Subaru

My wife told me our 2010 Outback was making strange noise coming from the engine and took it on a road trip to visit her mom and called to tell me that it got terrible gas mpg and that there were lights on the dash flashing--brake, cruise, and traction control lights. The code that was brought up was P0026 which is for a valve stuck.

I took it to Puyallup Subaru, and they told me it's because of low oil and that brand-new Subaru's use a quart of oil every thousand miles. I check the oil before my wife left on her trip, and the oil level was fine. They cleared the computer, change the oil, and sent me down the road. I contacted a different dealer, and they are no way, very unhappy!

My 2002 WRX was recalled for a control arm. I brought it in on December 29, and as of January 26. It is still in the shop waiting on parts. Customer service gives dates of estimated arrival of parts, but they keep moving them up. My car is in the shop indefinitely. I love the car, which is why I want it back, but I would never go with Subaru again. How can they just keep your car indefinitely. This is unacceptable service!

I own a 2005 Subaru Forester. It has a factory installed lift bar on the back hatch. This bar has been replaced 3 times, due to a rust issue (from the rear washer fluid spraying on top of it). My local Subaru dealer said that it is a Subaru flaw, and not only are they no longer able to get replacements from Subaru, but will not cover the cost under my bumper-to-bumper warranty.

I have a 2011 Subaru 2.5X 4 cylinder automatic transmission EPA 21/27. On a cold start up, my 2011 Forester engine made a loud knocking noise, similar to a spun rod bearing. The dealer says, all Forester engines are noisy. This is not a normal noise for any engine. The fuel mileage is also deplorable 25 highway on cruise. In th county/suburb 18-22. I don't drive in the city, normally. My last Subaru had no engine noise, even at 200,000 miles, and got great fuel mileage, 4-5 above EPA rating.

I returned to dealer shop 3 times. There is nothing wrong with it, according to them. Foresters do not get better than 25mpg, and all are noisy. I contacted the Subaru customer service online. They talked to the dealer, but have not helped fix the problem at all. It's basically a waste of time. It currently has 9,000 miles. I purchased this new at the Richmond Subaru/Moore Cadillac.

I received yet another recall letter on my 2006 Subaru Forester from Subaru dated 11/11, this one for the front lower control arm. The letter said to contact the dealer immediately as it could cause a crash. I am told that the earliest date that the Subaru dealer in our area can deal with it is at the end of April, 2012 because the parts that need to be replaced are "back-ordered".

If this was the only time this happened I would not be so upset, but I keep getting similar notices along with malfunctions such as the steering column which stopped working, computer malfunction and rusted wheels that happen every few months, and which are very expensive to have repaired.

The horn on my 2009 Sabaru Impreza started to sound spontaneously while sitting in my driveway. My son finally removed the fuse (my 21 year old son drives the car most of the time). This was in April 2011. We took the car to the dealership and they determined that the horn was damaged due to "excessive outside force" and that my son must have hit the steering wheel repeatedly with his fists or a hammer. The price to fix the horn would be $966.80 plus tax. My son loves the car and takes very good care of it. He told Donna that he did not damage the steering wheel and she told him to just admit it. "The same thing happened a couple of weeks ago and the young man finally admitted it," she said. Again, my son said that he did not hit the steering wheel.

He saw a tiny dent in the emblem on the steering wheel about a week after we got the car. But he didn't say anything to me and said he didn't want to bother the Sabaru people about it. It didn't interfere with the car at all and it wasn't worth complaining about (he knows better now). Now the car's inspection is due and it cannot pass without a horn. I have talked to the service manager and customer service. I have had several phone calls (long ones, as it takes about 30 minutes to get through to anyone) and learned that the Sabaru company has an excellent system for keeping a customer from speaking to anyone. I think they invented the "run around". The people working in customer service are nice at first. But as they keep putting you off and you keep calling, they get more and more rude and abrupt.

I spoke to Jeff, Bill, and finally Shirley. Shirley offered me 50% off the "warranty rate" which she said was $800. When I asked what a warranty rate was, she said that if the warranty is in effect, there is a certain rate that the customer pays. No warranty means the "non-warranty rate" which in my case she said was $1400. She said, "That's our final offer; take it or leave it." She said she thought it was a very generous offer considering I did the damage myself. I told her that was exactly the point: we did not do the damage. I was skeptical about her actually being a customer service rep. So, I asked what her job title was and she said she was the customer relations manager for the "entire region", whatever that means.

I have written a letter to the corporate headquarters in Cherry Hill, NJ and a letter directly to the president of Subaru of America. I went back to Mid-Hudson Sabaru to try and reason with them. They again said that I or my son caused the damage. When I said that was not true, the manager said, "Well, that's our determination and what you say really doesn't matter." Also, I asked Donna if the $966.80 was the "warranty rate" or the "non-warranty rate" and she said it was the non-warranty rate. Then, I told her about Shirley's conversation with me and suddenly the $966.80 became the "warranty rate". Donna said she actually did not know where Shirley got the $1400.00 price from. I told her that Shirley said she got the figure from her. Donna said that was not true (and they say I'm lying!).

Manufactured figures, lies, back peddling, avoidance behavior, and general disrespect have been nonstop since this problem began 9 months ago. I told them I would not pay the $400 as I did not cause the problem and it should be covered under the factory warranty and that my integrity was not for sale. They said, "Whatever." Sabaru couldn't care less about my problem. That's a nice company policy. I told the service manager, Rob, that I might as well give them the car back as we can't drive it uninspected. I said, "I bet you'll fix the horn then." He said, "Of course. Then it will be ours." Don't buy a Sabaru. I never will again.

We have a '09 Outback that has weather stripping falling off the back door. We took it to Ganley Euclid, OH about 3 times and they said we have to live with it. Next, we have both lighters/chargers that have pulled totally out of the sockets. I cannot believe everybody that paid $30,000 for a '09 Subaru Outback is putting up with this poor workmanship. We have owned 20 years of Subarus and have lost our commitment to them.

Gas mileage rated 27/36. I am getting 21/27. What is going on? I got rid of a 2011 Kia for the same reason. Now, what do I do? You can contact me by email. Thank you.

I bought a brand new Subaru Outback in 2005 and the engine completely failed at 51,000 miles out of nowhere in 2009. I fought Subaru on it for 3 months and they finally agreed to pay for the new engine. Now, after 3 years and 30,000 miles the engine has failed again! The car is only 7 years old and has had 2 complete engine failures. Subaru is telling me they can't do anything about it and they want $4000 to fix it, about twice what a local mechanic might quote.

I spoke to my dad's mechanic who has been working on cars in the same location in Palo Alto for more than 30 years (since before I was born.) He said that he won't work on Subaru engines because there is a major problem with them. They blow head gaskets and then Subaru tries to pin the failure on the mechanic or on the owner and it causes problems. Apparently, there are many mechanics here that won't touch them because Subaru legal is taking care of this engine problem.

When I look online, there are dozens of sites about this Subaru engine problem, websites were hundreds of people have logged in and documented their head gasket failures at 30,000, 50,000, 70,000 miles. Way too soon for any engine to be failing. Subaru still denies there's a problem, but they redesigned the engine a few years ago and now it's not failing in the new cars. Several folks have tried to put together class action lawsuits, but I don't think any of them have gone forward. Meanwhile, if you look on sites that give recommendations on buying used Subarus, they all say if you're going to buy one from roughly 1998-2006 with this particular engine, you need to make sure it's failed once and had the major repair done. Otherwise, it's not worth buying because it will fail soon. That's crazy!

From what I can tell - most people just go ahead and pay for the repair, some people get better deals, and a few actually get the repairs covered. It seems to depend entirely on how much of a fight you put up. A friend of my mother's has already had 2 new engines put in because of this problem in the first 80,000 miles, too, and he paid for them!

My car is currently sitting at Carlsen Subaru in Redwood City, waiting to be worked on. It originally failed on Christmas Day. So, it's been more than 2 weeks and nothing has been resolved. At this point, my goal is to get Subaru to buy the car back from me. I'd be happy with Blue Book Value. I just don't want to deal with it anymore. And it breaks my heart because I love my car. But it's given me 3 years of stress now, so I'm done. Is there anything you can do to help me and other Subaru drivers? Thanks so much for your time.

