We found the following complaints for SUBARU OUTBACK (2009)
Read complaints for SUBARU OUTBACK (2009)
Takata recall: no issue yet but scared to drive car -tka-16
Air bags have become disabled due to either the switch in the seat or in the overhead console. The engine also consumes an enormous amount of oil (has since new) about 2 quarts every oil change or 3000 miles sometimes more
Dashboard is very sticky as though melting. Noticed for over a year now and getting worse.
When car is running, the red aiir bag warning light on dashboard console stays on. A subaru dealer mentioned the control module (circuit board) in the overhead compartment console would have to be replaced. I have found that the soldering on the circuit board is flimsy and prone to cracking. Apparently there is a danger that the air bags will not deploy if the warning light is on.there are a number of online forums that detail others having the same issue. The forums recommended fix is to apply solder. Here is one example:http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/109-gen-3-2005-2009/42574-2006-obw-airbag-light-my-fix.html
The airbag failure indicator in the instrument panel is coming on intermittently while driving. After turning off the engine, the problem goes away for some time and days or weeks later comes on again.i am concerned that should there be a collision while the condition describe above exist, airbag deployment may fail. There seems to be thousands of these incidents while searching internet databases and it appears all subaru dealers know of the problem and presumably subaru as well.should not be a recall for this potentially serious safety issue?
The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. The contact stated that the air bag warning indicator illuminated intermittently during hot weather. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front passenger side air bag warning indicator failed. The mechanic did not specify if the air bag module or inflater was the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 200,000.
The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. The contact stated that while the brakes were depressed, the vehicle accelerated forward unexpectedly and then in reverse before crashing into two other vehicles and a brick wall. The vehicle was destroyed. The police and fire department were contacted and a report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 22,000.updated 10/31/12*ljthe consumer stated as she pulled into a vacant spot, with her foot on the brake, the vehicle emitted a roar and surged over a curb upwards and crashed into a tree, with her foot still on the brake. The vehicle went backwards and hit an suv parked illegally behind her car. The vehicle then continued backwards, hit another car and finally crashed into the outside wall of a library and stopped.the air bag did not deploy. Updated 10/31/12
My airbag light on the dashboard has been turning on and off with no apparent consistency since the beginning of january. Sometimes, its on, sometimes not, i made an appt to take it to a subaru dealer, months ago, then a couple days before, it went off and stayed off for many weeks. (i had cancelled the appt.) then it came on again, so i took it to a subaru dealer that day and they diagnosed it as a problem with the overhead map light assembly. They scanned the system and found code 26. Apparently the airbag sensor runs through that assembly and there is a connection that wears out and becomes disconnected, resulting in the airbag not being able to deploy when needed. The subaru service rep said that is a common problem and they have made many of those repairs. Upon researching this on the internet, i found numerous complaints of this problem and that subaru dealers charge between $200-$500 to repair this. There are also videos and instructions on how to fix this by taking apart the assembly and re-soldering the connection. My concern is that this seems to be happening to subarus that have low mileage as well as some with higher mileage. Many of the complaints seem to come from people who live in areas where it is very cold in the winter, which is my case. I have been told that when illuminated the airbag will nor deploy. This naturally scares people so they opt for the repair asap. This appears to be a frequent problem and is a grave safety concern that subaru should address. I believe that a recall should be issued!
The red light on the dashboard (where the speedometer is) for driver's air bag comes on when the temperature goes below about 44 degrees. It stays on 95% of the 8 winter months. I bought this used (2014) from a dealer, and told the service manager about it. He said unless it comes on 100% of the time, then dont worry about it. I came back 1 time and complained again, hoping a "sensor check" might be covered since i had bought the extended warranty on it. He again said "dont worry about it." -- the passenger red light on the overhead box also stays on all the time. It does not flash or beep unless i have some heavy boxes on the seat, so i ignore it. I am just worried that neither air bag will work in an emergency. I cannot get an answer (or search) that answers that. It is frightening. When the car is started, and when moving, this happens. Only shutting the car off shuts off the light. Speed, movement or street does not affect it. It does not flicker; it stays on.
My seat belt warning light on the dashboard was coming on intermittently but usually went off if i turned the engine off and restarted it. But now it's on constantly. The dealer says it's a malfunction involving the passenger seat belt apparatus and it's not cover under the extended warranty. The cost of the repair is estimate to be over $350. I see online that many people have this problem with the 2005-2009 outbacks. The mechanism is obviously defective and should be recalled.
I contacted the local dealership, where we purchased this car.they told me they do have the parts but are not fixing all cars so i am on a list and can not get my car in for many months. Meanwhile my husband and children still drive this car. They said in august approx. 6 months after i tried to get them to fix it we are on the schedule.
The driver airbag in multiple models of subaru are disabled because of an apparent fault in the passenger airbag indicator light in the overhead console.this requires replacement of the part.i have researched the topic in multiple auto websites and it appears to affect a lot of model years of all makes of the subaru.the problem is also intermittent and occurs while driving .i think that disabling theairbag is a serious safety issue and that subaru has not fessed up about this or fixed the problem.
"air bag" warning light in the instrument panel (combination meter) is on. The airbag light has come on since it has been cold out. It keeps on every cold day.it is a safety issue and if possibly not deploying the srs to protect driver and passenger in a collision. This problem was reported by many drivers of subaru, but subaru company is still no response.
Takata recall. On 7/29/16 we received notice of the recall from subaru of america. We contacted hansel subaru in santa rosa to schedule the replacement. They said they did not have the replacement parts and put us on a waiting list. I've tried to call them again 10/13/16 & left voice message, sent them email 10/14/16. Hansel is not returning calls or answering calls to their service dept. I called the subaru of america number today, 10/17/16 and only got a busy signal. As instructed, we are not using the front passenger seat. This is a real inconvenience and we are frustrated with the delay in getting the replacement..
While driving the airbag light comes on intermittently. If car is turned off and restarted it generally stays off. Research states that the air bags will not deploy if this light is on when an accident. This appears to be due to part needing to be soldered to fix the problem. Subaru should recall the vehicles involved. This is happening to many cars.
Problem 1: experienced rear wiper (station wagon) not working. Car still under warranty, took it to the dealer and was told the wiring harness that goes through the hinge area was broken. It was repaired. Now the car has 72,000 miles and i am having rear wiper problems again as well as the rear door not locking. Wires frayed and broken again. This is a known issue both with subaru and on the forums on the web. This is a poor design and possibly dangerous as it can cause the rear lights to fail. Failure time frame was almost double mileage from the previous failure. (35,251 - 72,000). Problem 2: air bag light keeps coming on. Have had it to the mechanic several times to be checked out and reset. This is also a known problem with subaru and on the web forums. This is a serious safety issue as the air bags could fail to deploy. Subaru may say the airbags are a "secondary" safety feature, but to me they are extremely important. Airbag deployment can be the difference between life and death in an accident. Please investigate!
