2013 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

I HAVE NOTICED MANY COMPLAINTS AND PERSONALLY HAVE, S NON WORKING HORN AND S NON OPENING GAS COMPARTMENT IN MY SUBARU. I BELIEVE THE NON FUNCTIONING HORN PRESENTS A SAFETY HAZARD IN ALL THE SUBARU MODELS WHO HAVE IT/ WHICH THROUGH RESEARCH ARE MANY. NO CONSUMER SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO CORRECT A DEFECT THST IS IN FACT PRESENT IN SUBARU VEHICLES THROUGH NO EAR AND REAR OR CAUSE OF THE CONSUMER. I EXPECT THIS TO BE REPAIRED VIA RECALL . ALSO IT IS KNOWN THAT THE GAS COMPARTMENT DOES NOT OPEN IN VEHICLES AS WELL- THROUGH NO CAUSE BY THE CONSUMER.

FROM THE DAY WE BOUGHT IT, THE CAR WANDERS LEFT AND RIGHT, NOTICEABLY AT SPEEDS ABOVE 40 MPH, REQUIRING CONSTANT STEERING WHEEL CORRECTIONS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS.

THE TRANSMISSION JERKS AND STUTTERS AND WHILE IN TRAFFIC THE CAR LOST POWER FOR APPROXIMATELY 5 SECONDS AND I WAS ALMOST HIT. IT HAPPENS AT LOW AND HIGH SPEEDS. IT HAS HAPPENED ON CITY STREETS AND THE LATEST WAS ON THE HIGHWAY. I HAVE ALSO HAD IT STALL COMPLETELY AT LOW SPEEDS. I'VE HAD IT IN THE DEALERSHIP 3 TIMES AND THEY SAY THEY CAN'T REPLICATE IT. I HAVE HAD THE TRANSMISSION FLUSHED. IT STILL CONTINUES. IT FEELS UNSAFE TO DRIVE.

DRIVER'S DOOR WILL NOT OPEN FROM THE INSIDE OR OUTSIDE DURING SUB-FREEZING TEMPERATURES. FRONT PASSENGER DOOR AND REAR DOORS ARE NOT AFFECTED AND OPERATE AS DESIGNED. THE DANGER, OF COURSE, IS NOT BEING ABLE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE WHEN SAFETY REQUIRES AN EXIT. CYCLING THE POWER LOCKS DOES NOT CORRECT THE PROBLEM. HAVE NOT TRIED THE BACK-UP METAL KEY THAT FITS THE EXTERIOR LOCK ONLY. DRIVER'S DOOR WILL EITHER NOT OPEN AT ALL OR MAY OPEN ONLY 3" OR SO. IF IT DOES OPEN 3", THEN REPEATED ATTEMPTS MAY CAUSE IT TO FULLY OPEN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER FAILED TO PROVIDE THE PART WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME FRAME FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 18V626000 (PARKING BRAKE). THE CONTACT HAD BEEN WAITING OVER THREE MONTHS FOR THE PART. THE RECALL LETTER STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. GROOVE SUBARU (5300 S BROADWAY, ENGLEWOOD, CO 80113, (720) 279-9409) AND THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT KNOW WHEN THE PART WOULD BE AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT WAS WAITING ON THE MANUFACTURER TO DETERMINE A SOLUTION AND PROVIDE THE PART. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

I WAS DRIVING EARLY IN THE MORNING WHEN THE CAR, A 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK, STARTED TO ACT UNPREDICTABLY;REVVING AND JUMPY. I WAS SCARED TO CONTINUE DRIVING IT IN THAT STATE AND PULLED INTO A PARKING LOT. IT SEEMED CLEAR IT WOULD NOT MAKE IT UP THE 8 % GRADE HILL THAT WAS 1/4 MILE OR SO FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD. I HAD TO BE TOWED OUT OF THE LOT TO THE LOCAL SUBARU DEALER. I UNDERSTAND SUCH TOTAL FAILURE TRANSMISSION EVENTS ARE A KNOWN SUBARU ISSUE FOR MY MODEL AND YEAR. I AM VERY UPSET THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL AND NOW SUBARU IS SAYING THEIR VOLUNTARY EXTENSION OF THE WARRANTY EXPIRED AND THEY WON'T PAY FOR THE NEW TRANSMISSION. THEY HAVE OFFERED $2500 IN A GESTURE OF GOOD WILL, BUT THAT WILL NOT COME CLOSE TO COVERING THE COST OF REPLACING THIS DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSION. SUBARU SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL FOR THESE DEFECTIVE TRANSMISSIONS THAT WERE INCLUDED IN THE "CUSTOMER SATISFACTION" EXTENDED WARRANTY BEFORE SOMETHING DISASTROUS OCCURS.

