2005 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

2005 OB SW MT. CAR IS VERY UNSTABLE IN SLUSH OR SNOW. CAR WEAVES FROM SIDE TO SIDE RESULTING IN DRIVING VERY SLOWLY TO MINIMIZE INSTABILITY. *TR

DRIVING UNDER NORMAL COLD CONDITIONS. EVERY TIME THAT WE WENT UNDER AN OVERPASS WHERE ICE HAS FORCED ON THE HIGHWAY THE CAR MOMENTARILY LOST CONTROL. IT WAS A GOOD THING THAT THE HAZARD ENDED QUICKLY OTHERWISE WE WOULD HAVE BEEN OFF THE ROAD

WE PURCHASED A USED 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK LTD. WAGON IN AUGUST OF 2008 AND ALMOST IMMEDIATELY HAD TO REPLACE THE LEFT FRONT DRIVER'S LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT BULB. SINCE THAT TIME, WE HAVE REPLACED 3 MORE LEFT SIDE HEADLIGHT LOW BEAM BULBS AND 2 RIGHT SIDE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT BULBS. SUBARU TELLS US THERE ARE NO ISSUES WITH THEIR ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, YET THEY CLAIM THAT THEY HAVE REDESIGNED THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHT BULBS 3 TIMES NOW AND THAT THEIR BRANDED BULBS SHOULD WORK. AT APPX. $20.00 EACH, THEIR SOLUTION SHOULD NOT BE ACCEPTABLE. WE HAVE SPENT OVER $100.00 REPLACING BULBS THAT SHOULD LAST FOR YEARS AND YEARS, NOT 2-3 MONTHS! WE ARE ASKING FOR ASSISTANCE WITH THIS PROBLEM. WE LIVE IN A RURAL AREA OF COLORADO WHERE THERE ARE FEW STREET OR HIGHWAY LIGHTS AND WILDLIFE IS ALWAYS A CONCERN WHILE DRIVING. YOU NEED PROPER VEHICLE LIGHTING TO REMAIN SAFE ON THE ROAD AND THIS KNOWN DEFECT BY SUBARU NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. HEADLIGHT FAILURE DOESN'T ALWAYS HAPPEN NEAR A SUBARU DEALER. OFF THE SHELF REPLACEMENT BULBS SHOULD DO THE JOB, BUT DON'T BECAUSE SUBARU IS NOT SHARING THE CORRECT LIGHTING TECHNOLOGY WITH THE AFTERMARKET MANUFACTURERS. THIS MAY NOT BE THE FIRST COMPLAINT YOU HAVE RECEIVED. WE SEE MANY 2005-2006 SUBARU'S LIKE OURS WITH BURNED OUT HEADLAMPS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION OF OUR COMPLAINT. *TR

2005 SUBARU OUTBACK SEDAN DRIVEN ON ICY/SNOWY ROAD CONDITIONS EXPERIENCES EXTREME SLIPPAGE IN THE REAR OF THE CAR. HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS ON AT LEAST TWO OTHER OCCASIONS WITH THIS VEHICLE IN SIMILAR CONDITIONS. AWD DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE KEEPING THE REAR OF THE CAR ON THE ROAD OR IN LINE. VEHICLE FISHTAILS OR GHOSTWALKS ON THE ROAD SURFACE IN THESE CONDITIONS. EACH TIME THIS WAS EXPERIENCED WAS WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS BETWEEN 30 AND 70 MPH IN ICY/SNOWY CONDITIONS. I HAVE A 1996 SUBARU LEGACY SEDAN AS WELL THAT DOES NOT EXHIBIT THIS TYPE OF UNNERVING WANDERING ON THE ROAD WHEN DRIVEN IN EXACT SAME CONDITIONS. THIS WANDERING MAKES VEHICLE FEEL EXTREMELY UNSTABLE AND THE BACK OF THE CAR FEELS AS THOUGH IT WANTS TO SPIN AROUND OR OFF THE ROAD. *TR

WITH 35,600 MILES ON OUR 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK XT, THE TURBO FAILED. THE DEALER SERVICE TECHNICIAN SAID THIS WAS DO TO THE CONDITION OF THE ENGINE OIL WHICH WAS 7 MONTHS OLD AND HAD 5,400 MILES ON IT. ALL 7 OF THE VEHICLES OIL CHANGES WERE DONE WITHIN THE 7,500 MILE INTERVAL SET FORTH IN OWNERS/VEHICLE MAINTENANCE MANUAL. ACCORDING TO THE SUBARU SERVICE BULLETIN # 02-103-07 (HTTP://STORE.FORCEDPERFORMANCE.NET/MERCHANT2/GRAPHICS/SUBARU_OIL/02-103-07.PDF -- NOT SENT TO OWNERS), THERE APPEARS TO BE A DESIGN DEFECT WITH THE "BANJO BOLT" OIL SUPPLY LINE TO THE TURBO, WHICH MAKE THIS ENGINE UNABLE TO LIVE UP TO THE SPECIFIED MAINTENANCE INTERVALS IN ITS POWER TRAIN WARRANTY. *TR

