2009 Subaru Outback

THE AIRBAG LIGHT ON THE DASH WOULD INTERMITTENTLY TURN ON. IF I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND THEN RIGHT BACK ON THE LIGHT WOULD GO OUT. EVENTUALLY THE LIGHT WOULD COME BACK ON, SO I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER WHO HAD A TECHNICIAN CHECK THE COMPUTER CODES. IT LISTED (CODE 26-RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT ERROR). THE TECHNICIAN RESET THE COMPUTER AND THE COMPUTER ERROR CODE WAS CLEARED. THE TECH TOLD ME THAT EVENTUALLY IT WAS GOING TO HAPPEN AGAIN, AS HE HAD SEEN THE PROBLEM SEVERAL TIMES BEFORE IN THE 2008/2009 YEAR RANGE OF OUTBACKS & LEGACY'S AND TOLD ME THAT WHEN THE DASH LIGHT WAS LIT, "NONE OF THE AIRBAGS WOULD WORK IN A COLLISION". ALL WAS WELL FOR A FEW WEEKS AND THE LIGHT DID COME BACK ON, SO THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER TO BE REPAIRED. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO BE THE MAP LIGHT/PASSENGER SEATBELT LAMP ASSEMBLY (PART # 84621AG53A) THAT IS LOCATED ON THE INTERIOR ROOF DIRECTLY NEXT TO THE REAR VIEW MIRROR. I WAS INFORMED THAT THIS PART IS NOT COVERED BY ANY WARRANTIES, AS THE AIRBAGS ARE A "SUPPLEMENTAL SYSTEM", UNLIKE SEATBELTS WHICH "ARE COVERED" AS THE PRIMARY RESTRAINT SYSTEM. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SUBARU MUST OBVIOUSLY BE AWARE OF THIS DEFECTIVE PART AS IT IS AN INSTOCK ITEM AT THEIR DEALERSHIPS (AT LEAST IT IS AT MY DEALER). THE BOTTOM LINE IS THAT I HAD TO PAY (ALMOST $200) TO FIX A PROBLEM THAT WILL ALLOW MY VEHICLE'S AIRBAGS TO WORK IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION BECAUSE THE AIRBAGS ARE CONSIDERED A "SUPPLEMENTAL SYSTEM". "LOVE" (PUN INTENDED) TO KNOW WHEN THE RECALL IS GOING TO OCCUR. *TR

MY SEAT BELT WARNING LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD WAS COMING ON INTERMITTENTLY BUT USUALLY WENT OFF IF I TURNED THE ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTED IT. BUT NOW IT'S ON CONSTANTLY. THE DEALER SAYS IT'S A MALFUNCTION INVOLVING THE PASSENGER SEAT BELT APPARATUS AND IT'S NOT COVER UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. THE COST OF THE REPAIR IS ESTIMATE TO BE OVER $350. I SEE ONLINE THAT MANY PEOPLE HAVE THIS PROBLEM WITH THE 2005-2009 OUTBACKS. THE MECHANISM IS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED. *TR

OUR 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK IS RADICALLY DANGEROUS WHEN DRIVING ON COMPACTED SNOW OR ICE. THE CAR BECOMES ALMOST UNCONTROLLABLE WITH REAR OVERSTEER ON MODERATELY SLIPPERY ROADS; EVEN AT VERY SLOW SPEEDS WITHOUT APPLYING ANY ACCELERATION. OUR VEHICLE HAS ALWAYS DISPLAYED THESE "QUIRKS" BUT IT IS NOW OUTRIGHT DANGEROUS. THE CAR IS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND HAS BEEN EXTREMELY WELL MAINTAINED. I CERTAINLY HOPE NHTSA IS AWARE OF THIS ISSUE AS THERE IS CLEARLY A DESIGN FLAW. WE HAVE NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT BUT LIVING IN THE MIDWEST DRIVING THIS CAR IT FEELS LIKE IT ONLY A MATTER OF TIME. THE HANDLING IS SO BAD THAT IT BECOMES A DANGER TO OVERCOMING TRAFFIC. *TR

