2002 Subaru Outback

REPETITIVE FAILURE OF BOTH FRONT BRAKE ROTORS. ROTORS HAVE THICKNESS VARIATION WHICH CAUSES HEAVY BRAKE PULSATION AND STEERING WHEEL JUDDER FROM SIDE TO SIDE WHEN BRAKING FROM GREATER THAN 45 MPH. FIRST COMPLAINT 6/18/03 9971 MILES FRONT ROTORS WERE RESURFACED. SECOND COMPLAINT 5/3/04 16180 MILES RESURFACE FRONT ROTORS. THIRD COMPLAINT 4/7/05 23013 MILES RESURFACE FRONT ROTORS REPLACE FRONT BRAKE PADS. FOURTH COMPLAINT 5/20/08 42147 MILES REPLACE FRONT ROTORS AND FRONT BRAKE PADS. FIFTH COMPLAINT 3/17/09 49719 MILES RESURFACE FRONT ROTORS. SUBRAU DOES HAVE A CUSTOMER PAY UPGRADE IN THEIR TSB #: 06-33-04 DATE: 01/15/04 FOR 2001-2003 SUBARU VEHICLES TO MODIFY THE DISC BRAKE PAD. *TR

BOTH MY 2001 AND 2002 SUBARU OUTBACKS HAD A STRONG SMELL OF GASOLINE IN THE CABIN WHEN STARTING THE CARS. A CHECK UNDER THE HOOD SHOWED GASOLINE DRIPPING FROM SEVERAL OF THE RUBBER FUEL LINES WHERE THEY JOINED METAL FUEL LINES. THE FUEL WAS DRIPPING ONTO THE ENGINE AND RUNNING DOWN TO THE GROUND. UPON TIGHTENING THE FUEL LINE CLAMPS THE PROBLEM STOPPED. WHEN I USED GOOGLE TO CHECK ON THE PROBLEM THERE WAS SEVERAL 100,000 HITS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. IT SEEMS TO BE RELATED TO LOW TEMPERATURE <+10F. *TR

MY 2002 SUBARU LEGACY OUTBACK WAGON, 2.5 LITER ENGINE, LEAKED FUEL FROM THE FUEL LINE. THIS WAS MOST PRONOUNCED ON A COLD DAY. THERE ARE MANY REPORTS OF THE SAME PROBLEMS. MY SUBARU DEALER TOLD ME THAT THIS PROBLEM IS COMMON. THOUGH WE SMELLED THE STRONG FUEL ODOR, FORTUNATELY, THERE WASN'T A FIRE. THE CAR IS NOW BEING REPAIRED AND WILL BE READY 01/21/09. THE ESTIMATED COST OF THE REPAIR IS $485. SUBARU KNOWS ABOUT THE PROBLEM AND REDESIGNED THE PART. THEY REFUSE TO COVER IT BECAUSE THEY SAY THE SERVICE BULLETIN NUMBER 09-36-03, ISSUED 04/01/03 ONLY APPLIES TO THE WRX, EVEN THOUGH THE OUTBACK HAS A SIMILAR SETUP. *TR

MY 2002 SUBARU OUTBACK HAD FRONT ROTOR FAILURE IN 2007-----THE FINS THAT HOLD THE ROTORS TOGETHER RUSTED AND BROKE. WHEN YOU CHECKED THE ROTOR THICKNESS WITH A MICROMETER IT WAS FINE BUT WHEN YOU APPLIED BRAKES THE PRESSURE SQUEEZED THE SURFACES TOGETHER AND MADE IT FEEL LIKE THE ROTORS WERE WARPED---ALSO UNDETECTABLE BY RUNOUT GAGE. *TR

