2007 Subaru B9 Tribeca

TL* TAKATA RECALL. THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA. THE CONTACT RECEIVED NOTIFICATION OF NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBERS: 16V359000 (AIR BAGS) AND 16V060000 (LATCHES/LOCKS AND LINKAGES, STRUCTURE). THE PARTS NEEDED TO REPAIR THE VEHICLE WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE AND PARTS DISTRIBUTION DISCONNECT.

WHILE DRIVING WE SMELT SOMETHING BURNING, I PULLED OVER TO INSPECT UNDER THE CAR AND SAW SMOKE COMING FROM THERE. I WENT UNDER AND SAW THAT THERE WAS LIQUID COVERING THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER, I WIPED DOWN AS MUCH AS I COULD AND DROVE TO MY MECHANIC. HE PUT THE CAR ON THE LIFT AND WE TRACED TO WHERE TO LIQUID WAS COMING FROM. IT WENT TO THE FRONT LEFT AXLE BOOT, IT WAS RUPTURED CAUSING GREASE TO BE THROWN ON THE HOT CATALYTIC CONVERTER CAUSING THE SMOKE. THIS COULD HAVE EVOLVED INTO A FIRE IF I HAD NOT IMMEDIATELY STOPPED DRIVING AND WIPED DOWN THE CONVERTER. WE HAD TO CHANGE THE COMPLETE AXLE AND BOOT ASSEMBLY. UPDATE 9/15/15*CW UPDATED 11/16/2017*CN

I WAS DRIVING MY 2007 SUBARU TRIBECA B9 TO WORK ON THE FREEWAY AT 65MPH WHEN THE HOOD FLEW OPEN AND SHATTERED MY WINDSHIELD. I WAS IN HEAVY RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC ON A 4 LANE MAJOR INTERSTATE. I COULD NOT SEE AT ALL. I WAS IN ONE OF THE MIDDLE LANES AND NEARLY CAUSED A MAJOR ACCIDENT WITH AN 18-WHEELER THAT WAS BEHIND ME AND HAD TO LOCK UP HIS BRAKES TO AVOID CRASHING INTO ME. I SEE THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS OF THIS ISSUE AND THERE SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL TO REPAIR THIS ITEM. I HAVE BEEN A HUGE SUBARU FAN FOR MANY YEARS AND THIS IS THE 3RD....AND LAST ONE....FOR ME.

WHILE DRIVING ON AN INTERSTATE HIGHWAY AT ~55 MPH, HEARD A METALLIC NOISE, THREE INDICATORS WENT ON, SMELL BURNT RUBBER. A STEERING WHEEL STOPPED OPERATING PROPERLY AND WOULD TURN ONLY WHEN APPLYING MUCH EFFORT. LUCKY TO BE IN THE RIGHT LANE AND BE ABLE TO GRADUALLY PULL OFF WITHOUT CAUSING AN INCIDENT. THE INCIDENT MIGHT HAVE BEEN LIFE THREATENING, TAKING INTO ACCOUNT HIGH SPEEDS AND HEAVY TRUCKS ON THE ROAD. WAS ABLE TO REACH TO THE NEAREST SUBARU SERVICE. THE PROBLEM: PULLEYS, DRIVE BELTS, TENSIONERS BROKE DUE TO WEAR AND TEAR. DUE TO THE VEHICLE ENGINEERING DESIGN, THIS PROBLEM CAUSES NON-RESPONSIVENESS OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THE VEHICLE HAS ~90K MILES AND HAS BEEN OPERATED IN A CITY CONDITIONS. TECHNICIAN SAID THIS PROBLEM HAPPENED WITH OTHER VEHICLES OF THIS MODEL; THESE PARTS ARE NOT NORMALLY INSPECTED DURING REGULAR MAINTENANCE AND THUS ARE IMPOSSIBLE TO BE DETECTED. THUS, THE PARTS THAT BROKE HAVE LIMITED LIFESPAN WHICH MAKES THE VEHICLE DANGEROUS TO OPERATE. CONTACTED SUBARU -- THEY SAY IT IS BEYOND THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY OF 3 YRS / 36 TH.MILES AND THE LIFE EXPECTANCY OF ANY PART IS UNKNOWN. DOES IT MEAN THE SUBARU'S SAFETY PLEDGE IS ALSO VALID FOR THE TIME OF THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY?? *TR