I want this information to be sent to the International Export Division of Subaru in Japan, to its General Manager. I have a Subaru Legacy 2.0L SW LX year 1998. The material of the front brake pads of the car were very hard. Harder than the brake pads sold by your dealers in Peru, South America. You have placed my life in harm's way many times because the car would not stop at low and high speeds. When I replaced the brake pads, the car stopped adequately.

Recommendations: Watch very carefully your personnel that work in your quality department like a hawk, better fire them and replace them with a new crew. Your biggest dealer in Peru, Indumotora Subaru, is doing a very lousy job with its customers. I recommend you to kick their asses and make them work, if not look for another dealer that can attend the customers in an appropriate way. All your brochures talk about the outstanding security of all Subaru cars, do something to maintain this remark.

They charged me $84 for wiper blades! They changed the brake fluid in just the reservoir and nobody does that. For another $80, I'll go to another mechanic-parts store from now on.

I bought a 2004 Impreza WRX from Grayson Subaru in Knoxville Tennessee , with an extended warranty with only 37,976 miles than at 41,890 miles. Major engine repairs costing $3152 than at 50, 052 miles, major engine repair costing $6,037.93 than an inspection of there work costing only $51.07 than at 58,061 miles. Needed a new turbo costing $1,600 than at 60,824 miles oil leak costing $845.09 than at 62,634 miles same oil leak costing $1,331.40, and now the car has had major engine failure again including the turbo. I change the oil when it's needed between 3000 and 4500 miles. And now you're telling me it's my fault . Can someone help me out for me to a good east Tennessee lawyer that can help me out to claim my money back from Grayson Subaru in Knoxville Tennessee?

We have a 2009 Suburu Forester with 8,790 miles on it. We drive relatively little compared to many families, and have taken excellent care of the car, meeting all of the required inspections. Last Sunday (Oct. 31st) ,as I backed out of a shopping mall parking place and started down the aisle toward the exit, the car gave a sudden sharp, powerful acceleration, as if the accelerator was pushed down hard. It lasted only a couple of seconds, and did not cause a problem. It did not reoccur the next day. However, on Tuesday (Nov. 1st), it happened again, this time causing a small accident. My wife pulled out of a parking lot on to a small side street, immediately making a left turn toward the main thoroughfare. The car gave the same sudden, sharp acceleration as she was making the turn and, as a consequence, the right front tire slammed into the curb on the far side of the side street, before she could brake, slashing the front tire. Although only one tire was involved, we had to buy 4 new tires (at a cost of $616).

We are making two requests: 1. Reimbursement of the cost of the new tires 2. Investigation of this potentially dangerous condition to be sure that it doesn't happen to others.

It was a broken #4 piston ringland at 1,987 miles. The warranty was initially denied but after much fighting, was reimbursed for engine replacement as a "goodwill gesture" because I'd bought 6 new Subarus in 4 years.

At just over 9000 miles (or 7000 on the new engine), #4 piston ringland broke. I drove it to the dealership running poorly but was staying on top of the oil situation as the first motor had chugged its oil. Months later, I had to have the car finally flat-bedded home and it looked like it'd been driven within an inch of its life before having the engine dismantled, then all the parts careless thrown into the car, destroying things like my radiator and intercooler and even the seats. Many fasteners were missing because they'd been simply left under the hood. The oil pan and oil filter was smashed as if engine had been dropped from a decent height.

I fought with them over it for nearly a year as the car sat engineless in my garage, then finally filed suit when I was able to get the dealership to give me copies of the work orders, which were nothing short of blatant lies.

I have filed suit and rather than step up and explain to a judge and jury how they're not at fault for the second ruined engine (and I'm far from the only person who's had this failure), they're just delaying things by challenging venue, then getting a continuance on their venue challenge.

The 08 STi (and reportedly other years, but the failure numbers are staggeringly high for the 08) is very simply a product Subaru is selling knowing full well it doesn't meet merchantability requirements and they're just getting by as cheaply as they can until the warranties expire on them. I was a loyal customer, buying a new one every year until the 08 destroyed itself after only 2 months of ownership then again before it'd reached 2 years.

To say Subaru and especially Subaru of America is unscrupulous is a whopper of an understatement. And, sadly, it's also not an understatement to say that the 08 completely changed my life, for the worse. It brought an abrupt end to a hobby (driving school instructor) that was the catharsis that enabled me to be the successful president of a rapidly-growing dotcom.

When you are so egregiously victimized and disrespected by a company, the effects are far-reaching. Please, do not buy any 08-11 STi as their failure rate as a percentage of units sold is astronomical. But aside from a few of us squeaky wheels (and I may get crushed further in seeking justice, but I have to try), they'll be able to simply sweep this horrific ripping off of their customers under the rug because of it being such a comparatively low-production car, it likely won't have the absolute failure *quantities* to get the attention of any agency who can force them to do right by their customers.

After 21,000 miles my vehicle has had to have the engine replaced along with other major parts. Initially, when I received my vehicle back, it had to be returned the same day. It's because the mechanics at Garcia Subaru of El Paso failed to lock the major coolant hose. It caused my car with a new engine to run hot and coolant to spill all over the new engine. When I received my vehicle back the 2nd time, the turbo was not working and the performance of my car was less than it was, prior to this major repair.

I have been a loyal customer of Saturn/Subaru of South Blvd. in Charlotte, NC. I drive a Saturn 2000 Wagon and had a problem with a weeping radiator. I took it to Subaru and told them to look for the car over to make sure there were no other problems looming so I don't put money into a car that isn't worth it. I assumed they looked it over and did the repair. I drove the car home and the next day, my husband noticed an oil leak on the garage floor. I thought it was an overflow issue since I had just gotten it out of the shop and if it was a problem, surely they would have noticed. So I just overlooked it. This continued for a couple of weeks and no lights came on, so I assumed it was no problem.

It got to where there was a pool of oil left behind all the time. I took it back to Subaru and they looked at it again and determined that there was a seal leak that would cost $1800.00 to fix. It had a slow leak that turned into a gusher between Subaru and my home the day I picked it up. I was very upset that at their direction, I had just poured $1200.00 into a car that had an obvious leak that they did not even mention. Now, they tell me the car is not even worth the $1800.00 it would cost to fix.

My question is: Why didn't they tell me that $1200.00 ago? I discussed it with the service manager David ** and they had no interest in doing anything to address the problem. It was my problem and their was nothing they would do. I walked in the door as a loyal customer and walked out as a very unhappy camper. I later phoned and asked to talk to the manager, who was in a meeting, so I told the man who took the message for the manager what had happened. He said he would relay the message and have him call me!

It has been 2 weeks and I have not heard a word from anyone! I hope you can explain this because I am shocked that they would treat a customer like that! They turned a person, who was in the dealership in need of a new car, into a person who would never buy a car there and will be more than happy to tell all of my friends, who are lifelong animal rescuers, about my ordeal with a Subaru dealership! I even have a dear, personal friend who is a Pilots N Paws volunteer. He would be as shocked as I am if I told him this. I would like to know what you think of this. I am in the market for a new car! Your response will determine what course I could take from here! I'll await your reply! Thank you for your time! Kathy **

What the hell is this Subaru dealer in Jordan? I am really shocked when I saw the underground garage. It's hidden and so dirty. No one can see it and they don't have a system at all. They don't even know the history of the car service schedule. There is no clean waiting area for customers. Please just come to Jordan without informing the dealer of your visit and see this with your own eyes. It is unbelievable. They lied to Subaru by convincing them that the garage is the one above ground close to the gas station. It is not, it's the Renault garage .Subaru in Jordan is dying. There are a lot of Subaru lovers in Jordan waiting for solution .By the way, there are no available spare parts in the dealer's warehouse. Just come urgently without informing them of your visit and see the disaster.

