2000 Subaru Outback

SMELLED COOLANT AND BURNT OIL UPON RETURNING TO GARAGE AFTER NORMAL OPERATION. DIAGNOSIS: FAILED HEAD GASKET & LEAKING REAR OIL SEAL. REPAIR INCLUDED BOTH HEAD GASKETS, COMPLETE VALVE JOB, AND NEW SEAL. ALSO REPLACED TIMING BELT AFTER ONLY 11,000 MILES OF SERVICE, AND CLUTCH AS PREVENTATIVE MAINTENANCE ITEMS. COST, $2,954.50. THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN CAREFULLY MAINTAINED, INCLUDING USING SUBARU'S "COOLING SYSTEM TREATMENT" ADDITIVE TO PROTECT THE HEAD GASKETS. OBVIOUSLY IT DOESN'T DO THE JOB OF OVERCOMING A ROTTEN DESIGN. CLEARLY THE HISTORY OF COMPLAINTS FROM OTHERS CONFIRM A DESIGN DEFECT IN THIS 2.5L ENGINE. THIS 4-WHEEL DRIVE VEHICLE WITH EXTRA GROUND-CLEARANCE, IS ADVERTISED--AND MINE IS USED--FOR TRAVEL IN DESERT SAND AND HIGH MOUNTAIN SNOW. A HEAD GASKET FAILURE IN SUCH CONDITIONS CAN LEAD TO DEATH. *TR

I HAD RECURRENT LEAKS IN MY 2000 SUBARU OUTBACK AND TOOK IT IN TO DEALERSHIP STARTING IN 2007. 4/01/08 HAD ALL ANTIFREEZE CAME OUT OF CAR DEALERSHIP COULD NOT FIND PROBLEM. HAD TO HAVE TRANSMISSION REPLACED IN 2007. HAD TO REPLACE WATER PUMP,OIL PUMP AND HEAD GASKET IN 2008. THEN BECAUSE OF COOLANT LEAK HAD TO REPLACE TIMING BELT. NOW THEY ARE SAYING I NEED NEW HEAD GASKETS, WATER PUMP AND TIME BELT AGAIN AND IT HAS BEEN ONLY 2 YEARS SINCE THIS WAS DONE. *TR

MY 2000 SUBARU OUTBACK WAGON, WITH 120,000 MILES HAS AN OCCASIONAL STRONG GASOLINE SMELL THAT ENTERS INTO THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT, WHEN DRIVING AND WHEN STOPPING AND TURNING OFF THE IGNITION AFTER A TRIP. IT OCCURS MOST OFTEN ON COLD WINTER DAYS. IT HAS BEEN HAPPENING FOR THE PAST 2 WINTERS. I WAS TOLD BY MY MECHANIC THAT IT'S A COMMON PROBLEM WITH LEAKING GASOLINE AT THE CLAMPS ON THE HOSES THAT LEAD TO THE FUEL INJECTORS. THESE ARE HARD TO GET TO, AND WOULD COST ME $200 IN LABOR FOR HIM TO FIX. MIGHT THIS START AN ENGINE FIRE? I HAVE READ MANY SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ON AUTO DISCUSSION BOARDS ON VARIOUS WEBSITES, SO I KNOW THIS IS A FREQUENT PROBLEM. I THINK THIS IS A DESIGN DEFECT, AND SHOULD REQUIRE AT LEAST A TECHNICAL BULLETIN, IF NOT A FULL RECALL. *TR

2000 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5L (91,235MI)- AFTER OWNING THE VEHICLE 1YR AND DRIVING ONLY 11K MI, IN WHICH DURING THE YEAR MAINTENANCE INCLUDED OIL CHANGES AND BRAKES, SYMPTOMS BEGAN TO OCCUR SUCH AS: CONSTANT SMELL OF COOLANT DRIFTING INTO THE CAR, OCCASIONAL TEMPERATURE SPIKES (EVEN WITH COOLANT IN THE RADIATOR) AND RARE SIGNS OF SMOKE FROM THE EXHAUST. AFTER THE 2ND RANDOM SPIKE IN TEMP, I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO NORTH COUNTY SUBARU. THEY DIAGNOSED THAT THERE ARE 2 LEAKING HEAD GASKETS AND CLAIMED THERE IS A "CAMPAIGN FOR RECALL" ON HEAD GASKETS BETWEEN YEARS OF 99-2002, AS WELL AS A PREVIOUS RECALL TO REMEDY THE COOLANT ODOR. SUBARU ASSIGNED A CASE NUMBER BUT SUBARU HAS NOT OFFERED TO HONOR THE CAMPAIGN NOR HAS PHONE CONVERSATIONS PRODUCED ANY RESULTS THUS FAR. PLEASE HELP AS THEY WANT TO CHARGE ME TO FIX THE HEAD GASKETS WHEN THEY KNOW THE CAR WAS MANUFACTURED WITH A DEFECT. MANY, MANY WEBSITES AND COMPLAINTS ON THE SAME SITUATION. IMPORTANT NOTE: I HAVE BEEN IN CONTACT WITH PREVIOUS OWNER WHO TOLD ME WHICH DEALER SERVICED THE VEHICLE THROUGHOUT ITS LIFETIME AND ADVISED SUBARU OF THIS. *TR

THE HEAD GASKETS AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER WENT OUT ON MY 2000 SUBARU IN FEBRUARY AND APRIL 2004 RESPECTIVELY. SUBARU PAID FOR THE HEAD GASKETS UNDER WARRANTY; HOWEVER, IT WAS NOT UNDER A RECALL AND REFUSED TO PAY FOR THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. HAD IT HAPPENED 3 MONTHS LATER, IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN COVERED UNDER WARRANTY AT THAT TIME. I EVEN MENTIONED THAT I THOUGHT THAT THE TWO WERE RELATED. I WAS TOLD BY THE DEALER "KELLY SUBARU" THAT THE INCIDENTS WERE NOT RELATED; HOWEVER, I BELIEVE THAT THE TWO EVENTS WERE RELATED. HERE IT IS FEBRUARY 2008 AND THE HEAD GASKETS AND CATALYTIC CONVERTER ARE BOTH IN NEED OF REPLACING. WHEN I TALKED TO SUBARU AT 800-782-2783 THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE AREA, THEY SAID WHAT SHOULD I EXPECT FROM A CAR THAT HAS 190K MILES ON IT. I THEN TRIED TO EXPLAIN THAT THIS WAS THE SECOND INCIDENT IN 8 YEARS AND IT'S ALWAYS INVOLVES BOTH AT THE SAME TIME. I EXPLAINED TO SUBARU THAT THIS IS NOT NORMAL AND THAT I HAVE NEVER IN MY 45 YEARS OF OWNING CARS HAVE I EVER HAD TO REPLACE A HEAD GASKET; MUCH LESS TWICE. YES, I DID REPLACE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER ONCE ON ANOTHER CAR AFTER 15 YEARS OF USE. THIS IS WHY I THINK THAT SUBARU IS WILLFUL AND NEGLIGENT IN THIS MANNER. *TR

THE HEAD GASKET OF MY 2000 SUBARU OUTBACK FAILED AND WAS UNDER WARRANTY AT 48,000 MILES, BUT AT 101,000 MILES THE REPLACEMENT HEAD GASKET HAS FAILED AGAIN. WITH SO MANY OF THE HEAD GASKETS IN THIS ENGINE MODEL FAILING, SUBARU'S FIX OF A COOLANT CONDITIONER OR HEAD GASKET REPLACEMENT IS NOT SUFFICIENT. THE PROBLEM LIES WITH THE ENGINE BLOCK AND HEAD. THE GASKET IS NOT THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM IS A STRUCTURAL DEFECT IN THE DESIGN WHERE THE HEAD GASKET FAILS PREMATURELY. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE VEHICLE WOULD JERK WHEN IDLING. WHEN THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, THERE WAS A DELAY AND THE VEHICLE WOULD JOLT FORWARD. THE DEALER STATED THAT INTERNAL TRANSMISSION PARTS FAILED AND THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. AT 64,000 MILES, THE CONTACT SMELLED ROTTEN EGGS WHEN DRIVING 35 MPH. THE DEALER REPLACED THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 25- 60 MPH WITH THE AIR CONDITIONER ACTIVATED, SHE SMELLED SOMETHING BURNING INSIDE THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. THE DEALER STATED THAT THE HEAD GASKET FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE HEAD GASKET FAILED AT 55,000 AND 80,000 MILES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 95,000.

HEAD GASKET FAILURE ON A 2000 SUBARU OUTBACK AT 84443 MILES. THEN A FULL ENGINE REPLACEMENT AT 97,000. THERE WERE NO ACCIDENTS OR DEATHS CAUSED BY THIS, HOWEVER, LET ME APPEAL TO YOU TO REVIEW SUBARU'S 2.5L ENGINE. WE BOUGHT THIS AS A RELIABLE CAR FOR OUR CHILDREN. THE VEHICLE BECAME UNRELIABLE WHEN IT BEGAN OVERHEATING WITH OUR CHILDREN AT THE WHEEL, NOT ONCE BUT TWICE. THE FIRST INSTANCE WAS IN THE DAYLIGHT HOURS AND WE WERE ABLE TO TAKE IT RIGHT INTO A SUBARU DEALERSHIP. THE SECOND INSTANCE WAS THE CAR OVERHEATED WITH MY CHILD AT THE WHEEL ON A DARK ROAD IN RURAL SE WASHINGTON AT NIGHT. THANK GOODNESS SHE DID HAVE A CELL PHONE AND COULD CALL US FOR HELP. TWO DIFFERENT AUTHORIZED DEALERSHIPS, LOOKED AT THIS PROBLEM THREE TIMES AND DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. NOW AFTER REPLACING THE HEAD GASKETS AT A LOCAL VEHICLE REPAIR SHOP AND THEN THE ENGINE, YEP, THE ENGINE DUE TO OIL AND WATER LEAKAGE, BECAUSE OF THE FAILURE OF THE DEALERSHIPS THAT MISDIAGNOSED THIS PROBLEM. NOW AS I SEARCH FOR WHAT HAPPENED AND WHY, I FIND WEBSITES THAT DOCUMENT HUNDREDS OF SUBARU OWNERS WITH THE IDENTICAL STORY AS MINE. OVERHEATING PROBLEMS, DEALERSHIP NOT FIXING THE PROBLEM PROPERLY AND THEN ENDING UP WITH HEAD GASKET AND FOR SOME OF US ENGINE REPLACEMENT. PLEASE, PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS. THE WEBSITES ARE ALMOST ENDLESS ON THIS PROBLEM. I DO NOT LIKE BEING ANGRY OVER THIS ISSUE. I JUST WANT SUBARU TO FIX WHAT IS WRONG, AND TO HELP ALL OF THEIR CUSTOMERS GET SOME FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR WHAT WE HAVE HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET, NOTHING ELSE. SUBARU OF AMERICA NEEDS TO FIX WHAT IS WRONG WITH THEIR 2.5L ENGINES. THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. *NM