The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. After the vehicle was restarted from being driven, the engine remained abnormally hot and the air bag warning indicator was consistently illuminating. The failure recurred on several occasions when restarted after being driven and progressed during humid weather. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.updated 1/19/16 lnthe dealer found a code indicating a problem with the passenger air bag.the dealer replaced the map light assembly which included the air bag control electronic module. Updated 03/29/16
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v358000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Went to local suburb dealership and was expecting a free loaner vehicle but was not and that was in the recall so they local dealership did not deliver the service that they were supposed to fix for the recall!
The airbag light on the dashboard illuminates (comes on) randomly when driving.the problem is intermittent.occasionally, turning off the vehicle & restarting causes the light to turn off.i have heard of other owners with the same issue.
Takata recalli complied with the recall by taking it to kendall subaru in eugene, oregon on march 1, 2018 and the vehicle has not yet been repaired. I had spoken to one of your representatives about this and she gave me a ra#1271579.
"takata recall" 9/7/2016 voice mail svc.mgr @ local subaru dealership ([xxx]), no reply9/12/2016 called svc rep took vin, will have svc adv call me.9/13/2016 svc. Adv. [xxx] called me - back ordered airbag, will call me back.10/28/2016 called [xxx] dealership for status, they never returned my call.information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v358000 (air bags); however, the part to do the repair was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available.
Takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. The contact received notification of nhtsa campaign number: 16v358000 (air bags); however, the part needed to repair the vehicle was unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was not notified of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.
Tl-contact owns a 2009 subaru outback -- vehicle has 113,000 miles on it airbag light has been on for two weeks has not gone off since .-- 0 recalls associated with this vintk holdings postcardcb
The airbag light on the dash would intermittently turn on. If i turned the car off and then right back on the light would go out. Eventually the light would come back on, so i took the car to the dealer who had a technician check the computer codes. It listed (code 26-right front seat belt error). The technician reset the computer and the computer error code was cleared. The tech told me that eventually it was going to happen again, as he had seen the problem several times before in the 2008/2009 year range of outbacks & legacy's and told me that when the dash light was lit, "none of the airbags would work in a collision". All was well for a few weeks and the light did come back on, so the vehicle was taken to the dealer to be repaired. The problem seems to be the map light/passenger seatbelt lamp assembly (part # 84621ag53a) that is located on the interior roof directly next to the rear view mirror. I was informed that this part is not covered by any warranties, as the airbags are a "supplemental system", unlike seatbelts which "are covered" as the primary restraint system. It seems to me that subaru must obviously be aware of this defective part as it is an instock item at their dealerships (at least it is at my dealer). The bottom line is that i had to pay (almost $200) to fix a problem that will allow my vehicle's airbags to work in the event of a collision because the airbags are considered a "supplemental system". "love" (pun intended) to know when the recall is going to occur.
Takata recall: i received notice of this recall on july 27, 2016. Within two hours of receipt i went to classic subaru of atlanta (7700 roswell rd., atlanta, ga) to drop off my car for this recall. I was told that the replacement parts were on back order until december 2016 and that until then i should continue to drive the vehicle without anyone in the passenger seat. Over five months lead time to repair a known safety risk should not be acceptable.
Rear gate electrical cord premature failure at rubber accordion bend
Started my car at night to find out my headlights would not turn on, but the safely lights were still on. Upon further inspection, the brake lights and reverse lights would not work either. The lights above my rear license plate had been out for a couple of weeks also so i am not sure if that is related as well. Looked on-line to find out many other subaru outback owners had a similar problem and suggested looking at the harness that housed many electrical wires on the upper corners of the hatchback. Many of the wires were either broken or loose. I have read that because of its location, the wires become brittle and break because they are constantly being bent when you open and close the rear hatchback door. Took my car into the dealership and they had to resolder the wires and charged me $225 for the labor and parts needed. If i had to replace this, it would have cost me over $600 so the dealership discouraged me from doing this. I feel this should be covered by subaru since it is due to bad design and performance and the service i had done does not guarantee that this will not happen again.
Rear hatch wiring has worn to the point of fully breaking four and damaging five other wires out of approximately 14 total going through the flexible boot between the body and the hatch on the passenger side of the vehicle.systems affected: rear wiper, rear lock, possibly the brake light and license plate lights.this was damage incurred over time of normal use, opening the hatch no more than once per day.
After fuses blown repeatedly and replaced, rear wiper, washer pump and lock ceased to operate for perhaps a year. Recently the headlights got real funky - would not operate in normal "on" position. But then some strange behavior when shifted into reverse (ignition on without starting to allow shifting). Headlights still not lit in either off or on position, but then came on as switch moved back from headlights on to running lights position! i happened upon the video mentioned in an earlier post about rear wiring harness issue which easily could have been related to wiper/lock issue, so took a look. Inspection revealed 11 severed wires with a clump of 5 or so melted together and another 3 wires nearly severed (see photos). Dealer says he'll replace wiring harness for $350 -500, and had a same generation outback in the shop for same work. Service mgr suggested a call to subaru customer care line. If you have goofy electrical issues, especially in rear, check the wiring inside boot from body to door on upper right side. It's not easy to get at as wires are short, which may have led to quite a serious, um, short. Call subaru before your headliner ignites...
When it rained dash lights come on would not go out when turned car on for a few days next rain went to check car when started lights came on then all went out and a loud noise and fire under hood
The rear gate wiring harness failed, causing rear brake lights and tail lights to stop working.without replacing the rear gate wiring harness ($88.80 parts + $448.80 labor + 51.07 tax) soon the rear wiper and defrost would not work and the back hatch would lock.this is a serious safety issue, i want to see a recall and reimbursement of $588.67from subaru of america.
When locking the vehicle, the rear lift gate will not lock. Subaru dealership found a broken wire leading to the rear lift gate actuator, and fixed. June 2015, problem occurring again. Just looked, and wire was broken again (found by removing passenger side rubber boot covering wires between lift gate and body). Will try to fix myself, this time.
Problem 1: experienced rear wiper (station wagon) not working. Car still under warranty, took it to the dealer and was told the wiring harness that goes through the hinge area was broken. It was repaired. Now the car has 72,000 miles and i am having rear wiper problems again as well as the rear door not locking. Wires frayed and broken again. This is a known issue both with subaru and on the forums on the web. This is a poor design and possibly dangerous as it can cause the rear lights to fail. Failure time frame was almost double mileage from the previous failure. (35,251 - 72,000). Problem 2: air bag light keeps coming on. Have had it to the mechanic several times to be checked out and reset. This is also a known problem with subaru and on the web forums. This is a serious safety issue as the air bags could fail to deploy. Subaru may say the airbags are a "secondary" safety feature, but to me they are extremely important. Airbag deployment can be the difference between life and death in an accident. Please investigate!