DRIVING ON STRAIGHT, SEMI-ICY ROADS BETWEEN NORTHERN MICHIGAN AND NORTHERN WISCONSIN AT SPEEDS FROM 40MPH TO 50MPH THE 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK LOADED WITH APPROX 500LBS OF CARGO AND PASSENGERS (DRIVER INCLUDED) WOULD SUDDENLY SWERVE BACK AND FORTH ( REFERRED TO AS GHOST WALKING ). WOULD HAVE TO REDUCE SPEED AND PULL OVER TO SHOULDER NUMEROUS TIMES AND ALLOW ALL TRAFFIC BEHIND VEHICLE TO PASS SINCE NO ONE ELSE WAS HAVING ANY HANDLING PROBLEMS. VEHICLE WOULD REGAIN STABILITY AND WOULD HANDLE FINE FOR SOME TIME AND THEN WOULD REPEAT THE GHOST WALKING SITUATION ONCE AGAIN. THIS HAPPENED APPROX 6 SIX TIMES FOR A TOTAL DRIVE TIME OF 35 MINUTES. CALLED 4 DIFFERENT SUBARU DEALERSHIPS AND SPOKE WITH THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT AND ALL TECHNICIANS TOLD ME THEY HAVE NEVER HEARD OF SUCH A PROBLEM. RESEARCHED THE ISSUE WITH NUMEROUS SUBARU WEBSITE FORUMS AND FOUND MANY COMPLAINTS OF WHAT APPEARS TO BE THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM. *TR

STARTED MY CAR AT NIGHT TO FIND OUT MY HEADLIGHTS WOULD NOT TURN ON, BUT THE SAFELY LIGHTS WERE STILL ON. UPON FURTHER INSPECTION, THE BRAKE LIGHTS AND REVERSE LIGHTS WOULD NOT WORK EITHER. THE LIGHTS ABOVE MY REAR LICENSE PLATE HAD BEEN OUT FOR A COUPLE OF WEEKS ALSO SO I AM NOT SURE IF THAT IS RELATED AS WELL. LOOKED ON-LINE TO FIND OUT MANY OTHER SUBARU OUTBACK OWNERS HAD A SIMILAR PROBLEM AND SUGGESTED LOOKING AT THE HARNESS THAT HOUSED MANY ELECTRICAL WIRES ON THE UPPER CORNERS OF THE HATCHBACK. MANY OF THE WIRES WERE EITHER BROKEN OR LOOSE. I HAVE READ THAT BECAUSE OF ITS LOCATION, THE WIRES BECOME BRITTLE AND BREAK BECAUSE THEY ARE CONSTANTLY BEING BENT WHEN YOU OPEN AND CLOSE THE REAR HATCHBACK DOOR. TOOK MY CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY HAD TO RESOLDER THE WIRES AND CHARGED ME $225 FOR THE LABOR AND PARTS NEEDED. IF I HAD TO REPLACE THIS, IT WOULD HAVE COST ME OVER $600 SO THE DEALERSHIP DISCOURAGED ME FROM DOING THIS. I FEEL THIS SHOULD BE COVERED BY SUBARU SINCE IT IS DUE TO BAD DESIGN AND PERFORMANCE AND THE SERVICE I HAD DONE DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT THIS WILL NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. *TR

