2004 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED WITH THE ENGINE STILL ON, THE TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR. THE VEHICLE ROLLED FORWARD AND STRUCK A TREE. BECAUSE THE SEAT BELTS WERE NOT WORN, MINOR FACIAL INJURIES WERE SUSTAINED BY ONE OCCUPANT. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED BY A MECHANIC. THERE IS A NHTSA RECALL, # 02V282000, REGARDING THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION; HOWEVER, IT IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL DUE TO THE VIN.

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE SHIFTED ROUGHLY UPON BOTH ACCELERATION AND DECELERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SERVICE DEALER THREE TIMES WHO DETERMINED THE ROUGH SHIFTING WAS RELATED TO A BAD TORQUE CONVERTER; HOWEVER THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS NOT REPLACED. NOW, WHILE STOPPED AT A LIGHT, WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE LURCHES FORWARD BECAUSE THE TRANSMISSION ENGAGES. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN RETURNED TO THE DEALER CONCERNING THE FORWARD MOTION.

WE OWN TWO SUBARU OUTBACKS, A 2003 WAGON & 2004 SEDAN, BOTH PURCHASED NEW FROM, AND SERVICED BY, THE SAME DEALER, RAFFERTY SUBARU, WEST CHESTER, PA. WHEN THE DEFROST IS TURNED ON, THE AIR RECIRCULATION IS NOT AVAILABLE. WHEN FOLLOWING VEHICLES IN RAIN &/OR SNOW WHEN THE DEFROST IS NEEDED, EXTERNAL EXHAUST FUMES ARE SUCKED INTO THE CAR... IN SLOW OR STOPPED TRAFFIC, THIS HAS MADE MYSELF AND OTHER OCCUPANTS FEEL ILL. THE ONLY SOLUTION IS TO TURN OFF THE DEFROST, BUT THIS ALLOWS THE WINDOWS TO RE-FOG / -FROST CUTTING VISIBILITY. I'VE INQUIRED TWICE AT MY SUBARU DEALER AND THEY CONFIRMED THAT THE RECIRCULATION CUT-OFF IS BY DESIGN, AND HAVE CONTACTED SUBARU VIA THE INTERNET AND RECEIVED THE SAME ANSWER, WITH REFERENCE TO PAGES IN MY OWNER'S MANUAL DESCRIBING THE CIRCUMSTANCE AND NO RESOLUTION. *NM

MY 2004 SUBARU OUTBACK SEDAN WOULD IDLE EXTREMELY HIGH. WHEN I PUT IT IN REVERSE IT WOULD LURCH BACK SUDDENLY. AS I WAS DRIVING, I WOULD TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE PEDAL AND IT WOULD REMAIN AT THE SPEED I WAS GOING. IT WAS LOOKED AT TWICE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO BE REPLICATED. THE SERVICE TECH STATED HE HAD SEEN THE PROBLEM BEFORE AND WOULD CLEAN OUT THE THROTTLE BOX. APPROXIMATELY 2-3 WEEKS LATER THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT GO OVER 40 MPH WITHOUT LURCHING BACK AND FORTH AND MAKING A VIOLENT BANGING NOISE, AT THIS POINT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY REPLACED THE THROTTLE SENSOR SYSTEM WITH NEGATIVE RESULTS AND STATED THEY WERE NOT ABLE TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. CURRENTLY VEHICLE IS IN SHOP WAITING FOR TECH SUPPORT TO CALL.

THROTTLE INTERMITTENTLY STUCK OPEN WHEN DRIVING FROM 40-45 MPH, AND VEHICLE SURGED WHEN APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL FROM THE STOP POSITION. BOTH ISSUES CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO SUDDENLY/UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATE AND LURCH FORWARD. CONSUMER HAD A CONCERN THAT THIS PROBLEM WILL LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. VEHICLE HAD BEEN TO THE DEALER ON FIVE SEPARATE OCCASIONS. TWICE THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, AND THREE TIMES DEALER WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEMS, BUT UNABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM. *AK AS OF MAY 13, 2005 VEHICLE HAS FAILED 6 TIMES, 4 TIMES THE DEALERSHIP WAS ABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM AND TWICE THEY WERE UNSUCCESSFUL IN FINDING THE PROBLEM. VEHICLE GETS STUCK IN CRUISE CONTROL AND DOESN'T WANT TO GO BELOW 40 MPH. *SB

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS THE VEHICLE COMMENCES TO SURGE AND LURCH FORWARD WHILE APPLYING THE BRAKES. CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE WITHOUT ANY INCIDENTS. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER ONCE AND THEY WERE UNABLE TO DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM. *NM *TT *NM

UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE AND SHIFTING IN DRIVE OR REVERSE, THE VEHICLE WILL ACCELERATE ERRATICALLY WITH FORCE. THIS HAS ALSO OCCURRED WITH NORMAL DRIVING. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO THE DEALER ON SEVERAL SEPARATE OCCASIONS, BUT THE PROBLEM RECURRED. ON EACH OCCASION THE FOLLOWING REPAIRS WERE MADE; ELECTRICAL GREASE WAS APPLIED ON THE TCS CONTACT. 3 DAYS LATER THE PROBLEM RECURRED. DEALER ADJUSTED THE ACCELERATOR THROTTLE, AND 3 DAYS LATER ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED WHILE DRIVING. DEALER REPLACED THE ECM CONTROL MODULE, AND THE NEXT DAY VEHICLE STALLED AGAIN WHILE COMING TO A STOP. DEALER WAS UNABLE TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, WHICH HAS BEEN PASSED ON TO THE MANUFACTURER, AND NO RESPONSE WAS RECEIVED AT THIS TIME.*AK

THE VEHICLE TENDS TO HAVE POOR ACCELERATION PERFORMANCE DURING FIRST 1 MINUTE OF OPERATION CAUSING A SUDDEN SURGE OF POWER DURING THE FIRST FEW MINUTES OF OPERATION CLIMBING OUR 15% GRADE DRIVEWAY. INITIALLY THE CAR WOULD NOT EVEN GO UP THE DRIVEWAY. THE DEALER FOUND SOME OF THE PROBLEM, BUT IT STILL CONTINUES TO SURGE IF THE CAR IS LEFT SETTING FOR A FEW DAY. VERY DIFFICULT TO DUPLICATE SO THE DEALER SAYS "IT IS NOT A PROBLEM IF WE CANNOT DUPLICATE." PROLBEM HAS OCCURRED STARTING IN ABOUT APRIL 2004 AND CONTINUED THRU TODAY. MY WIFE SAYS THE CAR IS DANGEROUS THE WAY IT SURGES WHEN A LOT OF THROTTLE IS APPLIED TO OVERCOME THE POOR RESPONSE. *AK

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, WITH TWO DIFFERENT DRIVERS, MY SUBARU OUTBACK 2004 VEHICLE EXPERIENCED DANGEROUS SUDDEN ACCELERATION. IN BOTH CASES, WE WERE STOPPED IN TRAFFIC FOR A FEW MINUTES, FOOT ON THE BRAKE, WHEN SUDDENLY, THE CAR BEGAN TO SURGE FORWARD. EVEN EXERTING STRONG PRESSURE ON THE BRAKE, THE CAR CONTINUED TO SURGE FORWARD, THE ENGINE RACING. ON ONE OCCASION, WE WERE BEHIND OTHER STOPPED CARS AND ALMOST REAR-ENDED THE CAR IN FRONT OF US. ON ANOTHER, WE WERE STOPPED AT A CROSS WALK AND ALMOST LURCHED FORWARD INTO PEDESTRIANS. IN BOTH CASES, WE THEN THREW THE CAR INTO NEUTRAL (IT IS AN AUTOMATIC). THE ENGINE THEN RACED WILDLY FOR A FEW SECONDS. WE THEN THREW IT INTO PARK. AT THIS POINT, THE ENGINE CONTINUED TO RACE, THEN SUBSIDED. A MOMENT LATER, THE CAR WAS BEHAVING NORMALLY AGAIN. OUR INITIAL CALLS TO SUBARU WERE REGARDED WITH LIGHTHEARTEDNESS. THEY TOLD US, IN ESSENCE, WE DIDN'T KNOW HOW TO DRIVE (EACH DRIVER HAS MORE THAN 30 YEARS DRIVING EXPERIENCE). A SEARCH ON THE INTERNET REVEALS MANY OTHER SUBARU OWNERS WHO HAVE HAD THIS PROBLEM, AND A SUBARU HISTORY OF IGNORING IT AND THEIR CUSTOMERS' SAFETY. SHAME ON SUBARU. PLEASE TAKE ACTION TO PREVENT INJURY OR DEATH RESULTING FROM THIS UNSAFE VEHICLE.*AK

CONSUMER STATES, "THE FRONT WINDSHIELD HAD A CRACK WHEN USING THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS DEICER". THE DEALER REPLACED THE FRONT WINDSHIELD AT NO CHARGE. WITHIN A YEAR OR MORE THE FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED AGAIN IN THE SAME PLACE. AFTER THE CONSUMER USED THE WINDSHIELD WIPERS DEICER AGAIN. *JB