2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca

WHILE DRIVING AT APPROX 35MPH, HOOD OPENED AND CAME BACK FAR ENOUGH TO BREAK WINDSHIELD, COMPLETELY BLOCKING DRIVERS VIEW OF ROAD AND TRAFFIC NEAR A VERY BUSY INTERSECTION. UPON CLOSER INSPECTION, IT APPEARS PRIMARY HOOD LATCH FAILED AND SECONDARY SAFETY LATCH ALSO FAILED ALLOWING CONDITION TO EXIST. SECONDARY HOOD LATCH HAD BECOME DISCONNECTED FROM HOOD BUT STILL SECURELY LATCHED TO BODY OF VEHICLE. SECONDARY LATCH APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN ATTACHED TO HOOD WITH LIGHTWEIGHT PLASTIC TRIM RETAINERS WHICH BECAME BRITTLE WHEN COLD. OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT WAS APPROX 10 DEGREES F. HOOD HAD BEEN OPENED EARLIER IN THE DAY THEN THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATED APPROX 10-15 MILES AT INTERSTATE AND CITY SPEEDS THEN PARKED FOR ~8 HOURS BEFORE INCIDENT OCCURRED. *TR

1) I HAVE REPLACED THE HEADLIGHT ON MY VEHICLE 22 TIMES SINCE PURCHASING NEW. 2) LOW TIRE LIGHT ILLUMINATES DAILY AND THE CAR HAS BEEN SERVICED NUMEROUS TIMES AT DEALER AT MY EXPENSE AND STILL NOT REPAIRED. CAUSING ME ANXIETY TO USE VEHICLE EVEN AFTER CHECKING TIRES FOR DAMAGE, WEIGHT AND EVEN GOING AS FAR AS REPLACING CAR. 3) RECEIVED RECALL REGARDING PUDDLE LIGHTS AND FIRE AND IT TOOK ALMOST 2 YEARS FOR DEALER TO FINALLY ACQUIRE PARTS ONLY AFTER THREATENING TO CONTACT LOCAL NEWS. 4) IN AUGUST WHEN SLOWING WITH OUT USE OF BREAKS AT 20 MILES PER HOME THE VEHICLE LUNGES FORWARD AS IF THE DOWN SHIFT MECHANISMS NOT FUNCTIONING PROPERLY, TOOK TO DEALER YET AGAIN TO BE INFORMED THAT THE BREAKS WERE GLAZED AND THIS TOOK THEM 4 DAYS TO PERFORM REPAIR, THEN UPON PICKING UP VEHICLE, THAT THEY WERE UNABLE TO SUPPLY LOANER AS REQUESTED WHEN MAKING APPOINTMENT WAS TOLD NEED ANOTHER $1,000.00 REPAIR TO THE RIGHT IDLE ARM ASSEMBLE THAT IS CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LUNG, NUT NOT URGENT, WHEN I DO THE NEXT OIL CHANGE THEY CAN PERFORM THIS REPAIR. *JS

WHILE DRIVING AT NIGHT ON A COUNTY ROAD AT APPROXIMATELY 50 MPH, THE HOOD LATCH DISENGAGED CAUSING THE HOOD TO FLIP OVER BACKWARD AGAINST THE WINDSHIELD. THE HOOD WAS OPENED THE DAY PRIOR, HOWEVER THE VEHICLE WAS OPERATED MULTIPLE TIMES WITHOUT INCIDENT PRIOR TO THE ACTUAL LATCH RELEASING. THE SAFETY LATCH DID NOT CATCH WHEN THE MAIN LATCH RELEASED, CAUSING SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE WINDSHIELD AND HOOD, AS WELL AS DAMAGING THE ROOF AND VEHICLE INTERIOR. *TR

AFTER ADDING WASHER FLUID, THE HOOD LATCH WOULD NOT LOCK AND SECURE THE HOOD CLOSED. ONLY THE SECONDARY SAFETY LATCH SECURES THE HOOD. THIS PRESENTS THE POSSIBILITY OF THE FLYING OPEN WHILE DRIVING OBSCURING VISIBILITY AND CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. THERE ARE ALREADY MULTIPLE REPORTS OF THIS FAILURE MECHANISM. I REQUEST NHTSA INITIATE AN INVESTIGATION FOR THE POSSIBILITY OF A RECALL TO CORRECT THIS SERIOUS SAFETY DEFECT. *TR

JUST FINISHED WASHING THE CAR OUTSIDE THE MY GARAGE, I THEN MOVED IT INSIDE THE GARAGE TO CLEAN AND VACUUM INSIDE. 30 MINS LATER, A STRONG BURNING SMELL AND SMOKE CAME OUT FROM THE LEFT REAR PASSENGER PUDDLE LIGHT AREA. I HAVE TO QUICKLY CALL 911, AND BEFORE 911 ARRIVAL I MANAGED TO OPEN THE HOOD AND DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY AND THE SMOKE STOPPED. THERE WAS STILL A STRONG SMILE IN THE AIR WHEN 911 CAME. 911 RECOMMENDED TOWING IT TO THE DEALERSHIP CONNECTED THE BATTERY AND DROVE IT OUTSIDE WHERE IT COULD BE EASILY TOW. JUST LUCKY TO BE IN THE GARAGE WHEN THIS INCIDENT OCCURRED OTHERWISE IT COULD HAVE BURN THE HOUSE. THIS VEHICLE (SUBARU TRIBECA B6 IS NOTHING BUT A DISASTER), THE DEALER/MANUFACTURER RENDERED NO SUPPORT WHATSOEVER. *TR