I never had any problems with my Subaru 2007 Forester. However, one day, after I drove it 12 miles to work, 12 miles to go back home, 6 miles to park and ride my bike, and another 6 miles to go home--the next morning, it was broken. The dealership claims over heating and warped cylinder head--it never over heated, ever. It is costing me $3,587 to repair. Has this happened across Subaru's? Should there be a recall on 2007 Foresters? Could it really not be covered under warranty? I keep my car in good condition, check the water and oil and I have proof of oil changes--the last one was 06 July 11. All this happened on 01 Sept 11. Can you help me?

My wife and I purchased this car and purchased the extended warranty, just in case. While on a long trip, the check engine light came on and within 10 minutes, I had lost all power from the turbocharger.

The dealer informed me that the oil feed tube filter was clogged and caused the failure. This is not listed anywhere as to maintenance or inspection. Bottom line is, the dealer stated that my warranty is expired by three months and they won't be covering the costs.

I've owned several Subaru cars and was thinking of buying/trading up, but if your systems are not capable of even lasting to 100 thousand miles without a catastrophic failure, surely I won't be making any further purchases from your company. I change my oil personally every 3k, and the car has only 94k miles. What kind of product do you call this?

So, what you're saying in your email is, "Yes, we're aware of the problem but we're not responsible since we didn't issue a recall or even a TSB concerning this filter screen and we absolved ourselves of all responsibility regardless of impeccable maintenance per factory recommendations." Therefore, **.

Really? Just how long do you plan to remain in business if this is how you operate? Sort of an "already got your money, dude" attitude? This car didn't even make it to its first timing belt change and that's somehow OK with you? I cannot believe a corporation as big as Subaru absolutely will not stand behind its product!

As an ASE-certified master technician with over 25 years in this business, I've been repeatedly asked about who makes a good car and without question, the answer won't be you, quite the opposite.

I'm absolutely appalled! Ninety-four thousand miles and a hidden, non-serviceable filter takes out a turbo and possibly the engine with it, and you say tough **!

I own a 2005 Subaru Outback 2.5 XT. I love my car! It's my baby and I take great care of it and great pride in it! I have been one of Subaru's biggest fans since I was young, convinced my parents to buy a Subaru as a teenager, and have owned two myself; I have trusted and supported this company through the years.

However, after recently after having repairs done for a broken turbo at one of their Certified Subaru Service Centers, my engine died due to the fact that their technicians did not remove the oil pan after replacing the shredded turbo (a standard and required part of their repair!). Since the repair, Subaru terminated the dealer's service department (Vista Subaru In Glennwood, CO) and will not honor their workmanship! Subaru has outright told me that they will not help me with the cost of the new engine, even though their certified workers are at fault (for not completing a repair per SOA's explicit directions in a bulletin I will attach) and the cost of replacing their fouled repairs combine to put the money I have in this car at $27,789 (the base price of a 2011 model!) when purchased 11 months ago for $16,500! I put 9,000 miles on this car!

I hope someone reads this and does the right thing by me! As a loyal Subaru customer, you are ensuring that I will bever have anything to do with your products ever again! I love my car, but as it lies with its engine out at the dealership, I realize that if this is how you treat your loyal customers, I must put my beautiful car to rest and move my loyalty to a company that knows how to treat its customers well!

Love, it's what makes those Subarus in your commercials different from mine!

DO NOT BUY SUBARU, DO NOT BUY THE MYTH!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bought a 2011 Subaru Outback on July 22nd. Discovered that the vehicle had a steering wheel vibration at speeds of 60-70MPH. Brought it to dealership who balanced the tires. Within a week, problem was back again. Contacted Subaru of America who advised me to return vehicle back to the dealer. However dealer stated there was nothing wrong with the vehicle.

Subaru of America is now stating that the vibration is normal for the 2010, 2011 Subaru outbacks. They are not willing to fix the problem and are suggesting I continue to drive it as is. Please advise.

I want to warn anyone looking to buy a Subaru product because of reliability, to think again and investigate. I used to be a firm believer in their reliability mantra, until I bought a 2009 Forester. It has been the biggest (and only) lemon I've ever owned! Worst of all, Subaru won't admit that the problem is a warranty item and fix it. They claim a lack of proper oil changes caused the failure. The dealer changed the oil the first 4 times and we changed it the last 3.

Never did the car get more than 6000 miles between changes! When we sent receipts to verify our part of the maintenance schedule, they accused us of "creating" or making up the receipts (even though they came straight from the store). They called us liars. Nice company, eh? We sent off a sample of the oil to an independent lab who confirmed the oil to be in excellent condition, but not recommended for continued use due to failed bearing debris in it. An independent mechanic also confirmed that the #4 piston rod bearing failed due to improper clearance at assembly. It is blatantly clear the failure had nothing to do with lubrication as every other portion of the engine is pristine. Hone marks are still visible on the cylinder walls, after 35,700 miles. The dealer has had my worthless vehicle since February 2010. It is still under the original warranty. I've spent thousands on rental car fees.

Subaru of America (SoA) won't agree to fix it on grounds that the "oil was black" and the filter "showed" age. Age?! Do you know what the underside of vehicles look like after 5000 miles of winter in MN? I have a lawyer who is willing to take it all the way to trial. His investigation has revealed that SoA is at fault, absolutely and completely. The Minnesota Attorney General reviewed our case and told SoA that they were negligent. SoA is still refusing to fix it and wants to charge us $6000 to replace our damaged engine. My primary complaint is the fact that SoA can't just accept that occasionally things go wrong during assembly and fix the problem. Common sense tells you this can, and will happen and it will be forgiven when it's remedied in a reasonable amount of time.

I only wish I could be compensated for all of the upsetting moments I have endured paying for a car I can't drive! By the way, when my credit cards got maxed on rental car fees, I started sharing my son's 1984 Dodge Aries, which happens to be in perfect running condition. It is amazing that it has run this long with our supposed inability to perform proper maintenance. To that point; my husband is a federally licensed aircraft mechanic. He knows maintenance procedures, practices, and follows rigid guidelines. Our Honda has 220,000 miles and hasn't given us any trouble.

Our '73 Mazda RX-3 had 240K when it was stolen or we'd still be driving it. Our '83 Olds had 280K on it before we sent it south (old diesels and MN winters don't mix). Moral of the story: don't buy a Subaru. I know we never will again. Love the car - hate the company! Another point; in every piece of correspondence from Subaru, they have not once addressed the bearing failure. They talk about the scoring on the top end (oil filter in by-pass allowed debris to mark valve train journals) or the color of receipts, but never about what really failed or the oil analysis results which show we used good quality oil! Are they avoiding the issue and hoping it goes away? If we all stop buying Subaru, maybe they'll go away.

I hit a guard rail at 30+ mph. The front of the car impacted the highway guard rail on the front left side, absolutely ruining the car. But none of the airbags deployed, except for a side one that had no effect. Even though everyone walked away, I am still skeptical when the airbags of a reputable car does not deploy in such situations.

While washing my 2010 Subaru Forester this week, I noticed paint bubbling on the front hood. A friend told me it looked like it had poor paint job. I purchased the car January 25, 2010 and it has 9800 miles on it. I took it in to the service department and they said that it is not a covered defect because it is from "organic fallout, bird droppings". I am filing a complaint under the NYS Lemon Law but I'm worried since I see many posts online of people complaining about inferior Subaru paint and getting nowhere with Subaru America. I live in a suburb of NYC and bird droppings are all over everyone's cars, yet the paint is not peeling. I own a Toyota that is 3 years old and the paint job is still pristine. Please advise how I should proceed. The car's front hood has a spot where the paint is bubbled and it will only get worse.

When I turned in a leased vehicle, it was in excellent condition and over 3,000 miles under the allotted mileage. I received a condition report which showed damage that wasn't on the car when I turned it in. Some of the damage I agree with but they provided no definition of "normal wear and tear". I have 4 people who can attest to the condition of the car in addition to my wife and me. They charged me $687.40 for damage that I am sure did not exist when the car was turned in to the dealer. I am submitting payment less the $687.40. I am questioning. I believe their condition report was fraudulent and predatory.

