2000 Subaru Impreza

ON OCTOBER 2002, MY MOTHER WAS INVOLVED IN A FATAL CAR ACCIDENT, WHEN WE WENT TO VIEW HER VEHICLE, I NOTICED HER DRIVERS SIDE DOOR PANEL, ON THE INSIDE WAS BURNED COMPLETELY. THIS DOOR WAS HIT FROM THE IMPACT OF THE CAR THAT RAN INTO HER. I HAVE BEEN TOLD THAT THE MOTOR THAT ALLOWS THE WINDOW TO ROLL UP CAUGHT ON FIRE AND THATS WHY THE DOOR GOT BURNT. WHEN THE DOOR CAUGHT ON FIRE, MY MOTHER WAS BURNED VERY BADLY, AS THIS WAS NOT THE TOTAL CAUSE OF HER DEATH, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT A DEFECT IN THE VEHICLE.

UPON STARTING THE CAR ON A COLD DAY (AROUND 0 F), A VERY STRONG RAW GASOLINE SMELL CAME THROUGH THE DASHBOARD VENTS. THE ODOR DISSIPATED WHILE DRIVING, BUT EVERY TIME THE VEHICLE WAS STOPPED/IDLING (EVEN AFTER THE ENGINE WAS WARMED UP), THE OVERWHELMING GASOLINE VAPOR ODOR CAME BACK THROUGH THE VENTS. I RESEARCHED THE PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET AND IDENTIFIED A POTENTIAL SOURCE--IN MY 2.2L ENGINE, THERE IS A SHORT RUBBER HOSE CONNECTING TWO METAL FUEL LINES THAT BECOMES WETTED WITH FUEL AND SOMETIMES EVEN DRIPS DOWN ONTO THE ENGINE BLOCK. THIS CERTAINLY SEEMS TO BE ONE SOURCE, IF NOT THE ONLY ONE, FOR THIS PROBLEM. IT SEEMS TO BE A SAFETY ISSUE NOT ONLY FOR THE PASSENGERS' HEALTH, BUT INSIDE THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AS WELL. PLEASE VISIT THE FOLLOWING INTERNET DISCUSSION: HTTP://FORUMS.NASIOC.COM/FORUMS/SHOWTHREAD.PHP?S=&THREADID=131755&PERPAGE=50&PAGENUMBER=1 *LA

PREMATURE FAILURE OF REAR WHEEL BEARINGS. THE REAR WHEEL BEARING WAS REPLACED AT 36,408 MILES. IT PROBABLY STARTED FAILING SEVERAL THOUSAND MILES EARLIER. I WASN'T AWARE OF THE CHANGE UNTIL A FRIEND POINTED OUT THE NOISE THAT HE THOUGHT SOUNDED LIKE THE WHEEL BEARING. SUBARU IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND HAS ISSUED A SERVICE BULLETIN ALTERING THE REPAIR PROCESS TO AVOID "REPEAT PREMATURE FAILURES"(QUOTE FROM THE SERVICE BULLETIN.

THIS IS A FOLLOW UP FOR NHTSA ODI NUMBER: 768872. AFTER THE FAILURE OCCURED I CONTACTED THE CAR DEALER, THEY SAID THAT PARTS AND REPAIRS WERE ONLY COVERED FOR ONE YEAR/UNLIMITED MILEAGE AND I WOULD HAVE TO PAY FOR THE REPAIR. I CONTACTED SUBARU AMERICA(CASE # 440952) BEFORE TAKING THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND INFORMED THEM THAT THIS REPLACEMENT WOULD BE THE 3RD RIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING IN THE CAR. WHEN I GOT TO THE DEALER, THEY EXAMINED THE BEARING. THE SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME SUBARU HAD CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP AND HAD THEM CHECK THE PART NUMBER OF THE FAILED BEARING. THE NUMBER MATCHED THE NUMBER SUBARU HAD GIVEN HIM TO CHECK FOR, THE BEARING WAS REPLACED WITH A NEW PART NUMBER FREE A CHARGE. AFTER THE CAR WAS REPAIRED I CALLED SUBARU AMERICA TO INQUIRE ABOUT THE ORIGINAL PART THAT FAILED TO SEE IF I COULD RE-COUP THE COST OF THE 1ST REPLACEMENT($316.000). THEY WOULDN'T ADMIT THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM AND SAID THAT THE DEALER CHANGED THE PART BECAUSE I PROBABLY WAS A GOOD CUSTOMER(COME NOW). IF POSSIBLE PLEASE CHECK TO SEE IF THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THESE CARS, I THINK THE ONLY REASON MY DEFECTIVE PART WAS CHANGED IS BECAUSE I CONTACTED SUBARU AMERICA AND TOLD THEM THAT THE SAME PART FAILING 2 TIMES WAS UNACCEPTIBLE. WELL I GUESS THE 'SQUEAKY WHEEL GET'S THE OIL'. THANKS FOR LOGGING THIS REPORT. DT

