1999 SUBARU LEGACY Complaints

FAILURE OCCURS WHEN STOPPED AND THEN ATTEMPTING TO PROCEED. CAR BEHAVES AS THOUGH IT IS IN NEUTRAL WHEN IT IS STILL IN DRIVE. THIS HAS OCCURRED MANY TIMES ALTHOUGH INTERMITTENT. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE TRANSMISSION HAS CAUGHT. TAKEN TO DEALER 2 TIMES (ROBERTS SUBARU, DOWNINGTOWN, PA) AND ALTHOUGH THEY KEPT CAR AND DROVE FOR A FEW DAYS THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. THIS FAILURE HAS ALMOST CAUSED CAR TO BE REAR ENDED 2 TIMES.

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. DEALER SAID I HAD A BURNED CYLINDER. THIS WAS AT 108,000 MILES. A SECOND MECHANIC CONFIRMED THAT MISFIRING IN CYLINDER NO. 4 WAS OCCURRING AND FURTHER STATED THAT COMPRESSION IN ALL FOUR CYLINDERS WAS BELOW SPECIFICIATIONS. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE DEFECT OCCURRED DURING MANUFACTURING AND WAS NOT A RESULT OF ANYTHING I DID OR DID NOT DO TO THE CAR. SUBARU OF AMERICAN CONTACTED AND OFFERED $1,000 TOWARD A NEW CAR, BUT SAID OTHERWISE IT WAS MY PROBLEM BECAUSE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY.*AK

WHEN DRIVING DOWN HILL 6% + GRADE AND I LIGHTLY TOUCH THE BRAKE PEDAL TO SLOW, OUR 1999 LEGACY OUTBACK DOWNSHIFTS ONE OR TWO GEARS. I HAVE TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL THEN BACK INTO DRIVE BECAUSE IT STICKS IN WHATEVER GEAR IT SHIFTS INTO AT A VERY HIGH RPM. IT DOES THIS FROM 40 TO 70 MPH, BUT ONLY ON A STEEP GRADE. IT DOES THIS WITH OR WITHOUT THE CRUSE CONTROL TURNED ON. THE FREQUENCY OF THE PROBLEM IS INCREASING. IT IS MY OPINION AS A RETIRED ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION SPECIALIST FROM THE WASHINGTON STATE PATROL THAT THIS HAS TREMENDOUS ACCIDENT POTENTIAL ON SURFACES WITH A REDUCED COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION (ICE, SNOW OR RAIN). THE TRANSMISSION FUNCTIONS PROPERLY AT ALL OTHER TIMES. CAMELBACK SUBARU IN PHOENIX, AZ., INDICATES THEY CAN NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, YET THERE IS A HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM AT NHTSA WITH THE VERY SAME SYMPTOMS. *AK

WHILE DRIVING 40-45 MPH AN ACCIDENT OCCURRED. UPON IMPACT, AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. PASSENGER SUSTAINED INJURIES. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING DOWN INTERSTATE 5, THE TRAFFIC SLOWED DUE TO AN ACCIDENT ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE FWY., UPON NOTICING THE TRAFFIC SLOWING I RELEASED MY FOOT FROM THE ACCELERATOR THE TRAFFIC CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP, I STEPPED ON THE BRAKES APPLYING THEM ALL THE WAY. I HAD PLENTY OF TIME TO STOP THE CAR IN ORDER TO AVOID AN ACCIDENT. UNFORTUNATELY THE CARS BRAKES DIDN'T STOP THE CAR, AND THE CAR STOPPED WHEN I HIT THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. THE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY EITHER. I HAD THE SAME TYPE OF ACCIDENT IN MARCH OF 2000. I JUST FELT MAYBE IT WAS MY FAULT AND DIDN'T THINK ABOUT IT MUCH. THE AIR BAGS DIDN'T DEPLOY AT THIS TIME EITHER, AND I FELT IT WAS BECAUSE I WAS GOING SLOW, AND THE IMPACT WASN'T ENOUGH TO MAKE THEM COME OUT. UPON HAVING MY BRAKES CHECKED THIS PAST SUMMER THE MECHANIC NOTICED THE ACTUAL PADS ON THE BRAKES WERE SMALLER THAN THE PADS THAT CAME UP WHEN LOOKED UP IN THE PARTS BOOK. THE PADS ON MY CAR WERE FOR A 13 INCH TIRE AND MY CAR HAS 15 INCH TIRES. HE ALSO STATED THAT THE BRAKES DIDN'T STOP MY CAR VERY ACCURATELY. UPON LEARNING THIS I CHECKED FOR A RECALL AND FOUND OUT THAT THE MASTER CYLINDER ON MY CAR WAS INVOLVED IN A RECALL. AT THIS TIME I WENT TO THE DEALER WHERE I PURCHASED THE CAR. THEY LOOKED THE RECALL UP AND GAVE ME A PRINT OUT THAT STATED THE RECALL WAS INDEED COMPLETED. THE PROBLEM IS THE CAR DOESN'T STOP PROPERLY IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS. I AM A SINGLE MOTHER WITH TWO CHILDREN, AND I "TAXI" THEM TO NUMEROUS ACTIVITIES. MY CONCERN IS THE SAFETY OF THIS CAR. THE BRAKES DON'T RESPOND PROPERLY AND THE AIR BAGS DON'T DEPLOY. THE INSURANCE ADJUSTOR TOLD ME THAT ABS BRAKES ARE MADE TO KEEP FROM GOING OUT OF CONTROL, NOT STOPPING THE CAR. IF THIS IS INDEED THE CASE I WILL NEVER BE SAFE IN THIS PARTICULAR CAR.*AK

WHILE DRIVING 55 TO 60 MPH ON A WARM DRY DAY CONSUMER TRIED TO STOP VEHICLE AND BRAKES FAILED COMPLETELY. ALSO, BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO FLOOR, VEHICLE NOT STOPPING. CONSUMER HAD NO WARNING. CONTACTED DEALER, AND HAD VEHICLE TOWED INTO DEALERSHIP. DEALER REPLACED BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER.*AK

PARK LIGHTS STAY ILLUMINATED WHEN VEHICLE IS SHUTS OFF. DEALER HAS BEEN NOTIFIED. PLEASE PROVIDE ADDITIONAL INFORMATION.*AK

WHEN DRIVING PRESSED ON BRAKES AND VERY ABRUPTLY ENGINE DOWNSHIFTED. ALSO, WHEN STOPPING ABRUPTLY CONSUMER LURCHED FORWARD IN SEAT. CONTACT DEALER DEALER STATED IT WAS COMMON IN 1999 VEHICLE. PLEASE ADD VIN. *AK

VEHICLE LEAKS OIL, AND THE OIL FLAWS ALL OVER ENGINE. DEALERSHIP IS AWARE OF PROBLEM. *AK

WHILE SON WAS DRIVING TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 35 MPH, CONSUMER WENT TO APPLY BRAKES SO AS TO NEGOTIATE A 90 DEGREE TURN, AND BRAKE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, AND FAILED TO ENGAGE BRAKE SYSTEM. VEHICLE WENT STRAIGHT INTO A CONCRETE WALL . DRIVER AND A PASSENGER WERE INJURED. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION/ATTACHMENTS. *STATE FARM INSURANCE WAS INVESTIGATING THIS CASE. *AK