2003 SUBARU LEGACY Complaints

FOR THE SECOND TIME (SEE MY FIRST REPORT), MY 2003 SUBARU LEGACY WAGON SUDDENLY ACCELERATED WHILE I WAS SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT. I STOOD ON THE BRAKE AND PUT THE TRANSMISSION INTO NEUTRAL UNTIL THE ENGINE STOPPED REVVING. *JB

I HAVE A 2003 SUBARU LEGACY SEDAN. WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN "DRIVE" AND YOU ARE SITTING AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT OR STOP SIGN,FOR NO APPARENT REASON THE RPM'S INCREASE BY 200 TO 330 RPM'S AND THE VEHICLE LUNGES FORWARD. THIS IS A CONSTANT ON-GOING PROBLEM AND I HAVE TO VERY CAREFUL WHEN PULLING INTO MY GARAGE TO MAKE SURE I DON'T RUN THE VEHICLE THROUGH THE BACK WALL OF THE GARAGE. I REPORTED THIS TO THE DEALER ON 2 OCCASIONS. THE DEALER STATED THAT THIS IS "NORMAL ENGINE OPERATION". THE DEALER STATED THAT THE ENGINE'S COMPUTER DETERMINES WHAT THE RPM'S SHOULD BE ACCORDING TO THE ELECTRICAL DEMAND. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE EXPLANATION. YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN THE VEHICLE IS ABOUT TO LUNGE FORWARD. *JB

THE SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER IS NOT ACCURATE. I HAVE CHECKED IT WITH RADAR, GPS AND MULTIPLE MEASURED MILES WITH A STOP WATCH AND HAVE CONSISTENTLY CALCULATED AN 8-10% INACCURACY. FOR EXAMPLE WHEN THE CAR IS TRAVELING AT WHAT THE SPEEDOMETER READS AS 60 MPH, THE RADAR,GPS AND THE MEASURED MILE ALL INDICATE A SPEED OF 54-55 MPH. THE DEALER HAS NEVER TESTED MY VEHICLE OTHER THAN DRIVING IT NEXT TO ANOTHER VEHICLE AND COMPARING THE SPEEDS. THIS IS OBVIOUSLY NOT ACCURATE . I HAVE VOICED MY COMPLAINT NUMEROUS TIME TO THE DEALER AND TO THE FACTORY. THE FACTORY AUTHORIZED THE SPEED SENSORS TO BE CHANGED. NO CURE. THE PROBLEM REMAINS AND WORSENS AS THE TIRES WEAR AND THEIR DIAMETER BECOMES SMALLER. IF THE SPEEDOMETER IS INACCURATE THE ODOMETER COULD ALSO BE WRONG AND THIS WOULD MEAN THAT MY MILEAGE WOULD NOT BE AS GREAT AS IS INDICATED AND MY WARRANTY WOULD EXPIRE THAT MUCH SOONER. ALSO MY GAS MILEAGE WOULD BE LESS AND MY MAINTENANCE INTERVALS WOULD BE SOONER AND I NEVER REALLY KNOW WHAT MY TRUE SPEED IS. THE FACTORY INDICATED TO ME THAT THEY WOULD ONLY ACCEPT DYNONMOMETER TEST AND THAT I WOULD HAVE TO DO THE TEST AT MY EXPENSE. THEY DO NOT HAVE SUCH A MACHINE AND WOULD NOT HELP ME ANY FURTHER. I HOPE THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO HELP WITH THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE TALKED TO OTHER 2003 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK OWNERS AND MOST OF THEM INDICATED THE SAME PROBLEM AFTER THEY WERE MADE AWARE OF THIS. I WAS TOLD BY A MECHANIC THAT 2003 WAS THE FIRST YEAR THE SPEEDOMETERS/ODOMETERS WERE ELECTRONIC. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS IS TRUE OR NOT, BUT I'M VERY SURE THAT MYSELF AND OTHER SUBARU OUTBACK OWNERS HAVE INACCURATE SPEEDOMETERS. HOPE YOU WILL INVESTIGATE THIS. *JB