I replaced my motor at about 50,000 miles. New motor is now blown due to a broken oil pickup tube. The metal is thin and the brazing was poor. That starved the motor of oil and now I need a new motor. Of course Subaru will not do anything because I am past their warranty, but now that I have looked into this there are many people that have had this problem and it is not a recall. Subaru said that it has not happened to too many cars so they did not do a recall. This is my second and last Subaru. When the guy at Subaru said that there is nothing they would do I told him that it was my last Subaru, he hung up on me.

All notes to date: The car was brought in do to engine stall at 15-30+ mph. Would lose all control of steering, brakes etc.

7/9/2010 - dropped off my car at Subaru, got loaner; sent in for 2 recalls and engine failure.

7/9/2010 3:20 pm - something definitely wrong. Subaru tech support wants a valve and compression test done on the engine, (intake and out take) will have results Monday afternoon. Subaru rep may need to come out and see it. Manch. Subaru did state that it is not a problem with the a/c system. (keep loaner for now). Was told to "enjoy my weekend, you will probably not hear from me until Monday," per April.

7/12/2010 - No call from Subaru. Called at 5pm. Compression test done, no negative results, but aware that something is going on. May need a software update. Spoke to April, waiting for answer from Subaru of America. Said and I quote "I haven't had time to call you. Everyone is ughh because of the heat."

7/13/2010 - Received a message from Manch. Subaru Customer Service Rep that stated still waiting to hear from Subaru of America. Stated it did the valve test (which they stated was done on Monday). No answer to the problem.

7/14/2010 Spoke with April at approx 5:20pm. (Customer service rep at Subaru of Manch) Still has not received any response from Subaru Tech Support, regarding the problem with my car. She said that she feels there will not be a quick fix to this problem. There is something wrong with my car. It cannot be corrected until Subaru identifies what is wrong, rewrite the software to correct it and then fix my car. I asked if I should contact Subaru of America. She said that I need to wait as to what I need to do and calling them may be what I have to do. She asked to give her a few more days to see if Subaru Tech Support returns their calls. (additional notes on phone)

7/16/2010 at approx 9:00 am I received a call from April of Manchester Subaru. I was told that "we received an e-mail from Subaru of America stating that they are aware of a problem and working on a fix, however, it may take up to two more weeks. I can keep the loaner, April still unaware of what the problem could be. Simply saying it is probably just a software update. I asked for a copy of the e-mail that they received. A copy of the email was faxed to Brian *** at work. The SR number on the email did not match my case rather it was another customers case number!

Friday, 7/16 approx. 11:37 - Spoke to Grant at SOA customer service. Initiated a complaint on my vehicle. Was told by the rep, "Wow, I have never heard this before." He suggested I bring my car to the dealership. My car had been at the dealership for 7 days already! He stated that he would investigate the situation with the dealer. I asked for a senior rep. and he said I would receive a call within 24-48 hrs (not including the weekend).

Monday, 7/19 at approx 2:55 pm - I called SOA again (had received no response) spoke to a rep named Meghan who stated that my case had been turned over to Karen ***. She said she would connect me. Moments later, Meghan returned on the line and said that she had just spoken to Karen and to let me know that a "fix" had been found over the weekend and the dealerships should have the information.

Monday, 7/19 at approx 3:05 pm - I called Manchester Subaru. I spoke with April who said that they had received an email from SOA stating that a software update had been made available but my car had not been checked yet to see if the update would work. I told her that I had reached my limit and asked to speak to the Owner . She suggested I speak with Jeff, service manager. She stated he was in a meeting but I could leave a message. Left vm for Jeff expressing my concerns and frustrations that my car was "unsafe" and that my level of trust with Subaru was broken. I expressed my deep concern for the safety and reliability of the manual transmission.

Jeff returned my call and we spoke about the situation. He was very understanding and shared my concerns. He stated that he had already emailed SOA about my concerns and he was awaiting a response. He mentioned that SOA would probably offer me a 6 year, 100,000 mile gold warranty for free on my car. I told him that although I appreciated this gesture I "do not feel safe in may car." He stated that another customer had been offered an automatic transmission upgrade (however, the customer did not want an automatic) and SOA would not give another manual transmission. I told him that I would appreciate him emailing SOA to see about putting me in an automatic. He stated he would perform the "update" and take my car home for the night to get in a road test to see if the problem had been corrected. He said he would contact me when he heard back from SOA on Tuesday.

Tuesday, 7/20 12:37pm - Jeff called and left a message on my cell to call him. At approx 12:49pm I returned the call to Jeff. He was abrupt and quick. He stated that my car was ready to be picked up and that SOA was not going to offer me the automatic transmission since a software update had been given. He stated that he test drove it for approx 8-9 miles and it seemed to run great. I expressed to him my discontent and stated that I could not trust that the safety issue had been remedied to my satisfaction and that I needed some answers. I stated I was going to call SOA directly.

Tuesday, 7/20 1:15 pm - Placed a call to SOA, spoke to Crystal and asked to speak with Karen ***. who was handling my case. She said that she was currently unavailable but was in the office. She sent me to VM. The VM stated that she was out of the office for the day. I left a message with my contact information. I called SOA again, this time getting another rep., Desiree, I told her that I was trying to reach Karen and asked if there was anyone covering for her in her absence. She stated that Bil" was handling her customers but that he was out to lunch until 2pm.

At this time I did not have my case number available but I did have the in-house service number on the email from Manch. Subaru. She stated that the numbers were linked (one in the same). When she pulled up the number, she began to confirm my contact information, phone # ***. I said that I have never had a 978 number. She was surprised the info was wrong and then realized it did not pertain to my case. She looked me up by name and found my info. (red flag) She said she would have Bill contact me.

Tuesday, 7/20 at approx 2:36 pm (call length approx. 17min and 16 seconds) - I received a call from a woman named Judy. Right from the start, she was curt, short, angry and abrupt! She began to tell me that she was "filling in" for Karen and that she was aware of my case. She talked continuously, interrupting me at every junction, for approx the first 5 minutes of our conversation. I tried to voice my sincere concerns about the safety of their product. I wanted reassurance from SOA that the safety issue had been 100% fixed. She said she could not say that. She said my car was ready to be picked up, "You are not getting another car!" She then began to say that she had been working for SOA for over 20 years, that she had owned many Subaru's in her lifetime and that she knew more about Subaru's than I ever would. The disrespect was alarming and unprofessional.

I tried to share with her that I was not going to put my life or the life of another human being at risk. Again, she berated me and belittled me. She tried to compare a "door jam" recall in 1992 to my "sudden engine shut off while driving." She stated SOA would give me a 6 year, 100,000 mile warranty. I asked if she was willing to give me that, it gave the impression that my car was not fixed or that they were aware there could be greater problems down the road. She said "It is a good will gesture. Take it or leave. I can send you a check if you don't want the extra warranty."

I shared with her my information that SOA had set a precedent by offering some customers an upgrade to an automatic transmission free of charge. She said we have done no such thing. I then stated that I had contact information to prove otherwise. She then stated that things are decided on a "case by case basis" and that my case was not the same. I attempted to share with her my information that in fact the cases were extremely similar. She refuted again and then I stated that I had been made aware by the Service Manager at Manch Subaru that a "few" customers had been given the option of an automatic upgrade.

One customer chose not to accept because they wanted to stay with a manual car. She was rude and abrasive by this point, raising her voice. I expressed that although I appreciated her point of view and time, I wanted to speak to someone above her. She went on a rant! She said that I was "wasting my time" and that everyone else would tell me the same thing. "We are not giving you another car!" I said that I appreciated her concern for my time but that I wanted to speak to her superior. She proceeded to express my waste of time and that no one else was familiar with my case and that now she would have to go over everything with someone else and that the end result would be the same. I again requested her superior. At this point, she stated a name Shirley *** and said that she didn't know when she would be able to call me. I began to say, "Thank you for your..." and she hung up on me.

Tuesday, 7/20 at approx. 2:59 pm - I received a phone call from Jeff the SM at Manch Subaru. He was very upset and stated that he had just received a call form some woman at SOA and that I had stated that he had told me "Subaru had upgraded several people to automatic transmissions free of charge in Manchester. " I relayed to him my conversation with Judy and had made it very clear about the separation of what SOA was doing and what his customer had been offered." We continued to have a good conversation, he apologized for what I had to go through and that no one should ever be treated like that. He said it was not acceptable what she did and suggested I write a letter directly to SOA to file a complaint. He then went though the car issue with me stating that Subaru had known about this issue for probably several months and that stringent testing had to have occurred prior to them releasing an update.

