The contact states one of the tires has been losing air. The service mechanic states that he has never seen this problem. The wheel itself looks like it has a cracked. It is right in the middle of the wheel on the inner rim. It has not damaged the tires. The tire is located on the passenger's side front. The metal alloy wheel is what has the crack. The tires on the wheel were almost new and there was no problem with them.

- Green Bay, WI, USA

We purchased a brand new Subaru Outback S/w in 1999 and recently had a flat tire. Upon placing the "MINIspare provided with the car and driving (under 50 mph) only 19 miles to a tire dealer to have the flat repaired, the rear end was damaged. It cost $800 to have the rear end gears replaced. It turns out that the "MINIspare provided with the car cannot be used without disabling the all wheel drive, by finding and replacing a fuse under the hood (listed in the instructions for spare removal last on page 2 of the owners manual). Oh yeah, the spare can only be used on the rear wheels. This information is all "hidden" in the owners manual. Since we have auto insurance that includes towing, we would have been much better off towing the car to the tire dealer to have the flat repaired (for free) than using the spare provided and paying $800 to have the rear end rebuilt. (towing needs to be done on a flat bed truck with all whells off the ground.) please warn other drivers of this improperly labled "spare tire". any assistance you can provide from Subaru will be greatly appreciated.

- Chattaroy, WA, USA