2005 SUBARU LEGACY Complaints

2005 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK. THE REAR SEAT BELTS MALFUNCTIONED. WHEN BUCKLING THE BELTS, THE CENTER BELT WOULD UN-BUCKLE. *TS THE SEAT BELTS WERE TOO CLOSE. THE CENTER SEAT BELT WAS SLIGHTLY ABOVE THE LEFT HAND SEAT BELT WHICH CAUSED THE LEFT HAND SEAT BELT TO UNLOCK. THE CONSUMER FOUND AT THE DEALER THAT THESE VEHICLE'S SEAT BELT WERE DEFECTIVE. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED THE MANUFACTURE AND WAS INFORMED THAT THERE WAS NOTHING THAT THEY COULD DO. *SC

RIGHT FRONT WHEEL BROKE. CAST WHEEL. FOUND TIRE AND RIM 30 FEET AHEAD OF VEHICLE AFTER CRASH DUE TO LOSS OF CONTROL. VEHICLE SPUN, ENTERED CULVERT FACING OPPOSITE DIRECTION AND IMPACTED TREE CAUSING IT TO ROLL TWICE. VEHICLE TOTALED. GEICE INSURANCE HAS POSSESSION OF VEHICLE BUT WILL LEAVE INTACT FOR ANOTHER 30 DAYS. HAVE PICTURES, BROKEN RIM AND PART OF SPOKE. WE'VE PURCHASED A SUBARU FORRESTER WITH SUBARU GIVING US A CUSTOMER LOYALTY REBATE. THERE IS LITTLE DOUBT IN OUR MINDS THAT THIS CASTING WAS DEFECTIVE AND MAY CAUSE MANY MORE SERIOUS ACCIDENTS WITH DEATH OR INJURY. WE WE'RE FRANKLY LUCKY. PICTURES AND COMMENTS CAN BE VIEWED AT HTTP://LEGACYGT.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?P=346119#POST346119.*JB

VEHICLE ENGINE STUTTERS WITH VERY LITTLE THROTTLE WHEN CRUISING BELOW 3K RPMS AND WILL ALSO STUTTER WITH MODERATE ACCELERATION FROM LOW RPMS. SUBARU DEALER SENT ECU TO SOA (SUBARU OF AMERICA) TO BE REFLASHED WITH UPDATED PROGRAM. STUTTERING SEEMED TO GO AWAY AFTER A FEW DAYS BUT HAS COME BACK JUST AS BAD AS BEFORE. *NM

UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS, CRUISE CONTROL DISENGAGES RANDOMLY CAUSING UNEXPECTED VEHICLE DECELERATION. *NM

WITH APPROXIMATELY 2,000 MILES ON MY BRAND NEW SUBARU LEGACY GT I WAS DRIVING 80 MILES TO MY HOME. THE LIGHTS ON MY DASH WERE FLICKERING AND THE CRUISE CONTROL WORKED, THEN STOPPED WORKING WHEN I WOULD TRY TO DECREASE OR INCREASE MY SPEED. ONCE I GOT INTO THE CANYON ABOUT 20 MILES FROM HOME (A CURVY ROAD NEXT TO THE COLORADO RIVER) ALL MY INTERIOR AND EXTERIOR LIGHTS WENT OFF SUDDENLY. I MANEUVERED MY WAY TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD, SHUT THE CAR OFF THEN TURNED IT BACK ON. THANKFULLY, THE LIGHTS CAME BACK ON. I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND THEY DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING. THEY SAID THEY COULDN'T FIX IT UNTIL THE PROBLEM WAS DUPLICATED. MY MAIN CONCERN WITH THIS STATEMENT IS THAT IF I CRASH MY CAR AND INJURE MYSELF OR KILL MYSELF BECAUSE THE LIGHTS WENT OUT, IT WILL BE FAIRLY DIFFICULT FOR ANYONE TO "DUPLICATE" THE PROBLEM. SECOND ISSUE HAPPENED ABOUT A MONTH LATER WHEN THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT BEGAN FLASHING AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I TOOK IT TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND THEY DISCOVERED A VALVE BODY PROBLEM. MEANWHILE A DAY LATER I WAS DRIVING AND THE CAR WOULD BARELY MOVE. IT FELT AS IF IT WERE STUCK IN 3RD GEAR. I TOOK IT BACK IN AND DROVE A RENTAL CAR UNTIL THE PART CAME IN. I HAVE THE CAR BACK NOW WITH THE 2ND AND 3RD PROBLEM FIXED, BUT WITH STILL NO RESOLUTION TO THE FACT THAT MY LIGHTS COULD AGAIN SHUT OFF WHILE I AM DRIVING AT NIGHT. *JB

