2001 Subaru Outback Complaint Log

WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY, CONSUMER EXPERIENCED TOTAL BRAKE FAILURE, CONSUMER WAS ABLE TO STOP VEHICLE BY DEPRESSING BRAKE PEDAL ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR, SLOWLY THE VEHICLE CAME TO A FULL STOP, VEHICLE WAS TAKEN INTO DEALERSHIP AND MECHANIC DISCOVERED THERE WAS A DEFECTIVE MASTER CYLINDER. *JB

WHILE ON LINE BEHIND ANOTHER VEHICLE CONSUMER PUT FOOT ON BRAKE PEDAL AND ACCELERATOR AT SAME TIME. CONSUMER ACCELERATED INTO REAR OF SOMEONE'S CAR. CONSUMER FELT THERE WAS A MANUFACTURER'S DEFECT IN THESE PEDALS.*AK THE CONSUMER STATES THAT BRAKE PEDAL AND ACCELERATOR ARE POORLY LOCATED DUE TO DESIGN FLAW. *YH

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE GOES TO THE RIGHT. CONSUMER HAS TAKEN VEHICLE TO DEALER, BUT NO NOTATION HAS BEEN MADE CONCERNING THE PROBLEM. ONE OF THE DEALERSHIPS EMPLOYEE'S TEST DROVE VEHICLE WITH CONSUMER, AND DID NOT NOTICE WHEEL TURNING. DEALER HAS SHOWEN NO CONCERN TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. PLEASE ADD THE VIN# AND MILEAGE TO FORM.*AK

SINCE NEW, THE CLUTCH IN THIS CAR HAS HAD A BAD SHUDDER WHEN COLD OUTSIDE -- BAD ENOUGH TO SHAKE THE ENTIRE CAR AS THE CLUTCH ENGAGES. IT ONLY HAPPENS WHEN IT'S COLD, BUT NOT ALL THE TIME WHEN IT'S COLD, MAKING IT NIGH IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE DEALER TO DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. 20K MILES LATER, THE PROBLEM STILL EXISTS FOR ME AND APPARENTLY MANY, MANY OTHER OUTBACK DRIVERS. INTERNET POSTS CONFIRM THAT THIS IS A "COMMON" SUBARU PROBLEM, ALTHOUGH A FIX IS NOT READILY AVAILABLE. THE DEALER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THERE ARE KNOWN PROBLEMS WITH SOME LEGACY/OUTBACK CLUTCHES, BUT UNTIL THE CLUTCH WILL RELIABLY FAIL WHILE THEY HAVE IT, THEY CANNOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT. MOST PEOPLE, LIKE ME, JUST DEAL WITH THE HORRIBLE SHAKING, BUT I CAN CERTAINLY SEE HOW THIS COULD LEAD TO A HAZARDOUS SITUATION WHEN SOMEONE TRIES TO PULL INTO TRAFFIC AND BECOMES STARTLED BY THE SHUDDERING CAR, BACKING OFF THE GAS AND POSSIBLY GETTING HIT.

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOV EVEHICLE. *AK (TIRESIZE: 225/60/16)( DOT NUMBER: TIRE SIZE: 225/60/16 )

INTERIOR LIGHTS TYPICALLY DO NOT GO OFF WHEN SHUTTING DOORS OR LIFT GATE. TO GET LIGHTS TO TURN OFF, DOORS NEED TO BE SLAMMED SO HARD I'M AFRAID THE GLASS WILL SHATTER. SUBARU DEALER HAS REFUSED TO REPAIR UNDER 3/36 WARRANTY. THEY SAID TO JUST TURN LIGHTS OFF WITH THE INTERIOR SWITCHES SO THAT THEY DO NOT TURN ON WHEN DOORS ARE OPENED. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE THE CAR WAS NEW.*AK

CONSUMER SUBARU OUTBACK TAIL LIGHTS BURNED OUT QUITE OFTEN. AFTER REPLACING THE BULB CONSUMER NOTICED THAT THE SOCKET WAS CORRODED. *TS THE ENGINE STALLED WHILE DRIVING UP A SMALL HILL. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED WHERE IT WAS DISCOVERED A BLOWN 30 AMP FUSE IN THE MOTOR SIDE FUSE BOX. THE INCIDENT HAPPENED A SECOND TIME AND THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DIFFERENT DEALER WHERE THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A BLOWN FUSE AGAIN. WHEN THE CONSUMER OPENED THE HATCH, WATER WAS POURING OUT OF THE LITTLE DOORS THAT HOUSED THE TAIL LIGHTS BULBS AND WIRES. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THE LEAKING HATCH WAS RESPONSIBLE NOT ONLY FOR THE BURNED OUT TAIL LIGHTS AND ROTTING WIRES, BUT ALSO FOR THE ELECTRICAL SHORTS THAT BLEW OUT THE 30 AMP FUSE IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT AND CAUSED THE ENGINE THE DIE.*JB

ENGINE ACCELERATES SPONTANEOUSLY AT SLOW SPEED ENTERING GARAGE WITH FOOT OFF THE GAS PEDAL WHILE BRAKING TO KEEP SPEED LOW.

