2008 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

I BOUGHT MY CAR IN 2016 THERE WAS A RECALL ON AIRBAGS, THEY FIXED IT BEFORE I BOUGHT IT, BUT MY AIRBAG LIGHT HAS BEEN GOING ON AND OFF FOR OVER A YEAR NOW, I HAD MY MECHANIC RESET IT , BUT IT COMES BACK ON, IS IT UNDER WARRANTY STILL OR NOT ?

DRIVING AT 70 MILES AN HOUR ON I95 IN PROVIDENCE RHODE ISLAND, TAPPED THE BREAK TO KEEP KEEP SAFE DISTANCE FROM CAR IN FRONT, PEDAL SEEMED A BIT SOFT. THEN HAD TO PREFORM A HARD STOP AS THE ENTIRE 3 LANES HAD STOPPED DUE TO AN ACCIDENT. PEDAL WENT CLEAR TO THE FLOOR, NO STOPPING POWER WHAT SO EVER. FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SWERVE LEFT INTO THE HIGH SPEED BREAKDOWN LANE AND DOWNSHIFT TO SLOW THE CAR. UPON COMING TO A ROLLING STOP WITH USE OF THE EMERGENCY BRAKE IT WAS NOTED THAT BRAKE FLUID WAS SPEWING FROM UNDER THE CAR, THIS CAR NEARLY KILLED MYSELF AND MY 13 YEAR OLD DAUGHTER. CONTACTED SUBARU REGARDING THE RECALL WQK-47 WHICH THEY STATED WAS COMPLETED IN SEPT 2015 WITH THE PREVIOUS OWNER. I INQUIRED AS TO THE EXTENT OF THE WORK AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO PROVIDE THE INFORMATION. THEY ALSO STATED THAT THIS FAILURE WAS BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE ORIGINAL RECALL, AND A RESULT OF WEAR AND TEAR. THEY COULD NOT PROVIDE INFORMATION IF THE BRAKE LINES WERE COATED, OR REPLACED FOR MY PARTICULAR CAR, THEY COULDN'T COMMENT IF THE ANTI- CORROSIVE AGENT WAS APPLIED TO THE ENTIRE BRAKE LINE SYSTEM, NOR THE MILEAGE ON THE CAR AT THE TIME OF THE REPLACEMENT. THE BRAKE LINES USED BY SUBARU AR CLEARLY SUBSTANDARD AND UNSAFE. IF ONE AREA IS ABLE TO CORRODE AND LEAK, WHAT SAYS ANOTHER AREA WONT DO THE SAME. MY DAUGHTER AND MYSELF WERE PLACED IN HARMS WAY AND COULD HAVE POTENTIAL BEEN SEVERELY HARMED, AND EVEN WORSE HARMED SOMEONE ELSE OR ANOTHER FAMILY HAD I NOT BEEN ABLE TO USE THE HIGH SPEED BRAKE DOWN LANE. SUBSTANDARD PARTS NEARLY KILLED MYSELF AND MY DAUGHTER

MY CAR WAS TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEED WHEN I EXPERIENCED A SUDDEN AND COMPLETE LOSS OF BRAKING WITHOUT ANY PRIOR WARNING. THE CAUSE IS A RUPTURED, CORRODED BRAKE LINE AS OUTLINED IN RECALL WQK-47 FOR MY MAKE, MODEL, AND YEAR. I STRONGLY FEEL THAT THIS ISSUE IS A PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUE AND THE RECALL SHOULD COVER ANY REPAIRS FOR THE MODELS OUTLINED IN THIS RECALL. IT IS A KNOWN SAFETY DEFECT THAT SUBARU REFUSES TO REMEDY FOR ACTIVE CARS STILL ON THE ROAD.

EVER SINCE I PURCHASED MY CAR FROM CARMAX THERE HAVE BEEN PROBLEMS WITH THE IGNITION SWITCH. THERE HAVE BEEN ABOUT 10+ TIMES SINCE I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE IN DEC. 2016 THAT I WILL PUT THE KEY IN THE IGNITION, (WHILE THE CAR IS PARKED AND TURNED OFF, IN ORDER TO TURN IT ON) AND THE ENGINE WON'T TURN OVER. I HAVE TO TOGGLE THE GEAR SHIFTER IN ORDER TO GET THE CAR TO RESPOND AND THEN THE CAR WILL TURN ON. (ONLY AFTER I AGITATE THE GEAR SHIFTER WILL THE IGNITION THEN RESPOND). I RECEIVED AN EMAIL THAT THERE MAY BE A RECALL FOR SUBARU OUTBACK 2008 FOR IGNITION-RELATED ISSUES BUT WHEN I LOOKED UP MY SPECIFIC VIN NUMBER, MY VEHICLE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE A PART OF THE THE RECALL. PLEASE LET ME KNOW HOW I CAN HAVE MY CAR BE CONSIDERED IN THIS RECALL, I KNOW THIS IS A RELATED PROBLEM.

THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION GOING 45 MPH. I SLOWED DOWN TO STOP AT A STOP LIGHT AND THE ABS LIGHT BEGAN TO FLASH ON AND OFF. AS I GOT CLOSER TO THE STOP LIGHT TO COMPLETELY STOP THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, THE ABS LIGHT CAME ON, THE AIRBAG LIGHT CAME ON, THE BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON, THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT WAS ON AND FLASHING AND THE STEERING WHEEL COMPLETELY LOCKED UP AND THE ENGINE WAS OFF. I TURNED THE CAR BACK ON AND EVERYTHING WAS FINE. THE ABS LIGHT, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT, AIR BAG LIGHT AND BRAKE LIGHT ARE STILL ON. I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE THIS VEHICLE FOR FEAR THAT IT WILL TURN OFF AGAIN. I AM UNCERTAIN OF WHAT COULD BE CAUSING THIS BUT IT SEEMS TO BE AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM ALSO HAPPENED TO ME AS I WAS SLOWING DOWN TO TURN OFF OF THE HIGHWAY. I AM GLAD THERE WAS NO ONE BEHIND ME BECAUSE MY CAR COMPLETELY DIED AFTER I TURNED OFF THE HIGHWAY WITH THE SAME LIGHTS AND SAME THING HAPPENING AS STATED ABOVE.