THE CAR WAS PURCHASED AS A NEW VEHICLE. THE ORIGINAL RIGHT REAR BEARING FAILED IN AUGUST OF LAST YEAR AND WAS REPLACED. IN SEPTEMBER OF THIS YEAR THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL STARTED MAKING A NOISE AGAIN. I HAD AN INDEPENDENT SUBARU DEALER CONFIRM THAT THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING HAD FAILED AGAIN. WHEN THIS IS REPLACED THIS WILL BE THE THIRD RIGHT WHEEL BEARING. CAR HISTORY: AFTER OWNING THE NEW CAR FOR 4 MONTHS THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD DEVELOPED A CRACK. THE DEALER TRIED TO TELL ME THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED BECAUSE OF A STONE. I SHOWED HIM THAT THE CRACK STARTED BY THE RIGHT WINDSHIELD PILLAR. IT WAS REPAIRED FOR FREE. I WENT IN FOR ROUTINE BRAKE SERVICE AND ONE OF THE MECHANICS ASKED ME IF THE CAR WAS IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE THE FRONT RIGHT BRAKE CALIPER WAS A MITSUBISHI CALIPER AND NOT A SUBARU CALIPER. WHEN I BROUGHT THIS TO THE SERVICE MANAGERS ATTENTION HE STATED THE JAPANESE MANUFACTURERS SOMETIME CROSS-USE COMPATIBLE PARTS IN DIFFERENT MAKES OF CARS. I AM NOT SURE THIS IS A VAILD EXPLAINATION. I'M WONDERING IF I BOUGHT A NEW CAR THAT HAD SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE RIGHT SIDE(WINDSHIELD PROBLEM, RIGHT FRONT CALIPER FROM ANOTHER MANUFACTURER AND PROBLEMS WITH THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING). ALSO WHEN I GOT THE WHEEL BEARING REPLACED, THERE WAS ANOTHER SUBARU CUSTOMER GETTING THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING REPLACED ON A 2001 SUBARU OUTBACK, SHE ONLY HAD 24,000 MILES WHEN THE PART FAILED. DT

THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THE REAR BEARINGS HAVE GONE OUT ON THIS CAR (PREVIOUS OWNER HAD REPLACED. SO FAR, THE DEALER HAS BEEN GREAT. HOWEVER, THE FRONT BEARINGS ARE STARTING TO GO OUT (AT 38,900K) AND I AM NOT SURE IF THE DEALER IS STILL GOING TO BE AS GOOD- THEY CLAIM THAT THEY NEED TO TALK TO THE MANUFACTURER. I WILL BE CONTACTING SUBARU IN THE MEANTIME. I HAVE DONE RESEARCH ON THIS CAR, AND THIS IS NOT AN ISOLATED PROBLEM- BUT SEEMS TO HAVE HAPPENED WITH A HANDFUL OF PEOPLE. SEE HTTP://WWW.RANMA.COM/%EHARLOCK/SUBARU/WHEELBEARING.HTML- ALSO THERE IS A YAHOO GROUP DEVOTED TO SUBARU OUTBACK SPORTS WITH MANY POSTING ABOUT BAD BEARINGS. THANKS FOR YOU PROMPT ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER.*AK