, HOWEVER EXACTLY WHEN IT HAPPENED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WITH THE CRUISE LIGHT BLINKING. I WAS TOLD BY A CERTIFIED SUBARU TECHNICIAN THAT THE TURBOS IN THESE CARS DO NOT JUST SPLIT IN HALF AND RARELY HAVE PROBLEMS. HOWEVER, I WAS TOLD ABOUT THE BANJO BOLT OIL FILTER LOCATED UNDER THE TURBO, UNSEEABLE WHEN GETTING A ROUTINE OIL CHANGE, HOWEVER THIS FILTER NEEDS TO BE CLEANED OTHERWISE IT CLOGS AND STARVES THE TURBO OF ANY OIL. I WAS NEVER AWARE WHEN PURCHASING THIS CAR OF THAT PROBLEM, AND NOWHERE IN MY VEHICLES MANUAL DOES IT SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THE BANJO BOLT OIL FILTER AND HOW IT NEEDS TO BE CLEANED ON A REGULAR BASIS. THE TURBO IN MY CAR IS THE ONLY PART THAT NEEDS TO BE REPLACED, HOWEVER FINDING A TURBO FOR THE 05 LEGACY GT IS PRETTY EXPENSIVE, AND THE USED TURBOS ARE EVEN HARDER TO LOCATE THAN ANY OF THE OTHER 05 SUBARU MODELS. I AM CURRENTLY STILL WITHOUT A CAR AND I BELIEVE THE TURBOS IN THE 05 LEGACY GT'S ARE DEFECTIVE DUE TO THE BANJO BOLT OIL FILTER CLOGGING EXCESSIVELY. *TR

VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND ENCOUNTERED WET ROAD CONDITIONS. VEHICLE BEGAN TO PULL TO THE LEFT AND THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT BUMPER COLLIDED WITH CENTER CONCRETE MEDIAN. VEHICLE CONTINUES TO SPIN COUNTERCLOCKWISE AND THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR BUMPER COLLIDES WITH THE CENTER CONCRETE MEDIAN BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED IN THE CRASH. HIGHWAY PATROL WRITES UP THE ACCIDENT AND VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN HOME. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO THE INSURANCE COLLISION REPAIR CENTER AND INSURANCE DETERMINES VEHICLE TO BE A TOTAL LOSS. VEHICLE HAS A TOUTED REPUTATION FOR HAVING A SYMMETRICAL AWD SYSTEM FOR SUPERIOR TRACTION AND CONTROL. BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ACCIDENT, THE VEHICLE LOSS TRACTION AND THE SYMMETRICAL AWD DID NOT PERFORM TO MAINTAIN TRACTION AND CONTROL. *TR

THE LOW BEAM LIGHT BULBS BURN OUT FREQUENTLY. I USE THE HIGH QUALITY BULBS (AROUND $28 EA) BUT THEY STILL BURN OUT EVERY 3 TO 4 MONTHS, SAME AS THE LOWER QUALITY BULBS. EVEN WITH BEING VERY CAREFUL INSTALLING THE BULBS, WEARING CLEAN GLOVES AND CLEANING WITH ALCOHOL PRIOR TO SETTING AND LOCKING, THEY STILL BURN OUT. I BOUGHT THE CAR AT 27,000 MILES, NOW IT HAS 50,500 AND THE PROBLEM IS CONSISTENT. I DOUBT THAT BULB QUALITY IS THE ISSUE HERE, SINCE I'VE EXPERIMENTED WITH THE $17 BULBS AND THE $28 BULBS AND THE RESULTS ARE THE SAME. *TR