2003 SUBARU OUTBACK DEVELOPED A PROBLEM WHERE THE VEHICLE WOULD EXPERIENCE HESITATION UPON ACCELERATION AND THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE. ***NO ANSWER REQUIRED*** *MR THE VEHICLE LUNGED WHILE IN MOTION WITHOUT THE GAS PEDAL BEING APPLIED, THE CONSUMER HAD DIFFICULTY WITH THE AUTOMATIC SHIFTING, LACK OF POWER UPON ACCELERATION, AND ON OCCASION AN EXTREMELY LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE WHEN SHIFTING, BRAKING, OR DISENGAGING THE CRUISE CONTROL WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL. *SC THE ROTORS WERE RESURFACED.*JB

DT: SHORTLY AFTER BUYING THE VEHICLE SUNROOF SHATTERED. THE SUNROOF WAS OPEN AND LOUDLY CRACKED AS IF IN AN EXPLOSION. TOOK VEHICLE TO SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND THEY INSISTED A ROCK MUST HAVE STRUCK VEHICLE. AFTER INSISTING THIS WAS NOT SO OWNER AGREED TO PAY FOR REPLACEMENT. CURRENTLY, A YEAR AND A HALF LATER THIS HAPPENED AGAIN WITHOUT ANY FOREIGN OBJECT STRIKING THE SUNROOF, AND NO EVIDENCE OF ANY KIND. THE SECOND TIME THIS HAPPENED WITHOUT NOTICE AND WAS CLOSED WHEN THE CRACK WAS DISCOVERED. VEHICLE CURRENTLY AWAITING REPAIRS. CONSUMER FELT THIS SUN ROOF WAS DEFECTIVE WITH SOME SORT OF UNDUE STRESS. *AK

SERVICE WAS DONE AT 60,000 KILOMETERS AND BRAKE ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED WHICH IN MY OPINON WAS PREMATURE ON A 3 YEAR OLD VEHICLE. I HAVE OWNED JETTAS AND HONDAS WHICH HAVE GONE 5 YEARS AND 125,000 KILOMETERS WITHOUT ANY MAJOR BRAKE WORK REQUIRED.

2003 SUBARU LEGACY IS LEAKING ANTI-FREEZE. *MR COOLANT LEAKED DUE TO A DEFECTIVE ENGINE DESIGN. THE ALUMINUM BLOCK AND HEAD DID NOT CONTRACT TOGETHER CAUSING THE PROBLEM. *SC *JB

WINDSHIELD HAS A CRACK THAT STARTS ON THE PASSENGER EDGE MIDWAY UP THE WINDSHIELD AND GOES IN TOWARD THE CENTER TOWARD THE REARVIEW MIRROR. NORMALLY I WOULD JUST THINK THIS WAS DUE TO A ROCK CHIP, HOWEVER I HAVE SEEN MULTIPLE VEHICLES (SAME YEAR/MODEL) WITH THE EXACT SAME CRACK.*AK

WHEN ACCELERATING AT ANY SPEED HESITATES FOR A COUPLE OF SECONDS. *AK THE MANUFACTURER INDICATED THAT THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE FIXED BECAUSE IT WAS A CHARACTERISTIC OF THE VEHICLE. THE CONSUMER FEELS THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL CAUSE DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION OVER TIME. *NM

2003 SUBARU LEGACY, PURCHASED IN JULY, 2003, WITH FOUR FIRESTONE P20555R16 TIRES (POTENZA RE 92, M+S). LEFT FRONT TIRE BLOW-OUT @ 70 MPH ON INTERSTATE WHILE PASSING A SEMI, WITH VEHICLES BEHIND ON BOTH SIDES. AWD SYSTEM ENABLED ME TO SAFELY MOVE INTO THE RIGHT LANE AND OFF THE ROAD. TIRE FULLY EXPLODED, WITH ONLY RIM LEFT. TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP, TIRE UNDER WARRANTY, BUT DEALER WOULD NOT REPLACE UNDER WARRANTY, EVEN THOUGH THE TREAD WAS NOT WORN (22,000 MILES), BASED ON CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENT OF TIRE COMPARED TO SPARE WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE THE SAME CIRCUMFERENCE. IN 30 YEARS OF DRIVING, I NEVER EXPERIENCED A TIRE BLOWOUT, AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'VE HAD FIRESTONE TIRES ON A CAR. THE AUTO DEALER INFORMED US, AS WELL, THAT ALL 4 TIRES WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED DUE TO THE AWD SYSTEM, AND NONE WOULD BE UNDER WARRANTY EVEN THOUGH THESE ARE NEW TIRES WITH LITTLE TREAD LOSS. *AK