2000 Subaru Outback

THERE IS A FUEL LEAK IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT OF MY SUBARU OUTBACK WAGON ON COLD DAYS AND IS A POTENTIAL FIRE HAZARD. I HAVE TALKED TO SEVERAL OTHER PEOPLE AND THEY HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM. I WOULD THINK THERE WOULD BE A RECALL SINCE IT IS FUEL RELATED AND A SERIOUS RISK. THE FUEL LEAKS FROM A RUBBER HOSE ON THE LEFT SIDE OF THE ENGINE THAT CONNECTS TWO HARD GAS LINES. I TRIED TIGHTENING THE CLAMPS AND IT DID NOT HAVE MUCH AFFECT. THE HOUSE HAS NO HOLES OR TEARS IN IT. NEITHER DO THE HARD GAS LINES. SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT CANT HOLD THE PRESSURE OR WHAT? I NOTICED IT AFTER DRIVING FOR A FEW MILES. I STOPPED FOR A MINUTE AND GOT A STRONG GAS SMELL. THERE WAS GAS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT WHEN I CHECKED IT WHEN I GOT HOME. I DROVE A TOTAL OF TEN MILES MAYBE. *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

TRANSMISSION WILL INTERMITTENTLY FAIL TO GO INTO DRIVE FROM PARK OR REVERSE. HAPPENS AT RANDOM. ENGINE CAN BE COLD OR WARM AND IT STILL HESITATES. SOMETIMES TAKES OVER A MINUTE TO GET THE TRANSMISSION TO ENGAGE. ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE WE GET STRANDED. TOOK CAR TO DEALER AND THEY TOPPED OFF THE TRANSMISSION FLUID AND SAID THE DELAY WAS NORMAL. ISSUES BEGAN AT 65K MILES AND HAVE PROGRESSIVELY GOTTEN WORSE. CAR NOW HAS 77K MILES AND ONLY OPTION GIVEN HAS BEEN TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. *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.