MY ORB WAS WORKING FULL TIME THAN JUST QUIT WITH WHEELS STRAIGHT, BUT WOULD WORK WITH QUARTER TURN AND NOW WON'T WORK AT ALL

GRINDING COMING FROM TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE STALLS OR DELAYS IN THE TRANSMISSION WHEN TAKING OFF FROM STOPS. IN ONE PARTICULAR INSTANCE, THE CAR HAD SUCH A DELAY IN HEAVY TRAFFIC THAT WE COULD HAVE HAD AN SERIOUS ACCIDENT IF HUSBAND HAD NOT PULLED OVER TO GET OUT OF THE WAY. ANOTHER TIME IT DELAYED FOR OVER 20 SECONDS AT A STOP LIGHT AND SOMEONE NEARLY REAR ENDED US. 2 SEPARATE TECHNICIANS FROM TWO SEPARATE DEALERSHIPS RECOMMENDED REPLACEMENT OF TRANSMISSION. DURING THEIR TEST DRIVE BOTH FELT A SHUDDER AROUND 25 MPH AND REPORTED A NOISY TRANSMISSION. OTHER DIAGNOSIS WAS PERFORMED FINDING NO OTHER ISSUES. THE ISSUE STARTED 120,000 MILES BUT TECHNICIAN SEEN UNIT AT 128,572 MILES IN WHICH HE STATED REPAIRS FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION WOULD BE BETWEEN 8,000 AND 10,000. THIS IS OUR MAIN VEHICLE AND IS UNSAFE AND UNRELIABLE TO CONTINUE TO USE.

WAS DRIVING SOUTH ON I-5 NEAR ORLAND, CA ON 12/26/18 WHEN MY OUTBACK BEGAN SHAKING AND ATTEMPTING TO "BRAKE" (I WAS DOING BETWEEN 65 - 70 MPH). I LOOKED DOWN AND THE PARKING BRAKE SIGNAL WAS ILLUMINATED. (I HAD NOT ENGAGED THE BRAKE.) I WAS ABLE TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I DISENGAGED THE BRAKE AND RESUMED. IT HAPPENED AGAIN. I PULLED OFF THE ROAD AND CALLED MY SUBARU DEALERSHIP, CARLSEN SUBARU, REDWOOD CITY, CA. I DISENGAGED THE BRAKE -- BUT THE BRAKE KEPT TRYING TO RE-ENGAGE. I COULD DRIVE BUT ONLY HAVE CONSISTENTLY AND CONSTANTLY MAKING SURE THE BRAKE WAS NOT ENGAGED. THE BRAKE LIGHT WOULD FLASH ON AND OFF PERIODICALLY. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP ON 12/27/18. AS SUSPECTED, THE DEALERSHIP DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS THE PARKING BRAKE MODULE. THE CHARGE WAS $185 FOR DIAGNOSIS AND ANOTHER ESTIMATED $1,250 FOR THE REPAIR. (SEE ATTACHED DIAGNOSTIC/ESTIMATE) ONE OF THE SERVICE TECHNICIANS GAVE ME THE NATIONAL SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE NUMBER -- I CALLED AND ALERTED THEM. THEY ARE INVESTIGATING. HOWEVER, LATER THAT EVENING I DISCOVERED SUBARU HAS RECALLED 27,000 2010-2014 OUTBACKS & LEGACYS WITH FAILING PARKING BRAKES. THE SUBARU RECALL IS OFFERING REPLACEMENT OR EXTENDED WARRANTY PROVISIONS DEPENDING ON WHETHER THE CAR IS MANUAL OR AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (WITH AFFECTED VIN NUMBERS). (RECALL BEGAN IN OCT 2018. I HAVE RECEIVED NO NOTIFICATION.) THE NATIONAL SUBARU REPRESENTATIVE MADE NO MENTION OF THE CURRENT RECALL TO ME. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP AGAIN THIS MORNING (12/28/18)--GOT A COPY OF THE DIAGNOSIS/ESTIMATE. THE SERVICE TECHNICIANS DO NOT SEE THE RECALL IN THEIR SYSTEM WITH MY VIN NUMBER. THIS APPEARS TO BE A SIMILAR ISSUE TO OTHERS REPORTED IN THE RECALL -- SUBARU SHOULD LOOK CAREFULLY AT OTHER VEHICLES WITHIN THOSE SAME YEAR/MODEL RANGES. I FEEL THE CAR MAY BE DANGEROUS TO DRIVE.

NOISE COMING FROM UNDERNEATH VEHICLE WHEN ACCELERATING THAT I NOTICED IN FEB 2017. TOOK THE CAR IN TO SUBARU DEALER AND ALL THEY DID WAS REPLACE THE DIFFERENTIAL FLUID AND SAID "NOISE WILL GO AWAY WITH TIME." LIKE ANY CAR ISSUE, IT DID NOT GO AWAY ON ITS OWN. OCT 2018 TOOK THE CAR IN TO LOCAL MECHANIC AND THEY SAID IT NEEDED A NEW CVT TRANSMISSION. ALSO SAID THAT MY CAR COULD STALL AT ANY TIME SO I DID NOT DRIVE IT. TOOK IT TO SUBARU FOR A SECOND OPINION AND THEY AGREED, NEW CVT TRANSMISSION. THEY ALSO INFORMED ME THAT THERE WAS AN EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE TRANSMISSION THAT ENDED JULY 2018, BUT I WAS NEVER INFORMED OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. SUBARU OFFERED TO PAY 50% OF A $10,000 REPAIR SO WE PAID $5,000. STILL A VERY UNACCEPTABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY FOR A CAR ONLY WORTH $10,000. THIS PART SHOULD BE RECALLED AS IT CAN CAUSE STALLING AT ANY TIME. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN SUBARU AT THIS TIME.