2009 subaru outback stalling while driving.the engine turned off while driving with light acceleration at low speeds (5-20 mph) without warning.warning lights flickered on and off.i was able to restart the car.this is a huge safety issue to have the car stall out without warning.subara south blvd dealership say they do not know the root cause.prior to the above incidence the car, while driving at low speeds, would occasionally shudder and the warning lights would flicker on then go off.it felt like the car was going to shut off but it didn't.now it is shutting off.it's completely unsafe.
The brake lights, hatch lock, wiper and other electrical components on the rear part of my subaru 2009 outback stopped working or working erratically.i checked the rubber boot containing the rear wiring harness for damage and discovered 13 out of 14 wires were either completely broken, or the insulation was worn, exposing bare conductor.in addition to the rear electrical issues, i replaced the bulbs for the headlights at least four times in a two year period.the am channel on my radio no longer receives signals.the rear electrical problems are causing a safety hazard due to the brake/tail lights not functioning, or the rear windshield wiper not working.subaru is not responsive to this design flaw.
Individual wires in the harness powering and controlling the brake, turn, backup, and license plate lights, and the rear wiper motor and washer pump, may fail without warning. This failure could result in an rear end collision or impairing vision out the rear window in inclement weather.the point of failure is inside the flexible rubber boot protecting the harness where it passes from the rear frame of the main body to the top of the rear lift gate. It appears that repeated flexing of the wires inside the protective boot, as the rear lift gate is opened and closed, work hardens the insulation and copper wires causing them to eventually break. Symptoms may appear as static on the radio, failing rear lights, and/or failing rear wiper/washer motors. In my case, i experienced radio static and a failure of the rear wiper/washer motors.trouble shooting led me to cut open the protective boot revealing the broken wires. Further inspection revealed that the wire insulation was brittle in the area of the breaks.a search online revealed this is not an isolated incident.
The wiring in rear hatch in really bad shape some showing the copper and two completely broke apart. Causing the latch not to work and alarm going off. Rear wiper not working.
Car intermittently stalls and is hard to restart. Happens randomly with no check engine light or code in the ecu. Has happened on the highway at interstate speed and while stopped. Will not restart immediately. Rough idle at restart then back to normal. Mechanic was unable to recreate the problem and thus unable to repair. Creates potentially dangerous situation when stalling on the highway, intersection, etc.
There is a well documented faulty design issue that leads to failure of the wiring harness (rear gate cord) to the rear wagon door/gate of this model subaru ouback wagons.failure of the wiring harness has affected me while driving the vehicle.as this issue has progressed, more and more wires break, completely severed, and lead to the rear lock not working, then backup lights not working, rear defroster not working, wiper not working, and license plate light not working.this is a safety issue, especially the backup lights, rear defroster, rear wiper, and locking mechanism not working at all!these compromise visibility and car safety.this faulty design, or faulty material choice is clearly subaru's fault:severed electrical wires, as a result of normal use, should not be acceptable, especially when they compromise safety by disabling backup lights and the rear lock.while the replacement cable itself is only $63, the subaru dealerships want to charge over $500 in labor.i am really disappointed that there has been no recall, or support on this issue from subaru of america.i cannot find any official response from subaru on this issue.i don't think it's fair to have loyal customers like myself, pay excessive labor charges to fix a safety problem that is a design flaw from subaru.
The car intermittently bucks/chugs while driving and then stalls. All the lights flash on.it is difficult to restart.it has happened on the highway and local streets. It also idles very rough when at stops or in park and shudders like it wants to stall - sometimes it does. This has been going on for 2 months now.the first time, i was stopped at a red light and it stalled creating a hazardous situation.my mechanic has attempted to fix it and then he has taken it to the local subaru dealership where it has spent almost 2 months off & on while they "fixed" it.they give it back and it is back to them within a week with the same issue.the last time they replaced a map sensor and some wiring.this is hazardous and the vehicle is unsafe.it feels like they just keep clearing out the error and giving it back to me.
The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shut-off with the check engine, traction control and cruise control warning lights illuminated. On several occasions the vehicle would not immediately restart. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for service. No further information was available. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,000. The vin was not available.
"air bag" warning light in the instrument panel (combination meter) is on. The airbag light has come on since it has been cold out. It keeps on every cold day.it is a safety issue and if possibly not deploying the srs to protect driver and passenger in a collision. This problem was reported by many drivers of subaru, but subaru company is still no response.
09 outback was blowing fuses on the door lock circuit.put in a new fuse and it would blow in a few days, often when car washed or driven in rain (or perhaps when rear hatch operated).last replacement fuse has held for a few weeks now, through summer.then the rear wiper stopped working.saw this video and then pulled the wiring boot connecting hatch with body (to right of hatch hinges) and sure enough four wires are snapped right where video shows - at bottom of right boot:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amekptvgmhs.
The headlights on this vehicle are grossly inadequate when using lower beams.i have contacted subaru and was told that there is no problem.i contacted the local dealer and was informed that they are aware of the problem, but nothing can be done - it is a subaru engineering decision to have that 'quality' of headlight.
2009 subaru outback.consumer writes in regards to vehicle shuts down while driving.the consumer believed the vehicle shutting down, was the result of a faulty ignition.
Previously submitted complaint regarding my subaru outback stalling.i was assigned complaint number 11414502 (attached) but when i didn't receive the email, i checked and it didn't pull up so i'm resubmitting.
Road conditions: poor, icy.vehicle:2009 subaru outback wagon loaded with 4 passengers (2 adult, 2 teen, plus "light" luggage).when the vehicle passed over an icy patch, the car swayed from side to side violently.on subaru forum websites, this type of loss of control is termed "ghost walking" which is an odd but accurate term for the feel of the situation.i have seen multiple entries on the owners' forum websites describing this phenomena, and it apparently affects several model years.my dealer offers to re-align the back tires which may fix the instability problem (which is attributed to "load") but which will cause another problem: excessive tire wear.this is a dangerous situation.as subaru markets the car for the winter driving market, it needs to fix this dangerous design flaw before someone is killed over compensating for the system-driven fishtailing.please note:although subaru attributes this to "loading" of the vehicle, the car was not loaded beyond strictly normal use for a station wagon.this is as dangerous as "sudden acceleration" in toyota.
2009 subaru outback head gasket seepage. This issue soa has been awhere of and said it can be normal over time. Yet i found that the gasket used at that time was substandard.a recall was never issued. I feel it should have notified customers, but did`nt. Perhaps it would have cost soa a ton of money. I believe they are dealing with this as customer complaints come in and told replacement of gasket is required at owners expense.i feel that soa should own up to this and pay all or a major cost of repair. I have to have my head gaskets replaced as told under inspection.
The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle started to make an abnormal noise and the check engine warning light and cruise control warning light illuminated. The vehicle decelerated and was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the engine fluid was leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vin was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 149,000.
Vehicle with only 105 k miles requires new head gasket due to leak.
Previously submitted complaint regarding my subaru outback stalling.i was assigned complaint number 11414502 (attached) but when i didn't receive the email, i checked and it didn't pull up so i'm resubmitting.
