2017 Subaru Crosstrek

Greetings: As outlined in Service Bulletin 05-70-19, Rear Wheel Backing Plate Design change, I am having an almost overwhelming “whining or humming” sound coming from the rear portion of my vehicle. Given the significance of this WHEEL BEARING & BACKING PLATE issue, I respectfully request an RECALL & subsequent repair be initiated. Coupled with a VERY large number of related customer issues - globally - this issue should have already met-the-bar for a RECALL vs. Safety Bulletin. It’s obvious there are safety-related design flaws - again, given the overall number of required repairs - and this should be addressed accordingly. Thank you.

I LEASE A 2017 SUBARU CROSSTREK. THE CAR HAS BEEN FAITHFULLY MAINTAINED AS PER MANUFACTURER SPECIFICATIONS AND HAS NEVER BEEN IN AN ACCIDENT/EXPERIENCED ANY BODY DAMAGE. THE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS HAVE FAILED THREE TIMES PRIOR TO 48K. THE LEFT WHEEL BEARING WAS REPLACED TWICE BETWEEN 48K AND 55 K AND THE RIGHT WHEEL BEARING WAS REPLACED AROUND 52K. APPARENTLY, THIS IS A COMMON DEFECT AND THE DEALER NOTED THAT ALL WHEEL BEARINGS ON EVERY SUBARU FAIL PRIOR TO 50K. FOR A RATHER PRICEY CAR, THIS IS UNACCEPTABLE AND A HUGE SAFETY HAZARD. IF THE WHEEL BEARINGS FAIL, IT COULD LOCK UP ONE WHEEL AND CAUSE THE CAR TO FLIP UNEXPECTEDLY WHILE DRIVING ADDITIONALLY, YOU WILL DRIVE THE CAR ONE DAY WITHOUT ANY ISSUE AND LITERALLY, THE NEXT DAY, YOU WILL START TO HEAR A LOW GROANING NOISE. I WOULD LIKE THE NHSTA TO OPEN A DEFECTS INVESTIGATION AS THEY CAN FIND THE SAME PROBLEM ACROSS EVERY SUBARU MODEL FROM 2013-FORWARD WHEN THE WHEEL BEARING DESIGN WAS CHANGED. DEALER RECORDS AND WARRANTY REPAIRS CAN INDICATE THIS. THE DESIGN ALLOWS FOR WATER AND ROAD DEBRIS TO GET INSIDE OF THE BEARING, CAUSING PREMATURE WEAR AND FAILURE. IT IS UNACCEPTABLE TO HAVE TO REPLACE WHEEL BEARINGS ON CARS EVERY 50K. MY LAST VEHICLE (2007 HYUNDAI SONATA) DROVE FLAWLESSLY UNTIL 277K AND I NEVER HAD TO CHANGE A WHEEL BEARING IN THE 10 YEARS I OWNED THAT VEHICLE. SHAME ON SUBARU!