WHEN YOU PUT CAR IN R AND START TO GO ALL 4 TIRES DONT ENGAGE AT THE SAME TIME. *AK

WHILE TRAVELING AT 20MPH AND WHEN STOPPING AT A LIGHT DEPRESSED BRAKE PEDAL, NOTICED PEDAL TRAVELING TO FLOORBOARD, AND LOST BRAKE POWER. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION.*AK

NO FAILURE HAS OCCURRED. SUBARU HAS ACKNOWLEDGED IN PRINT, 'DRIVE' MAGAZINE THAT THEIR EXPENSIVE VDC SYSTEM IS A LIBILITY IN CERTAIN COMMON WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS AND HAVE INCLUDED ON ALL NEW MODELS AN 'OFF' SWITCH AS STANDARD EQUIPMENT. WINTER IS COMING, AND WE HAVE A VEHICLE WHICH COULD ACTUALLY BE RENDERED IMMOBILE BY ITS TRACTION CONTROL SYSTEM. WE HAVE REQUESTED TWICE THAT A SWITCH BE ADDED AND HAVE BEEN REFUSED WITH SUBARU ONLY SAYING THAT THE MATTER IS BEING REFERRED TO MARKETING AND ENGINEERING. WE HAVE THE ARTICLE AND INFORMATION FROM THE NEW MODELS CONCERNING THIS AND WOULD BE PLEASED TO FORWARD THEM TO YOU. REGARDS, BETSY KUC. *AK

NO SUMMARY LISTED FOR ABOVE VEHICLE. *AK

ON SIX OCCASIONS WHILE DRIVING, THE DRIVER'S FOOT SLIPPED FROM THE BRAKE PEDAL TO ACCELERATOR PEDAL UNEXPECTEDLY. THE CONSUMER BELIEVED THERE WAS A DESIGN PROBLEM DUE TO INSUFFICIENT SPACE BETWEEN THE BRAKE PEDAL AND THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE BRAKE PEDAL AND ACCELERATOR PEDAL ARE TOO CLOSE. *AK ON TWO OTHER OCCASIONS, WHILE MOVING SLOWLY AHEAD, THE VEHICLE HAD GONE OUT OF CONTROL. SCC

STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION AT HIGHWAY SPEED (50-70 MPH) (TIRESIZE: 225/60/R16)

WHILE TURNING STEERING WHEEL AND WITHOUT WARNING VEHICLE VIBRATED VIOLENTLY. DEALER AND MANUFACTURER HAVE BEEN NOTIFIED. THEY STATED THAT THEY WERE AWARE OF MALFUNCTION ON STEERING COLUMN; HOWEVER, HAVE NOT FOUND OUT WHAT THE CAUSE WAS.*AK

THE CLUTCH-SHUDDER PROBLEM HAS BEEN GOING ON SINCE THIS WINTER. IT HAPPENS MOST OFTEN IN THE MORNING, COLD SEEMS TO BE A FACTOR MOST OF THE TIME, AND IT SHUDDERS WHEN YOU GO FROM STOP TO GO. FIRST GEAR IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO GET OUT OF SMOOTHLY WITHOUT THE SHUDDERING. THE DEALER CANT SEEM TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM, BUT I HAVE READ THE OTHER SUBARU OWNERS COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE SUBARU MESSAGE BOARD, SO I KNOW ITS MORE OF A PROBLEM THAN JUST OUR CAR. *TS ***DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12-12-02 CUT OVER TO ARTEMIS***761667

CAR ATTEMPTS TO ACCELERATE WHEN APPLYING BRAKES TO COME TO A STOP. ENGINE ROARS AND IT IS DIFFICULT TO STOP CAR. PROBLEM HAPPENS INTERMITTENTLY AND USUALLY WHEN THE CAR IS GOING 5 MILES PER HOUR OR LESS. BRAKE PEDAL GOES ALL THE WAY DOWN WHEN ATTEMPTING TO STOP CAR.*AK

WHILE TRAVELING AT 65 MPH, CONSUMER STATES RIGHT REAR TIRE BLEW 2 1/2 INCHES FROM THE RIM, AND THERE WERE SPLITS GOING ALL THE WAY AROUND TIRE. PLEASE PROVIDE ANY FURTHER INFORMATION.*JB

WHILE DRIVING, THE SUN ROOF EXPLODED. *JB

THE CONSUMER IS UNABLE TO GET AN APPOINTMENT SINCE JULY 2003 TO HAVE THE RECALL WORK PERFORMED. THE RECALL IS FOR REAR SUSPENSION SUB FRAME CORROSION (3V153000) . *NLM