PREMATURE WHEEL BEARING FAILURE OF BOTH FRONT WHEEL BEARINGS. RESULTED IN LOUD HUMMING FROM FRONT END OF VEHICLE BUT WAS REPAIRED PRIOR TO ANY SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

I OWN A SUBARU OUTBACK AND LIVE IN BEMIDJI MINNESOTA--LAND OF BELOW ZERO WINTER TEMPERATURES. TODAY I WAS NAILED IN THE HEAD YET AGAIN BY THE TAILGATE DOOR OF MY CAR. YOU SEE, THE STRUTS THAT SUPPORT THE TAILGATE DOOR DO NOT FUNCTION WHEN ITS REALLY COLD OUTSIDE--LIKE APPROACHING 0 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT OR LOWER. WHEN TEMPERATURES ARE WARMER--ABOUT 20 DEGREES ABOVE ZERO--THE STRUTS FUNCTION AS USUAL. BUT WHEN IT IS EXTREMELY COLD, THE STRUTS DO NOT WORK AND THE DOOR FALLS FREELY ONTO YOUR HEAD OR WHATEVER IS IN THE WAY. THIS HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH THIS CAR SINCE I PURCHASED IT IN JULY 2006. THIS IS AN OBVIOUS DESIGN DEFECT THAT COULD LEAD TO AN INJURY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO SWAY FROM SIDE TO SIDE. IF THE CONTACT DROVE MORE THAN 40 MPH, THE VEHICLE WOULD FAIL AGAIN. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY BEING INSPECTED BY THE DEALER. THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE HAS NOT YET BEEN DETERMINED. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WERE NO CURRENT RECALLS ON THE VEHICLE; THEREFORE, NO COMPENSATION WOULD BE PROVIDED. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 36,875.

WHILE DRIVING ON ICY ROADS AT SPEEDS OF 40 MPH OR MORE, THE CAR SOMETIMES "FLOATS" TO THE SIDE SEVERAL INCHES. IT FEELS DIFFERENT THAN FISHTAILING -- MORE LIKE THE CAR IS BEING PUSHED BY THE WIND. THIS OCCURS WITH NO CROSS-WIND, NO ACCELERATION, NO CORNERING OR BRAKING, ON FLAT STRAIGHT ICY ROADS WHILE DRIVING AT A CONSTANT SPEED. THE SIDEWAYS SLIP IS SEVERE ENOUGH THAT YOU FEEL YOU MAY LOSE CONTROL AND LEAVE THE ROAD. THE ONLY FIX IS TO SLOW DOWN TO 40 MPH OR LESS, WHILE OTHER CARS ARE PASSING AT 60 MPH OR MORE. AFTER SEVERAL OCCURRENCES, ALWAYS ON ICY OR SLUSHY ROADS, I TOOK THE CAR TO THE SUBARU DEALER, WHO PERFORMED AN ALIGNMENT. THE REPORT SHOWS THAT THE CAR HAD POSITIVE TOE-IN OF 0.23 DEGREES (FRONT LEFT), 0.24 DEGREES (FRONT RIGHT), 0.22 DEGREES (REAR LEFT) AND 0.44 DEGREES (REAR RIGHT). TOO MUCH TOE-IN, I'M TOLD, CAN CAUSE EXCESSIVE TIRE WEAR AND CAN ALSO CAUSE POOR HANDLING ON ICY ROADS. PLEASE CONSIDER THAT COMPLAINTS FOR BOTH THESE ISSUES MAY HAVE A COMMON CAUSE. THERE ARE REPORTS THAT TOE-IN INCREASES OVER TIME WITH SUBARU OUTBACKS, AND THAT TOE-IN ALSO INCREASES WHEN THERE IS MORE WEIGHT IN THE BACK END OF THE CAR. THE SUBARU OUTBACK DYNAMICALLY SHIFTS POWER TO NON-SLIPPING WHEELS WHEN ONE OR MORE WHEELS LOSES TRACTION, AND APPORTIONS POWER 60/40 FAVORING THE REAR WHEELS. COULD THESE FACTORS, ALONG WITH EXCESSIVE TOE-IN, CREATE THE KIND OF DANGEROUS FLOATING ON ICY ROADS THAT MANY OUTBACK OWNERS HAVE EXPERIENCED? PLEASE, PLEASE INVESTIGATE. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO MOVE FORWARD, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN AND CRASHED INTO ANOTHER VEHICLE. THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE FAILURE OCCURRED A TOTAL OF THREE TIMES. THE MOST RECENT FAILURE WAS ON JANUARY 10, 2009 WHILE PARKING THE VEHICLE. SHE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE. A REPORT WAS FILED WITH THE MANUFACTURER AND THEY STATED THAT THERE WAS NO RECALL FOR THE VEHICLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 30,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 44,000.