The car intermittently bucks/chugs while driving and then stalls. All the lights flash on.it is difficult to restart.it has happened on the highway and local streets. It also idles very rough when at stops or in park and shudders like it wants to stall - sometimes it does. This has been going on for 2 months now.the first time, i was stopped at a red light and it stalled creating a hazardous situation.my mechanic has attempted to fix it and then he has taken it to the local subaru dealership where it has spent almost 2 months off & on while they "fixed" it.they give it back and it is back to them within a week with the same issue.the last time they replaced a map sensor and some wiring.this is hazardous and the vehicle is unsafe.it feels like they just keep clearing out the error and giving it back to me.
Head gasket failure on 2009 outback wagon which as been serviced regularly.
While driving the engine suddenly died.luckily we were on a lightly traveled road and were able to pull off to the side.the engine would start, run for about one second, then die.while waiting on a tow truck, a gearhead-type friend that i had called to take my wife home arrived, thought about the problem a bit, and unplugged the maf sensor.the engine ran great.it turned out that a defective air filter had allowed debris to clog the sensor.my complaint is that an invalid reading from a non-critical sensor should not be allowed to pull the engine fuel/air/timing parameters so far off that the engine will not run.obviously the engine computer knows approximately what those values should be since it ran great with the sensor disconnected.sensor readings beyond what would reasonably be expected should be ignored.we were lucky that we were on a country road when this occurred.had we been in the middle lane of a busy freeway, or darting across four lanes of busy traffic, this could have been a disaster.
Air bags have become disabled due to either the switch in the seat or in the overhead console. The engine also consumes an enormous amount of oil (has since new) about 2 quarts every oil change or 3000 miles sometimes more
Car turns over but will not start.
The head gaskets on my vehicle have developed leaks at just over 80,000 miles.this is a frequent (and known) problem with the head gaskets on this vehicle.all subaru-specific mechanics, many owners of this model and even subaru dealership employees have expressed knowledge of high failure rates for this head gasket at approximately 80-100k mile intervals.this is way shorter life than should occur and results in a $2000 or greater cost of repair (in my case, $3200!).subaru has been aware of this defect on previous models and even had class action suits resulting in recalls for previous generation outbacks yet have not addressed the defect.
Catalytic converter replaced once back in 2013.this week had to replace front and rear catalytic converter again due to problem with catalytic converter.mileage at 105,000.
Both the head gasket and valve cover gasket are leaking oil.the head gasket started leaking at 52k miles and the valve cover at 65k miles.both need to be replaced.subaru has had issues with these gaskets for decades.there should be a recall for these issues.
The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle shut-off with the check engine, traction control and cruise control warning lights illuminated. On several occasions the vehicle would not immediately restart. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer for service. No further information was available. The manufacturer was also notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 81,000. The vin was not available.
2009 subaru outback stalling while driving.the engine turned off while driving with light acceleration at low speeds (5-20 mph) without warning.warning lights flickered on and off.i was able to restart the car.this is a huge safety issue to have the car stall out without warning.subara south blvd dealership say they do not know the root cause.prior to the above incidence the car, while driving at low speeds, would occasionally shudder and the warning lights would flicker on then go off.it felt like the car was going to shut off but it didn't.now it is shutting off.it's completely unsafe.
The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback 2.5. The contact was driving 55 mph when the engine stalled after the accelerator pedal was depressed.the vehicle later restarted and the failurecontinued until it was taken to the dealer. The dealer confirmed that the engine needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was contacted but the vehicle was not repaired. The failure and the current mileages were 31,000.
Catastrophic engine failure.apparently, a not uncommon problem (engine bearing).vehicle under both factory and extended warranty.subaru north america is trying to avoid fixing under warranty (again, it seems a not uncommon problem).subaru claims oil leaked out, but oil pressure light never came on.subaru is not dealing on the up and up.
In june of 2009 my husband and i purchased a 2009 v6 subaru outback (vin [xxx]) from manchester subaru in manchester, nh for $29,843.00.in december of 2010, with approximately 30,000 miles on the car and still under warranty the engine failed without warning, leaving us stranded, once again, this time with our now 2 year old and 4 month old. The car momentarily raced while driving and the rpm indicator rose unexpectedly to the red zone for a brief time.no indicator lights turned on until the engine had already failed. We had the car towed to manchester subaru where they stated they found metallic particles in the oil. We were asked to provide oil change receipts, which we did provide, as my husband regularly changed the oil himself. It took a month for a decision to be made as to whether or not the engine repair would be covered by the warranty and we were without a car for this entire time. We repeatedly asked for a loaner car, were told we would get one, but never did.subaru america finally decided that they would split the cost with us and that we would be responsible for paying $5,485.00. This was due to the fact that according to subaru, we did not put enough oil in the car as it required 5.8 quarts and we put in 5 quarts. We had just changed the oil in the car in october 2010 and it was less than 1 quart low at the time of the engine failure. We had checked the oil level every time when changing the oil and the dipstick indicated that level was sufficient, giving us no indication that the oil level was low.there was never any indication of low oil pressure at any time during the life of the vehicle. The next day, my husband spoke to the service department at manchester subaru. They indicated that the v6 outback has a very sensitive engine and if the oil is just a little bit low, it can cause the engine to fail. The v4 model would have also given a low oil pressure indicator light, which the v6 model does not do this.information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.
The headlights on our outback burn out frequently. We have had multiple different headlights burn out (at least 5) over the years that we've had the car. On each occurance the light burned out when the vehicle was started and not while driving. One time both headlights burned out simultaneously when starting the car and we had to drive back home from out of town with our brights on the entire time so we could see.
There is a well documented faulty design issue that leads to failure of the wiring harness (rear gate cord) to the rear wagon door/gate of this model subaru ouback wagons.failure of the wiring harness has affected me while driving the vehicle.as this issue has progressed, more and more wires break, completely severed, and lead to the rear lock not working, then backup lights not working, rear defroster not working, wiper not working, and license plate light not working.this is a safety issue, especially the backup lights, rear defroster, rear wiper, and locking mechanism not working at all!these compromise visibility and car safety.this faulty design, or faulty material choice is clearly subaru's fault:severed electrical wires, as a result of normal use, should not be acceptable, especially when they compromise safety by disabling backup lights and the rear lock.while the replacement cable itself is only $63, the subaru dealerships want to charge over $500 in labor.i am really disappointed that there has been no recall, or support on this issue from subaru of america.i cannot find any official response from subaru on this issue.i don't think it's fair to have loyal customers like myself, pay excessive labor charges to fix a safety problem that is a design flaw from subaru.
The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. The contact stated that he had difficulty seeing the road while driving at night with the low beam headlights on. The headlights failed to illuminate brightly enough to provide proper visibility of the roadway. An authorized dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 20,000.
The rear gate wiring harness failed, causing rear brake lights and tail lights to stop working.without replacing the rear gate wiring harness ($88.80 parts + $448.80 labor + 51.07 tax) soon the rear wiper and defrost would not work and the back hatch would lock.this is a serious safety issue, i want to see a recall and reimbursement of $588.67from subaru of america.
