2000 Subaru Legacy

NEW TRANSMISSION WAS PUT IN AT AROUND 40K MILES. NOW THE CAR IS AT 85K MILES. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AND GAVE MY CAR A LITTLE GAS. THE CAR REVED AND ACCELERATED FOR NO REASON, BUT I LOOKED AT MY GAUGES AND NOTHING LOOKED OUT OF THE ORDINARY, SO I KEPT DRIVING. ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER, I WAS PULLING INTO MY NEIGHBOR'S DRIVEWAY GOING ABOUT 2 MILES PER HOUR (HER CAR WAS ABOUT 7 FEET AWAY) WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED (LIKE I HAD FLOORED THE GAS PEDAL), AND I CRASHED INTO HER PARKED CAR. AFTER CAR IS FIXED (THERE IS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MY CAR), I WILL TAKE TO MY SUBARU DEALER. IT IS STILL UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY.*AK

AT ABOUT 76,000 MILES, VERY OCCASIONALLY, THE CAR HESITATED BEFORE ENGAGING IN DRIVE. THE PROBLEM STARTED OCCURRING MORE OFTEN RECENTLY, AND NOW AT 82,000, ACCORDING TO A SUBARU DEALER, THE TRANSMISSION APPARENTLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I AM TRYING A "FLUSH" BEFORE REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION. I BELIEVE SUBARU SHOULD WARRANTY THEIR TRANSMISSIONS FOR MORE THAN 60,000 MILES OR RECALL THE PART IN THE TRANSMISSION THAT FAILS.*JB

INTERMITTENTLY, WHILE DRIVING THE CONSUMER EXPERIENCED ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE. THE RADIO, FOLLOWED BY THE WINDSHIELD WIPER AND THE EXTERIOR AUTO. THE OUTSIDE MIRRORS FAILED TO FUNCTION. THE DEALERSHIP HAS PULLED THE STEERING COLUMN APART AND CHECKED THE FUSE AND WIRING FOR MOISTURE, BUT NO MOISTURE WAS FOUND. A DIAGNOSTIC TEST WAS ALSO PERFORMED. NO FAILURE WERE CODES FOUND. *JB

WHILE SUBARU DOES NOT REGARD THEIR DEFECTIVE CLUTCH MECHANISM AS A SAFETY PROBLEM, I HAVE HAD TWO INCIDENTS IN WHICH IN FACT MY SAFETY HAS BEEN ON THE LINE. I AM ANNOYED AT THE CASUAL ATTITUDE SUBARU HAS DEMONSTRATED ON THIS ISSUE, AND I HAVE GOTTEN EXCUSES OR SHRUGS OVER THE PROBLEM. THIS IS THE STUTTERING CLUTCH PROBLEM THAT IS APPARENTLY WELL KNOW TO SUBARU AND CLUTCH OPERATORS OF THEIR CARS SINCE THE LATE 90'S. I AM A VETERAN CLUTCH USER, THIS IS NOT OPERATOR ERROR. IN MY CONVERSATION WITH SUBARU, THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS AN INCIDENCE OF THIS PROBLEM, AND THAT IT WAS COVERED BY A SERVICE BULLETIN. RELEVANT INTERNET FORUMS CONTAIN MANY COMPLAINTS AND QUESTIONS ON THIS PROBLEM. THE TWO INCIDENTS I HAVE HAD THAT QUALIFY THIS AS A SAFETY ISSUE INVOLVE THE CAR BEING UNEXPECTEDLY UNABLE TO MOVE THROUGH TRAFFIC AS CARS APPROACHED ME. IF ANOTHER CAR HAD PROCEEDED NORMALLY FROM MY STOPPING PLACE, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO PROBLEM WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC, BUT MY CAR WILL, WITH INCREASING REGULARITY, NOT MOVE PROPERLY WHEN IT IS ASKED TO DO SO. IN THE CASES I AM REPORTING, AS I MOVED AWAY FROM A STOP, THE CLUTCH HAD BEGUN TO ENGAGE, MOVED ME INTO THE INTERSECTION, BUT THEN IT HAS GONE INTO ITS LURCHING ROUTINE THAT STOPS ME IN FRONT OF APPROACHING TRAFFIC. ONLY WHEN I STOP AND RE-ENGAGE THE CLUTCH SEVERAL TIMES IN SUCCESSION CAN I GET OUT OF TRAFFIC. SUBARU WILL NOT ROUTINELY REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE TALKED TO DEALERS THREE TIMES, AND HAVE RECEIVED DISMISSIVE EXPLANATIONS. ONE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE MY PROBLEM TO THEIR SATISFACTION. I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM, NOT A MERE TECHNICAL ISSUE. THE CLUTCH PROBLEMS ARE APPARENTLY WIDESPREAD, AND IT WOULD NOT SURPRISE ME IF ACCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THIS PROBLEM. *JB

I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM SUBARU OF AMERICA YESTERDAY. IT IS ASKING THAT CERTAIN OWNERS OF SUBARU AUTOS (LIKE MY 2000 LEGACY) HAVE A STOP LEAK PUT INTO THE COOLING SYSTEM TO AVOID LEAKS IN THE HEAD GASKET. IN THE PAST THERE HAS BEEN INCIDENCES WHERE PEOPLE HAD TO HAVE THEIR HEAD GASKETS REPLACED ON THEIR SUBARU AUTOS. THIS TYPE OF QUICK FIX CAN LEAD TO DAMAAGE TO THE ENGINE PARTS BY PARTIALLY CLOGGING THE COOLING SYSTEM, WEARING OUT THE WATER PUMP, ETC. IF A HEAD GASKET DOES BLOW LATER BECAUSE THE TEMPORARY SEAL DID NOT WORK, THE ENGINE COULD SIEAZE UP AND THERE IS A CHANCE, ESPECIALLY AT HIGH SPEEDS, THE SUBARU CAN CAUSE A SERIOUS OR FATAL ACCIDENT. SUBARU SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO ADMINISTER A TEMPORARY FIX FOR VEHICLES STILL UNDER WARRANTEE, THEY SHOULD FIX THE PROBLEM AND NOT JUST TREAT THE SYMPTOMS.*AK