1999 Subaru Legacy

THE SPEEDOMETER ON MY VEHICLE BECAME INCONSISTENT. SOMETIMES IT WOULDN'T WORK AS SOON AS I STARTED THE CAR, OTHER TIMES IT WOULD STOP WORKING AT ANY RANDOM TIME WHILE DRIVING ANYWHERE. EVENTUALLY, WHEN IT STOPPED WORKING, THE ODOMETERS WOULD STOP AS WELL. WHEN I WENT TO MY SUBARU DEALER TO REPLACE THE COMPONENT. THEY TOLD ME THERE WAS A NATIONAL BACK ORDER AND I WOULD HAVE TO WAIT INDEFINITELY FOR THE PART TO COME IN. THEY ALSO TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD BEEN REPLACING A LOT OF SPEEDOMETER HEADS ON MY MAKE AND YEAR OF CAR. I THINK IT IS UNUSUAL FOR A SPEEDOMETER TO BREAK DOWN AFTER LESS THAN THREE YEARS AND UNDER 65,000 MILES OF INITIAL SERVICE. I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF THAT HAPPENING ON SUCH A YOUNG CAR, AND IF IT IS HAPPENING ON MANY CARS OF THE SAME MAKE AND YEAR, I THINK THAT AN ORIGINAL PART MUST HAVE BEEN DEFECTIVE FOR THIS CAR. I THINK THAT A BROKEN SPEEDOMETER IS HAZARDOUS TO DRIVING ON THE ROAD AND THEREFORE THIS SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED. I REALLY DON'T WANT TO WORRY ABOUT HAVING TO REPLACE MY SPEEDOMETER EVERY THREE YEARS OF MY CAR'S LIFE. DT

FUEL WARNING LIGHT HAS NEVER WORKED ACCORDING TO MANUFACTURER'S SPECIFICATIONS, WHICH IS WITH 2.5 GALLONS REMAINING IN THE TANK. TYPICALLY, MINE ONLY COMES ON WITH LESS THAN 1 GALLON REMAINING, AND EVEN THEN USUALLY ONLY AFTER I'VE STOPPED THE CAR AND THEN RESTARTED. THE DEALER REPLACED THE FUEL PUMP, BUT THE PROBLEM REMAINED. I CONTACTED SUBARU NATIONAL CUSTOMER SUPPORT AND AFTER CONSULTING WITH THEIR TECH SUPPORT PERSONNEL (ATLANTA?), I GOT A LOT OF DOUBLE TALK ABOUT NOT BEING ABLE TO CONTROL FACTORS INVOLVED IN MY TESTING (I.E., REPEATED DOCUMENTATION). IN OTHER WORDS, THEY REFUSED TO INSPECT OR OTHERWISE DEAL WITH THE PROBLEM. I HAVE MANY RECEIPTS SHOWING FILL-UPS WELL BEYOND THE SPECIFICATION WARNING LEVEL WHERE WHERE FUEL LIGHT NEVER CAME ON. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE BECAUSE RUNNING OUT OF GAS ON A HIGHWAY WITH TRAFFIC AT HIGH SPEEDS DUE TO NO WARNING LIGHT IS A SERIOUS HAZARD. IT IS NOT SOMETHING I LOOK TO CREATE, BUT IT DOES ARISE IN HIGHWAY OR OTHER CONDITIONS FROM TIME TO TIME. MR

FAILURE OCCURS WHEN STOPPED AND THEN ATTEMPTING TO PROCEED. CAR BEHAVES AS THOUGH IT IS IN NEUTRAL WHEN IT IS STILL IN DRIVE. THIS HAS OCCURRED MANY TIMES ALTHOUGH INTERMITTENT. AFTER A FEW MINUTES THE TRANSMISSION HAS CAUGHT. TAKEN TO DEALER 2 TIMES (ROBERTS SUBARU, DOWNINGTOWN, PA) AND ALTHOUGH THEY KEPT CAR AND DROVE FOR A FEW DAYS THEY COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG. THIS FAILURE HAS ALMOST CAUSED CAR TO BE REAR ENDED 2 TIMES.

ENGINE CHECK LIGHT CAME ON. DEALER SAID I HAD A BURNED CYLINDER. THIS WAS AT 108,000 MILES. A SECOND MECHANIC CONFIRMED THAT MISFIRING IN CYLINDER NO. 4 WAS OCCURRING AND FURTHER STATED THAT COMPRESSION IN ALL FOUR CYLINDERS WAS BELOW SPECIFICIATIONS. HE FURTHER STATED THAT THE DEFECT OCCURRED DURING MANUFACTURING AND WAS NOT A RESULT OF ANYTHING I DID OR DID NOT DO TO THE CAR. SUBARU OF AMERICAN CONTACTED AND OFFERED $1,000 TOWARD A NEW CAR, BUT SAID OTHERWISE IT WAS MY PROBLEM BECAUSE THE CAR WAS OUT OF WARRANTY.*AK

WHEN DRIVING DOWN HILL 6% + GRADE AND I LIGHTLY TOUCH THE BRAKE PEDAL TO SLOW, OUR 1999 LEGACY OUTBACK DOWNSHIFTS ONE OR TWO GEARS. I HAVE TO PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL THEN BACK INTO DRIVE BECAUSE IT STICKS IN WHATEVER GEAR IT SHIFTS INTO AT A VERY HIGH RPM. IT DOES THIS FROM 40 TO 70 MPH, BUT ONLY ON A STEEP GRADE. IT DOES THIS WITH OR WITHOUT THE CRUSE CONTROL TURNED ON. THE FREQUENCY OF THE PROBLEM IS INCREASING. IT IS MY OPINION AS A RETIRED ACCIDENT RECONSTRUCTION SPECIALIST FROM THE WASHINGTON STATE PATROL THAT THIS HAS TREMENDOUS ACCIDENT POTENTIAL ON SURFACES WITH A REDUCED COEFFICIENT OF FRICTION (ICE, SNOW OR RAIN). THE TRANSMISSION FUNCTIONS PROPERLY AT ALL OTHER TIMES. CAMELBACK SUBARU IN PHOENIX, AZ., INDICATES THEY CAN NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM, YET THERE IS A HISTORY OF THE PROBLEM AT NHTSA WITH THE VERY SAME SYMPTOMS. *AK