2013 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

AFTER 28,000 MILES AND NOTICED AT DRIVE THROUGH LOCATIONS THE SICKLY SWEET SMELL OF ANTIFREEZE WAS NOTICED. I TOOK CAR TO DEALER WHO PRESSURE TESTED AND INSPECTED COOLANT SYSTEM. NOTHING UNUSUAL WAS NOTICED AND NO LEAKS WERE DISCOVERED. DROVE CAR LATER IN THE DAY AND SMELL RETURNED, WILL DRIVE MORE AND IF SMELL IS NOTICED AGAIN WILL RETURN TO DEALER. COULD ARISE FROM OIL CHANGES AND IF LEVELING THE FLUID LEVEL THE SPILL BURNOFF COULD BE WHERE THE SMELL COMES FROM... WHEN STARTING CAR THE ENGINE REVS AT A HIGH SPEED BUT THAT IS NORMAL FROM THIS PARTICULAR VEHICLE SO AFTER STARTING I PAUSE A BIT BEFORE SHIFTING AND DRIVING. OTHER THAN THE ANTIFREEZE SMELL THE CAR IS A PLEASURE TO DRIVE.

WONDERS FROM SIDE TO SIDE. TOOK BACK TO DEALER THEY CHECK ALIGNMENT. SAID EVERYTHING WAS IN SPECTS. THERE WAS NO CHARGE THIS TIME FOR ALIGNMENT BUT WOULD NOT DO IT AGAIN FOR FREE. WE PURCHASED EXTENDED WARRANTY AT TIME OF PURCHASE. WHAT A WASTE! MY DAUGHTER AND SON-IN-LAW BORROWED IT LAST SUMMER. PUT 8000 MILES ON IT DRIVING ACROSS COUNTRY. HAD A TERRIBLE TIME KEEPING IT ON THE ROAD. THEY WHERE GOING TO BUY A OUTBACK BUT QUICKLY CHANGED THEIR MIND. CALLED DEALER AGAIN AND THE SERVICE MANGER TOLD ME TO CHANGE TIRES AND CROSS ROTATE THEM. I TOLD HIM WE ALREADY DID THAT AND MY HUSBAND CROSS ROTATED THEM. HE SAID THAT THERE WOULD BE A CHARGE TO LOOK AT IT. SINCE THEY DIDN'T DO ANYTHING THE FIRST TIME WHY PAY THEM MORE TO TELL ME IT IS IN SPECTS? I THINK THEY ARE WAITING FOR SOMEONE TO GET KILLED OR BE KILLED. THIS IS MOST DEFINITELY A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

OIL LIGHT CAME ON AND HAD TO ADD 1 QUART OF OIL AFTER ABOUT 4000 MILES SINCE PREVIOUS OIL CHANGE. THE CAR TAKES SYNTHETIC OIL AND IS SUPPOSED TO GO 7500 MILES BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. SINCE THEN, WE HAVE HAD TO ADD OIL IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES SEVERAL TIMES, APPROXIMATELY 1-2 QUARTS EVERY 1500 TO 3000 MILES. SUBARU DEALER SAYS THIS IS NORMAL; HOWEVER, WE HAVE NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH ANY OTHER VEHICLE. WE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT DAMAGE TO THE MOTOR BY THIS CONTINUING TO HAPPEN. THE CAR WAS BOUGHT NEW AND ONLY HAS 23,000 MILES ON IT. *TR

UPON NOTICING A BLOWN 3RD TAIL LIGHT(ONE OF THE TAIL LIGHTS ON THE REAR HATCH/DOOR OF THE WAGON,) I DISASSEMBLED AND FOUND THAT THE SOCKETS ON BOTH SIDES(LEFT AND RIGHT 3RD TAIL-LIGHT SOCKETS) WERE SCORCHED AROUND WHERE THE BULBS FIT INTO THEM. THE DISCOLORATION WAS BROWN/BLACK AND WAS PRESENT NOT ONLY ON THE SOCKET WITH THE BLOWN BULB BUT ALSO THE OTHER, WORKING SIDE. DEALER REPLACED BLOWN BULB AND MADE NO COMMENT ON SCORCHED BULB SOCKETS. IT ALMOST APPEARS AS IF THEY WERE SO HEATED THEY WERE READY TO MELT OR BURN THE PLASTIC. CAR HAS BEEN IN SERVICE FOR 27 MONTHS AND HAS 27K MOSTLY CITY DRIVING ON IT. HAPPY TO PROVIDE PHOTOS OF THE AFFECTED SOCKETS TO ANYONE INVESTIGATING OR CONCERNED. *TR

