2010 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

5 MONTHS AFTER THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW I STARTED USING THE AIR CONDITIONER. WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK AS I WAS SLOWING MAKE A RIGHT TURN INTO A PARKING LOT FROM THE STREET I ENGAGED THE CLUTCH TO SHIFT FROM 3RD GEAR TO SECOND AND THE CAR DIED AND I HAD NO POWER STEERING OR POWER BRAKES. I DIDN'T USE THE AIR CONDITIONER ALL THE TIME. TWO TIMES THE FOLLOWING WEEK THE SAME THING OCCURRED AGAIN, BOTH TIMES SLOWING DOWN AND ENGAGING THE CLUTCH AND DOWN SHIFTING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT ON 6/2/10 AND THEY TESTED ALL THE SENSORS AND CHECKED IT ON THEIR COMPUTER AND THEY FOUND NO PROBLEMS AND ASKED THAT I KEEP A LOG OF EACH TIME IT HAPPENS AND IF I NOTICE ANY PATTERNS. I NOTICED THAT THE MAJORITY OF TIMES AS I WOULD ENGAGE THE CLUTCH TO DOWN SHIFT THE TACK WOULD DROP AND THE CAR WOULD SHUTTER AND THE TACK CAME BACK UP. THE TIMES WHEN THE TACK DROPPED AND THEN DIED IT DID NOT SHUTTER. THE PROBLEM ONLY HAPPENS WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER IS ON. I THEN HAD A NEAR COLLISION SHIFTING FROM 4TH TO 3RD IN A BUSY T-INTERSECTION AND CALLED SERVICE THE NEXT MORNING, 6/10/10 AND SCHEDULED TO TAKE THE CAR IN ON 6/14/10 AND DID NOT USE THE AIR CONDITIONER AT ALL. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM AND HAD A SUBARU ENGINEER LOOK AT IT. THEY ERASED THE CAR'S MEMORY AND WILL HAVE A PROGRAM WRITTEN TO HOPEFULLY FIX THE PROBLEM. SINCE THE PROGRAM WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR A LONG TIME THEY ARE GIVING ME THE CAR BACK TO DRIVE AND BELIEVE THAT SINCE THEY ERASED THE CAR'S MEMORY THAT MAY FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY BELIEVE IT MAY BE AN ELECTRICAL OR COMPUTER PROBLEM. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED WHEN DOWNSHIFTING FROM SECOND TO THIRD GEAR, THE VEHICLE WOULD STALL AND LOSE ALL POWER. THE POWER STEERING AND BRAKES WOULD BECOME INOPERABLE WHEN THE FAILURE OCCURRED.THE VECHILE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS PERFOMRED, DURING WHICH THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO FALL TO RPMS OF 300 UNTIL IT WOULD STALL. THE VEHICLE WAS LEFT IN THE DEALER'S POSSESSION FOR FURTHER DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 900.

CAR DIES WHILE DRIVING AT A STEADY PACE, THEN SLOWING DOWN, ENGAGING THE CLUTCH AND LETTING THE CAR IDLE AT A LIGHT. HAS HAPPENED 4 TIMES IN 2 WEEKS. ONCE WAS WHILE DOWNSHIFTING TO 2ND GEAR TO COMPLETE A LEFT TURN. HAD ENOUGH SPEED TO COMPLETE THE TURN, BUT DID NOT HAVE STEERING OR BRAKING ASSIST. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO SHAKE VIOLENTLY. THE VEHICLE ALSO PULLED FROM LEFT TO THE RIGHT NO MATTER WHAT SPEED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG OFF LIGHT WAS ALWAYS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIP WHERE IT WAS AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT, AWAITING A RESPONSE FROM THE MANUFACTURER. THIS VISIT WOULD BE THE FOURTH TIME THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD BEEN KEPT FOR A LONG PERIOD OF TIME. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE APPROXIMATELY 10,000.

LOW WEIGHT ADULT PASSENGERS (85 - 100 LBS) WILL NOT CAUSE THE PASSENGER AIRBAG TO ENGAGE. WARNING LIGHT DISPLAYS SHOWING AIRBAG IS DISABLED WHILE MY WIFE IS RIDING WITH ME. *TR

2010 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5I PREMIUM, PURCHASED 3/23/10. WHEN MY WIFE, WHO WEIGHS 130 POUNDS, SITS IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, MOST OF THE TIME THE AIRBAG LIGHT SAYS "OFF", ONLY OCCASIONALLY AND UNPREDICTABLY DOES IT SAY "ON". I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE IN FOR SERVICE SEVERAL TIMES. THE SENSOR WAS RECALIBRATED, AND THE SEAT BOTTOM WAS REPLACED. BOTH THE DEALERSHIP AND SUBARU OF AMERICA SAY THE SYSTEM IS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. I SAY I PAID FOR AN AIRBAG THAT WORKS AND I WANT AN AIRBAG THAT WORKS. *TR

