1998 Subaru Outback

ENGINE BEGAN TO OVERHEAT ONLY WHEN BEING DRIVEN, DOES NOT OVERHEAT WHEN IDLING. I HAVE REPLACED THE THERMOSTAT, WATER PUMP, AND TIMING BELT BUT IT STILL OVERHEATS. WHILE DOING RESEARCH ON THE INTERNET, I FOUND THE CARSURVEY.ORG SITE WITH MANY REFERENCES TO THIS BEING A KNOWN ISSUE, A HEAD GASKET PROBLEM. BASED ON THE NUMBER OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS, SUBARU HAS A DESIGN PROBLEM THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN RECALLED OR AT LEAST A WARNING OF SOME TYPE SEND OUT. WHAT CAN BE DONE ABOUT THIS ISSUE? *TR

BLOWN HEAD GASKET ON 1998 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK AT ~70K, JUST OUT OF WARRANTY,. THIS PROBLEM OCCURRED IN 2003, BUT GIVEN THE CONTINUATION OF COMPLAINTS FROM CURRENT SUBARU OWNERS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM, IT SEEMS HIGHLY NEGLIGENT OF SUBARU TO DENY RESPONSIBILITY FOR ADDRESSING THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS A MAJOR PROBLEM ON SUBARU'S DATING FROM 1997 FORWARD. REPAIR COST IN EXCESS OF $2,500. THIS PROBLEM CONTINUES TO ARISE ON SUBARU ENGINES, YET THE COMPANY HAS DONE NOTHING TO REIMBURSE OWNERS FOR COST. *TR

MULTIPLE PROBLEMS WITH ENGINE 1. SEAL LEAK AT APPROXIMATELY 48,000 MILES, BURNING OIL SMELL, CORRECTED AT REPLACEMENT OF TIMING BELT AT SCHEDULED 105K--NOT DETECTED BY DEALER WHILE UNDER WARRANTY (60K WARRANTY). 2. FAILURE OF HEAD GASKET AT 110K 3. FAILURE OF 2 CAM SEALS AT 158K 4. FAILURE OF ADDITIONAL (REMAINING) 2 CAM SEALS AT 165K (MECHANIC INITIALLY INDICATED THIS WAS RARE AND UNFORTUNATELY, DURE TO COST, DID NOT RECOMMEND REPLACING ALL 4 CAM SEALS--BAD CHOICE--$600 PARTS AND LABOR EACH OCCURRENCE #3 AND #4. *TR

COMPLAINT IS FOR SUBARU OF AMERICA. I OWN A 98 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK AND THE COOLING SYSTEM MALFUNCTIONED AND THE HEAD GASKETS BLEW. I LOOKED ONLINE AND THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF OWNERS ON A MULTITUDE OF SITES WHO ARE EXPERIENCING OR HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS EXACT PROBLEM. CLEARLY THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE VEHICLE AND NOT ANY OWNER'S OPERATION OF THE VEHICLE, AND THEREFORE THE CORPORATION WHO HAS CAUSED ITS CUSTOMERS EXPENSE SHOULD BEAR THE BURDEN FINANCIALLY FOR FIXING THIS PROBLEM. *TR

WE BOUGHT A 1998 SUBARU OUTBACK IN 2004. AT APPROXIMATELY 110,000 MILES, WE EXPERIENCED A CATASTROPHIC OVERHEATING OF THE ENGINE DUE TO A FAULTY HEAD GASKET. THE OVERHEATING CAUSED APPROXIMATELY $3,000 WORTH OF DAMAGE TO THE CAR. THE HEAD GASKET, RADIATOR, THERMOSTAT, WATER PUMP, OXYGEN SENSORS AND (2) CATALYTIC CONVERTERS ALL HAD TO BE REPLACED. WE HAVE SINCE LEARNED THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR SUBARUS OF THIS VINTAGE. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF ANECDOTAL REPORTS OF PEOPLE HAVING THIS EXACT PROBLEM ON THE INTERNET, AND OUR MECHANIC TELLS US HE FIXES AT LEAST ONE OF THESE PROBLEMS PER WEEK AT HIS SHOP. CLEARLY, THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PRODUCT. *JB

DRIVING A 1998 SUBARU AWD LEGACY OUTBACK. ON JUNE 6, 2006 WHILE ON A SHORT TRIP IN VEHICLE, RETURNED HOME TO SEE SMOKE (NOT STEAM) COMING FROM ENGINE BLOCK. THE VEHICLE HAD OVERHEATED, AND HAD BEEN SUFFERING OCCASIONAL LOSS OF POWER WHILE DRIVING PRIOR TO THIS TIME (APPROX 1 WEEK). DROVE APPROX .5 MI TO DEALER NEXT DAY TO GET CHECKED OUT ALONG WITH 90,000 MILE SERVICE (MILEAGE ON VEHICLE WAS 91,058). DEALER CALLED TO INFORM THAT HE HAD FOUND LEAKING HEAD GASKETS WITH LEAKS AT THE VALVE COVERS AND HYDROCARBONS IN THE COOLING SYSTEM. INFORMED THAT HEAD GASKET WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED AND THE HEAD RESURFACED (POTENTIAL REPLACEMENT OF BLOCK BUT THIS WAS NOT NEEDED NOR WAS A VALVE JOB) AND THAT WE SHOULD ALSO REPLACE WATER PUMP, TIMING BELT, AND ENGINE SHIELD AS LONG AS THE ENGINE IS OUT. MY RESEARCH ON THE WEB INDICATES THAT THIS PROBLEM IS EPIDEMIC, LOCAL MECHANICS I'VE SPOKEN WITH SAY THAT THIS IS A VERY COMMON ISSUE AND THAT SUBARU AMERICA WILL NOT STEP UP TO THE PLATE. I CALLED SUBARU, WITH MY COMPLAINT AND WHILE ADMITTING NO RESPONSIBILITY OFFERED $500 CREDIT TOWARD REPAIRS WHICH EVENTUALLY CAME TO MORE THAN $3000. REPLACED PARTS INCLUDE HEAD GASKET, HEAD RESURFACING, SEALS, WATER PUMP, HOSES, THERMOSTAT, TIMING BELT AND TENSIONER, SEPARATOR PLATE. WHEN I CALLED AGAIN TO ASK THEM TO STEP UP ON THIS ISSUE THEY FAILED TO OFFER ADDITIONAL HELP. AS I UNDERSTAND IT A BLOWN HEAD GASKET CAN LEAD TO A CRACKED ENGINE BLOCK WHICH COULD INDEED LEAD TO A VERY SERIOUS PROBLEM. A SIMPLE WEB SEARCH ON THIS ISSUE FOUND DOZENS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS OF THIS VERY SERIOUS AND EXPENSIVE PROBLEM. *NM

LATE ON THE NIGHT OF 09/01/05 MY WIFE, HER SON, DAUGHTER AND TWO (2) GRAND CHILDREN WERE TRAVELING TO OMAHA, NE FOR THE LONG LABOR DAY WEEKEND IN A 1998 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK WAGON WITH 123,000 MILES. THEY GOT AS FAR AS THE OUTSKIRTS OF KEARNEY, NE WHEN THEY NOTICED A LOSS OF POWER AND SAW HEAVY SMOKE/STEAM COMING FROM THE TAIL PIPE OF THE CAR. THEY IMMEDIATELY PULLED OVER AND WERE ASSISTED BY A NE STATE TROOPER. $600 LATER THE CAR, WHICH APPARENTLY SUFFERED FROM HEAD GASKET FAILURE, WAS FINALLY TOWED TO THE DUTEAU SUBARU DEALERSHIP IN LINCOLN, NE. THEY VERIFIED THE HEAD GASKET FAILURE AND THAT THE ENGINE SEIZED. SUBARU USA WAS NOTIFIED AND ASKED IF THEY WOULD COVER ANY OF THE DAMAGE, WHICH AS IT TURNS OUT INCLUDES A NEW/REBUILT ENGINE. THE RESPONSE WAS IT'S NOT UNDER WARRANTY, YOU DIDN'T PURCHASE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY AND "WE ARE SORRY FOR ANY INCONVENIENCE THAT THIS HAS CAUSED YOUR FAMILY." I CONTACTED THE DEALERSHIP FROM WHICH THE CAR WAS PURCHASED, NAMELY BURT SUBARU. I WAS TOLD THAT HEAD GASKET FAILURE WAS A FREQUENT PROBLEM WITH 1998, 1999 AND 2000 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK WAGONS. IF THIS WAS SUCH A PROBLEM, WHY DID SUBARU FAIL TO ISSUE A RECALL TO FIX THE DEFECTIVE GASKET? MY WIFE AN I ARE NOW FACED WITH HAVING TO SELL THE CAR TO DUTEAU SUBARU FOR $500 TO $1,000, RENT A CAR TO RETURN TO DENVER, THEN RUSH TO TRY TO FIND A USED VEHICLE SO SHE CAN GET TO AND FROM WORK. I RESPONDED TO SUBARU USA'S CONDOLENCES BUT YOUR SPACE LIMITATION PROHIBITS ME FROM INCLUDING SUCH RESPONSE HERE.*JB