CLUTCH DEFECTS NOT ACKNOWLEDGED AND NOT REPAIRED BY THE DEALER ON A SUBARU OUTBACK 20002. DEALERSHIP: LIBERTY, 1000 E PARK AVENUE, LIBERTYVILLE, IL 60048 PROBLEM STARTED IN 2003 AND LASTED TO THIS DATE. IN AUG 2008, DEALER ACKNOWLEDGED PRESENT DEFAULT BUT REFUSED TO CONCEDE THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM FROM THE START. WHEN THE CAR WAS SERVICED ON MANY OCCASIONS STARTED IN 2003 (OIL CHANGES) WE MENTIONED A PROBLEM WITH THE CLUTCH. THE DEALER BLAMED THE "NEW HYDRAULIC CLUTCH" AND GAVE US THE RUN-AROUND. NOW IN 2008, 3 YEARS LATER, THEY "DISCOVERED" THE CLUTCH PROBLEM AND WANTS TO CHARGE $1,300.00 TO FIX IT. WE REFUSED TO HAVE TO PAY FOR SOMETHING THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE UNDER WARRANTY. ANOTHER GARAGE TOLD US THAT SUBARU HAD ISSUED AN ADVISORY ABOUT THE EXACT SAME PROBLEM BUT THE DEALER NEVER TOLD US. THE CLUTCH IS STILL NOT REPAIRED. BOTH MY WIFE AND I HAVE DRIVEN MANY MANUAL GEAR SHIFT CARS WITH NO PROBLEMS, HAVING DRIVEN OUR PREVIOUS 1992 SUBARU OUTBACK TO 140,000 BEFORE IT NEEDED A CLUTCH REPAIR. THE CLUTCH ON THE 2002 HAS BEEN A PROBLEM ALMOST RIGHT FROM THE START. WE HAVE SERVICE REPORT DATED 06/17/05 INVOICE # SUCS426989 SAYING: " REF#2 03SUZ : DRIVE LINE - TECK :553 - CUSTOMER STATES AT TIMES VEHICLE SHAKES WHEN LETTING OUT THE CLUTCH AND TAKING OFF, MORE AMPLIFIED AFTER VEHICLE HAS BEEN SITTING. ---INSPECTED VEHICLE, COULD NOT DUPLICATE CONDITION AT THIS TIME- THIS WAS NOT THE FIRST TIME WE REPORTED THE PROBLEM, BUT IT IS THE FIRST WRITTEN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT FROM THE DEALER. THERE IS A SECOND WRITTEN ACKNOWLEDGEMENT: DATED 11/28/06, INVOICE SUCS476828, REF J#2 08SUZ CLUTCH ---TECH 42898: CUSTOMER STATES THE CAR IS CHUGGING IN FIRST GEAR - SEE LINE 1 LINE 1 STATES J# 1 40SUZDGRT DIAGNOSIS ROAD TEST - CUSTOMER STATES THE ENGINE LIGHT IS ON AND CAR FEELS LIKE IT WANT TO STALL. PER SCANNER CODE, REPLACE FRONT O2 SENSOR AND REFLASH ECM" AS YOU SEE, THEY BLAMED THE O2 SENSOR AND REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE CLUTCH PROBLEM. *TR

2002 SUBARU OUTBACK- DEC. 08'- EXPERIENCING VERY STRONG FUEL SMELL IN CABIN OF VEHICLE DURING COLD WEATHER. SAME SCENARIO UNFOLDED LAST YR. 07' WHEN IT GOT COLD. LAST YEAR DEALER CHARGED FOR INSPECT AND TIGHTENING OF CLAMPS ALONG FUEL LINES. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE SUBARU OUTBACKS..WHY NO RECALL?..WITH FUEL LINE LEAKS AS COMMON AS THEY ARE WITH THIS MODEL I AM SURPRISED THERE IS NO RECALL. IS THERE ANYTHING SUBARU IS OFFERING TO HELP OWNERS RECOVER MONIES BEING SPENT ON THIS FIX? *TR

WHEN THE TEMPERATURE IS BELOW 30 DEGREES, THERE IS A STRONG FUEL SMELL IN THE CAB WHEN THE HEATER IS RUNNING. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS IN MY 2002 SUBARU OUTBACK. I TRIED CORRECTING THE PROBLEM BY TIGHTENING THE BRACKETS IN THE FUEL LINE AND THIS HAS NOT HELPED. MY INTERNET RESEARCH INDICATES THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR SUBARUS (DIFFERENT MODELS AND YEARS). I AM SURPRISED THIS HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED. IN SOME CASES, IT IS DUE TO LOOSE BRACKETS AND IN OTHERS LEAKY GASKETS IN THE FUEL INJECTOR. THIS IS CLEARLY A HEALTH ISSUE. I CANNOT DRIVE MY CAR WITH MY TWO SMALL CHILDREN WITH THE HEATER RUNNING (EVEN WITHOUT THE HEATER THERE IS A RESIDUAL FUEL SMELL). *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE STEERING WHEEL LOCKED ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHEN THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO TURN THE WHEEL. THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE FAILURE OR MAKE ANY REPAIRS. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, THE DRIVER ATTEMPTED TO MAKE A RIGHT TURN, BUT THE STEERING LOCKED UP AGAIN AND COULD NOT BE TURNED. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE GUARD RAIL, BUT THE CONTACT SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES. THE VEHICLE SUSTAINED MAJOR DAMAGE AND WAS WAITING FOR THE INSURANCE AGENCY TO DETERMINE IF IT WAS DESTROYED. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS LESS THAN 90,000 AND CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 100,000.

REPEAT FUEL LINE LEAKS IN 2002 SUBARU OUTBACK WGN. THERE ARE A TOTAL OF SEVEN FLEXIBLE RUBBER HOSES THAT CONNECT THE FUEL LINE AS IT PASSES THROUGH THE CHASSIS. WHEN WEATHER IS COLD, HOSE CLAMPS/RUBBER HOSES LEAK. MY LOCAL DEALER SEEMED TO BE WELL AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, WHICH HAS NOT BE ADDRESSED, AND SAID THAT SUBARU HAS NO PLANES TO FIX THE PROBLEM. OUTSIDE OF CAR, PASSAGE CABIN REEK OF RAW FUEL. *TR