ON 3/15/2014, TRAVELING AT POSTED HIGHWAY SPEED OF 70MPH ON I-71 SOUTHBOUND MILE MARKER 50 AT APPROX. 10 AM. THE PRIMARY VEHICLE HOOD LATCH FAILED AS DID THE HOOD SAFETY LATCH. THE HOOD FLEW COMPLETELY UP, INSTANTANEOUSLY SHATTERING THE WINDSHIELD AND COMPLETELY RESTRICTING VISIBILITY WHILE TRAVELING AT FULL HIGHWAY SPEED. THE INTERIOR HOOD SAFETY LATCH MOUNTING SCREWS WERE COMPLETELY RIPPED FROM THE HOOD LEAVING THE SAFETY LATCH MECHANISM DANGLING IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THE HOOD WAS DAMAGED, THE ROOF DENTED, THE MAP LIGHTS WERE DAMAGED AND SHARDS OF GLASS LITTER THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. VEHICLE WAS SAFELY MOVED TO HIGHWAY BREAKDOWN LANE. A PASSING KY STATE TROOPER WHO STOPPED TO ASSIST US LOOKED AT THE DAMAGE AND INDICATED THIS WAS LIKELY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. THE HOOD HAD NOT BEEN OPENED SINCE THE OIL HAD BEEN CHANGED NEARLY 4 WEEKS AGO. A SUBSEQUENT INTERNET SEARCH ON SIMILAR ISSUES REVEALS THAT THE 2006 SUBARU B9 TRIBECA HAS HAD NUMEROUS, NUMEROUS, NUMEROUS IDENTICAL INCIDENTS; SOME OCCURRING MORE THAN ONCE TO THE SAME OWNERS, WITH NO MANUFACTURER RECALL TO DATE. THESE VEHICLES NEED TO BE RECALLED AND THIS PROBLEM ADDRESSED--THIS HAS GREAT POTENTIAL TO CAUSE SEVERE INJURIES AND FATALITIES. AS A FORMER ATTORNEY WITH DOT/FMCSA UNTIL SEPTEMBER 2010, I AM CALLING UPON NHTSA TO INVESTIGATE THESE INCIDENTS. IT IS PARAMOUNT THAT NHTSA ADDRESS THE HOOD LATCH FAILURES WITH THESE VEHICLES AND TAKE ACTION ON THIS REPORT. *TR

IN COLD WEATHER THE BRAKE PEDAL IS HARD AS A ROCK TO DEPRESS. WHEN CAR IS PLACED IN DRIVE THE BRAKES DON'T WORK. ACCORDING TO SUBARU BLOG SITES THE CULPRIT IS THE BRAKE VACUUM CHECK VALVE FREEZING UP AND NOT MAINTAINING VACUUM TO THE BRAKE BOOSTER. APPARENTLY, THIS PROBLEM AFFECTS OTHER SUBARU VEHICLE MODELS FOR MANY YEARS BACK. THIS IS A DANGEROUS DESIGN/ENGINEERING FLAW. *TR

FAULTY AND OR DEFICIENT PART: 'PIPE OIL COOLER' PART # 21328AA121 (PART IS A 11" X 3/4" (THIN) METAL TUBE THAT CONNECTS FROM LOWER DRIVER'S SIDE OF THE ENGINE, TRAVERSES THE UNDERSIDE OF THE ENGINE AND CONNECTS TO THE BASE OF THE OIL FILTER MOUNT THROUGH THE USE OF RUBBER HOSES THAT TRANSPORTS ENGINE COOLANT.) VEHICLE WAS OBSERVED TO BE OVERHEATING. UPON PERSONAL INSPECTION OF THE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE, AND ONLY UPON REMOVING THE LARGE PLASTIC SPLASH GUARD FROM UNDER THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT IT WAS OBSERVED THAT THE ABOVE LISTED PART HAD DEVELOPED EXTENSIVE CORROSION, PRINCIPALLY WHERE TWO BRACKETS ARE WELDED TO THE SUBJECT COOLANT TUBE. THE TUBE ADJACENT ONE OF THESE WELDS HAD CORRODED TO THE POINT THAT ENGINE COOLANT WAS ALLOWED TO LEAK OUT AND CAUSE THE OVERHEATING SITUATION. HAD THIS OCCURRED ON THE HIGHWAY (AND NOT IN MY DRIVEWAY) THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO OVERHEAT AND STOP IN TRAFFIC CREATING A HAZARDOUS SITUATION. CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE COULD ALSO OCCUR. NOTE, THE PIPE IS MADE OF THIN AND APPARENTLY EASILY CORROSIVE MATERIAL. THE LOCATION OF THE COOLANT PIPE IS UNDERNEATH THE SPLASH SHIELD WHERE IT CAN NOT BE VIEWED UNLESS THE SHIELD IS REMOVED, ALLOWING FOR THE DETERIORATION TO CONTINUE UNNOTICED. WRITER BELIEVES THE SUBJECT PART WAS INADEQUATELY MADE TO STAND UP TO CORROSIVE CONDITIONS FOUND ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE VEHICLE CAUSING A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS SITUATION AND SHOULD BE REPLACED WITH A MORE RESISTANT MATERIAL TO CORROSION. P.S. TO NHTSA; I HAVE AND WILL PROVIDE PHOTOGRAPHS OF THE FAULTY PART, INVOICE FOR THE OEM REPLACEMENT PART PURCHASED FROM SUBARU, AND THE FAILED PART ITSELF SHOULD YOU DECIDE YOU WANT THEM. *TR