1998 Subaru Legacy

TIRES LOST NEARLY ALL AIR WITHIN 2,000 MILE OF CHECKING;HAD TO REPLACE;THEY WENT TO STEEL BAR AT 18000 MILES; FUMES INSIDE CABIN FROM PURCHASE OF CAR;FELL ASLEEP AT WHEEL SEVL TIMES; ROMANIA SUBARU IN EUGENE WOULDN'T FIX ON 2 VISITS;3RD VISIT, FOUND LEAK;STILL HAVE FUMES INSIDE CABIN AND MORE IF WINDOW IS DOWN ON PASS SIDE;NO ONE CAN FIX THE OPEN WINDOW FUME PROBLEM;INSIDE-FOUND CRANKCASE LEAKING ON EXHAUST SYST;COSMOLENE OVERLOAD, BUT STILLHAVE BURNING EYES AND SORE THROAT;CAN'T FIND PROBLEM;BRAKES WENT TO FLOOR-REPLACED MASTER CYLINDER PER RECAL;WINDSHIELD FROM PURCHASE,COULDN'T SEE THROUGH;BAD FILM;PURCHASED A NEW ONE RECENTLY;CAR HESITATES AND SURGES FORWARD;SUBARU SAYS THIS IS NORMAL( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 185 70 R14 )

THE ROLLERS FOR THE POWER WINDOWS ARE COLLECTING DIRT AND LEAVING A VERTICAL SCRATCHALONG THE LENGTH OF THE WINDOW. WHEN I CONTACTED THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT IN MY AREA I WAS TOLD THIS WOULD NOT BE COVERED UNDER MY WARRANTY BECAUSE THE DISTRICT SERVICE MANAGER FOR SUBARU HAD DETERMINED THE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED FROM DIRT ON THE WINDOWS. THIS SEEMS ODD TO ME BECAUSE THE SUBARU LEGACY IS THE ONLY VEHICLE I HAVE SEEN THIS PROBLEM ON AND OTHER CARS IN MY AREA ARE NOT SUFFERING FROM THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE HAD NO LUCK WITH SUBARU OR MY DEALER IN SOLVING THIS PROBLEM. I WAS TOLD I COULD PAY $50 TO HAVE MY DOOR ASSEMBLY TAKEN APART TO CLEAN THE ROLLERS AND PAY $200-$300 PER WINDOW TO REPLACE THE WINDOW. IF THIS PROBLEM EXISTED ON OTHER MAKES OR MODELS I COULD ACCEPT THE EXPLAINATION THAT I NEED TO KEEP THE DIRT OFF OF MY CAR, BUT THAT IS NOT THE CASE. I FEEL SUBARU SHOULD REPLACE THE ROLLERS AND WINDOW UNDER MY WARRANTY.

THE CAR DEVELOPED A LEAK AT THE OIL FILTER (LEE MAXI FILTER) WHERE IT MEETS THE ENGINE. THE LEAK STARTED SMALL AND GREW STEADILY LARGER (10 EXTRA QUARTS OF OIL WERE NEEDED TO GO THE LAST 50 MILES). THIS OCCURRED TOWARD THE END OF MY TRIP, AFTER TRAVELING ABOUT 140 MILES. I KNOW THAT THERE HAD BEEN A RECALL PREVIOUSLY ON THE SUBARU BRAND FILTER (1998) FOR THIS VERY SAME PROBLEM AT THE END OF LAST YEAR, BUT I HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH A LEE BRAND FILTER, WHICH I HAD BUT ON 2100 MILES EARLIER. UP UNTIL THIS TIME, NO LOSS OF OIL HAD OCCURRED WITH THIS FILTER OR WITH PREVIOUS OIL CHANGES (I HAD JUST CHECKED THE OIL LEVEL A FEW DAYS EARLIER). I BELIEVE THAT THERE MAY BE A LARGER PROBLEM HERE, OTHER THAN THE SUBARU BRAND FILTER FROM THE RECALL. YOU SHOULD ALSO KNOW THAT THERE IS AN AUTO QUESTION AND ANSWER AREA IN THE FRIDAY JULY 23 ISSUE OF THE NEWSPAPER "NEWSDAY" (LONG ISLAND, NY WWW.NEWSDAY.COM). THE VERY FIRST QUESTION IS FROM AN OWNER OF A 1998 SUBARU LEGACY WHO HAD AN OIL LEAK ATTRIBUTED TO THE FILTER, AND HAD TO HAVE HIS CAR TOWED TO THE DEALER. HE MENTIONED THAT THE DEALER REQUIRED HIM TO PAY FOR THE TOWING AND REPAIR, AS THE OIL FILTER THAT FAILED WAS NOT A SUBARU OIL FILTER. SINCE THIS IS ANOTHER INCIDENT INVOLVING A NON SUBARU FILTER FAILURE. THIS MAY INDICATE THAT OTHER BRAND FILTERS ARE EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM, AND THAT THERE MAY BE A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR ITSELF, AND NOT THE FILTER. THE CAR IS CURRENTLY PARKED, WAITING FOR ME TO GET OFF OF WORK TO PUT ON A NEW FILTER (FRAM BRAND). I DID NOTICE THAT THE RUBBER GASKET ON THE FRAM FILTER IS MUCH TALLER THAN THE LEE BRAND FILTER GASKET. I DON'T KNOW IF THIS HAS ANY RELATIONSHIP TO THE PROBLEM. CAN YOU ADVISE ME IF YOU HAVE RECEIVED ANY ADDITIONAL COMPLAINTS OF THIS TYPE FROM PEOPLE WHO EITHER EXPERIENCED THIS PROBLEM WITH A SUBARU FILTER NOT COVERED BY THE RECALL OR WITH A LEE MAXI FILTER OR OTHER NON SUBARU FILTER. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. (I WILL PROVIDE YOU WITH VIN NUMBER IN THE NEAR FUTURE)

WHEN SITTING AT A LIGHT WITH FOOT ON BRAKES, BRAKES GO STRAIGHT TO THE FLOOR, AND VEHICLE IS MOVING FORWARD. ALSO, WHEN CONSUMER IS DRIVING AND IF ANOTHER VEHICLE STOPS IN FRONT OF THE CONSUMER, AND CONSUMER APPLIES THE BRAKES, VEHICLE WON'T STOP. CONSUMER HAS TO GO AROUND THE OTHER VEHICLE TO AVOID HITTING IT. OCCURS IN WINTER. CONSUMER EXPERIENCED TWO NEAR COLLISIONS BECAUSE BRAKES DID NOT ENGAGE AND STOP VEHICLE. BOTH SITUATIONS WERE AT 25 MPH. *AK