He said that normally some of the initial cars are bought back and that road testing (1000's of miles of road testing) is done to ensure the safety of the vehicle. He stated in fact the government had to approved it because this update "effected the emissions of the car" and stated that there were strict federal and state guidelines that had to be followed. I thanked him and expressed that all I really ever wanted was to be walked through the process and assured that I was going to be safe behind the wheel of my car after this fix. I expressed that because the trust was broken it was hard to just put blind trust back into their product that had failed me. He offered to take a test drive with me when I picked up the car Wednesday morning. The call lasted approx 20 minutes and 23 seconds.

Wednesday, 7/21 at approx 10:40 am - I returned the loaner car to Subaru to pick up my car. I spoke with Apryl and told her Jeff had offered to take a test drive with me. I started the car and did what I normally do upon start-up. I turned on the ac. I proceeded to back out of the space when the car sputtered, almost stalled, dropped in RPM's then suddenly rose. I looked at Jeff and said "this car is obviously not fixed! " It was obvious he didn't know what to say. I decided to take a "test drive" to see what occurred. On two other occasions during the 5 mile test drive the car did the same thing...almost stalling out, dropping in RPMS's stuttering and then raising the RPM's....(the clutch was FULLY engaged) it was NOT driver error!

At this point, I broke down, I didn't know what else to say or do. I was in shock. Jeff spoke very little during the test drive. When we returned to the lot I just said "I am not safe in this car, something is still fundamentally wrong and I will not take it back. " He said that although he noticed the RPM's drop and felt the stuttering, he thought that might just be "normal" for the new legacy. He began explaining that the new car had a bad design and that what I was probably hearing was the engine mounts rattle. I wasn't hearing things, I was feeling them!

The car was stalling out! I said I did not want to argue with him. I was at a loss and got very emotional. He mentioned other manual cars that he had owned that did similar things, I stated that I had never had a car that did anything remotely close to this. I asked him if there was a technical service bulletin sent out on this issue and he stuttered and then said "Yeah, I think so." Then I asked him if there would be a recall to this dangerous safety issue and he said "I don't think so."

I then asked him if he thought it was all manual transmissions that were effected. He said "no, I think it is only a very few and yours is one of them. " (an admittance of a problem? ) We went into the service area, I told him I was going to call SOA right there. I called and while holding he came back and said, "I just spoke to my rep, Karen is out but I expressed to this rep that you had 'lost all confidence in our product' and that you do not feel safe in this car." He continued and said that the rep said he would speak with Karen about getting me into another car. He also stated that Todd, the owner was at a Subaru convention (I piped in and said "lucky him.") Jeff laughed and said, "I am sure they are talking about this problem." He said that hopefully by Monday they could work this all out and that Todd would sit down with me regarding the money side of the transfer to an automatic.

He then said the rep said go ahead and take your car until then while they worked it all out. I refused. I stated again that my car was not safe to drive! He said okay. I asked if I could keep the loaner and he said that SOA would not allow me too. I said "Okay, I will get a ride home." At this point I was very distraught. He offered their shuttle service. I said okay and sat down. A few moments later he came out and said, "I am probably going to get in a lot of trouble for this but that's okay, I am going to go over Subaru of America's head and I am going to let you keep the loaner."

I thanked him and offered to write a letter on his behalf. He said don't worry about it but restated the above. I thanked him. When the loaner was ready (needed an oil change), I went to the desk to ask April for my keys so I could get some things out of my car. Jeff piped in from the back and said "I torched it!" I laughed and said, "Well at least now I can collect the insurance money." I was told I would hear from them when they knew more. He wanted to be sure that I didn't lose confidence in Subaru of Manchester. They said, "Don't worry, we will get this all figured out."

I bought a new 2002 Subaru Forester and had to have the cylinder head gasket replaced at 89748 miles. Why? We bought the Subaru Forester to last us 250,000 trouble free miles. When I talked with the service techs about this problem, I asked what sensor did we not see? Service tech informed me there isn't a sensor and that Subaru's are notorious for blowing head gaskets at around 100,000 miles.

Gee, why wasn't that part of Subaru's advertising campaign. Where was the recall for the defective head gasket? We bought our Subaru because we believed the hype about quality. Nothing about this car has been quality. The clock doesn't even work.If Subaru's are notorious for defective head gaskets, doesn't Subaru have a fiduciary responsibility to recall and fix the problem.

I want to reimburse the $1,461.82 this service repair cost me. I want a guarantee that this repair will last for 250,000 miles. I want my clock fixed. I want the quality that Subaru advertises not the hype.

They made a poor quality vehicle and they should be held responsible, not the consumer who spends hard earned money in this weak economy. I've also read forums online where others are experiencing much rust and their vehicle is not even 8 months old. Looks like Subaru is mass producing inferior metal or untreated metal which makes it unsafe. perforated rust seen on the interior and exterior of the rear hatch. Rust dots were on the body surrounding the doors - they said it was flecks. I noticed rust under the hood on the engine mounts and in the bolts. I have many photos

We recently purchased a used 2002 Subaru WRX. It has roughly 60,000 miles. After owning it for less then 2 months, the transmission went out, second gear. We took it to a service shop to fix it. They stated that this was a design flaw with the year and model.

After doing much research, I discovered thousands of complaints directly to Subaru of America regarding this model year WRX. Subaru changed their design in 2003 to address this issue but never recalled the 2002 WRX. Subaru knowingly ignored their service centers and thousands of consumers who have/are experiencing this particular problem. This, in my opinion, is a fraudulent trade practice.

The Subaru company sent me a recall notice on having a one way valve replaced in my car. I took my car to the dealership, (Manchester Subaru) once this was done the light indicating "check engine light & cruse light" where still on the dealer stated it was another problem. I took it to my own mechanic who shared with me that the issue is related and the converter needs to be replace as part of the recall.

This information was based on research, he did with another Subaru dealership. When I contacted Manchester Subaru, (Jeff B. ) he told me the warrant had run out and it was my problem. The repair was done on December 28th 2009 and it is now January 29th 2010. How can this be when it was a recall? I am very disappointed in the response and lack of commitment from this dealership. I'm concerned for the safety of myself and my family. The cost associated with the repair as well as the impact this will have because I don't want to drive the car in this condition.

My car broke down on 12/8/09 and was towed to the Subaru dealership the next morning 12/9/09. I had purchased an extended warranty for $1600 when I bought the car (from a different dealer) and after waiting two days for their adjuster to look at it, I was told the damage was not covered. The service manager (Mark H.) was very surprised at this decision and said, "If that's not a drivetrain failure, I don't know what is and should definitely be covered." However, after long discussions with the warranty company, I got nowhere.

So my first thought was "How can a Subaru dealership selling an expensive product like extended an warranty have no responsibility to the customer. The service manager suggested I contact Subaru myself and see if they would do something for me as the car is only 170 miles past the 60k mile factory warranty. I waited until 1-5-10 (almost 4 weeks) to find out they will pay for 50%, which would have been something had I not been paying for a rental car for the three weeks while I was waiting for someone to make a decision.

Since then, I have been waiting for Brown Subaru to actually make the repair. It was five weeks ago today that my car was delivered to them. I was supposed to get the car back today but was informed that they were waiting on some very small parts and it will be likely to be next week now. So assuming it is ready next week it will be over six weeks I have been paying for a rental car and I have spent literally tens of hours on the phone to Subaru of America and Brown Subaru and it is quite obvious there is no intention of even trying to provide any type of customer service.

I got a verbal quote for the time this job should take from Mark H. himself. It should take 1-1.5 days. I am looking at at least six weeks for them to perform 1.5 days work. I have made records of all the calls I made but this letter was long enough already. Rental car bill in the region of $1500 purchase of extended warranty $1600 that isn't worth the paper it's written on.

