2001 Subaru Outback

MY 2001 SUBARU OUTBACK 4 CYLINDER ENGINE DEVELOPED A FUEL LEAK APPROXIMATELY 1 MONTH AGO. THE VEHICLE HAS APPROX. 51,000 MILES ON IT. WHEN I CONTACTED THE DEALER, THEY INDICATED THE FUEL INJECTOR HOSES LEAKING AT THE CLAMPS WAS NOT UNUSUAL DURING COLD WEATHER ON THIS TYPE OF VEHICLE. ESTIMATED COST TO DIAGNOSE THE LEAKS & REPAIR WAS APPROX $150- BUT THEY WOULD LET ME KNOW THE EXACT COST ONCE THEY HAVE EXAMINED THE VEHICLE. *TR

2001 SUBARU OUTBACK LEAKS FUEL IN COLD WEATHER. READ ON THE WEB ABOUT HUNDREDS OF OWNERS WITH THIS COMPLAINT. LIVE IN MASSACHUSETTS AND WHEN THE WEATHER GETS BELOW ABOUT 25 DEGREES FUEL SMELL FILLS THE PASSENGER CABIN. APPEARS TO COME FROM UNDER THE ENGINE MANIFOLD. HOPE TO NOT PASS OUT FROM FUEL VAPORS. HAVEN'T HAD A FIRE YET. 2ND ISSUE IS HEAD GASKET LEAK WHICH WAS A $1500 REPAIR. ALSO APPEARS TO BE A COMMON ISSUE WITH SUBARU. *TR

STARTING AROUND 62K MILES, I HEARD A WHINING NOISE FROM THE FRONT OF THE CAR. THE NOISE GOT LOUDER AND HIGHER WITH WHEEL SPEED. WHEN I TOOK IT TO A MECHANIC, THEY DIAGNOSED A BAD DIFFERENTIAL BEARING, AND INFORMED ME THAT THE RECOMMENDED FIX WAS REPLACEMENT OF THE ENTIRE TRANSMISSION, INCLUDING BOTH DIFFERENTIALS. WHEN I WENT TO THE DEALER TO CONFIRM THIS, THEY QUOTED ME $6,000-$8,000 FOR THE REPAIR. I TRIED TO GET SOME RELIEF FROM SUBARU OF AMERICA, SINCE THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY GOES FOR 60K MILES, BUT THEY WERE UNWILLING. THIS CAUSED THE VALUE OF MY CAR TO GO TO ZERO, SINCE IT'S WORTH ABOUT $8,000 WITHOUT THE TRANSMISSION PROBLEM. *TR

IN COLD WEATHER OUR CAR BEGAN EMITTING A VERY STRONG FUEL SMELL IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT. OUR SUBARU DEALER DENIES THERE IS ANYTHING WRONG THAT WOULD WARRANT A SAFETY RECALL OR BULLETIN. THEY WILL NOT ACCEPT IT IS A DESIGN DEFECT WHEN CLEARLY THE FUEL LINES BEGIN TO LEAK IN COLD (SUB-FREEZING) TEMPERATURES. AS GASOLINE IS A SERIOUS CARCINOGEN AND EXPOSURE TO ITS FUMES CAUSES BRAIN DAMAGE, THIS SHOULD BE REGARDED AS AN EXTREMELY SERIOUS HEALTH ISSUE. *TR