The headlights on this vehicle are grossly inadequate when using lower beams.i have contacted subaru and was told that there is no problem.i contacted the local dealer and was informed that they are aware of the problem, but nothing can be done - it is a subaru engineering decision to have that 'quality' of headlight.
Rear hatch wiring has worn to the point of fully breaking four and damaging five other wires out of approximately 14 total going through the flexible boot between the body and the hatch on the passenger side of the vehicle.systems affected: rear wiper, rear lock, possibly the brake light and license plate lights.this was damage incurred over time of normal use, opening the hatch no more than once per day.
Started my car at night to find out my headlights would not turn on, but the safely lights were still on. Upon further inspection, the brake lights and reverse lights would not work either. The lights above my rear license plate had been out for a couple of weeks also so i am not sure if that is related as well. Looked on-line to find out many other subaru outback owners had a similar problem and suggested looking at the harness that housed many electrical wires on the upper corners of the hatchback. Many of the wires were either broken or loose. I have read that because of its location, the wires become brittle and break because they are constantly being bent when you open and close the rear hatchback door. Took my car into the dealership and they had to resolder the wires and charged me $225 for the labor and parts needed. If i had to replace this, it would have cost me over $600 so the dealership discouraged me from doing this. I feel this should be covered by subaru since it is due to bad design and performance and the service i had done does not guarantee that this will not happen again.
Individual wires in the harness powering and controlling the brake, turn, backup, and license plate lights, and the rear wiper motor and washer pump, may fail without warning. This failure could result in an rear end collision or impairing vision out the rear window in inclement weather.the point of failure is inside the flexible rubber boot protecting the harness where it passes from the rear frame of the main body to the top of the rear lift gate. It appears that repeated flexing of the wires inside the protective boot, as the rear lift gate is opened and closed, work hardens the insulation and copper wires causing them to eventually break. Symptoms may appear as static on the radio, failing rear lights, and/or failing rear wiper/washer motors. In my case, i experienced radio static and a failure of the rear wiper/washer motors.trouble shooting led me to cut open the protective boot revealing the broken wires. Further inspection revealed that the wire insulation was brittle in the area of the breaks.a search online revealed this is not an isolated incident.
After fuses blown repeatedly and replaced, rear wiper, washer pump and lock ceased to operate for perhaps a year. Recently the headlights got real funky - would not operate in normal "on" position. But then some strange behavior when shifted into reverse (ignition on without starting to allow shifting). Headlights still not lit in either off or on position, but then came on as switch moved back from headlights on to running lights position! i happened upon the video mentioned in an earlier post about rear wiring harness issue which easily could have been related to wiper/lock issue, so took a look. Inspection revealed 11 severed wires with a clump of 5 or so melted together and another 3 wires nearly severed (see photos). Dealer says he'll replace wiring harness for $350 -500, and had a same generation outback in the shop for same work. Service mgr suggested a call to subaru customer care line. If you have goofy electrical issues, especially in rear, check the wiring inside boot from body to door on upper right side. It's not easy to get at as wires are short, which may have led to quite a serious, um, short. Call subaru before your headliner ignites...
While driving the engine suddenly died.luckily we were on a lightly traveled road and were able to pull off to the side.the engine would start, run for about one second, then die.while waiting on a tow truck, a gearhead-type friend that i had called to take my wife home arrived, thought about the problem a bit, and unplugged the maf sensor.the engine ran great.it turned out that a defective air filter had allowed debris to clog the sensor.my complaint is that an invalid reading from a non-critical sensor should not be allowed to pull the engine fuel/air/timing parameters so far off that the engine will not run.obviously the engine computer knows approximately what those values should be since it ran great with the sensor disconnected.sensor readings beyond what would reasonably be expected should be ignored.we were lucky that we were on a country road when this occurred.had we been in the middle lane of a busy freeway, or darting across four lanes of busy traffic, this could have been a disaster.
Car turns over but will not start.
While driving the engine suddenly died.luckily we were on a lightly traveled road and were able to pull off to the side.the engine would start, run for about one second, then die.while waiting on a tow truck, a gearhead-type friend that i had called to take my wife home arrived, thought about the problem a bit, and unplugged the maf sensor.the engine ran great.it turned out that a defective air filter had allowed debris to clog the sensor.my complaint is that an invalid reading from a non-critical sensor should not be allowed to pull the engine fuel/air/timing parameters so far off that the engine will not run.obviously the engine computer knows approximately what those values should be since it ran great with the sensor disconnected.sensor readings beyond what would reasonably be expected should be ignored.we were lucky that we were on a country road when this occurred.had we been in the middle lane of a busy freeway, or darting across four lanes of busy traffic, this could have been a disaster.
Car intermittently stalls and is hard to restart. Happens randomly with no check engine light or code in the ecu. Has happened on the highway at interstate speed and while stopped. Will not restart immediately. Rough idle at restart then back to normal. Mechanic was unable to recreate the problem and thus unable to repair. Creates potentially dangerous situation when stalling on the highway, intersection, etc.
Positive wire to the fuel pump burned through to the open gas tank leaving the car able to run intermittently. The plastic housing was melted and burned and the wiring connector was ruined. My concern is the hot wire connector, hot enough to melt and leave the plastic connector burned, was hanging into the area open to fuel.i have pics. The car was running and occupied .
The fuel pipe filler and valve assembly failed and allowed gasoline to leak. There was also a leak on the fuel pump that the dealer was not ablelocate on the first two attempts. The leaks were most noticeable when parked in the garage and could have possibly caused a fire.
The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. While driving approximately 65 mph, the hood popped up. The contact pulled over to the shoulder of the road and was able to re-fasten the hood. After traveling 100 miles, the hood popped up again. The failure occurred intermittently. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 24,811.
The vehicle is a station wagon with 5-speed manual transmission, driven only by my wife and i. Within the first year, we experienced an occasional problem where it would pop out of first gear when travelling at low speeds. I did not report this problem during the 3 year, 30,000 limited warranty period, because it occurred infrequently, and did not appear to present a safety hazard. Furthermore, it's subaru's policy, as stated by the dealer moyer subaru, to not act until a problem can be demonstrated, and to charge the customer if no problem is found. However, the 5-year, 60,000 mile power train warranty, and a subaru gold plus, 7-year, 70,000 mile warranty, are still in effect. Within the last year, the problem became more frequent, particularly when going down steep grades, which is necessary on roads slick from rain, snow or ice, or when there is some other hazard that warrants slow speed. When the transmission pops out to neutral, there is an alarming loss of control, and you must brake hard to arrest the acceleration, which is likely to cause skidding and sliding. I estimate this has happened at least 6 times in past two months of winter weather.last week (1/30/13), i reported the problem to moyer subaru who told me there are no recalls, and would not do a road test unless i agree to pay the cost if no problem is found. I am unwilling to do that, since there is no guarantee when this intermittent problem will occur again; only that it will occur again and likely cause a serious accident. Instead, i reported the problem on subaru website, and they have documented my complaint (sr # 1-3193753102), but made no offer to investigate the problem. The subaru impreza owner's group reports similar problems with numerous imprezas, and some outbacks. We had this problem on a 2002 outback that was fixed under warranty, only after it progressed to higher gears.