I WAS DRIVING MY 07 SUBARU TRIBECA ON A BUSY CITY STREET, AT ABOUT 35 MILES PER HOUR, WHEN MULTIPLE RED LIGHTS CAME UP AND I COULD NOT TURN THE STEERING WHEEL. IT WAS NOT LOCKED, BUT IT REQUIRED SIGNIFICANT EFFORT TO MOVE IT EVEN A FEW INCHED TO THE LEFT OR RIGHT. IT WAS EXTREEMELY STRESSFUL TO BE STUCK IN THE MIDDLE OF A BUSY AVENUE WITHOUT ANY CONTROL OVER YOUR VECHICLE. THE REPAIR SHOP CAME UP WITH THE FOLLOWING LIST OF BROKEN PARTS: BELT TENSIONER, IDLER PULLEY, 2 BOLTS AND AN AC BRACKET. THE TOTAL BILL FOR THE PARTS AND LABOR WAS $780. I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MY CAR ON HIGHWAYS AND CITY STREETS ONLY, NEVER TOOK IT OFF THE ROAD. THE CAR IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD WITH 58K MILES ON IT. I DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW SUCH AN EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO THE CAR PARTS COULD HAPPEN OTHER THEN THAT IT IS FAULTY. IS SUBARU CONSIDERING A RECALL FOR THE ABOVE MENTIONED PARTS? THANK YOU. *TR

WHILE DRIVING THIS CAR IT CONSTANTLY LOSES ACCELERATION. IT WILL HAVE NO POWER THEN LURCH FORWARD AND REV. IT IDLES, LURCHES, AND THEN HAS NO ACCELERATION. I HAVE ALSO REPLACED THE SWAY BAR BEARINGS TWICE IN THIS CAR AS WELL AS 2 OXYGEN SENSORS, AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THE DEAL STILL CANT FIX THE PROBLEM EVEN WITH THE SERVICE CODES. THIS CAR IS A DANGER AND A SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2007 SUBARU TRIBECA. WHILE DRIVING AT 10 MPH, THE DASHBOARD COMPONENTS BRIEFLY ILLUMINATED AND FAILED. THE CONTACT PARKED THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHICLE THEN CAUGHT ON FIRE. A FIRE REPORT WAS AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT COULD NOT CONFIRM WHY OR WHERE THE FIRE ORIGINATED FROM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE FIRE DAMAGE WAS BEING HANDLED BY THE CONTACT'S INSURANCE COMPANY. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 57,000.

WHILE DRIVING THE MOTOR STOPPED, THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND THE VEHICLE?S SPEED SLOWED DRAMATICALLY, STEERING THE DISABLED VEHICLE BECAME ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE; A POTENTIAL ACCIDENT WAS AVOIDED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO CLOSEST DEALER. THE DEALER QUOTED AN ESTIMATE OF $2300 TO TEAR DOWN THE MOTOR TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. THE VEHICLE HAS 29,000 MILES AND THE WARRANTY HAS EXTENDED COVERAGE TO 84,000 MILES AT A COST OF $1288. SUBARU OF AMERICA WAS CONTACTED TO EXPRESS DISSATISFACTION WITH THE DEALERSHIP; THE CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE ASKED ME TO FAX MAINTENANCE RECORDS FOR THE VEHICLE. THE DOCUMENTS WERE FAXED AT 2:00AM ON WEDNESDAY AUGUST 13, 2008. ON AUGUST 14TH I CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA FOR A STATUS UPDATE ON THE VEHICLE; THE REPRESENTATIVE HANDLING MY CASE HAD LEFT FOR THE DAY SO I REQUESTED A CALL BACK THE NEXT DAY. NO RESPONSE WAS RECEIVED. SUBARU OF AMERICA HAS NOT CONFORMED TO THEIR WARRANTY OBLIGATIONS, STATING NEGLECT OF OWNER MAY HAVE CAUSED THE MOTOR FAILURE. HARD FACT, A VEHICLE DRIVEN UNDER NORMAL CONDITIONS WHOSE MOTOR FAILS WITHOUT WARNING (NO SIGNALS FROM THE ONBOARD DIAGNOSIS SYSTEM-ANOTHER POSSIBLE DEFECT, OR WARNING SOUNDS FROM THE MOTOR) WITH 29,000 EQUATES TO COMPONENT OF FAILURE OF THE MOTOR OR ELECTRICAL COMPONENT. THE MOTOR IS NOT CEASED; IT TURNS OVER WITH THE IGNITION KEY. *TR

ON APRIL 24, 2008, WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE 84 AND THEN ON THE MASS PIKE THE CAR LOST ACCELERATION TWICE (GAS PEDDLE HAD NO ACCELERATION). THE CAR (SUBARU TRIBECA 2007) DID REGAIN POWER WITHIN SOME SECONDS BOTH TIMES, WHILE DRIVING ON THE STREETS OF BROOKLINE, MA (BEACON STREET) LATER THAT AFTERNOON THE CAR DIED AND WOULD NOT START. CONTACTED SUBARU ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE (CAR UNDER NEW CAR WARRANTY). THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THEIR NEAREST DEALER IN BELMONT, MA AND ARRIVED THERE AT 5:00 PM ON 4/24. THE CAR HAS BEEN AT THE DEALER BEING WORKED ON (IT IS CLAIMED) SINCE THAT TIME (5/24 TO TODAY 5/5/08 AND WHILE THE DEALER CLAIMS TO HAVE REPLACED SEVERAL PARTS THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO REPAIR THE CAR. THE SERVICE MANAGER CLAIMS IT IS AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. *TR