1999 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

THE TRUNK DOOR ON MY SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK STATION WAGON WILL NOT OPEN. ONCE YOU LOCK IT, YOU CAN NOT OPEN IT AGAIN UNLESS YOU JIGGLE THE LOCK OVER AND OVER WITH THE KEY. THIS IS A VERY FRUSTRATING FAILURE BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE A STATION WAGON, A WORKING TRUNK DOOR IS VITAL. I WAS TOLD BY A SUBARU DEALER THAT IT WOULD COST ABOUT $300 TO $400 TO FIX SO I HAVE DELAYED FIXING IT BECAUSE I CAN SOMETIMES WORK ON IT AND GET IT TO OPEN. WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR TO A LOCAL MECHANIC, HE TOLD ME HE HAD 3 TO 4 OTHER SUBARU OWNERS COME IN WITH THE SAME PROBLEM WHICH HE IS NOT CAPABLE OF FIXING. APPARENTLY, THE BACK INSIDE PANEL HAS TO BE REMOVED AND A BODY SHOP HAS TO DO THE WORK. YESTERDAY, I WAS AT A SUPERMARKET PARKING LOT TRYING TO OPEN THE BACK WHEN A COUPLE APPROACHED ME AND TOLD ME THEY HAD TO REPLACE THEIR LOCK BECAUSE IT WOULDN'T OPEN. THEY HAVE A SUBARU STATION WAGON ALSO (I DON'T KNOW THE YEAR, BUT IT WAS NOT BRAND NEW) I BELIEVE THERE IS A DEFECT IN THE MOTOR OR LOCK. *B

SPEEDOMETER INTERMITTENTLY FAILS ABOUT 25% OF THE TIME. ODOMETER STOPS ALSO. THERE IS NO PATTERN TO WHEN IT FAILS OR UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS. UNABLE TO DETERMINE SPEED ACCURATELY. REPAIR NOT YET DONE. SUBARU IS CHARGING FOR THIS REPAIR. *NM

I HAVE A 1999 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHEN USING THE UNLOCK BUTTON ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR THE CAR STARTED WITHOUT A KEY IN THE IGNITION. I WAS ABLE TO REPEAT THIS OCCURENCE AT LEAST 5 TIMES.

DT: CALLER SPEEDOMETER HEAD IS BROKEN OR THERE IS SOMETHING BROKE INSIDE. CALLED DEALER SAID SUBARU SAID THEY NEW THERE IS PROBLEM WITH THAT MODEL AND SPEEDOMETER HEAD. SUBARU WAS NOT GOING TO RECALL DUE TO NOT BEING A SAFETY CONCERN. *AK SPEEDOMETER AND ODOMETER OPERATES SPORADICALLY AT TIMES RECORDING SPEED AND MILEAGE, OTHER TIMES NOT AT ALL. *SB

99 OUTBACK - TRANNY WONT ENGAGE WHEN SHIFTING INTO DRIVE FROM PARK, NUETRAL, OR REVERSE. REV THE MOTOR AND THEN C-LUNK INTO DRIVE AFTER LONG DELAY. GOT WORSE OVER TIME. SUBARU AND OTHER SERVICE SHOPS SAY IT'S COMMON ON 99'S, PROBABLY THE MAIN PUMP SEALS, AND THE TRANNY HAS TO COME OUT TO FIX OR REPLACE. I CHANGED THE FLUID TWICE IN A WEEK TO "FLUSH" IT - MUCH BETTER NOW, ALMOST "OK" (COMPARED TO $2500 FIX) BUT STILL NOT "NORMAL". *AK

