2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca

HOOD FLEW UP WHILE DRIVING ON RT9 SOUTH IN OLDBRIDGE, NJ @ 45 MPH. REPAIRS BILL WAS AROUND $5000. IT HAPPENED TO ME BACK IN 2009, AND JUST TODAY IN 2013 I WAS ABOUT TO ADD SOME WINDSHIELD WASHER, SO I OPENED MY HOOD, AND IT POPPED UP COMPLETELY, AND THAT SECONDARY LOCK DID NOT HOLD IT AGAIN! IT COULD HAVE BEEN ANOTHER ACCIDENT IF IT HAD HAPPENED ON THE RUNNING CAR. THIS IS A PROBLEM THAT DOESN'T GO AWAY WITH REPAIRS - I HAD EVERYTHING REPLACED EVEN LOCK MECHANISM AND CABLE TO THE HANDLE UNDER YOUR DASH. AND IT HAPPENED AGAIN TODAY. I LEARNED TODAY THAT SECONDARY LATCH GETS DIRTY, STICKY, AND STOPS MOVING AT ALL OVER TIME AND ENTIRE MECHANISM REMAINS UNLOCKED AFTER YOU CLOSE THE HOOD. THERE IS A SPRING THERE WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO RETURN THE LATCH INTO LOCKED POSITION AFTER YOU CLOSE THE HOOD - THIS SPRING HAS NO POWER TO MOVE THIS STICKY MECHANISM, AND THAT HOOK REMAINS NOT ENGAGED AFTER YOU CLOSE THE HOOD. YOU CAN NOT SEE WHETHER OR NOT SECONDARY LOCK DID LOCK YOUR HOOD ONCE YOU CLOSE THE HOOD, BUT TRUST ME - IT DOESN`T LOCK THE HOOD - OTHERWISE THERE WOULD NOT BE SO MANY COMPLAINTS FROM PEOPLE LIKE ME. THEN, WHEN YOU OPEN YOUR HOOD FROM THE INSIDE - IT OPENS UP ENTIRELY AND SECONDARY LOCK IS NOT ENGAGED AT ALL - IT REMAINS OPEN AT ALL THE TIMES. IF YOU OPEN YOUR HOOD WHILE YOU DRIVE - IT WILL CRASH YOUR CAR - SECONDARY LOCK IS NOT WORKING. IF YOU HIT A POTHOLE OR A BUMP - YOU HOOD MAY FLY UP AS WELL - PRIMARY LOCK GETS RELEASED BY STRONG SHOCK, AND SECONDARY LOCK IS NOT THERE AS YOU ALREADY KNOW - THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO ME BACK IN 2009, I DROVE ABOUT 50 MILES AND HIT A BUMP ON THE ROAD - HOOD FLEW UP CRASHING MY CAR. THE DESIGN OF THE SECONDARY LOCK IS THE PROBLEM - IT JUST DOESN`T DO WHAT IT IS THERE FOR. BOTH PRIMARY AND SECONDARY LOCKS ON THIS MODEL ARE DEFECTIVE BY DESIGN AND CAN NOT BE FIXED BY REPLACEMENT - I AM STILL LIVING PROOF OF THIS STATEMENT. *TR

AS I PASSED UNDER A RAILROAD OVERPASS I HIT A LARGE POTHOLE PROBABLY CAUSED BY A RECENT 2-4" RAINFALL. THE IMPACT CAUSED MY HOOD TO RELEASE AND SLAM BACK INTO MY WINDSHIELD, OBLITERATING MY FORWARD VIEW. I SLOWED IMMEDIATELY WITHOUT SWERVING AND ACTIVATED MY WARNING FLASHERS. LUCKILY, THERE WAS ONLY ONE CAR BEHIND ME AND NONE APPROACHING WHEN THIS OCCURRED. UPON STOPPING I FOUND THAT MY WINDSHIELD HAD BEEN BADLY CRACKED AND THE HOOD STRUTS HAD BROKEN, ALLOWING THE HOOD TO FOLD BACK FULLY. THE SAFETY CATCH ON THE RELEASE MECHANISM APPARENTLY FAILED TO KEEP THE HOOD FROM FLYING UP. THE HOOD LATCHED WHEN BROUGHT BACK DOWN, BUT I NO LONGER TRUST IT. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN A FAR WORSE SITUATION IN TRAFFIC. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NHTSA RECALL CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER 12V602000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) AND WAS INFORMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR REPAIR. THE CONTACT RECEIVED THE NOTICE IN FEBRUARY 2013, AND THE MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THERE WAS NO ESTIMATED TIME OF ARRIVAL. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED ANY FAILURES AT THIS TIME. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 89,000.