This type of incident happened twice.making a left hand turn, pulling onto main two-way road, the dash lights flashed on, car jerked and then stalled.this was a very dangerous situation as 50 mph cars and trucks were coming in both directions at us - with two small children in the car, screaming their heads off.i managed to turn it off and restart and pull over, got vehicle towed.curry subaru computer couldn't come up with anything.same incident happened 02/17/2011, making a left onto a main road.my daughter thought we were going to be killed, the car dash lights flashed and car died.i managed to restart and jerk forward.this car is a death-trap.my online research shows others with same exact situation.i brought car to my dealer - bill kolb - with no satisfaction.car revvs forward at times during normal driving.siting many on line complaints, subaru must be well aware of the danger this situation presents, i cannot operate this car - my children are terrified after two incidents of near collisions.
About a month or two ago i was pulling out of a parking space -i put the trans in drive and started to move when i reached over to open the glove box.as i reached my cuff caught on the transmission knob and pulled selector from drive to reverse. I never noticed it before but there's no locking mechanism on the shift selector handle.the older cars used to require you to push down or pull up on the knob and /or pull up on an interlock handle.looks like i was lucky going so slow.
At 37450 miles, both cv joint boots adjacent to the transmission failed, causing grease to coat the exhaust system and the catalytic converter. This creates a fire hazard. The vehicle was purchased new in february 2009 from giles subaru. The vehicle has never been off road and was purchased for its supposed safety features.
About a month ago (april 2011) while moving forward at around 5 to 10 mph i reached for the glove box and my shirt cuff caught the shift handle and thru the transmission into reverse.while i was lucky and there were no injuries this appears to be a serious safety defect that should be addressed by subaru of north america.there are no built in safety locks or mechanisms to prevent the transmission from being moved from reverse to drive or drive to manual shift option.actually you can shift anywhere from reverse to manual auto by bumping or pulling the shift handle with very little effort. Someone could have been seriously injured or killed.is there a recall available to correct this condition. Every american made car i've owned had a built in mechanism thatrequired that youpush down / pull up and push forward or pull backwards at the same timethru some type of manual locking mechanism......thanks i'm still driving the car but damage to the transmission is unknown.
The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. The contact was driving at 45 mph when every service warning light illuminated. The vehicle began to jerk abnormally while changing gears. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the contact was informed that there was a miscommunication between the speed sensor and transmission. The dealer made repairs to the vehicle. The warning lights were no longer illuminated.two hours later, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer where another repair was performed on the vehicle. The failure persisted intermittently after the second repair when driving between 25 and 35 mph. The failure mileage was 13,357 and the current mileage was 14,800.
Brought it to honda dealership i purchased it used. 18 months later, i'm having the current issue. Thought it was as simple as using white lithium grease to deal with the squeak in the clutch. They said it was a rubber gasket that is part of the foot pedal assembly and that the foot pedal assembly would need replacing, the subaru dealer ship also claims the noise transfers through the clutch master cylinder from the clutch assembly. The noise occurs when pushing and releasing the clutch and is driving me mad. Muscatell subaru informed me it will make this noise and eventually break and my clutch will then be difficult if not impossible to push. I don't want to wait for this to occur and its an extremely expensive repair for something thats just annoying at the moment. But apparently they'll have to lift the whole transmission to have access to the area where the repair would occur. I've seen earlier years of this model have issues like this and supposedly 2009 models have the issue fixed, but it seems that my 2009 is having this issue...
My seat belt warning light on the dashboard was coming on intermittently but usually went off if i turned the engine off and restarted it. But now it's on constantly. The dealer says it's a malfunction involving the passenger seat belt apparatus and it's not cover under the extended warranty. The cost of the repair is estimate to be over $350. I see online that many people have this problem with the 2005-2009 outbacks. The mechanism is obviously defective and should be recalled.
While coming down a hill, i applied the brakes, and suddenly lost all brake pedal pressure, only being able to stop using a handbrake. This complete loss of the braking system put me and other drivers at risk. Had i been traveling at higher speeds, an accident could have occurred. The brake system warning light came on at the same time as i pumped the brake pedal, and there were no prior indications that the brake system was about to fail. When i inspected the car for fluid leaks, i found that the brake master cylinder was empty and a lot of fluid had collected just in front of the rear passenger-side wheel. The brake line union block at the rear of the car was severely corroded as were the brake lines into and out of the union block. This exact problem was supposedly addressed by nhtsa recall 14v-311 (subaru recall wqk-47). The fix involved either applying an anti-corrosion coating or replacing the faulty brake lines. The recall was marked as completed in 2014. However, the completed recall did not prevent the problem from recurring. Since the recall was marked as "completed", subaru has refused to conduct necessary repairs on the vehicle. This is a known failure point and serious safety concern in many subaru vehicles, acknowledged by both nhtsa and subaru. I claim that the fix completed under the recall was insufficient in preventing brake line corrosion and failure.
Contacted dealer (mike shaw subaru, northglenn, co)per the nhtsa recall 14v-311--recall states inspect and repair.insisted on inspection only and replacement in the event of visible corrosion only.did not offer the application of anti-corrosive material in the event that lines are deemed acceptable.
Went to local suburb dealership and was expecting a free loaner vehicle but was not and that was in the recall so they local dealership did not deliver the service that they were supposed to fix for the recall!
Our 2009 subaru outback is radically dangerous when driving on compacted snow or ice.the car becomes almost uncontrollable with rear oversteer on moderately slippery roads; even at very slow speeds without applying any acceleration.our vehicle has always displayed these "quirks" but it is now outright dangerous.the car is a manual transmission and has been extremely well maintained.i certainly hope nhtsa is aware of this issue as there is clearly a design flaw.we have never been in an accident but living in the midwest driving this car it feels like it only a matter of time.the handling is so bad that it becomes a danger to overcoming traffic.
Driving on straight, semi-icy roads between northern michigan and northern wisconsin at speeds from 40mph to 50mph the 2009 subaru outback loaded with approx 500lbs of cargo and passengers (driver included) would suddenly swerve back and forth ( referred to as ghost walking ). Would have to reduce speed and pull over to shoulder numerous times and allow all traffic behind vehicle to pass since no one else was having any handling problems.vehicle would regain stability and would handle fine for some time and then would repeat the ghost walking situation once again.this happened approx 6 six times for a total drive time of 35 minutes.called 4 different subaru dealerships and spoke with their service department and all technicians told me they have never heard of such a problem.researched the issue with numerous subaru website forums and found many complaints of what appears to be the exact same problem.