STEERING IS VERY STIFF THEN LOOSENS AS IF YOU'VE HIT A PATCH OF ICE EVEN THOUGH THE ROAD IS DRY. *TR

RE: SUBARU OUTBACK 2010. PASSENGER FRONT AIRBAG. MY WIFE IS 5'5' AND 108LB. THE PASSENGER FRONT AIRBAG IS "DEACTIVATED" OR "ACTIVATED" BASED ON THE WEIGHT OF THE FRONT PASSENGER. WHEN MY WIFE IS IN THE PASSENGER SEAT, APPROXIMATELY 75% OF THE TIME, THE DASH INDICATES THE PASSENGER AIRBAG IS OFF, AND THIS IS IRREGARDLESS OF HER SITTING POSITION. I CALLED SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID IT WAS WORKING PROPERLY AND NOTHING COULD BE DONE. THEN I CALLED SUBARU AMERICA AND THE REPRESENTATIVE SAID THAT IS LIKELY WORKING PROPERLY AND SHE IS NEAR THE CUT-OFF IN WEIGHT TO SET OFF THE AIRBAG. THE RECOMMEND I BRING IT TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP TO INSPECT THAT IT IS INFACT WORKING PROPERLY. MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THE AIRBAG SHOULD BE DEPLOYED FOR ANY PERSON OVER 100LB AND 5'0'. SUBARU WOULD NOT RELEASE THE INFORMATION TO WHAT THEY SET THE AIRBAG WEIGHT LIMIT FOR ACTIVATION. THEY SAID THAT IF THE INSPECTION SHOWS THE SYSTEM IS WORKING PROPERLY THAT NOTHING FURTHER CAN BE DONE. 1) WHAT IS THE WEIGHT LIMIT RECOMMENDED FOR PASSENGER AIRBAG DEPLOYMENT? 2) IS SUBARU COMPLAINT WITH THIS SAFETY STANDARD? *TR

OUR 2010 3.6R OUTBACK ARRIVED IN APR. THE FIRST TIME THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN ON THE HIGHWAY, I NOTICED A PROMINENT HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATION IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THERE IS ALSO UNUSUAL FEEDBACK IN THE STEERING WHEEL AT SLOWER SPEEDS THAT FEELS UNLIKE ANYTHING RELATED TO ROAD NOISE. I RESEARCHED THE "PROBLEM" ON THE INTERNET AND SEEN THAT THERE WERE MANY FORUMS IDENTIFYING THE SAME PROBLEM FOR 2010 OUTBACKS. I INFORMED OUR LOCAL SUBARU SERVICE DEPT. ABOUT THE VIBRATION AND MADE AN APPOINTMENT. A SUBARU SERVICE TECHNICIAN CONFIRMED THE VIBRATION DURING A TEST DRIVE AND RECOMMENDED A SPIN BALANCE. AFTER READING ALL THE COMPLAINTS AND PROPOSED "FIXES" ON THE INTERNET, I TOLD THEM THAT I WAS NOT CONFIDENT THAT A SPIN BALANCE WAS GOING TO BE SUCCESSFUL. I ASKED THE SERVICE DEPT. MANAGER IF THEY HAD BEEN INFORMED/AWARE OF THE ONGOING PROBLEMS AND SHE DENIED HAVING ANY PREVIOUS KNOWLEDGE OF STEERING VIBRATION ISSUES WITH ANY OUTBACKS. THE SPIN BALANCE ADDED A MULTITUDE OF STICK-ON WEIGHTS TO ALL FOUR WHEELS (SOME EXCEED 9 IN. IN LENGTH). THE INVOICE SAID THAT A FOLLOW-UP TEST DRIVE BY A TECHNICIAN PRODUCED NORMAL STEERING AS DESIGNED. A TEST DRIVE HOME FROM THE DEALERSHIP ON THE HIGHWAY AGAIN PRODUCED THE SAME HIGH FREQUENCY VIBRATION. I INFORMED THE SERVICE DEPT. IMMEDIATELY AND THE VEHICLE WAS AGAIN LEFT THERE THIS MORNING. I PRODUCED SEVERAL PAGES OF COMPLAINTS FOUND ON THE INTERNET IDENTIFYING THIS ISSUE. THEY MADE COPIES OF THEM AND TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE GOING TO CONTACT SOA FACTORY ENGINEERS. THE BOTTOM LINE IS THIS. THE VIBRATION IS PROMINENT ENOUGH TO CAUSE FATIGUE AND NUMBNESS IN THE HANDS ON EXTENDED DRIVES. THERE IS ALSO A CONCERN OF WHAT MAY FAIL AND CAUSE A LOSS OF STEERING OR VEHICLE CONTROL. THE FAULTY COMPONENT NEEDS TO BE IDENTIFIED AND THE ISSUE FIXED BY SOA IMMEDIATELY. SOA HAS TRIED A NUMBER OF FIXES WITHOUT SUCCESS (SPIN-BALANCE, FORCED BALANCE, ALIGNMENT, BACKLASH SPRING, WHEEL BEARING, STEERING PUMP, REPLACE OUT-OF-ROUND TIRES). *TR

I PURCHASED A 2010 SUBARU OUTBACK FROM IRA SUBARU IN DANVERS, MA IN JANUARY, 2010. SEVERAL WEEKS AGO, I DISCOVERED THE FRAME AROUND THE ENGINE WAS RUSTED. THIS CAR IS BRAND NEW. I RECENTLY BROUGHT THIS TO THE ATTENTION OF IRA SUBARU. THEY SAID IT'S FINE, AND IT JUST NEEDS TO BE TREATED WITH A SPECIAL SPRAY, AND THAT'S ALL THEY DID. IS THIS SAFE? WHY WAS MY 2010 SUBARU ALREADY RUSTING? THE CARS THAT WCVB TV IN BOSTON HIGHLIGHTED LAST NIGHT ALL SEEMED TO BE JAPANESE. PLEASE ADVISE. MY CAR HAS JUST 3,800 MILES ON IT. THANK YOU. *TR