2005 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

TAKATA RECALL. SUBARU RECALL CAMPAIGN WQR53. NOTICE RECEIVED WITH INSTRUCTION NOT TO ALLOW FRONT PASSENGER. CONTACTED SIX (6) LOCAL DEALERSHIPS TO REMEDY DEFECT. ALL SIX ADVISE THEY CANNOT SCHEDULE APPOINTMENT TO REMEDY DEFECT AS THEY HAVE NO PARTS AND DON'T KNOW WHEN PARTS WILL BE AVAILABLE. ONE DEALER ADVISED SUBARU OF AMERICA IS NOT COOPERATING WITH LOCAL DEALER. EACH DEALER ADVISED TO CHECK BACK (IN A MONTH OR TWO MONTHS) TO SEE IF THEY HAVE PARTS. WITHOUT USE OF FRONT PASSENGER SEAT MY VEHICLE IS RENDERED USELESS. NO OTHER OPTIONS PROVIDED; I.E., A LONER CAR OR A RENTAL VEHICLE. NOT THE BEST WAY TO RUN A RAILROAD. HAS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT BEEN FILED? IF SO, PLEASE ADVISE AS TO LEGAL COUNSEL.

TAKATA RECALL - I HAVE CHILDREN AND MY SUBARU DEALER IS TELLING ME I AM NOT IN A HIGH PRIORITY GROUP TO HAVE MY AIRBAG INFLATORS REPLACED. I GOT A NOTICE SAYING PEOPLE SHOULD NOT RIDE IN MY PASSENGER SEAT UNTIL IT IS FIXED, BUT THIS IS AN IMPOSSIBLE SCENARIO FOR MANY PEOPLE INCLUDING MYSELF AND MY FAMILY.

NHTSA RECALL 15V-323. SUBARU NOTIFIED ME OF THIS RECALL. THEY SUGGESTED NO ONE SIT IN THE PASSENGER SEAT UNTIL THE PROBLEM IS REPAIRED. BUT THEY ARE OUT OF PARTS AND DON'T KNOW WHEN IT CAN BE FIXED. IN A FRONT OR PASSENGER SIDE IMPACT, THE PASSENGER AIR BAG COULD STILL INFLATE, WITHOUT A PASSENGER, THUS PLACING THE DRIVER AT RISK. SO WHAT DO I DO? STOP DRIVING THE CAR UNTIL SUBARU FIXES THE PROBLEM? WHAT CAN NHTSA DO TO MAKE SUBARU FIX THE PROBLEM ASAP?

MY 2005 NEARLY KILLED ME RECENTLY DRIVING ON STRAIGHT HIGHWAYS THAT WERE A BIT ICY. DESPITE 4 STUDDED TIRES, IT WOULD BARELY STAY ON THE ROAD ABOVE 35 MPH EVEN GOING TOTALLY STRAIGHT. CARS OF ALL OTHER TYPES WERE FLYING PAST AT 60-75 MPH, NO PROBLEM. BUT MY CAR WOULD END UP GOING SIDEWAYS AND INADVERTENTLY SWITCHING LANES AND OR ALMOST GOING OFF THE ROAD AT SPEEDS STARTING AT ABOUT 35-40MPH. WE HAD THREE ADULTS IN THE CAR AND THE CAR FILLED WITH LUGGAGE, SO IT WAS FULLY LOADED. I'VE READ THAT THIS "GHOST WALKING" PHENOMENON HAPPENS TO 2005 TO 2009 SUBARU OUTBACKS THAT WERE PRODUCED IN THE USA. IT MAINLY HAPPENS WHEN THE CAR IS FULLY LOADED, WHICH DUE TO A REAR SUSPENSION FLAW, CAUSES TOE-IN ON THE REAR SUSPENSION AND THEN THE REAR END BECOMES TOTALLY UNSTABLE. I HAD TO DRIVE AT 35 MPH ON HIGHWAYS BACK WITH MY HAZARD LIGHTS ON THE AVOID BEING REAR ENDED BY ALL THE TRAFFIC GOING AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS. BASED ON WHAT I EXPERIENCED, THEY'RE DEATH TRAPS THAT SHOULD BE RECALLED. MORE INFO: HTTP://WWW.ULTIMATESUBARU.ORG/FORUM/TOPIC/103820-05-OUTBACK-AWD-TRICKY-ON-SOME-WINTER-ROADS/

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 15V323000 (AIR BAGS); HOWEVER, THE PART TO DO THE REPAIR WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE....UPDATED04/04/16 *BF *CN