Vehicle has a shimmy when driving at highway speeds: 70-75 mph.shimmy has been present since vehicle delivery.5 trips to the service department over 10 months did not resolve this issue.
In may of this year, dash started to get stick and also produces a bad glare on windshield.has gotten worse as heat has progressed in sc during the summer.
Dashboard is very sticky as though melting. Noticed for over a year now and getting worse.
I recently filled out this form (complaint # 10837114) concerning my hood latch becoming unlatched on its own. It has happened again. After an approximate 16 mile round trip drive i parked the car in the garage and noted that the hood of the car had become unlatched on its own. Should i report this every time it happens?
While driving i noticed my hood was unlatched. I had not recently had it open for any reason..
Inside cab hood latch can trigger by contactwith right leg when exiting vehicle, driver can usually see hood not secure while driving, resulting in stop vehicle and secure hood. On 1/6/2016 while traveling over the jamestown bridge, hood flew up and smashed the windshield resulting in hood,window and roof damage. No visible sign of the latch not being secure was present, see liberty mutual insurance claim 033127030 dated 01/06/2016
Driving on slick road conditions ice/snow on freeway with lightly loaded subaru outback (4 passengers, which included 2 females in back seat and light luggage for four). The rear of car began "ghostwalking" oscillating side to side about 3-4" at approximately 30 miles/hour on straight road. Passed by numerous 2 wheel drive trucks and cars traveling at much faster rates. Needed to pull to shoulder because the care felt too unstable/unsafe. This did not appear to be related to driver error, slick road surface or tires. This was a first experience for me and first time on slick surface with vehicle loaded. Many other people report same experience with this phenomenon. Spooky and very scary is best way to describe. This is not safe!
I recently purchased a 2009 subaru outback 2.5 special edition.while driving on i-35 near cloquet, mn, the car exhibited dangerously unstable handling that has been described by other subaru outback owners.the road conditions were icy and even with greatly reduced speed the car would slide/drift sideways on straightaways.this was very unnerving as i could do nothing save reducing my speed to a crawl to avoid this drifting effect.at this point i was being passed by all other traffic on the highway (semis, fwd and rwd cars, etc.), which did not seem to have the handling issues i was having.the car is new (3700 miles) and i had just taken to a shop that morning for an oil change and everything checked out ok.i believe the outback has a dangerous handling issue that appears to manifest primarily when fully loaded (i had 2 passengers and gear) and on smooth and slippery roads.i am scared to drive this car in snowy conditions, which is unfortunate given i live in mn and bought this car for winter driving and its awd properties.i have never had a car handle so poorly in my 16 years of winter driving.
Driving on straight, semi-icy roads between northern michigan and northern wisconsin at speeds from 40mph to 50mph the 2009 subaru outback loaded with approx 500lbs of cargo and passengers (driver included) would suddenly swerve back and forth ( referred to as ghost walking ). Would have to reduce speed and pull over to shoulder numerous times and allow all traffic behind vehicle to pass since no one else was having any handling problems.vehicle would regain stability and would handle fine for some time and then would repeat the ghost walking situation once again.this happened approx 6 six times for a total drive time of 35 minutes.called 4 different subaru dealerships and spoke with their service department and all technicians told me they have never heard of such a problem.researched the issue with numerous subaru website forums and found many complaints of what appears to be the exact same problem.
Road conditions: poor, icy.vehicle:2009 subaru outback wagon loaded with 4 passengers (2 adult, 2 teen, plus "light" luggage).when the vehicle passed over an icy patch, the car swayed from side to side violently.on subaru forum websites, this type of loss of control is termed "ghost walking" which is an odd but accurate term for the feel of the situation.i have seen multiple entries on the owners' forum websites describing this phenomena, and it apparently affects several model years.my dealer offers to re-align the back tires which may fix the instability problem (which is attributed to "load") but which will cause another problem: excessive tire wear.this is a dangerous situation.as subaru markets the car for the winter driving market, it needs to fix this dangerous design flaw before someone is killed over compensating for the system-driven fishtailing.please note:although subaru attributes this to "loading" of the vehicle, the car was not loaded beyond strictly normal use for a station wagon.this is as dangerous as "sudden acceleration" in toyota.
Vehicle has a shimmy when driving at highway speeds: 70-75 mph.shimmy has been present since vehicle delivery.5 trips to the service department over 10 months did not resolve this issue.
Vehicle has a shimmy when driving at highway speeds: 70-75 mph.shimmy has been present since vehicle delivery.5 trips to the service department over 10 months did not resolve this issue.
2009 subaru outback. Consumer states problems with the tire pressure monitoring system light illuminating. *tgw the consumer stated after he adjusted the tire pressure to the cold pressure of 32 psi front and 30 psi rear which was listed on the sticker on the drivers side door, the tpms light illuminated when he drove the vehicle. The vehicle was taken in for service and the tire pressure was adjusted to 30 psi which caused the light to go out. The service tech recommended all four tires be adjusted to 30 psi for a period of time to determine if the tpms would illuminate again.the consumer stated the tpms was not working as designed, due to the fact, the light would illuminate when the tires were properly adjusted.
The tire pressuure management system on my 2009 subaru outback 2.5 xt ltd has never worked properly and the local subaru service center (wackerli of idaho falls), the regional servic emanager and subaru of america refused to fix the problem.
When it rained dash lights come on would not go out when turned car on for a few days next rain went to check car when started lights came on then all went out and a loud noise and fire under hood
Car turns over but will not start.
Road conditions: poor, icy.vehicle:2009 subaru outback wagon loaded with 4 passengers (2 adult, 2 teen, plus "light" luggage).when the vehicle passed over an icy patch, the car swayed from side to side violently.on subaru forum websites, this type of loss of control is termed "ghost walking" which is an odd but accurate term for the feel of the situation.i have seen multiple entries on the owners' forum websites describing this phenomena, and it apparently affects several model years.my dealer offers to re-align the back tires which may fix the instability problem (which is attributed to "load") but which will cause another problem: excessive tire wear.this is a dangerous situation.as subaru markets the car for the winter driving market, it needs to fix this dangerous design flaw before someone is killed over compensating for the system-driven fishtailing.please note:although subaru attributes this to "loading" of the vehicle, the car was not loaded beyond strictly normal use for a station wagon.this is as dangerous as "sudden acceleration" in toyota.
Takata recall - the letter from nhtsa via subaru re. The recall was misleading. 1. It said the repair would take approx. 1 hour 48 minutes. It took all day. I unexpectedly had to leave the car overnight at great inconvenience to me. 2. The directive not to let anyone ride in the front passenger seat was impossible because we have four people and only one car! also, this obviously means i have been driving a dangerous car for 8 years!3. When i complained to subaru of america they said the wording of the recall letter was entirely nhtsa's. Assuming subaru's assertion is true, your communication about this matter was horrible, misleading and frightening.
