Subaru Outback transmission problems

I WAS PARKING MY CAR TO GO TO THE VIDEO STORE WITH MY SON. IT APPEARED TO LURCH FORWARD, SPEEDING UP, AND DID NOT COME TO A STOP UNTIL IT HIT FOUR OTHER CARS, AND FINALLY PLOWED INTO A LARGE 4X4 BROADSIDE, WITH ENOUGH SPEED TO PUSH IT INTO ANOTHER CAR. MY AIRBAGS DEPLOYED, AND MY DISABLED CHILD FELL OUT OF THE PASSENGER SIDE ONTO THE PAVEMENT. PARAMEDICS WHERE CALLED AND HE WAS DETERMINED TO HAVE MINOR INJURIES. I HAD PREVIOUS PROBLEMS WITH THE KEY STICKING, AND SOMETIMES UNEXPLAINED MINOR SPEEDUPS INT HE TRANSMISSION, BUT DIDN'T REALIZE HOW SEVERE IT WAS. NOW I UNDERSTAND THIS IS A POSSIBLE, SERIOUS PROBLEM WITH MY VEHICLE. THE CAR IS CONSIDERED TOTALLED, BUT HASN'T BEEN DISPOSED OF AS YET. POLICE TOOK PICTURES AT THE SCENE. PLEASE HELP ME FIGURE THIS OUT.*AK

ON 1/15/01 BEARD SUBARU DIAGNOSED AND REPAIRED MY ENGINE FOR AN OIL LEAK. I PAID $654.50 FOR THEM TO REMOVE THE TRANSMISSION AND RESEAL BAFFLE PLATE AS WELL AS RESEAL OIL PUMP, QUESTIONABLE CAM SEALS (REFERRING TO PAPERWORK FROM DEALER). ON 3/23/01 WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT ON AND SIMULTANEOUSLY CAR COMPLETELY DIED. BEARD SUBARU DIAGNOSED ENGINE SEIZED DUE TO DROP IN PRESSURE W/IN ENGINE. UPON SEVERAL CONTACTS W/ SUBARU OF AMERICA, THEY HAVE OFFERED TO PAY 50% TO REBUILD ENGINE, WHICH HAS BEEN VERBALLY ESTIMATED AT $2,500. BEARD SUBARU UNABLE TO EXPLAIN CAUSE OF ENGINE SEIZE, BUT DENIES IT IS RELATED TO RECENT REPAIR OF ENGINE LEAK. SUBARU OF AMERICA REQUIRES ME TO ACCEPT OR DENY OFFER TO OF "COURTESY FOR MY PATRONAGE" 50% BY WED. 4/4/01. I BOUGHT MY VEHICLE BRAND NEW AT BEARD SUBARU AND HAVE MAINTAINED IT FAITHFULLY. I QUESTION A DEFECT WITHIN MY VEHICLE, OR A DIRECT CORRELATION TO THE RECENT WORK CONDUCTED BY BEARD SUBARU. I REQUESTED WRITTEN DOCUMENTATION. THEY DIAGNOSED MY VEHICLE ON 3/27/01. ON 3/30/01 I RECEIVED A MESSAGE FROM BEARD SUBARU THEY WOULD HAVE TO GET BACK TO ME "NEXT WEEK". THEY ARE AWARE I BEGIN A NEW JOB ON 4/2/01 REQUIRING ME TO RENT A VEHICLE UNTIL MY SITUATION IS RESOLVED. SUBARU OF AMERICA HAS OFFERED TO PAY 50% CAR RENTAL FEE FOR 5 DAYS. IS THERE A WAY TO HAVE A SECOND OPINION BEFORE I AM REQUIRED TO RESPOND TO SUBARU OF AMERICA'S DEADLINE BY 4/4/01? I AM WEARY TO ACCEPT AN AGREEMENT THAT NO ONE HAS PROVIDED A SECOND OPINION, THEY HAVE FAILED TO PROVIDE A WRITTEN ESTIMATE OF WHAT I WILL BE REQUIRED TO PAY "AFTER JUST PAYING $654.50 FOR AN ENGINE LEAK" AND I AM BEING TOLD I MUST RESPOND TO THE OFFER BY 4/4/01 OR I WILL NOT BE ASSISTED.*AK