ACCELERATOR PEDAL RANDOMLY STOPPED FUNCTIONING WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT ON FLAT ROAD APPROXIMATELY 30MPH, RESULTING IN NO SPEED CONTROL, ABLE TO DRIVE ONLY ON IDLE SPEED. FIRST SEEMS LIKE NOT 'SHIFTING GEARS' CORRECTLY, THEN NO SPEED CONTROL. (MANY COMMENTS IN ONLINE FORUM OF ELUSIVE PROBLEM TO DIAGNOSE BY SUBARU DEALERS AND MUCH MONEY SPENT WITH ONLY RANDOM SUCCESS.) WHEN RESTARTED CAR DROVE NORMALLY WITH 'CHECK ENGINE LIGHT' ON ABOUT 3 MILES THEN SAME THING, ACCELERATOR WENT LIMP, NO SPEED CONTROL BUT GOT ME HOME. CAR TAKEN IN TO DEALER THE NEXT DAY.(DROVE DOWN HILL APPROX 30 MILES WITH NO PROBLEM). SERVICE DEPARTMENT CLAIMED "NOT CURRENT CODE" (CLEARLY THE PROBLEM IS INTERMITTENT) AND SAID NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A PROBLEM (NONSENSE, IT'S ALL OVER THE WEB); THEY CLEANED THE THROTTLE MECHANISM, HOPING THAT WOULD FIX. DROVE CAR TO SAN FRANCISCO ABOUT 100 MILES AND FOUR DAYS LATER IT FAILED AGAIN, SAME SCENARIO--ACCELEARTOR FAILS TO FUNCTION WHILE DRIVING ON FLAT GROUND, THIS TIME GOING ABOUT 20MPH, 55F OUTSIDE, AFTER ABOUT 5 MINUTES OF DRIVING, IN SAN FRANCISCO THIS THIRD TIME! SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD IF HAPPENS ON A FREEWAY, A BRIDGE, A HILL, ETC. CALLED TWO SUBARU DEALERS, NOBODY WANTS TO HELP!

MY 2005 OUTBACK IS VERY UNSAFE TO DRIVE UNDER CERTAIN CONDITIONS. AFTER EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ONLINE, I HAVE DISCOVERED PEOPLE USE THE TERM "GHOST WALKING" TO DESCRIBE THE ISSUE. AFTER DRIVING OVER A BUMP OR SLICK SPOT ON THE ROAD, THE DRIVER MOMENTARILY LOSES CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. THE BACK END SWAYS SIDE TO SIDE AND THE CAR CAN JUMP SEVERAL FEET TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT. I HAVE NOTICED THIS PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES BUT IT WAS DRASTICALLY WORSE TODAY. DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT, DRY STRETCH OF INTERSTATE, I DROVE OVER AN ICY PATCH UNDER A BRIDGE. MY VEHICLE JUMPED TO THE LEFT SEVERAL FEET AND INTO THE OTHER LANE. HAD THERE BEEN A CAR NEXT TO ME, THERE MOST LIKELY WOULD HAVE BEEN AN ACCIDENT. I WAS TRAVELING AT APPROXIMATELY 40 MPH AS I HAD ALREADY EXPERIENCED SEVERAL INCIDENTS DRIVING OVER LARGE BUMPS. THE ISSUE SEEMS TO BE WORSE WHEN THERE IS CARGO IN THE BACK AND ON ICY OR BUMPY ROADS. THIS SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM WITH NUMEROUS OUTBACKS MODEL YEAR 2005 THROUGH 2009. THIS IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE BEHAVIOR AND IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. I DO NOT INTEND TO DRIVE MY VEHICLE MUCH LONGER AND I WOULD HESITATE TO BUY ANOTHER OUTBACK FOR FEAR OF A SIMILAR ISSUE.

THE CABIN IS FLOODED WITH THE SMELL OF RAW GASOLINE ON COLD DAYS DUE TO THE SAME DEFECT THAT CAUSED A RECALL FOR THE EARLY 2000'S SUBARU IMPREZA WRX'S. THIS DEFECT IS ALSO PRESENT IN THE FORESTER AND THE LEGACY, JUST READ THE FORUMS. ON TURBO CHARGED CARS THIS CAN LEAD TO A FIRE AND ON ALL CARS IT BATHES THE OCCUPANTS IN GASOLINE VAPOR AS THE LEAK OCCURS JUST OUTSIDE THE FRESH AIR INTAKE. THIS IS MORE THAN JUST THE SCENT OF GASOLINE. TURNING ON THE AIR BLOWER PULLS IN ENOUGH VAPORS TO MAKE MY EYES WATER. THE VAPORS PERSIST UNTIL ABOUT 45MPH WHICH MEANS DRIVING WITH THE WINDOWS OPEN IN THE WINTER.

CAR SUDDENLY LOOSES POWER AND WILL NOT RUN ABOVE 1500 RPM IT WILL RUN BUT YOU HAVE TO TURN IT ON AND OFF SEVERAL TIMES IT DOES THIS WHEN PULLING OUT OR GOING STEADY DOWN THE ROAD .... CRUISE LIGHT FLASHING AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS APPLIED AND THE VEHICLE EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF POWER AS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT BLINKED OFF AND ON. THE VEHICLE WAS MERGED OVER TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND THEN DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.