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.
An accelerator that became unresponsive while driving 65mph on 3 lane highway. This problem is prevalent with Subaru and you can read about many people who have the problem which is an extreme safety issue. If you go online and search for Subaru Outback code P2138/throttle position sensor you will find that the sensor has intermitent failures which cause the accelerator to become unresponsive. Even when people get this reset at a mechanic and supposedly fixed it will begin recurring again. Or sometimes the mechanic cannot make the car fail because the problem is a sensor and the problem is intermittent. Subaru must fix this problem!! this has happened to me 5 times now over the last year.
The contact owns a 2007 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that oil was leaking from the head gasket. Liberty auto city Subaru (1000 E park ave, libertyville, il 60048, (847) 362-3800) diagnosed that the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and did not assist. The approximate failure mileage was 97,000.
In 2015 at 90,000 miles the head was leaking from a faulty head gasket. Had to have the top end of the motor total rebuilt. I have read there has been a problem with other vehicles with the same issues.
My Subaru has a 2.5L engine. A Subaru service center has verified the head gaskets have a severe oil leak. My car is also leaking antifreeze, my mechanic believes it is leaking from the head gaskets. I contacted Subaru of America about the issue, they will not fix the problem even though they have previously had a recall on this same issue with this same size engine back in 2002. I am stuck with a $2600 repair. I found many other people with the same issue with the same engine on different year makes of Subaru on this site. www.smart-service.com/blog/2010/02/Subaru-head-gasket-will-Subaru-pay-for-repair
- Kill Devil Hills, NC, USA
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I just bought a 2007 Subaru Outback from a certified Subaru dealer (stohlman Subaru in va), it had 65000 miles on it, I did all the maintenance and minor repairs on it. I paid $12,000 for the vehicle. On 2/5/2017, the check engine light started flashing so I pulled the vehicle over and had it towed to a service station. Apparently, the vehicle was out of oil despite that it wasn't due for another oil change in 1500 miles and we had checked the oil a week before and it was full. The engine has siezed up and required a new engine. No oil indicator light had come on, no smoking or overheating, and from the service station, no leaks on the vehicle. I then had it towed to another Subaru specialist service station in frederick, md and again was told the vehicle needed a new engine. Owned the car less than a year, no leaks, no indicator of low oil, the oil just disappeared? the auto mechanics are dumbfounded at what caused this.
The contact owns a 2007 Subaru Outback. While driving approximately 75 mph, the check engine and cruise control deactivation sensors illuminated before the speed suddenly decelerated to approximately 20 mph. The failure occurred on multiple occasions. After the vehicle was turned off and on, it operated normally. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 120,000.
When the outside temperature is below 32 degrees F, there is a strong odor of exhaust fumes or gas coming from the engine. When you turn the climate control to the cabin air recirculating position the smell decreases dramatically. This car must be driven with a window partially open for fresh air for safety. The odor is strong enough to cause nausea. There are numerous problems on the internet regarding this issue with Subaru. Subaru has never issued a recall to the best of by knowledge.
The contact owns a 2007 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that the head gasket was leaking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 68,000.
Engine made a sudden rattling sound that got progressively louder, then had a loud banging sound.after a few days of investigation, it was found that the torque converter bolt came loose, bounced around in my engine, damaging a plate and "taking a few 'chunks' out of the engine block, according to the mechanic.the mechanic said in his professional opinion, the only way the bolt could have been loose, is that is was not tightened properly on the assembly line.this was the first time this has ever happened to a Subaru that they are aware of.the car is 6years old and only had been driven for 5years(bought it in 2009 with 33 miles on it, as it hadn't sold in 2008), and it has only 23,000 miles on it. There is no recall, and my warranty expired 7months ago. Subaru said they would cover half the cost of repairs, but we are still pursuing options.
Oil leaking from passenger side head gasket onto exhaust manifold. Read web and see this is a very common failure item for Subaru engines 2000 thru 2009. My concern is potential fire. Repair costs $1800-3000. Widespread issue and fire hazard thus I hope Subaru will address this design issue more proactively.
Leaking headgasket on a 6 year old Subaru Outback 2.5 with 79,000 miles. Repair job cost of $2,000. Head gasket issues are a major complaint/defect on Subaru 2.5 4cyl engines. Subaru should either offer to subsidize or cover major repair cost.
The head gasket is leaking coolant into the oil. Advised not to drive the car until head gasket replaced. Subaru used in 2007 a paper gasket which has been found not to hold up. New had gasket much stronger. Trying to get Subaru to warranty this serious safety problem. The car has only 43,800 miles on it.
While driving our 2007 Subaru Outback sw on a 6 lane divided highway at 65 mph, the car suddenly decelerated and lost all gas pedal response. My wife was able to move the car to the side of the road although she almost caused an accident due to surrounding traffic. The car started flashing the cruise control, traction control, and check engine dash lights. After allowing the car to sit for a few minutes, my wife was able to start the car again and get home. I checked the error codes and got a P02138. I did some research and found numerous other people experiencing the same issue on the Subaru blogs. All of the other reports pointed to the same source(s) the gas pedal position sensor or throttle position sensor. Most reported Subaru service departments claiming no knowledge of the issue ever happening before. Both my wife and I have had the same thing happen several times since in both local and highway traffic. I have cleaned the terminals on both sensors and this seems to help, but the problem always returns. I read where several other drivers had the gas pedal assembly changed and the issue seemed to be resolved. This seems to be a severe safety issue. Having a car suddenly become dead on the road in the middle of traffic is dangerous to anyone around.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- San Jose, CA, USA