The hood latch has failed repeatedly causing the hood to become unlatched while driving, presumably risking the hood flying up and impairing visibility.a different subaru model was recalled for this failure but not the outback model (2009 or other).this keeps happening.
I recently purchased a 2009 subaru outback 2.5 special edition.while driving on i-35 near cloquet, mn, the car exhibited dangerously unstable handling that has been described by other subaru outback owners.the road conditions were icy and even with greatly reduced speed the car would slide/drift sideways on straightaways.this was very unnerving as i could do nothing save reducing my speed to a crawl to avoid this drifting effect.at this point i was being passed by all other traffic on the highway (semis, fwd and rwd cars, etc.), which did not seem to have the handling issues i was having.the car is new (3700 miles) and i had just taken to a shop that morning for an oil change and everything checked out ok.i believe the outback has a dangerous handling issue that appears to manifest primarily when fully loaded (i had 2 passengers and gear) and on smooth and slippery roads.i am scared to drive this car in snowy conditions, which is unfortunate given i live in mn and bought this car for winter driving and its awd properties.i have never had a car handle so poorly in my 16 years of winter driving.
My 2009 subaru outback began idling erratically in november 2009, causing the vehicle to lurch forward when slowly entering parking spaces and resulting in road service pulling me from a ditch at the end of a post office parking space.as a result i drive with the foot brake firmly down whenever i park to fight the lurching.the subaru service departments at two subaru dealers tell me this is normal, that newer subaru's computers are set for faster idle to compensate for power steering and air conditioning demands.i believe the vehicle is dangerous and will trade it in if the condition can't be remedied.thank you.
The contact owns a 2009 subaru outback. The contact stated that while the brakes were depressed, the vehicle accelerated forward unexpectedly and then in reverse before crashing into two other vehicles and a brick wall. The vehicle was destroyed. The police and fire department were contacted and a report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a local repair shop and the manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure and the current mileage was 22,000.updated 10/31/12*ljthe consumer stated as she pulled into a vacant spot, with her foot on the brake, the vehicle emitted a roar and surged over a curb upwards and crashed into a tree, with her foot still on the brake. The vehicle went backwards and hit an suv parked illegally behind her car. The vehicle then continued backwards, hit another car and finally crashed into the outside wall of a library and stopped.the air bag did not deploy. Updated 10/31/12
09 outback was blowing fuses on the door lock circuit.put in a new fuse and it would blow in a few days, often when car washed or driven in rain (or perhaps when rear hatch operated).last replacement fuse has held for a few weeks now, through summer.then the rear wiper stopped working.saw this video and then pulled the wiring boot connecting hatch with body (to right of hatch hinges) and sure enough four wires are snapped right where video shows - at bottom of right boot:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amekptvgmhs.
Individual wires in the harness powering and controlling the brake, turn, backup, and license plate lights, and the rear wiper motor and washer pump, may fail without warning. This failure could result in an rear end collision or impairing vision out the rear window in inclement weather.the point of failure is inside the flexible rubber boot protecting the harness where it passes from the rear frame of the main body to the top of the rear lift gate. It appears that repeated flexing of the wires inside the protective boot, as the rear lift gate is opened and closed, work hardens the insulation and copper wires causing them to eventually break. Symptoms may appear as static on the radio, failing rear lights, and/or failing rear wiper/washer motors. In my case, i experienced radio static and a failure of the rear wiper/washer motors.trouble shooting led me to cut open the protective boot revealing the broken wires. Further inspection revealed that the wire insulation was brittle in the area of the breaks.a search online revealed this is not an isolated incident.
After fuses blown repeatedly and replaced, rear wiper, washer pump and lock ceased to operate for perhaps a year. Recently the headlights got real funky - would not operate in normal "on" position. But then some strange behavior when shifted into reverse (ignition on without starting to allow shifting). Headlights still not lit in either off or on position, but then came on as switch moved back from headlights on to running lights position! i happened upon the video mentioned in an earlier post about rear wiring harness issue which easily could have been related to wiper/lock issue, so took a look. Inspection revealed 11 severed wires with a clump of 5 or so melted together and another 3 wires nearly severed (see photos). Dealer says he'll replace wiring harness for $350 -500, and had a same generation outback in the shop for same work. Service mgr suggested a call to subaru customer care line. If you have goofy electrical issues, especially in rear, check the wiring inside boot from body to door on upper right side. It's not easy to get at as wires are short, which may have led to quite a serious, um, short. Call subaru before your headliner ignites...
There is a well documented faulty design issue that leads to failure of the wiring harness (rear gate cord) to the rear wagon door/gate of this model subaru ouback wagons.failure of the wiring harness has affected me while driving the vehicle.as this issue has progressed, more and more wires break, completely severed, and lead to the rear lock not working, then backup lights not working, rear defroster not working, wiper not working, and license plate light not working.this is a safety issue, especially the backup lights, rear defroster, rear wiper, and locking mechanism not working at all!these compromise visibility and car safety.this faulty design, or faulty material choice is clearly subaru's fault:severed electrical wires, as a result of normal use, should not be acceptable, especially when they compromise safety by disabling backup lights and the rear lock.while the replacement cable itself is only $63, the subaru dealerships want to charge over $500 in labor.i am really disappointed that there has been no recall, or support on this issue from subaru of america.i cannot find any official response from subaru on this issue.i don't think it's fair to have loyal customers like myself, pay excessive labor charges to fix a safety problem that is a design flaw from subaru.
The rear gate wiring harness failed, causing rear brake lights and tail lights to stop working.without replacing the rear gate wiring harness ($88.80 parts + $448.80 labor + 51.07 tax) soon the rear wiper and defrost would not work and the back hatch would lock.this is a serious safety issue, i want to see a recall and reimbursement of $588.67from subaru of america.
While traveling on a 2 lane road at night during a heavy rainfall, my driver side windshield wiper disconnected and jammed into the bottom of the windshield, jamming the passenger side wiper as well. Visibility in the rain was reduced to almost nothing. I turned on the emergency lights and traveled further down the road a greatly reduced speed, unable to make out any place to turn off. By slowing down i was increasing my chances of avoiding an accident, but increasing the risk for the cars in front, approaching and behind me. The problem was that a small plastic pin in the wiper blade had fallen out, a quality control issue. This tiny part could have caused a major accident. I urge you to require higher quality standards for the wipe blades. I can't find a manufacturer identification on the wiper blade, but i still have it.
Wiper switch on steering column fails to operate at temperatures below 20 degrees fahrenheit. Please investigate. Thank you
Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6)2009 subaru outback windshield wipers ice up too easily, necessitating my pulling over and manually removing ice from between the metal parts.have had a mild winter here and was only a problem in the past during serious winter storms. Dealer could only replace with same design.the 2010 subarus all have redesigned wiper blades that are covered to prevent the problem. These blades do not fit my model. A call to 800-subaru3, [xxx]said subaru has no plans to change the wiper blades on the 2009 model.present design is dangerous here in northern ohio.
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