This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2001 Subaru Outback. While driving approximately 30 mph, the contact heard a loud clicking noise and then the vehicle stalled. He noticed that the transmission had fallen out of the vehicle onto the road. The vehicle was towed to his residence. He is in the process of notifying the dealer to determine the cause of the failure. The failure and current mileages were 75,000.
The automatic transmission park mechanism does not engage properly. With selector lever in "park " and car turned off and ignition key removed, the car rolls. In the early years, the car rolled only slightly and finally "engaged": now, the car rolls several feet and does not always engage, requiring use of the emergency brake for all parking. Because the problem is getting worse, we searched for repair & recall information. We found that although our model & year are on the recall list for this park mechanism, our VIN# is not.
Starting around 62K miles, I heard a whining noise from the front of the car. The noise got louder and higher with wheel speed. When I took it to a mechanic, they diagnosed a bad differential bearing, and informed me that the recommended fix was replacement of the entire transmission, including both differentials. When I went to the dealer to confirm this, they quoted me $6,000-$8,000 for the repair. I tried to get some relief from Subaru of America, since the powertrain warranty goes for 60K miles, but they were unwilling. This caused the value of my car to go to zero, since it's worth about $8,000 without the transmission problem.
I own a 2001 Subaru Outback. After hearing a whining noise in the front of the car, I took my car into my mechanic. He informed me that I probably needed to have the front differential replaced and referred me to the dealership. The dealership told me I needed the entire transmission replaced. Because the milage on my car was at 62,000 miles, the dealership would not honor my warranty because it only extended to 60K. Astounded that any car with only 62K miles on it would need its entire transmission replaced, I appealed to Subaru customer services and asked them to own up to the defect. They declined my request.
My Subaru Outback unlimited 2001 needs a transmission replaced after only 74,000. All the repairs and service were performed at the dealership including the 60,00 mile major tune-up. All the service was done timely and as recommended. The dealer first said the noise was the alternator and replaced the alternator, but the noise continued. I took the car to another Subaru dealer who said the problem was the transmission and suspected it was not serviced appropriately. I returned the car to the original dealer at their request. They then removed the replaced alternator and returned my original alternator, but refused any responsibility for my transmission failure.
- Novato, CA, USA
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Car has significant hesitation during periods of acceleration, usually around 2500-3500 RPM. Potentially dangerous in many driving situations. Have reported to dealer multiple times. Response is always "cannot reproduce - computer shows operating as designed". car also has spontaneous acceleration at low speed, such as first taking foot off brake.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Staten Island, NY, USA