Our 2002 Subaru Forester has been label a "lemon" having major mechanical problems since at 50,000.00 miles. I had called Subaru Headquarters a number of times and Subaru requested a mechanical maintenance booklet to be reviewed for the upkeep of our vehicle. Our mechanic was happy to fill and return to Subaru properly filled. Subaru expressed intent but once all and done they shut us out with "We are not going to help". We have such mechanical problems now at 75,000.00 miles that it is hard to imagine how all these problems occur with such low mileage.

Funny enough, Subaru sponsors local business by "giving" them a free Subaru and not just 1 but 2 to 3 free vehicles. It is hard to believe they have no mercy on the working class people that struggle and cannot afford to buy a new car or used for that matter. I only wish for Subaru's corporation and understanding that our vehicle needs to be made good.

I've had 3 used Subaru's and in general, they are a fantastic vehicle. The all wheel drive system is one of the best, but Subaru apparantly does not care if you can get your vehicle serviced at all, let alone economically.

My 2003 Outback began to suffer from poor idle. The check engine light went on. I live about 150 km from the nearest Subaru dealer and repair options where I live are not familiar with Subaru. Still, they tried to help me and since OBDII diagnostics are supposed to be somewhat universal, they read the codes and determined my engine was misfiring. After changing plugs and wires, we still were not back to proper operation. I should note the vehicle is approaching 180K km. This brings me past emissions warranty and up to the point where the service interval for the timing belt is recommended. Since the local service shop was unable to isolate the problem,I chose to take the vehicle to the closest dealer for repairs. They quickly noted that the catalytic converter was becoming red hot when the vehicle was idling for an extended time. Their diagnosis, replace the catalytic converter because it was "plugged" and replace the timing belt as the service interval was due. Estimated cost, $5000.00! The cost for the catalytic converter alone was $2000.00. This borders on robbery.

I elected to not repair the car at this point. The charge for diagnosis was quite reasonable at $150.00, but I would expect some expertise for that sort of rate. I did not receive the expected results. I have at least a working understanding of vehicles and emission systems and this vehicle performed quite well at highway speeds. A plugged catalytic converter would demonstrate a significant power loss and the fact it turned red is an indication that it is actually working to burn up the unused fuel at idle. Notwithstanding, the fact it has been overheated is good cause for replacement, but proper diagnosis of the idle problem would be mandatory before such an expensive component is replaced. Incidentally, aftermarket converters can be had for less than $500, however, the dealer claims they will not accept the O2 sensors and engine codes will result. I purchased one and this proves to be hogwash! As to the timing belt, well, the cam and crank position sensors would generate codes should this be the problem and no such codes were generated. Repair efforts are continuing at my local shop, but answers are hard to come by.

The current theory is that the fuel injectors may be leaking, causing an over rich idle condition.

As of this writing, I have not had the use of my Subaru for 2 months. The Subaru is a car that retains it's value quite well and I paid a premium price for it. Unfortunately, with this problem, my car is virtually worthless and I continue to make payments and insure a vehicle I cannot drive. I'll make headway eventually, no thanks to Subaru and I do have another vehicle which gets me by. Notwithstanding my previous satisfaction with the brand, I will not purchase another due to the service issues.

On September 2nd 2009 around 10:40pm pacific time, I sat in my car and out of nowhere my driver side airbag exploded. There was a loud bang and my left ear was distorted. I called my insurance and they said it wasnt an accident so they cant do anything about it. I called the police just to get a police report but they said its not life threaten so they are not coming. I also called capital subaru and they said I have to come to get an inspection. Subaru wanted to charge me for the inspection fee bc of their time?. how can subaru charge me for something that isnt my fault. its the manufacturers fault NOT MINE. My airbag was DEFECTIVE!!!! What am I suppose to do now?

I found that my speedometer is at least 4 M.P.H. faster than my actual speed. I have found this by using my G.P.S.. My G.P.S. matches the speed of any other car that i am driving. However my Subaru shows that my speed is 4 mph faster than the G.P.S. This is driving up my mileage and i am losing value on the car and losing warranty time.

I purchased a brand new 2009 Subaru Impreza from Fitz Auto Mall in Clearwater, Florida a couple of months ago. I have had nothing but huge problems with this vehicle. I did most of the dealings over the internet so that the transaction could be quick. They had a white brand new Impreza for me when I got to the dealership (I believe there were approx. 30 miles on it-salesperson told me approx. 2 test drives from other people). About 1 month into driving the car I was noticing squeaking and chirping noises coming from the vehicle. I took the car in for an oil change (which they did premium oil for a car that is a base model-told me it is required for 09's but it does not say that in the owners manual) and for them to look at the noises. They told me that the car needed new sway bar link bushings. I brought the car in to have those replaced and then told them that they really need to look at the rattling the car is making. They got back to me to tell me that I needed to have the entire exhaust manifold replaced because of a faulty weld during assembly.

So...I have in just a few months have had my car in for what I think are two major items and today picked my car up from the manifold replacement just to drive away with a noise that was much worse than the first one. I called immediately to tell them about it but was directed to voice mail after no one would pick up in service. So, here I am completely at a loss. I purchased a new car so that I would not have any car troubles because I just started a new career and am too busy to bring a car in for repairs. The car needs to be fixed or they need to replace the vehicle with another brand new one OR give me the money back and I will go out and purchase something else.

We are now out of pocket $4000 with car repair, car rental and tow truck. They are accepting no responsibility in this problem. Our car with less than 17,000 miles had to have the differential and transmission rebuilt, I had to rent a car to get to and from work and the car had to be towed to the repair shop.

My car is 2 years old and I drive approximately 2 miles a day. I have already had to replace the window once, due to a crack that formed from the side of the windshield. There was no rock ding just a crack. They replaced without a problem. The crack has appeared once again in the same place. They informed me that the aerodynamics of my car causes rocks to hit it in that particular place and crack it. I was treated very rudely by the service department clerk. With no manager or superior to talk to I was pushed out the door and told to try again another day. I was also informed they were under new management and have no record of my past service with them. I am in shock; I have never spent so much money to be treated so rudely. They promised that they would pay for my services. I needed and expected that money. I still have a huge crack through my windshield and have not received any service in regards to it and the obvious defective frame around the windshield.

Car was recalled for a head gasket problem. Subaru put a conditioner in the car a guaranteed the head gasket repair for 5 years or 100,000 miles. The head gasket failed at 89,500 on April 2008. Supposedly the head gasket was replaced at that time. The head gasket problem failed again after 7000 miles in June 2009. Dealer refuses to replace head gasket without charge. Car is not drivable. I do not have the use of my car for transportation. In addition the car is not salable. The retail value of the car is $5600.

1999 Subaru Forester - Faulty rear wheel bearings. I am on the third set of rear wheel bearings and am about to put on the fourth set. Our car has less than 100,000 miles. I have never heard of any other vehicles having such excessive bearing wear issues.

i had a 2007 subaru wrx with 20,000 miles on it , nice car put a nice 3 inch cat back on it and a slight tune, and blew my trans like everyone else, i removed the tune etc, let the cat-back on, brought it in and, they denied it due to abuse like somany others. i went down there and looked at the trans, no problems with synchros, the clutch was brand new and the tires arent worn.i thought no problem but as it sat there i called every advisor and consultant of subaru and they all blew me off and said it was the only way there trans would break.

one person said it was cause i was dumping the clutch in second, wtf, anyways, i went down there 1 get my personal stuff and my other stuff off, and the damn service manager was threatining calling the cops sayoing we need to leave and we cant touch our car, long story short me and my dad are letting the car go back due to the $4500 bill they wanted. i hope subaru fixes this problem soon, no one should have this happen. i say do not bye a subaru ,

loss of car

The Legacy Subaru SW I purchased on November 15, 2002 VIN# 4S3BH675537619520 with 47779 miles on it was diagnosed in Bend,Oregon to have two leaking headgaskets. They first told me the cost of repair would be $1500.00. After I communicated with SOA the local dealer said they could complete this repair for $451.57. The SOA Customer/ Dealer Service Department informed me there was no recall on my vehicle and that the dealer discount for this repair was fair. I am not convinced her statement regarding no recall is accurate.