THE VEHICLE IS A STATION WAGON WITH 5-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION, DRIVEN ONLY BY MY WIFE AND I. WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR, WE EXPERIENCED AN OCCASIONAL PROBLEM WHERE IT WOULD POP OUT OF FIRST GEAR WHEN TRAVELLING AT LOW SPEEDS. I DID NOT REPORT THIS PROBLEM DURING THE 3 YEAR, 30,000 LIMITED WARRANTY PERIOD, BECAUSE IT OCCURRED INFREQUENTLY, AND DID NOT APPEAR TO PRESENT A SAFETY HAZARD. FURTHERMORE, IT'S SUBARU'S POLICY, AS STATED BY THE DEALER MOYER SUBARU, TO NOT ACT UNTIL A PROBLEM CAN BE DEMONSTRATED, AND TO CHARGE THE CUSTOMER IF NO PROBLEM IS FOUND. HOWEVER, THE 5-YEAR, 60,000 MILE POWER TRAIN WARRANTY, AND A SUBARU GOLD PLUS, 7-YEAR, 70,000 MILE WARRANTY, ARE STILL IN EFFECT. WITHIN THE LAST YEAR, THE PROBLEM BECAME MORE FREQUENT, PARTICULARLY WHEN GOING DOWN STEEP GRADES, WHICH IS NECESSARY ON ROADS SLICK FROM RAIN, SNOW OR ICE, OR WHEN THERE IS SOME OTHER HAZARD THAT WARRANTS SLOW SPEED. WHEN THE TRANSMISSION POPS OUT TO NEUTRAL, THERE IS AN ALARMING LOSS OF CONTROL, AND YOU MUST BRAKE HARD TO ARREST THE ACCELERATION, WHICH IS LIKELY TO CAUSE SKIDDING AND SLIDING. I ESTIMATE THIS HAS HAPPENED AT LEAST 6 TIMES IN PAST TWO MONTHS OF WINTER WEATHER. LAST WEEK (1/30/13), I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO MOYER SUBARU WHO TOLD ME THERE ARE NO RECALLS, AND WOULD NOT DO A ROAD TEST UNLESS I AGREE TO PAY THE COST IF NO PROBLEM IS FOUND. I AM UNWILLING TO DO THAT, SINCE THERE IS NO GUARANTEE WHEN THIS INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WILL OCCUR AGAIN; ONLY THAT IT WILL OCCUR AGAIN AND LIKELY CAUSE A SERIOUS ACCIDENT. INSTEAD, I REPORTED THE PROBLEM ON SUBARU WEBSITE, AND THEY HAVE DOCUMENTED MY COMPLAINT (SR # 1-3193753102), BUT MADE NO OFFER TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM. THE SUBARU IMPREZA OWNER'S GROUP REPORTS SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH NUMEROUS IMPREZAS, AND SOME OUTBACKS. WE HAD THIS PROBLEM ON A 2002 OUTBACK THAT WAS FIXED UNDER WARRANTY, ONLY AFTER IT PROGRESSED TO HIGHER GEARS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY AND THEN IN REVERSE BEFORE CRASHING INTO TWO OTHER VEHICLES AND A BRICK WALL. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE POLICE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT WERE CONTACTED AND A REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 22,000. UPDATED 10/31/12*LJ THE CONSUMER STATED AS SHE PULLED INTO A VACANT SPOT, WITH HER FOOT ON THE BRAKE, THE VEHICLE EMITTED A ROAR AND SURGED OVER A CURB UPWARDS AND CRASHED INTO A TREE, WITH HER FOOT STILL ON THE BRAKE. THE VEHICLE WENT BACKWARDS AND HIT AN SUV PARKED ILLEGALLY BEHIND HER CAR. THE VEHICLE THEN CONTINUED BACKWARDS, HIT ANOTHER CAR AND FINALLY CRASHED INTO THE OUTSIDE WALL OF A LIBRARY AND STOPPED. THE AIR BAG DID NOT DEPLOY. UPDATED 10/31/12

CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE. APPARENTLY, A NOT UNCOMMON PROBLEM (ENGINE BEARING). VEHICLE UNDER BOTH FACTORY AND EXTENDED WARRANTY. SUBARU NORTH AMERICA IS TRYING TO AVOID FIXING UNDER WARRANTY (AGAIN, IT SEEMS A NOT UNCOMMON PROBLEM). SUBARU CLAIMS OIL LEAKED OUT, BUT OIL PRESSURE LIGHT NEVER CAME ON. SUBARU IS NOT DEALING ON THE UP AND UP. *JS