WE ARE EXPERIENCING EXCESSIVE OIL LOSS (OVER A QUART) FROM A BRAND NEW CAR. A QUART OF OIL MAGICALLY DISAPPEARING. THIS IS NOT RIGHT. *TR

PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG INDICATOR LIGHT AND ALARM GO OFF WHETHER PASSENGER IS IN THE SEAT OR NOT. INTERMITTENTLY, WHEN I START THE CAR, THE INDICATOR LIGHT FLASHES AND THEN REMAINS LIT. IF THE CAR IS DRIVEN IN THIS STATE, THE ALARM SOUNDS AT SPEEDS OVER 25/30 MPH. SUBARU DOESN'T KNOW HOW TO TROUBLE SHOOT. *TR

MY 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK PREMIUM 2.5 HAS A CAUTION LIGHT IN THE INSTRUMENT PANEL THAT ILLUMINATES AS A REMINDER FOR THE OPERATOR TO CHECK THE ENGINE OIL. THE OWNERS MANUAL STATES THE LIGHT INDICATES LOW ENGINE OIL LEVELS AND RECOMMENDS ADDING OIL TO PREVENT ENGINE DAMAGE. I ADD A MINIMUM 1 QUART OF OIL, ON A RECURRING CYCLE, TO RETURN THE OIL LEVEL TO THE FULL MARK ON THE OIL DIPSTICK. MY SUBARU OUTBACK REQUIRES ADDING APPROX. 1 QUART OF OIL EVERY 1800 MILES BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. *TR

PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, I HAD NOTICED SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHERE THE ENGINE WOULD SUDDENLY REV FOR NO REASON WHILE I WAS DRIVING AT A SLOW SPEED OR BRAKING. THIS INCIDENT HAPPENED ON DEC 2, 2014 AT APPROX. 7:40AM EASTERN TIME. AS I WAS APPROACHING THE SECURITY CHECK-IN GATE AT MY JOB, TRAVELING ABOUT 10 MPH, I DEPRESSED THE BRAKE TO SLOW DOWN AND WAIT FOR THE GATE TO OPEN. AS I WAS SLOWING DOWN, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY REV'D TO MAXIMUM AND THE CAR ACCELERATED AND LURCHED FORWARD. I WAS NOT ABLE TO STOP OR CONTROL THE CAR AND IT CRASHED THROUGH THE SECURITY BARRIER GATE. NO ONE WAS INJURED AND THERE WAS NO DAMAGE DONE TO THE CAR, BUT THE METAL ARM OF THE GATE WAS SEVERELY BENT. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MY SUBARU DEALER SEVERAL DAYS LATER TO BE INSPECTED AND REPORT THE INCIDENT. THE DEALER SAID THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECM) AND UPDATED THE SOFTWARE. SINCE THEN, THE CAR HAS RUN SMOOTHLY WITH NO FURTHER ACCELERATION PROBLEMS. THE ECM UPDATE ALSO SEEMED TO SOLVE A PROBLEM I HAD EXPERIENCED WHERE THE CAR HAD DIFFICULTY STARTING UP. *TR

TRAVELING THROUGH DESMOINES IOWA AND NAVIGATION SYSTEM INSTRUCTED ME AUDIBLY TO EXIT HIGHWAY TO LEFT WHEN THERE WAS NO EXIT AND NO REASON FOR ME TO EXIT. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES AND SUBARU KNOWS THAT ITS NAVIGATION SYSTEM IS/WAS DEFECTIVE. *TR

OIL CONSUMPTION PROBLEM. OIL LIGHT COMES ON BEFORE RECOMMENDED OIL CHANGE. DID 1200 MILE OIL CONSUMPTION TEST WITH NO OIL BURNED. AT ABOUT 5,000 MILES OIL LIGHT COMES ON AGAIN. I BELIEVE THERE IS A TSB OUT BUT I BELIEVE SUBARU SHOULD FIX PROBLEM REGARDLESS OF EXPENSE. STILL UNDER WARRANTY. STILL WORKING WITH DEALER WHO HAVE BEEN VERY GOOD ABOUT THIS PROBLEM SO FAR. *TR