My fiancee and I purchased a 2005 Subaru Outback, 40K miles for $16,500, including a 4yr/48K mi classic warranty (bumper-to-bumper) on December 29, 2008. Immediately after getting on the highway leaving the dealership we heard a fluttering/tapping sound coming from the engine. We pulled off at the first available exit to investigate and found that the noise was coming from somewhere in the short block, and sounded more like a light banging when listening with the hood open. Since it was late, the dealership was already closed, and we had a long snowy drive back to Ann Arbor we elected to wait until the following day to have the car looked at.

The Ann Arbor dealership, took a quick look at the car the next day and determined that their was a serious issue, but needed more time to determine the exact problem. We left the car with them over Christmas and New Years, and they diagnosed the problem as a broken rod bearing, which requires an entirely new engine (short block). Fortunately this is covered by our warranty, and the engine is currently in the process of being replaced.

The Subaru manufacturer was helpful during this process, and has helped supplement our warranty to fund a rental car during this ordeal, which allowed us to return home for the holidays. Grand Subaru have been absolutely unhelpful, unconcerned, difficult (I had to argue with him to get the check for our trade-in), and generally rude.

We were without a car for the holidays, but with the help of the manufacturer we were able to obtain a rental. Despite the fact that we have a warranty, it is difficult to trust the state of the rest of the car.

I have had trouble getting addresses in new york state. The gps gives states in penn. etc. When I travel to Ohio it doesnot work. On Dec. 29 2008 it tried to take me home over back roads when I always travel the thruway. This was at night in a dangerously snowy condition. I reapplied my preference for toll roads without success.

A trip that shold have taken 45 inutes took alost three hours.

On Friday December 5 I took my 2004 Subaru 6 cylinder Outback to my local Moraga AAA- rated service station for a regular oil change. After the oil change I drove the car for 20 miles after which I noticed a flapping or clapping coming from the engine. This noise had not been there before the oil change that morning. I immediately drove back to the service station where they change the oil once again just to make sure everything was ok. At that time they advised me there was something wrong with the valve chain, unrelated to the oil change and the car needed to be towed to the Subaru dealer.

The 5,000 60,000 mile warranty expired on September 22, 2008, a little more than 2 months ago. As the milage is so low, I thought perhaps Subaru of America would extend the warranty period and cover the failure. I called their Cherry Hill coporate offices this morning. They declined but said they might consider some financial assistance on the repair. Subsequently they got back to me, having talked with the Diablo Subaru dealer who reported only that the failure was due to the after market oil filters. Thus I could expect no assistance from Subaru of America. No where in then Subaru ownership materials is it stated that factory authorized replacement parts must be used to auusre warranty work.

Reporting my findings to the contrary from other experience Subaru mechanics did not change their position. As I tried to argue my case, the agent simply repeated the companies position, that everyone was wrong but them. When I asked by what means or measurement was it determined that the after market filter was at fault, they agent explained she was not a technical person, that I needed to speak to the dealership where, of course, I already had been stone-walled. I asked to speak to a district manager and was told a district manager was not available at that time and/or did not speak to customers directly. I then asked to speak to a technical person or to her supervisor. Once again I was denied access. I then suggested someone there could work with me or I could try working with a consumer advocate group. She immediately said she would have a supervisor call me. That was 3 1/2 hours ago and now the office on the east coast is closed. By the way, the service rep at the dealership, where she has worked 7 years, has only seen a failure like this once before. I guess one can conclude that millions of Subaru on the road only had Factory Authorized oil filters.

I feel that as there is such low mileage on my car, even though the warrantly did expire two months ago, they could at least meet me half way on this. I'd greatly appreciate any assistance or comments on this situation.

I have a 2002 Subaru WRX that has a fuel leak issue that has been well documented by countless WRX owners (see attached file). This problem is a dangerous one because fuel leaks from the fuel line onto the engine manifold which could potentially catch fire. The problem occurs when the car is cold and the fuel line constricts, causing fuel to leak. Subaru has issued a technical service bulletin concerning the issue and acknowledges the issue but has not issued a recall for the problem.

I purchased an extended warranty from the dealership that should cover the problem however the warranty company is calling the problem a modification? instead of a failure? and will not cover it. I took the car to the dealership twice and they said that they can do the repairs for $1,100. To me, this sounds very similar to the problems with the Ford Pintos back in the day when Ford knew of the problem, but refused to do anything until someone died.

Fuel Leak - potential health and safety issue. Should be a recall issue

I bought a Subaru car 1.6 16 V, automatic mod 2007, from the Lebanese dealer Bazerji, and my problem is that it has been one year and my car needs 20 Liters of fuel per 130 KM, is this possible? The company has not cooperated with my complaint.

I am replieing to the letters i have read about the Subaru Impreza WRX transmission problems. They have all specified about the 2002 model syncro gears going out well mine has gone out as well. It doe's have more miles and is not under warranty, but with just a little over 100m it should not be coming apart.

transmission needs to be replaced.

My husband purchased a brand new 2007 Subaru STI, several months later there was a problem with the car. Later determined to be a defect and warranty covered all needed repairs. In early late July 2008 the check engine light came on and car was taken in to local dealer to be evaluated. Nothing serious was found, check engine light was reset and car was release with an ok status.

This was a pattern for the next several weeks. Check engine light would come on, nothing was found, several suggestions were made on changing the oil used and even the type of gas, once again check engine light reset, car released with ok status.

On Sept 02, 2008 car was once again taken to dealer, this time, engine was dismantled and some severe damage was found regarding the car's pistons. Damages were blamed on my husband due to an investigation conducted by Subaru of America and Subaru of Orlando. Warranty refused to pay for any repairs.

We are looking at $4000 worth of repairs and we still have the car on a loan of $32000, also with a monthly premium of $691.

My transmission has never worked properly. I had it repaired under warranty instead of replacing the whole transmission they replaced a few gears and syncro plate. Now it is not under warranty and the other two gears broke. $1,600.00 later. My repair guy said along with the normal parts there is an update kit involved that I must purchase to repair my car. I spoke with Herwaldt Subaru and this is necessary. Sounds to me like they are trying to correct a known problem with Subaru transmissions. I feel like this should have been a recall item on this make and model vehicle.

Economical daage was me two weeks without a vehicle and $1,600.00 and a tow truck. I have had to borrow a company vehicle when this problem should have been corrected under warranty 2 years ago. I had to sell personal property to pay for this repair it was a financial hardship.

I have a 2002 Subaru with approx. 75k miles on it. It started having problems, brought it to a Subaru dealer who said it needed a new engine $3,500. I took it to my own mechanic who has replaced heads, valves, pistons, rings, all for so far $2,900. Mechanic took out to test drive before giving back, and the transmission blew. Now I need another approx. $3k to $5k to fix it and I still owe $11k to the bank. This has been a known problem with the 2002 Subaru WRX's. There are many complaints on the internet with people having the same problem. I need help getting Subaru to stand by their faulty engines and transmissions with their 2002 WRX's.

I have a 2005 Subaru Forester, that has 25,000 miles on it. It went off warranty in March 2008. The radio died in July of 2008 and the car if left for more than one day without using, needs to be jumped started. The dealer did a diagnostic test for $114, and can not diagnose the problem which is on going. They also stated the radio needs to be replaced for $650, the radio is the base model. Subaru will not help us in anyway with these problems.

It has cost us $114 plus if we replace the radio another $650. They do not have an answer as to why the car will not start and we will have to pay for more testing if it happens again.

