1998 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

LEGACY OUTBACK WITH 2.5 L ENGINE BEGAN TO OVERHEAT WITH COOLANT BOILING OVER INTO RESEVOIR. THE CAR WAS TAKEN TO REPAIR SHOP. THEY REPLACED THERMOSTAT, TESTED FOR HYDROCARBONS IN SYSTEM, PRESSURED TESTED CAP AND SYSTEM AND FLUSHED RADIATOR. CAR STILL OVERHEATED AND WAS RETURNED TO REPAIR SHOP AND TESTED FOR HYDROCARBONS IN THE ANTIFREEZE WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS. NO PROBLEM WAS IDENTIFIED. ENGINE CONTINUED TO OVERHEAT AND WAS TAKEN INTO REPAIR SHOP WHILE THE POINTER WAS OFF THE TOP OF THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE. THIS TIME HYDROCARBONS WERE IDENTIFIED IN THE COOLANT AND PROBLEM WAS IDENTIFIED AS A BLOWN GASKET. MANAGER REPORTED THAT THE WEEK BEFORE ANOTHER SUBARU OWNER HAD THE SAME PROBLEM WITH SAME DIFFICULTY IN IDENTIFYING THE CAUSE. REPAIRS COST $1,400. HAD A SIMILIAR REPORT FOR ANOTHER SUBARU OWNER BUT WORK WAS DONE WITH PRESSURE ON DEALER AFTER INITIAL REFUSAL.*AK

SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK, 1998 MODEL, CENTER REAR LAP BELT BUCKLE END IS TOO LONG TO HOLD A CHILD RESTRAINT TIGHTLY ENOUGH.*AK

ENGINE OVERHEATING STARTED 10 MONTHS AGO ON LONG TRIPS ONLY. OVERHEATING WAS COMMON WHEN ENGINE WAS UNDER HEAVIER THAN NORMAL LOADS FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME(CLIMBING HILSS, ETC.). FLUID IN RADIATOR WAS EVENTUALLY DEPLENTED LEADING TO SHARP RISE IN ENGINE TEMPERATURE. LATELY THIS HAS BEEN WORSE AS ONLY 30 MILES OF NORMAL DRIVING WILL CAUSE THE SAME SYMPTOMS. THE FAULT TURNED OUT TO BE A HEAD GASKET FAILURE ON SUBARU R2.5L TYPE 1 ENGINES. THE COOLANT WAS BEING FORCED OUT OF THE RADIATOR BY THE SLOW LEAK OF EXHAUST GASES IN THE COOLANT AROUND THE RADIATOR. THIS VECHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED SINCE NEW BY ONLY THE LOCAL SUBARU DEALER. A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET FOR SUBARU 2.5L ENGINES 1996-1999 (LEGACY) TURNED UP MULTIPLE HITS FOR OWNERS WITH THIS SAME PROBLEM. FAILURE IS AS LOW AS 40K MILES TO OVER 100K FOR THE SAME PROBLEM. THIS MULTI-LAYER GASKET FOR THE TYPE 1 ENGINE HAS BE REDESIGNED 6 TIMES, LEADING ONE TO SURMISE THAT THE HEAD GASKETS ARE DEFECTIVE. THE TYPE2 ENGINE ALSO HAS THIS FAILURE BUT THIS HAS BEEN INTERCEPTED BY SUBARU OF AMERICA BY ADDING A "LUBRICANT" TO THE COOLANT, IE: BLOCK SEALER. THIS ENGINE SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED TO REPLACE THE MULTIPLE DEFECTS WHICH SUBARU WILL ONLY DO ON TYPE 2 ENGINES AND ONLY IF THE OWNER KNOWS TO ASK FOR THE "SECRET WARANTY". GIVEN THAT THERE IS NO OTHER CHOICE, I PLAN TO PULL THE ENGINE MYSELF AND FIX THE PROBLEM. THE DEALER WANTS OVER $2K TO DO THE SAME WORK. *AK

DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF VEHICLE. VEHICLE STRUCK STATIONARY OBJECT AT APROX. 15 MPH. AIRBAG FAILED TO DEPLOY. SIGNIFICANT FRONT END AND UNDERCARRIAGE DAMAGE. *JB