THE SUBURU LEGACY TURBO WE BOUGHT IN JUNE HAS A MAJOR, LIFE-THREATENING SAFETY ISSUE. WE QUICKLY FOUND THAT ON TURNS WITH ACCELERATION THE POWER STEERING FAILS. INITIALLY OUR DEALER COULD FIND NO PROBLEM. WHEN WE DEMONSTRATED IT TO THEM THEY KEPT THE CAR. UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING THEY DROVE ANOTHER LIKE CAR FROM THEIR LOT AND FOUND THE SAME ISSUE. THEY TOLD US IT MUST BE A NORMAL FEATURE OF TURBO ENGINES WITH AWD. EVEN BACKING ONTO A PARKING SPACE, I'VE HAD THIS HAPPEN AND TURNING LEFT ONTO A BUSY STREET I HAVE NARROWLY MISSED CAUSING AN ACCIDENT SEVERAL TIMES. IT SEEMS OUR DEALER WILL (KINDLY) PUT US INTO SOME OTHER CAR, WITHOUT THE TURBO, BUT BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED WE WANTED TO REPORT THE PROBLEM. *JB

AT DIFFERENT THROTTLE INPUTS THERE IS AN ENGINE STUTTER/STUMBLE. THIS FAILURE IS DANGEROUS BECAUSE IT HAPPENS OFTEN WHEN ACCELERATING. SUBARU DENIES THIS IS A GLOBAL PROBLEM FOR EARLY PRODUCTION VEHICLE AS DOES THE DEALER. THERE ARE MANY POSTS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM AT WWW.LEGACYGT.COM INCLUDING AN APPARENT FIX/LOGIC UPGRADE. SUBARU CLAIMS THAT THE LOGIC UPGRADE CAN ONLY BE APPLIED WHEN THERE IS AN ENGINE LIGHT. NUMEROUS VEHICLE OWNERS HAVE HAD THE FIX DONE WITHOUT AN ENGINE LIGHT AND THEY HAVE SEEN AN IMPROVEMENT. SOMETHING NEEDS TO BE DONE BEFORE SOMEONE IS KILLED DUE TO THIS STUTTER HAPPENING DURING AT THE WRONG TIME. *NM

EARLY 2005 (BUILD DATE IN 2004) SUBARU LEGACY 2.5 GT TURBO STUTTERS, HESITATES OR STUMBLES AT MIDDLE RPMS (2000-3000). OCCURS MOST NOTICEABLY IN UPPER GEARS, ON EXCESSIVELY HOT OR COLD DAYS BUT OCCURS ALL THE TIME. ONE DEALER ADMITS TO HEARING OF THE MATTER, THE OTHER CLAIMS NOT TO HAVE - THOUGH I KNOW OF TWO OTHER OWNERS WHO HAVE COMPLAINED TO THE SAME DEALER. SUBARU OF AMERICA NOW HAS AN ECU REFLASH - THOUGH IT HAS ONLY IMPROVED IT SLIGHTLY. SOA REFUSES TO RECALL OR RELEASE A TSB ON THE MATTER. BOTH LOCAL DEALERS REFUSED TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, OR CONTACT SOA ON THE MATTER. *JB

VEHICLE 'STUTTERS' ON PARTIAL ACCELERATION BETWEEN 2000 AND 3000 RPM. VEHICLE HAS DONE THIS CONSISTANTLY FROM THE FIRST DAY I PURCHASED IT. THERE IS CURRENTLY NOTHING THE DEALER CAN DO TO FIX THE PROBLEM.

HEATING ALWAYS ON IN ANY VENT MODE, OPERATION OF CAR UNHEALTHY DUE TO HOT AIR ALWAYS BLOWING OUT OF VENTS; EVEN WITH COOL AIR AT LOWEST SETTING, 65 DEGREES F.