I HAD JUST PAID APPROX. $450 FOR THE MAJOR 90,000 MILE DEALER SERVICE AND THEY TOLD ME MY VEHICLE IS IN GREAT SHAPE. I'VE MAINTAINED IT RELIGIOUSLY. I HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY OF 6 YEARS/100,000 MILES THAT JUST ENDED SEP. '04. I JUST DROVE IT UP TO THE MOUNTAINS AND 90 MILES FROM MY DESTINATION, WITH THE CAR DRIVING PERFECTLY, I NOTICED THE TEMP. GAUGE WAS SPIKED. ULTIMATELY IT TURNED OUT THAT THE HEAD GASKET WENT. I HAVE 91,000 MILES ON MY SUBARU. I SPOKE TO NUMEROUS GARAGES IN MAMMOTH LAKES AND THEY SEE THIS PROBLEM ON A DAILY BASIS. DOING RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, YOU WILL FIND THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WITH THE SAME ISSUE. I WAS TOLD BY ONE OF THE MECHANICS THAT ALL OF THE DOUBLE OVERHEAD CAM 4 CYLINDER SUBARU ENGINES BLOW HEAD GASKETS AT SOME POINT AFTER APPROX. 80,000 MILES AND THAT THIS ENGINE HAS SINCE BEEN DISCONTINUED. I ALSO HAVE COME TO FIND OUT THAT THE "PHASE 2" VERSION WAS RECALLED AND THEY WILL FIX THAT ONE, BUT THE "PHASE 1" ENGINE THAT I, AND THOUSANDS OF OTHERS, HAVE THEY WON'T DO A [XXX] THING ABOUT. WHAT KIND OF COMPANY IS THIS? IT AIN'T ROCKET SCIENCE... THEY PUT OUT A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT AND ALL THEY WILL DO IS STICK IT TO THE CONSUMER. THIS COMPANY NEEDS TO BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR THEIR GLARING AND OBVIOUS SCREW UP. HOW CAN THEY GET AWAY WITH THIS?*JB INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I OWN A 1999 SUBARU OUTBACK. CAR LIGHT CAME ON AT ABOUT 85000. DEALER UNABLE TO DETERMINE PROBLEM & LIGHT TURNED OFF. LIGHT BACK ON SHORTLY AFTER - HAD 90000 MILE MAINTAINENCE COMPLETED - DEALER STILL UNSURE OF PROBLEM. SHORTLY AFTER THIS, WHEN ACCELARATING TO HIGHWAY SPEED, CLEAR POWER LOSS NOTED - ENGINE RUNNING ROUGH. TOOK VEHICLE INTO DEALERSHIP - REPORTED THAT VALVE BROKEN - HEAD REQUIRED REPLACING. DEALER/ MECHANIC STATED THAT THEY HAD NEVER SEEN THIS PROBLEM BEFORE. TOTAL COST OF DEALER BILLS - OVER 3500. SUBARU REFUSED TO REIMBURSE FOR PROBLEM - BLAMED ON MILEAGE. I'VE HAD WELL-MAINTAINED VEHICLES WITH OVER 150000 MILES AND NEVER HAVE ENCOUNTERED THIS PROBLEMS BEFORE.*AK

THE VEHICLE OVERHEATED AND WAS TOWED. THE RADIATOR WAS REPLACED. VEHICLE BROKE DOWN A SECOND TIME. THE VEHICLE WAS SERVICED AGAIN AND THE HEAD GASKET WAS FOUND TO BE DEFECTIVE.*AK

APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS AGO AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION STARTED HAVING TROUBLE SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. CAR WOULD HESITATE AND FINALLY LURCH FORWARD. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS AT FIRST TOLD THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING, THEN WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW $3400 TRANSMISSION. I WAS TOLD TO BABY THE CAR FOR AS LONG AS I COULD. 4 MONTHS LATER CAR BECAME STUCK IN REVERSE AND WOULD NOT SHIFT TO DRIVE. TOOK IT TO ANOTHER SERVICE CENTER (NOT THE DEALER) THAT SPECIALIZES IN SUBARU'S AND WAS TOLD THIS WAS A COMMON SUBARU PROBLEM WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT I COULD HAVE GOTTEN AT LEAST 15 - 20,000 MORE MILES OUT OF THE TRANSMISSION IS THE TRANSMISSION FILTER HAD EVER BEEN REPLACED AND THE FLUID FLUSHED. (UP UNTIL THIS TIME I HAD ALWAYS HAD THE CAR SERVICED UNDER WARRANTY AT THE DEALER). I AM BEING TOLD NOW THAT I WILL HAVE TO GET A NEW TRANSMISSION. THIS SEEMS RIDICULOUS BEING THAT THE CAR IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD. *AK

SLID OFF THE ROAD ON ICE AT @ 35 MPH, WENT DOWN AN EMBANKMENT, JUMPED A CREEK AND HIT THE SIDE OF A HILL HEAD ON HOWEVER THE DRIVER'S SIDE HAD MORE DAMAGE SO IT PROBABLY HIT FIRST. NEITHER AIRBAG DEPLOYED. *NM