COMPLAINT RECEIVED VIA E-MAIL. THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS IN THE HOT RANGE WHILE DRIVING. THE COOLING SYSTEM CHECKED OUT OKAY, BUT WAS TOLD THAT THE CAR WAS LOW ON COOLANT. THE CONSUMER REFILLED COOLANT, WENT OUT OF COUNTRY, AND 2 WEEKS LATER ENCOUNTERED THE SAME PROBLEM. A MONTH LATER, WHILE DRIVING, COOLANT LEAKED OUT AGAIN, AND THE HEAD GASKET WAS BAD. THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THESE VEHICLES. *AK *SC *JB

DRIVER'S SIDE WINDOW REGULATOR FAILED. ONLY ROLLS WINDOW DOWN 2" THEN SKIPS AND WON'T ROLL BACK UP. HAS FAILED REPEATEDLY FOR 2 YEARS.*AK

TOOK MY SUBARU TO DEALER FOR 60,000 MILE CHECK. HE ADVISED ME THAT MY HEAD GASKET WAS ABOUT TO FAIL AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. HE ALSO INFORMED ME THAT FAILURE OF THE HEAD GASKET IN 1998 OUTBACKS WAS COMMON. THIS REPAIR IS VERY COSTLY (ABOUT $1500), AND FAILING TO MAKE IT COULD CAUSE CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE TO THE ENGINE.*AK

ON OCTOBER 6, 2004, I WAS COASTING INTO A PARKING SPACE IN MY 1998 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK. MY HEADLIGHTS WERE FACING A CURB, SIDEWALK, AND CEMENT BRICK BUILDING, AND I TOUCHED THE BRAKES TO PREVENT BUMPING THE CURB. AS SOON AS MY FOOT HIT THE BRAKE, THE CAR VROOMED AS IF THE THROTTLE HAD BEEN FULLY OPENED, AND THE CAR CONTINUED MOVING FORWARD. I PRESSED THE BRAKE HARDER, BUT THE CAR SEEMED TO TAKE OFF ON IT'S OWN AND WAS TOTALLY OUT OF MY CONTROL. THE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE EASILY BUMPED UP THE CURB, AND THE CAR FLEW INTO THE AIR AND CRASHED INTO THE SIDE OF THE BUILDING. THE CAR WAS TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY. FORTUNATELY, I WAS WEARING MY SEAT BELT (THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY). THE ENTIRE INCIDENT HAPPENED VERY FAST AND WAS TOTALLY UNEXPECTED. ALTHOUGH I AM THANKFUL THAT THERE WAS NO PEDESTRIAN WALKING ON THE SIDEWALK WHEN IT HAPPENED AND THAT I AM ALIVE TO BE WRITING THIS, I AM CONVINCED THAT THIS WAS A CAR MALFUNCTION THAT SHOULD BE CORRECTED IN THIS VEHICLE.*AK

ALL WHEEL DRIVE BINDING TIRES. 2 SETS OF 4 TIRES EACH (NEW MICHELIN AGILITY) WORN TO STEEL B/C OF "BINDING" -- 2 YEARS IN A ROW. SUBARU CURRENTLY HAVING AWD REPAIRED.*AK

HAVE A 1998 SUBARU OUTBACK. BOUGHT IT NEW IN 1998. HAS ROUGHLY 90000 MILES. IN THE FIRST YEAR AFTER PURCHASE CLUTCH WENT. DEALER REPLACED CLUTCH FREE OF CHARGE (DIDN'T WANT TO, THOUGH). READ ON THE INTERNET THAT THERE WAS A KNOWN CLUTCH PROBLEM WITH THE OUTBACK AND A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS. CLUTCH WAS NEVER, AND HAS NEVER BEEN "RIGHT". THE CLUTCH HAS BEEN LOOKED AT ON SEVERAL DIFFERENT OCCASIONS BY DIFFERENT MECHANICS. NONE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO DETERMINE WHAT THE PROBLEM WAS. THE CLUTCH PEDAL WILL FADE AND DROP TO THE FLOOR (REQUIES BARE FOOT TO GRAB THE PEDAL W/TOES TO PULL BACK UP) SOMETIMES EVENTUALLY FAILING COMPLETELY, OTHER TIMES, MIRACULOUSLY, RETURNING TO WORKING ORDER. WE ARE OUT OF WARRANTY RANGE, SO WE DON'T EXPECT MUCH FROM SUBARU, HOWEVER WE WOULD LIKE TO REGISTER A COMPLAINT. WE WOULD NEVER BUY ANOTHER ONE. I AM PUTTING DOWN THE DATE OF THE MOST RECENT FAILURE EVENT, WHICH WAS YESTERDAY.*AK