I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE HIGHWAY WHEN SUDDENLY THE ENTIRE SAFETY MECHANISM THAT HOLDS THE HOOD DOWN DETACHED AND SENT THE HOOD SLAMMING AND SMASHING INTO MY WINDSHIELD. I WAS BLINDED INSTANTLY AND THERE WERE SEMI TRUCKS ALL AROUND ME. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER SAFELY. GLASS WAS EVERYWHERE AND MY REAR VIEW MIRROR WAS SMASHED OUT AND WENT FLYING AT ME WHILE I WAS DRIVING AS WELL. I FOUND THREE OTHER REPORTS ONLINE FROM THREE DIFFERENT DRIVERS WITH THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENING TO THEM. ALL I DID WAS GOOGLE SUBARU 2006 TRIBECA. SUBARU BASICALLY TOLD ME IT IS NONE OF THEIR CONCERN AND TOO BAD. THEY REFUSED TO SEND OUT ONE OF THEIR REPS TO CONFIRM WHAT I WAS SAYING. MY INSURANCE APPRAISER AS WELL AS A BODY SHOP CONFIRMED THIS WAS MORE THAN LIKELY THE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT. THE SAFETY LATCH WAS PLASTIC AND OBVIOUSLY NOT MEANT FOR SAFETY. MY MOTHER AND SISTER WERE IN THE CAR WITH ME AND IT IS A MIRACLE NO ONE WAS HURT OR KILLED. I AM BESIDE MYSELF AT THE WAY SUBARU HAS TREATED ME. I HAVE ALSO FILED A COMPLAINT WITH THE ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE. THIS IS A DISGRACE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU TRIBECA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN ID NUMBER: 12V602000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING) BUT THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER STATED THAT THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE RECALL STATED THAT THE REPAIRS WERE TO START IN FEBRUARY. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 73,000. *TR

ON MARCH 10, 2013, AS I WAS PUTTING MY CHILDREN IN THE CAR, MY VEHICLE'S RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER PUDDLE LIGHT OVERHEATED AND STARTED TO SMOKE WHILE MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED (NOT TURNED ON) AND IN MY GARAGE. THE LIGHTS COME ON AUTOMATICALLY WHEN THE DOOR OPENS. A STRONG ELECTRICAL ODOR ENSUED. THE IRVINGTON, NY FIRE DEPT WAS DISPATCHED TO INSPECT THE ISSUE AND DISABLE THE CAR. THEY DEEMED THE CAR UNSAFE AND SAID IT SHOULD BE TOWED TO THE DEALER. I CONTACTED SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE WHO AUTHORIZED A TOW, BECAUSE WESTCHESTER SUBARU SERVICE DEPT REFUSED. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER SINCE MONDAY AND THE DEALER, AS WELL AS CUSTOMER SERVICE, REFUSE TO PROVIDE ME WITH UPDATES (UNLESS I CALL) AND REFUSE TO PROVIDE ME A LOANER CAR. ALL THIS DESPITE THE FACT THAT THIS IS A SUBARU RECALL. IN FACT, THE RECALL LETTER STATES THE PROBLEM SHOULD TAKE ONLY ABOUT ONE HOUR TO FIX. THE DEALER ALSO DOES NOT APPEAR TO HAVE THE NECESSARY PARTS IN STOCK. NEEDLESS TO SAY,WE RECEIVED THE RECALL LETTER FROM SUBARU (NHTSA RECALL NO. 12V-602) THE DAY BEFORE THE INCIDENT (MARCH 9, 2013). SINCE THIS IS A SUBARU RECALL, AND IN FACT THE SITUATION COULD HAVE BECOME DANGEROUS AND DEADLY IF I DID NOT ALL THE FIRE DEPT, THE COMPANY AND DEALERSHIP HAVE BEEN MORE THAN UN-HELPFUL. I BELIEVE THE SITUATION WARRANTS ATTENTION FROM THE NHTSA. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE DOOR OPEN WARNING LAMP ILLUMINATED ERRONEOUSLY. THE CONTACT MENTIONED THAT THE FAILURE CAUSED THE BATTERY TO MALFUNCTION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE TECHNICIAN DIAGNOSED THAT THE BATTERY WAS DEFECTIVE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE BATTERY WAS REPLACED BUT TO NO AVAIL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE BUT DID NOT OFFER ANY ASSISTANCE SINCE THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 69,052 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 87,300.

FIRST TIME IT HAPPENED, ON THE WAY TO WORK FROM HOME, DRIVING ON LOCAL STREET WHEN THE HOOD JUST POPPED UP AND SLAMMED ON THE WINDSHIELD. OBVIOUSLY A LATCH DEFECT BUT SINCE THEN, I MADE SURE THE HOOD IS PROPERLY LATCHED. SECOND TIME IT HAPPENED, DRIVING WITH MY FAMILY AT 55 MPH, WHEN THE HOOD SUDDENLY POPPED UP AGAIN AND DESTROYING THE WINDSHIELD. WE ARE LUCKY THERE WAS NO ACCIDENT OR CRASH WITH OTHER VEHICLES. SEE ATTACHED RECEIPT OF WINDSHIELD REPAIR AS PROOFS. *TR

MY SISTER, MOTHER AND I WERE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY DOING 65 MPH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE HOOD SLAMMED INTO THE WINDSHIELD. IT SOUNDED LIKE A BOMB EXPLODED IN THE CAR. SHARDS OF GLASS RAINED DOWN ON THE INTERIOR OF THE CAR. WE WERE ABLE TO PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER. WHEN WE GOT OUT TO CHECK WHAT HAPPENED, WE NOTICED THE ENTIRE SAFETY LATCH MECHANISM WAS ATTACHED TO THE HOOD AND WAS DANGLING THERE. IT WAS NOT RUSTED. IT SIMPLY DETACHED. WE COULD HAVE BEEN KILLED DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WITH A SEMI BEHIND US. IT WAS EXTREMELY TRAUMATIZING AND I AM MENTALLY WORN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE. *TR