TAKATA RECALL - THE CAR WAS RECALLED 3 TIMES. THE MECHANIC SAID AS LONG AS THE AIRBAG LIGHT WAS ON, THE AIRBAG WOULD NOT WORK. HE SAID THE FIX WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.

MY VEHICLE HAS A PROBLEM WITH AN INTERMITTENT AIRBAG LIGHT ILLUMINATING, INDICATING AN ISSUE WITH THE AIRBAG SYSTEM. SPECIFICALLY IN MY CASE, IT INDICATES THAT THE OVERHEAD AIRBAG INDICATOR SYSTEM IS IN A FAULT STATE. THIS IS EXTREMELY COMMON IN THIS VEHICLE AND AGE, WITH MANY OTHER OWNERS REPORTING THE SAME ISSUE WITH NO RECALL ACTION FROM SUBARU. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE WITH THIS CAR IF NOT ADDRESSED AND CAN RESULT IN THE AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOYING IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. COST FOR AN OWNER TO REPAIR (AND IN MY CASE) IS $300+ AND SHOULD BE COVERED BY SUBARU.

DASHBOARD IS MELTED AND TOO STICKY TO WASH UP IT SHINES BRIGHT CAUSING REFLECTION AGAINST VISUAL TO DRIVE, IT'S A SAFELY ISSUE.

I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET WHEN I LOST BRAKING POWER. I WAS ABLE TO SLOW THE CAR DOWN TO A STOP AND GET IT TOWED TO A MECHANIC WITHOUT DAMAGE TO MY CAR OR SOMEONE ELSE'S VEHICLE. THE MECHANIC REPLACED BOTH REAR BRAKE LINES BECAUSE THEY HAD RUSTED TO THE POINT WHERE THEY LEAKED BRAKE FLUID. I CALLED SUBARU. THEY TOLD ME THAT THEY WERE NOT LIABLE FOR THE PROBLEM.

THIS ISSUE IS ON THE TOPIC OF A RECALL: "BRAKE PIPE CORROSION" NHTSA CAMPAIGN: 14V311000 SUBARU SERVICE CAMPAIGN: WQK47 SUBARU OF AMERICA IS REFUSING TO PROPERLY HONOR THIS RECALL, AS THEY WILL ONLY COVER THE REPLACEMENT OF CORRODED BRAKE LINES IF THEY ARE ACTUALLY LEAKING. THIS IS AN UNACCEPTABLE CRITERION FOR BRAKE LINE REPLACEMENT, AS IT IS AN EXTREMELY UNSAFE FAILURE MODE WITH POTENTIALLY-LETHAL CONSEQUENCES. I HAVE ATTACHED A PICTURE OF A CORRODED AREA OF THE BRAKE LINES ON MY 2008 OUTBACK, AN AREA UNDER THE FUEL TANK WHICH IS EXPLICITLY COVERED BY THIS RECALL. AS CAN BE SEEN, THEY ARE TERRIFYINGLY CORRODED AS A DIRECT RESULT OF SUBARU'S IMPROPER RUST-PROOFING OF THIS AREA. THEY WILL START LEAKING AT ANY MOMENT. INCLUDED IN THE RECALL IS A PRELIMINARY MEASURE TO APPLY SOME RUST-PROOFING COATING TO THE AREAS IN QUESTION. IF THAT ACTION IS TAKEN, THE RECALL IS CONSIDERED 100% RESOLVED PERMANENTLY. THIS RESOLUTION CRITERION IS ABSOLUTELY UNACCEPTABLE, AS THE RECALL MAY NOT BE DONE BY A VEHICLE OWNER UNTIL THE BRAKE LINES ARE SIGNIFICANTLY CORRODED BUT JUST BEFORE THEY START LEAKING DUE TO CORROSION. THE ONLY ACCEPTABLE RESOLUTION TO A RECALL FOR CORRODED BRAKE LINES IS THE REPLACEMENT OF THOSE BRAKE LINES, NOT SOME MEAGER BAND-AID THAT SUBARU IS EFFECTIVELY CLAIMING IS A PERMANENT FIX TO THE ISSUE. THAT IS NOT TRUE AT ALL, AS BRAKE LINES WILL CONTINUE TO CORRODE TO A DEGREE EVEN IF THEY HAVE SOME COATING ON THEM, ESPECIALLY SINCE THE COATING CAN WEAR OFF. THIS RECALL WAS SUPPOSEDLY ADDRESSED ON MY PARTICULAR VEHICLE BY CITYSIDE SUBARU OF BELMONT, MA. HOWEVER, 2.5 YEARS LATER, THERE IS OBVIOUSLY NO RUST-PROOFING COATING REMAINING. EITHER THE DEALERSHIP DIDN'T DO THE RECALL PROPERLY (OUT OF SCOPE OF THIS ISSUE SUMBISSION TO THE NHTSA), OR THE COATING WORE AWAY COMPLETELY. HOWEVER, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S THE FORMER OF THOSE TWO.