2005 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

I HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH MY POWER TRAIN SINCE PURCHASE OF THE CAR. I HAVE DONE BOTH CV AXLES TWICE. THE LAST TIME THE CONTROL ARMS HAD TO BE REPLACED. BALL JOINTS HAVE BEEN TWICE. THE SHOP I TOOK MY CAR TO SAID THEY HAVE SEEN THIS SAME ISSUE IN 4 OTHER SUBARU'S OF THE SAME YEAR. DURING REPAIR MY DRIVE KNUCKLES BROKE. I HAVE SPEND THOUSAND ON JUST MY POWER TRAIN. BETWEEN SUBARU DEALERSHIP, BURT BROTHER, AND PREMIER AUTO, I WANT TO MAKE AN OFFICIAL COMPLAINT AND ASK YOU TO LOOK INTO THESE ISSUE. ALL OF THESE COMPANIES HAVE ADVISED ME TO PLACE THIS COMPLAINT. *TR

WITHOUT ANY ACCIDENT, UNDER NORMAL USAGE, THE VEHICLE'S LICENSE PLATE LIGHTS FAILED. THE PROBLEM WAS TRACED TO A BREAK IN A CONDUCTOR (WIRE) CONTAINED IN A WIRING HARNESS THAT CONNECTS THE VEHICLE TO THE REAR HATCH THROUGH A RUBBER BELLOWS. ONCE THE BELLOWS WAS RETRACTED, THE BROKEN WIRE WAS FOUND ALONG WITH TWELVE (12) OTHER WIRES THAT WERE ALL NEARLY BROKEN: THEIR INSULATION WAS CRACKED AND SEVERAL WIRES ULTIMATELY BROKE COMPLETELY UPON FURTHER FLEXING. THESE OTHER WIRES FED THE BRAKE LIGHTS, TURN SIGNALS, RUNNING LIGHTS, HATCH LOCK, AND ALL OTHER ELECTRICAL CIRCUITS ON THE REAR HATCH. IT APPEARS THAT THE INSULATION ON THIS WIRE DOES NOT HOLD UP IN THIS ENVIRONMENT AND WILL ULTIMATELY FAIL IN THE COURSE OF SEVERAL YEARS. THIS POSES A SAFETY PROBLEM AS THE VEHICLES REAR LIGHTS (TURN SIGNALS, BRAKE LIGHTS, ETC.) CAN FAIL AT ANY MOMENT. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, HE HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE AS THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACCELERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSIS AND THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE WAS BLOWN. THE FAILURE HAD OCCURRED TWO YEARS PRIOR TO THE RECENT FAILURE AND THE ENGINE HAD BEEN REPLACED. THE THIRD ENGINE WAS INSTALLED AND THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 105,000. RETURNED BY USPS ON 6/7/2013. 2ND ATTEMPT ON 6/11/2013 FAILED. *KB

FROM AN INTERSECTION, I SLOWED DOWN TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN AND UPON COMPLETING THE TURN, I PUT MY FOOT ON THE GAS PEDAL TO ACCELERATE AND THE PEDAL WAS UNRESPONSIVE. I HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO QUICKLY TURN ONTO A SIDE STREET OUT OF TRAFFIC. THE GAS PEDAL WHEN PUSHED DOWN ALL THE WAY WOULD NOT ACCELERATE AND DID NOT MAKE THE REVVING SOUND. THIS IS THE FIFTH TIME THIS HAS OCCURRED TO ME SINCE PURCHASING THIS NEW VEHICLE IN 2005. IT SEEMS TO BE OCCURRING MORE OFTEN NOW. *TR

LOST THROTTLE RESPONSE ON EXPRESSWAY WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC FROM ON-RAMP ALMOST CAUSING COLLISION WHILE TRYING TO MOVE TO THE SHOULDER. APPLIED BRAKES TO STOP VEHICLE ONCE ON SHOULDER, CAR WAS REVVING AT 3300 RPMS. PLACED VEHICLE IN PARK AND TURNED SWITCH TO OFF. STARTED CAR TO FIND THE THROTTLE STILL REVVING TO 3300 RPMS AND TURNED OFF AGAIN. WAITED 5-MINUTES AND STARTED CAR AGAIN WITH THE THROTTLE AT NORMAL IDLE. DROVE CAR 15-MILES AND THE CRUISE AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TURNED OFF. HAPPENED IN RAINY AND COLD WEATHER. *TR

MY BACK UP LIGHTS AND LICENSE PLATE LIGHTS WERE NOT WORKING. FOUND THE WIRES BETWEEN THE LIGHT GATE AND BODY OF CAR WERE BREAKING ONE BY ONE. ALSO MY ANTENNA WIRES WERE BROKEN ON OTHER SIDE SAME LOCATION. WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THIS. WIRES USUALLY DON'T WEAR OUT LIKE THIS I WOULDN'T THINK. *TR

ON APPROXIMATELY 10 OCCASIONS RIGHT AFTER A RAIN WHEN I START UP THE CAR THE ENGINE LIGHT STARTS BLINKING AND THE CAR RUNS ROUGHLY WITH LITTLE POWER. AFTER A SHORT TIME THE CAR POWER RETURNS BUT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT STAYS ON FOR ABOUT A WEEK. ONCE THE LIGHT GOES OUT THE CAR THEN RUNS NORMAL UNTIL THE NEXT RAINSTORM. IT THEN DOES THE SAME ALL OVER. *TR

SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5XT. 2005 CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON & I COULD HEAR WHISTLING OR WHOOSING SOUNDS FROM ENGINE AREA. TOOK IT TO AN AUTO REPAIR PLACE SLOWLY,ASAP & THERE IT SITS. HAS 155,000 MILES ON IT & I MAINTAIN & LOVE MY CAR! THE GEARS IN THE TURBO 'BROKE APART' & LEFT SHARDS OF METAL IN OIL PAN & AT THIS TIME WHO KNOWS WHERE ELSE. WAS HOPING THERE WAS A RECALL AS I MAINTAIN MY VEHICLES & IT SEEMS LIKE A MANUFACTURER ERROR. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THE CAR ON A SLIGHTLY SNOWY/SLIPPERY ROAD WITH LIGHT SNOW FALLING, IT FELT LIKE THE REAR END OF THE CAR WAS SPINNING OUT AND I WAS HEADING OFF THE ROAD. I HAD TO SLOW DOWN TO ABOUT 30 MPH IN ORDER TO STAY IN MY LANE. EVERYONE ELSE WAS FLYING PAST ME. I HAVE SINCE HAD MANY OCCASIONS WHERE THESE SAME CONDITIONS CAUSED THE SAME EFFECTS WITH THE CAR. IT SEEMS TO WORSEN WHEN I HAVE PASSENGERS OR ANY EXTRA WEIGHT IN THE CAR. WHEN THE DRIVING CONDITIONS THAT CAUSE THIS PROBLEM EXIST, I CANNOT DRIVE MY CAR, BUT MUST RENT ANOTHER VEHICLE OR BORROW SOMEONE ELSE'S CAR. WE HAVE OWNED OTHER SUBARU OUTBACKS OF 1998 OR EARLIER WITH NO PROBLEMS IN SNOW. NUMEROUS TIMES I BROUGHT THIS PROBLEM UP WITH SUBARU CORPORATION OF AMERICA AND MY DEALERSHIP AND EVERYONE DENIES THERE IS ANY PROBLEM WITH THE CAR. I'M TOTALLY FRUSTRATED!! *TR

WHILE DRIVING NORTH ON 91 TO VERMONT THIS CAR HANDLED GREAT IN SNOW, . ON THE OTHER HAND THE RETURN TRIPS THE ROADS WERE PLOWED PACKED SNOW IT WAS LIKE THE REAR END WAS ON ICE SKATES(OR GHOST WALKING} WHATEVER YOU CALL IT WHEN IT HAPPENS IT WILL SCARE THE [XXX]OUT OF YOU. THE FIRST COUPLE TIMES IT HAPPENED, I HAD EVERY EXCUSE WHY IT WASN'T THE CAR, I THOUGHT THE STOCK TIRES WERE SHOT, SO I BOUGHT 4 BRAND NEW DUNLOP SNOW TIRES. I HOPED PROBLEM WOULD BE SOLVED, CAR HANDLED EVEN BETTER IN SNOW SAME ON PACKED SNOW/ICE. THOUGHT MAYBE THE THULE BOX WAS CATCHING WIND, REMOVED THULE BOX. PROBLEM DID NOT GET BETTER. I BEGAN SEARCHING FOR SIMILAR ISSUES ONLINE AND CAME ACROSS MANY SUGGESTIONS THAT STOCK SUSPENSION SUCKED, WHICH I KINDA NEW, SO I REPLACED SUSPENSION WITH SUPPOSEDLEY THE BEST AVAILABLE KYB HOPED THAT AFTER THAT INVESTMENT PROBLEM WOULD BE SOLVED, I WAS WRONG AGAIN. AFTER DEEPER INVESTIGATION ONLINE I LEARNED OF GHOSTWALKING. IF I HAD BOUGHT A CHEVY CAVALIER OR FORD TAURUS OR ANY OTHER PIECE OF CRAP THAT YOU WOULDN'T EXPECT TO HANDLE SAID CONDITIONS IT'S ONE THING BUT FOR A CAR THAT EITHER ENDORES OR IS ENDORSED BY THE US SKI TEAM, SKI PATROL THIS CAR IS NOT SAFE. ABOUT TWO MONTHS AGO I WAS DRIVING UP A STRAIGHT AWAY IT HAD RAINED EARLIER. I WAS DRIVING ABOUT 55 I THE LIMIT IS 45 AND THE REAR END SLIPPED OUT AND THE CAR BEGAN GHOSTWALKING. I DON'T FEEL SAFE DRIVING MY DAUGHTER IN THIS CAR THAT I HOPED TO ONE DAY GIVE HER. I OWNED A 95 OUTBACK AND HAD NONE OF THE ABOVE PROBLEMS HAD REG TIRES. SINCE FINALLY FIGURING THAT I'M NOT CRAZY AND OTHER PEOPLE ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM THAT CAN'T BE FIXED,I WANT TO TRADE IT IN BUT WORRY THAT WHOEVER BUYS IT MIGHT CRASH AND DIE, ICANT VERY WELL GO TRADE IN THIS CAR AND TELL THEM THIS HANDLES GREAT, BEST CAR I EVER OWNED JUST DON'T DRIVE IT ON PACKED SNOW YOU NO THE REASON YOU WANT A SUBARU IN THE FIRST PLACE. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR