2000 Subaru Outback

MY LEFT HEAD GASKET BLEW IN DECEMBER 2002. IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AT 30,000 AND COVERED. THE SAME HEAD GASKET BLEW AGAIN LAST WEEK AT 43,000 MILES. IT WAS UNDER WARRANTY AND COVERED. THIS DOESN'T SEEM RIGHT TO ME. HAS THIS BEEN A PROBLEM WITH OTHER SUBARU VEHICLES. MY DEALER ASSURES ME IT SHOULD BE OKAY NOW. I AM NOT SO SURE...IF IT BLOWS AGAIN AFTER 60,000 IT IS NOT COVERED. THE DEALER SAID WITH THE VEHICLE'S HISTORY, THEY WOULD PROBABLY COVER IT.

THE ENGINE WARNING LIGHT CAME ON AND STAYED ON FOR 3-5 DAYS BEFORE GOING OFF. THE DEALERSHIP PERFORMED A DIAGNOSTIC TEST AND THE FAILURE CODE FOUND WAS FOR THE OXYGEN SENSOR OR THE CATALYTIC CONVERTOR. THERE'S A RECALL ON THIS ISSUE WXW-80 FOR OTHER 2000 MODEL SUBARUS, BUT IT'S FOR THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. THE VEHICLE HAS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION BUT HAS THE SAME DESIGN, PER CONSUMER. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION. *NLM

CAR WAS OVERHEATING. TOOK TO DEALER TO CHANGE THE TIMING BELT AND TO INVESTIGATE THE OVERHEATING. CHANGED TIMING BELT AND BLEW SAND OUT OF RADIATOR FINS. INVESTIGATED ON THE WEB AND FOUND THAT THE SYMPTOMS WERE VERY SIMILAR TO A HEAD GASKET BEING BLOWN OUT IN VERY MANY CASES. THE NEXT WEEK THE RADIATOR FLUID WAS BEING PUSHED OUT OF THE OVERFLOW RESERVOIR AS DESCRIBED IN PROBLEMS FOUND ON THE WEB. TOOK THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER WHO SAID THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS BAD.*AK

I OWN A 2000 SUBARU OUTBACK LTD, WHITE VIN [XXX]. IT HAS APPROX. 63,000 MILES AND HAS HAD FOR THE LAST SEVERAL WEEKS, AN ANTI-FREEZE SMELL AFTER THE CAR HAS INITIALLY WARMED UP. AS IT TURNS OUT, I BROUGHT THE VEHICLE INTO THE NEAREST SUBARU DEALERSHIP FOR IT'S 60,000 MILE SERVICE AND WAS DISMAYED TO RECEIVE A CALL FROM THE SERVICE ADVISOR INFORMING ME THAT THE HEAD GASKET WAS GONE AND NEEDED REPLACING. IN THIS DAY AN AGE OF MODERN VEHICLES, A HEAD GASKET RARELY BECOMES DEFECTIVE AT 63,000 MILES; CHECK STATISTICS!!! I BELIEVE THAT THIS FAILURE IS DUE TO A DESIGN FLAW WHEN SUBARU WENT TO THE 2.5L ENGINE SIZE AS MANY OTHER SUBARU OWNERS ARE NOW EXPERIENCING THIS UNWARRANTED REPAIR AT SUCH AN EARLY TIME FRAME. AS THESE IRRITATED SUBARU OWNERS APPROACH THE 60,000 TO 80,000 MILE MARK AND START EXPERIENCING THESE HEAD GASKET REPLACEMENTS, YOU SHOULD BECOME INUNDATED WITH COMPLAINTS. BEFORE THIS OCCURRED, I RECOMMENDED SUBARU'S TO MAY PEOPLE, BUT WITH THIS EXPENSIVE REPAIR, WHICH SHOULD BE PARTLY OR WHOLLY COVERED BY SUBARU, I WILL NEVER RECOMMEND A SUBARU TO ANYONE EVER. *NLM INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

I PURCHASED NEW A 2000 SUBARU OUTBACK STATION WAGON. THE ENGINE HEAD GASKETS ARE LEAKING ALREADY. TWO SEPARATE SUBARU DEALERS AND TWO PRIVATE GARAGES TELL ME THE HEAD GASKETS ARE GOING IN THESE CARS LEFT AND RIGHT. THERE ARE LOTS OF ANGRY OWNERS ON THE WEB. THE HEAD GASKETS, VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPAIR BECAUSE THE ENGINE MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE CAR, ARE GOING WAY TOO SOON!. *JB

SEVERAL WEEKS AGO THE DEALER REPLACED THE FIRST GEAR OF THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION BECAUSE IT REPEATEDLY CAME OUT OF GEAR WHEN GOING DOWN STEEP INCLINES, SUCH AS IN A PARKING GARAGE. AFTER THE WORK WAS COMPLETED, THE CAR EMITTED A VERY STRONG SMELL. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER FOUR TIMES. THE LAST TIME THE DEALER SAID THE SEALS ON THE TRANSMISSION WERE LEAKING AND REPLACED. IT IS APPARENT THAT A PETROLEUM PRODUCT IS LEAKING ONTO THE EXHAUST SYSTEM AND BURNING AND THE SMELL ENTERS THE VENTILATION SYSTEM WHILE THE CAR IS STATIONARY. DEALER SAYS I NEED TO KEEP A/C ON AND THE RECYCLE AIR BUTTON PUSHED. ISSUES UNRESOLVED.*AK