OUR 1997 SUBARU SHARES THE COMMON PROBLEM DOCUMENTED AT HTTP://FORUMS.VMAG.COM/SUVSUBARU0200/MESSAGES/5096.HTML : NAMELY, AS WITH OTHER SUBARU OUTBACKS AND FORESTERS, IT WILL SPONTANEOUSLY SHIFT OUT OF FIRST GEAR INTO NEUTRAL -- COMPLETELY BY ITSELF. IT HAS BEEN TO THE SOUTHERN OREGON SUBARU DEALER IN MEDFORD, OREGON TWICE AND THE DEALER HAS REFUSED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM BOTH TIMES (EVEN THOUGH IT IS BOTH A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE AS WELL AS AN IN-WARRANTY COVERED DEFECT). IT WAS REPORTED TO THE SOUTHERN OREGON SUBARU DEALER WITHIN APPROXIMATELY THE FIRST YEAR OF OWNERSHIP WHEN WE HAD POSITIVELY IDENTIFIED THAT IT WAS NOT MERELY A PROBLEM WITH INCORRECT PLACEMENT OF THE SHIFT LEVER DURING SHIFTING. FOLLOWING THE DEALER'S INITIAL REFUSAL TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM, SUBSEQUENT CONTACT WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA RESULTED IN THE ASSIGNMENT OF CASE NUMBER 201743. ACCORDING TO SOA, THE DEALER ALLEGEDLY WAS CONTACTED. NEVERTHELESS, ON THE SECOND ATTEMPT TO HAVE THE PROBLEM CORRECTED, THE DEALER AGAIN REFUSED. THIS APPEARS TO BE A WELL-DOCUMENTED PROBLEM CHARACTERISTIC OF SUBARU OUTBACK AND FORESTER VEHICLES (SEE THE WEB SITE CITED AND RELATED COMMENTS.) IT APPEARS THAT SUBARU IS UNWILLING TO CORRECT THIS PROBLEM UNLESS REQUIRED TO BY NHSTA. PLEASE PROTECT MYSELF AND OTHER SUBARU OWNERS BY MAKING THIS A MANDATORY SAFETY RECALL. THANK YOU. NO SAFETY DEFECT LISTED IN SUMMARY. *AK

WHILE DRIVING DOWN ROAD APPLIED BRAKES AND TRANSMISSION JUMPED HARD INTO A LOWER GEAR AND THEN BRAKES WOULD GRAB. DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, TRAVELLING 35MPH WITH SNOW ON THE ROAD AND COMING OFF A RAMP, TAPPED THE BRAKES, AND ALL WHEELS LOCKED UP, AND VEHICLE WENT OUT OF CONTROL, HITTING A POLE. CONTACTED DEALER. DEALER INFORMED CONSUMER THAT THE TRANSMISSION WAS CAUSING THE PROBLEM. ALSO, THIS WAS THE SECOND TIME VEHICLE WENT OUT OF CONTROL. WAS ALSO TOLD THAT TRANSMISSION WAS BEING REDESIGNED. *AK

THERE WAS DIFFICULTY DOWNSHIFTING WHEN THE CAR WAS NEW. I THOUGHT IT WAS JUST TIGHT. IN MAY, 1999, AFTER EXTENSIVE CLUTCH USE ON A TRIP TO SAN FRANCISCO, WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY, THE CAR WOULD NOT SHIFT FROM 4TH TO 5TH OR 5TH TO 4TH. IT SEEMED TO BE OK LATER. WITHIN A COUPLE WEEKS WE NOTICED A TERRIBLE BURNING SMELL FROM STARTING ON A HILL AND EXTENSIVE CLUTCH SLIPPAGE. THE CLUTCH WAS EVENTUALLY REPLACED IN AUGUST, 1999, BUT THE NEW CLUTCH SHOWED THE SAME PROBLEMS. THE DIFFICULTY IN SHIFTING HAS GOTTEN WORSE AND MY SON WAS ALMOST IN AN ACCIDENT WHEN HE NEEDED TO DOWNSHIFT FROM THIRD TO SECOND TO CHANGE LANES IN BAD FREEWAY TRAFFIC. HE HAD BEEN USING THE CLUCH A LOT, BECAUSE IT WAS STOP AND GO TRAFFIC. THE PROBLEM OF BEING UNABLE TO CHANGE GEARS HAS BEEN GETTING WORSE AND IS VERY SCARY. THE CLUTCH CONTINUES TO SLIP AND BURN. WE HAVE BEEN ATTEMPTING TO GET SUBARU TO BUY BACK THE CAR WITH NO SUCCESS. *AK