I AM THE OWNER OF A 2001 OUTBACK, 2.5L ENGINE, ONE OF THOUSANDS OF SUBARUS IMPACTED BY SUBARU'S BULLETIN FOR DEFECTIVE HEAD GASKETS. ON DEC. 6, 2007, I PAID THE OFFICIAL SUBARU DEALER IN ALASKA, CONTINENTAL SUBARU, $1,330 TO DO A HEAD GASKET REPAIR JOB (ALSO A TIMING BELT CHANGE). GO HERE FOR THAT BULLETIN: HTTP://WWW.SUBARUPROBLEMS.COM/INDEX.HTM. ON DEC. 6, 2007, I CALLED SUBARU OF AMERICA'S CORPORATE OFFICE IN AND SPOKE WITH A REP NAMED "DAVE." (HE WOULD NOT GIVE A LAST NAME.). HE SAID HIS COMPANY WOULD NOT COVER THIS WORK (THOUGH IT IS PART OF SUBARU?S RESPONSE TO A FAILURE IN POTENTIALLY THOUSANDS OF SUBARU ENGINES FROM 1999-2002). THE CAR HAD LITTLE OVER 93,000 MILES WHEN THE PROBLEM WAS DISCOVERED AND SERVICED. THE EXPLANATION THAT "DAVE" AND CONTINENTAL SUBARU PROVIDED WAS THAT THAT THE HEAD GASKET FAILURE/LEAKING PROBLEM WAS INSIDE THE BLOCK, NOT AN EXTERNAL COOLANT LEAK, AND THUS NOT COVERED BY THE SERVICE BULLETIN/RECALL. THAT A LEAK INSIDE SOMEHOW IS NOT CONSIDERED IMPACTED BY THIS DEFECT, RATHER THAN A LEAK OUTSIDE SEEMS SPURIOUS AT BEST. I HAVE NO WAY OF VERIFYING THAT THE CONTINENTAL SUBARU MECHANIC THE CORPORATE OFFICE SPOKE WITH WAS TELLING THE THE FULL STORY. ALL I CAN SAY IS, I CANNOT TRUST THE WORD OF THIS DEALER BECAUSE THEY FAILED TO RAISE THE BULLETIN ISSUE AND THE ISSUE OF WELL-KNOWN PROBLEM FOR THIS ENGINE WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR IN. THEY BARELY ACKNOWLEDGED THIS WARRANTY POSSIBILITY ONLY AFTER I TOLD THEM I KNEW ABOUT IT. I'M WAITING TO SEE IF SUBARU'S CORPORATE OFFICE WILL REIMBURSE ME IN PART OR FULL FOR THE GASKET JOB. I WAS TOLD TO SEND THEM EVERY SERVICE RECORD FOR THE CAR THAT I HAVE. I DID. THIS PROBLEM WITH SUBARUS OF THIS VINTAGE IS WIDESPREAD. GO HERE: HTTP://SCOTT.MCGERIK.COM/2004/02/18/SUBARU-OUTBACK-HEAD-GASKET-LEAK/; AND HERE: HTTP://WWW.CARSURVEY.ORG/VIEWCOMMENTS_REVIEW_56499.HTML. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED, THE VEHICLE VEERED TO THE RIGHT. THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES TO RELEASE THE CRUISE CONTROL; HOWEVER, IT WOULD NOT RELEASE. SHE THEN HEARD A LOUD NOISE COMING FROM THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE AND THE VEHICLE ROLLED EIGHT TIMES INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THE STEERING FAILED TO RESPOND. THE CONTACT WAS TRANSPORTED FROM THE SCENE UNCONSCIOUS. SHE SUSTAINED CRACKED RIBS, BRUISES, AND SPRAINS. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. SHE HAS NOT YET NOTIFIED THE DEALER OR MANUFACTURER. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGES WERE 64,000.

BOUGHT OUTBACK FROM NATE WADE SUBARU IN SALT LAKE CITY IN NOV. OF 2006. I WAS TOLD THAT NATE WADE PERFORMED A COMPLETE INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE, AND WAS TOLD BY THE SALESMAN, BRYCE, THAT THE VEHICLE WAS IN GOOD CONDITION. AFTER PURCHASING THE CAR(ALONG WITH POWERTRAIN WARRANTY), I NOTICED THAT IN COLD WEATHER, THE BELT SQUEALED. TALKED TO DEALER, AND DEALER FIXED THE PROBLEM, BUT NOW I'M VERY INSECURE ABOUT THE ACTUAL CONDITION OF THE CAR. I'M NOT SO SURE THAT THE SALESMAN OR THE DEALER WAS BEING HONEST ABOUT THE CONDITION OF THE CAR. ONCE THE WEATHER BEGAN HEATING UP, THE CAR WOULD OVERHEAT. I TOOK IT INTO NATE WADE SERVICE. THEY SAID ALL THAT NEEDED TO BE DONE WAS A NEW RADIATOR CAP AND FLUSHED THE LINES. PAID FOR THAT. THE PROBLEM PERSISTED, SO I TOOK THE CAR BACK IN. SERVICE TOLD ME THEN THAT I NEEDED A NEW RADIATOR. APPARENTLY, THIS WAS NOT A PROBLEM THAT COULD HAVE BEEN DISCOVERED WHEN I VISITED NATE WADE SERVICE A WEEK PRIOR. I TOOK THE CAR TO ANOTHER MECHANIC FOR A SECOND OPINION, AND HE TOLD ME THAT IT WAS NOT OVERHEATING DUE TO THE RADIATOR BECAUSE THE RADIATOR LEAK WAS MINIMAL. NATE WADE REFUSED TO DO ANYTHING FURTHER TO FIGURE OUT WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE BESIDES REPLACING THE RADIATOR. RECENTLY THE CAR HAS BEEN LOSING POWER AND A SEVERE DECREASE IN FUEL MILEAGE. TOOK THE CAR TO NATE WADE. NATE WADE SAID THAT THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR AT ALL, BUT THAT I COULD GET A TUNE UP FOR 150. BUT, THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE SPARKPLUGS OR THE TIMING. I KNOW THERE IS A PROBLEM WITH THE CAR, BUT ALL THE DEALERSHIP WANTS ME TO DO IS THROW MONEY AT THE PROBLEM, AND STALL UNTIL THE WARRANTY EXPIRES THIS NOVEMBER. THEY REFUSE TO IDENTIFY THE PROBLEM, BUT WANT ME TO JUST KEEP SPENDING MONEY TO ELIMINATE THE POSSIBILITIES FOR THEM. I'M CONCERNED THAT THE CAR WAS NOT IN GOOD CONDITION WHEN I BOUGHT IT, AS WAS PROMISED BY BRYCE, THE SALESMAN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2001 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CONTACT APPLIED THE BRAKES, BUT THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE. HE ATTEMPTED TO DECELERATE AND STOP THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE THROTTLE CABLE AND NO OTHER FAILURES HAVE OCCURRED SINCE. A VALID VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 150,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 149,000.