I bought a 1999 Subaru Impreza from Shasta Nissan Subaru. On the way home, the check engine light came on. I took the car back immediately. They said, It's your smog system. The air mass sensor is bad. I said, It is illegal to sell a car in California with an inoperable smog system. They said, It's your fault. We won't fix it. I drove home, and left the light on. A few weeks later, the clutch went out. According to my mechanic: They knew the clutch was bad when they sold you the car. So, it cost me $1,100 to fix a clutch that would have cost them $300 to fix. Now, flash forward to 5-15-08. I am visiting my son in Redding. The car starts stumbling and the check engine light was flashing. I (stupidly) took my car to Shasta Nissan Subaru. Their diagnosis: It needs a new catalytic converter, new valve cover gaskets, new coil, new spark plugs and new plug wires. Cost-- $1,600!!!. I called them back (they gave the message to my wife) and after some haggling, they said, Well, you could only replace the coil, plugs and wires for $478.68. I had them replace just the coil, plugs and wires. I took the Subie to my local mechanic today. His verdict: All you had was one bad spark plug. Cost: $3 for the plug and $85 for the labor, for a total of $88. The car did NOT need four new plugs, did NOT need a new coil, did NOT need four new plug wires. Conclusion: Never Never Never give any business to Shasta Nissan Subaru!

I also have a 1998 Subaru Outback Sport with 225,000 miles. I purchased this car new and have been the sole owner of the vehicle.

While I understand that wheel bearings do need to be replaced, I've gone through 4 bearings, but the left rear seems to be the most problematic. I've never had to replace the rear rt. or the front left bearings throughout the course of my ownership of the vehicle.

Rear Left Bearing @ 216,426 mi.

Wheel bearings! My 2001 Subaru had 85,000 miles on it last May when the right rear wheel bearing gave out. I spent $450 repairing it. The same wheel bearing gave out again & I spent another $450 on it. The mechanic said it could be a bad spindle causing it, the only way to tell is to see if the bearing goes out again. From other comments on this site, it seems this is a Subaru-caused common problem. ANy advice?

I own a 2005 Subaru Outback XT with 61,000 miles. The following is a brief description of the vehicle history. 1. Turbocharger and lower half of engine replacement at appx. 15k miles. Car never performed the same after repair and rattles have been evident since the work was performed.

My cost was $20/day for overage in rental car coverage. 2. Power steering failure at appx. 20k miles. I paid for the belt only and the car rental. 3.Manual transmission repair to the clutch, pressure plate,flywheel,etc. at 61,000 miles. I believe the failure may have been due to the earlier major repair to the engine/drivetrain work. The clutch was not worn due to usage, however the pressure plate was fractured resulting in a more significant casing repiar of the transmission. I paid for 50% of the repair totaling $3,400 and appx $650 in rental charges. 4. Battery dead next morning after pick-up from Ramsey Subaru which performed the transmission work.

My cost $75 for a battery and $35 for a rental car. 5. Check engine light appx. 2 days later. 6. Same day, a few hours later, check engine light again. Brought the car back again and found the fuel sensor was sticking which caused the fault. No charge to me. 7. Transmission failure again. Car will not move, needs to be towed. Of course this event took place around 6pm when no rental cars are available. Had a friend drive 1.5 hrs. to pick me up and drive me home 1.5hrs. away.

I purchased a new 2007 wrx, the car was operating smoothly until i began to hear a noise coming from the transmission on the car at around 11000 miles down the road. This was was only occuring first gear at take off. I decided that it might not be a major problem so i took a trip to canada with it. The noise did not get worse or did it improve.

Taking a ride with my brother one day, he mentioned to me that i should have it checked by a subaru service station anyway. I proceeded to do so. Got by the service station made an appointment to return at a later date. While i was there i even had one of the service reps do a short road test with me driving the car and him listening to the noise coming from the transmission.

On my way back home taking off from one of the few last lights in my route the trans totally broke. Called roadside assistance they came and towed it to Gregors motors. This was the close to where i live. However my car my car was there for about four days before they finally did the tear down on my car. I was told that the service manager had to take a look at the car before i was able to get a loaner car.

So the manager had a look at the transmission and decided that a subaru factory Rep had to come down to give the final say(10/05/07). I was then told that the Factory rep would be there on Monday of the following week. The Factory rep got there on thursday the 11th. At that point in time i was then told that from his observation it was ruled as abuse from the customer. So then in turn the repair was denied by subaru as apart of the warranty.

Currently my car has no modifications giving it more power. All i have done to the car is install two electronic guages. One for oil presure and the other for boost presure. I really like my car and i dont ever think i would abuse it. I only have it now for about 6 months now and im faced with this situation.

I own a 2002 Subaru Impreza WRX - and like many other's my 5 speed manual transmission is 'shot'. However - at least I got 95,000 miles out of it, unlike most other people. I am of the belief that I should have got 200,000 miles from a 5 speed manual (Japanese origin) driven comfortably. It's driveable - and I've been driving it ever since it started to make noise in August of '06 - it's been a year now. I have the same issues with the Tranny's design - can't shift into first unless you are going less than 5mph. Even then that's a dodgy request. Not always. Anyway - back to the problem at hand. I have owned the car since new. Never raced it. I have not done ANY modifications to it. It is a stock, reguarlarly maintained vehicle, even changing the transmission oil every 15 to 20,000 miles as requested, using a good quality synthetic. Last summer, it began 'clacking' (tell tale sound of a bearing or bushing going) every time I took my foot off the gas while it was still in gear. I got to the point of shifting to neutral so as to never coast (or engine brake) in gear. Now - it makes the same sound regarless if its in gear or not, albeit much quieter in nuetral.

I HAD a 1999 Subaru Forrest. In December, 2006, I had to have a bearing replaced in the right rear wheel. On June 1, while driving on a CA freeway, a bearing exploded (term used by service dept. of Subaru dealership in Oakland. Almost lost control of the car. The explosion partly separated the axle from the wheel and disable the ABS.

T

I purchased a 2006 Subaru Tribeca in September 2006 (brand new). On June 15, 2007, while I was driving, the navigation system started blinking in and out and the car shut off. I started the car up to pull over to a safe spot to car road side assistance but before I could the same thing happened again and a horrific chemical burning smell was starting to come from the dashboard. I got the car a couple of feet away (out of immediate traffic) and parked it. I phoned roadside assistance and was told it could be an hour or so. I gave them the address and called a friend for a ride. When my friend arrived I was telling her the story while we were removing my personal items from the car and the car started to smoke from under the hood and within seconds flames started to creep up the hood. Myself and a homeowner both called 911 and the fire dept. responded. The could not pop the hood because the mechanisms had already melted, so they had to cut it open with a saw and put out the fire.

I have recently purchased a new Subaru from Dunning Subaru in Ann Arbor and recently had to have a major repair done. The dealership has been rude, has lied to me, has bait and switched a warranty, and after one and a half weeks still refuses to fix the car. It is under warranty, a warranty sold and fronted by the dealership, however that warranty company is now going out of business.

They refuse to do anything to the car until the bankruptcy claim is settled. They also have refused to honor the warranty because of lack of records, which I have compliant with the contract. Additionally they claim that the warranty may not cover the parts that I need repaired when the sales person specifically stated that it did. This is not an isolated incident. I personally know at least four other people who have had poor experiences with this dealership including bait and switch tactics, refusal to honor warranty claims, refusal to acknowledge the lemon law and making unnecessary repairs.

I

This is just another complain (I guess) I, just like a lot of people that have a 2002 or different year of Subaru WRX, have a problem with this 5 speed transmission, this is the second tanny in my 2002 Subaru WRX, the first one went at 50K miles, i decide it to change it for a 2004 transmission, well take a guess, now at 64K miles second gear went bad (AGAIN) I believe that Subaru knows about the existing problems with this 5 speed transmission, why dont they do something about it? I dont really know, but i know one thing for sure, i will never buy another Subaru ever again.

My guess is that is so many people are having a problem with this 5 speed transmission, they should do something about it. I heard that 6 speed transmisiions are the way to go, I believe that when you spend so much money for a High Performance car you should be able to get just that , A HIGH PERFORMANCE CAR, not with a little crappy transmission that can even hold the stock HP that this car has. Well thank you for letting me post this linesand I hope that Subaru one day stand up and fix this problem for all of us that have a 5 peed transmissions.

The computer brain went bad on my brand new Subaru Outback. After the brain was removed and the new one put in the side mirror defrost and the heating elements in the seats did not work. I was told by the service advisor that because Subaru replaced the brain I was going to have to absorb the cost of the rest which amounts to $450-$500. These things were a result of the computer brain going bad and I should not have to absorb the cost.