 Don't feel trapped |
 My problematic '97 Legacy 2.5GT automatic |
Are you tired of getting those nice letters from Subaru Customer Service saying that there is nothing they can do, acting like they have never heard of the problem, yet they do know about it? Every time you make a complaint, it goes into their complaint database to track trends. How many calls have to come in before they make a 'real' effort to make the customer happy. And make the customer feel that they have purchased a car from a company that cares about them and their future business? Especially with a dangerous condition like this.
- People are out there seeking refunds.
- They are afraid to drive their vehicles that were purchased in good faith, and based on safety oriented advertising.
Subaru of America high level executives have corresponded with customers about this problem since
Nov., 1996. Nothing has been done.
Are you tired of your service dept. looking at you like you are crazy?
Sample of some complaints from NHTSA,
ODI ID: 819802
Make: SUBARU TRUCK
Model: OUTBACK
Year: 1997
Date of Failure:
Incident: Yes
Fire: No
Number of Injuries: 0
Component: BRAKES:HYDRAULIC:ANTI-SKID SYSTEM
Summary: WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES THE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR AND VEHICLE DOES NOT STOP.
DEALER HAS NOT SEEN VEHICLE SINCE COLLISION. *AK
ODI ID: 834189
Make: SUBARU TRUCK
Model: OUTBACK
Year: 1998
Date of Failure: Tuesday, January 12, 1999
Incident: No
Fire: No
Number of Injuries: 0
Component: BRAKES:HYDRAULIC:ANTI-SKID SYSTEM
Summary: ABS BRAKING SYSTEM WAS ACTIVATED, AND THE PEDAL WENT TO THE FLOOR, CAUSING EXTENDED
STOPPING DISTANCE WHICH ALMOST RESULTED IN AN ACCIDENT. THEN, WHILE DRIVIN
ODI ID: 831722
Make: SUBARU TRUCK
Model: OUTBACK
Year: 1997
Date of Failure:
Incident: No
Fire: No
Number of Injuries: 0
Component: FUEL:THROTTLE LINKAGES AND CONTROL
Summary: WHILE AT A STOP THE VEHICLE SURGES FORWARD TWO OR THREE FEET BEFORE DRIVER CAN
STOP THE VEHICLE. OWNER HAS BEEN EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM FROM DAY ONE OF PURCHA
ODI ID: 517157
Make: SUBARU TRUCK
Model: OUTBACK
Year: 1997
Date of Failure:
Incident: No
Fire: No
Number of Injuries: 0
Component: BRAKES:HYDRAULIC:ANTI-SKID SYSTEM
Summary: VEHICLE CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE WHILE STANDING ON THE BRAKE PEDAL.
ODI ID: 807473
Make: SUBARU
Model: LEGACY
Year: 1997
Date of Failure:
Incident: Yes
Fire: No
Number of Injuries: 0
Component: BRAKES:HYDRAULIC:ANTI-SKID SYSTEM
Summary: WHILE DRIVING WITH CRUISE ENGAGED,ATTEMPTED TO BRAKE AND TO DISENGAGE CRUISE
CONTROL, THERE WAS NO RESPONSE, CRUISE CONTINUED, UPON PRESSING HARDER ON BRAKE PED
ODI ID: 807026
Make: SUBARU
Model: LEGACY
Year: 1996
Date of Failure: Saturday, December 28, 1996
Incident: Yes
Fire: No
Number of Injuries: 0
Component: FUEL:FUEL INJECTION:IDLE SPEED CONTROL UNIT
Summary: WHILE STOPPING VEHICLE IDLED HIGHLY W/NO WARNING. A FEW MINUTES LATER THE
HUSBAND DROVE BECAUSE HE THOUGHT HIS WIFE PUSHED ACCELERATOR. AGAIN, VEHICLE ACCELER
You Do Have An Option: Make some noise.
Contact DATELINE NBC tv news magazine. Attn.: to Sandra Surles
or consumer reporter Lea Thompson. Dateline, 4001 Nebraska Ave. N.W. Washington, D.C. 20016.
Some of us already have. Let them know how you are being treated like a throw away customer. How you have a potentially dangerous problem that Subaru has known about since 1996.
Let them know that this appears to be an un-diagnosable problem for the dealer. No known cause, no known fix. Tell them that you have invested your hard earned money in a car, and a company that is supposed to be of high caliber, but has turned out to be otherwise. Let them know that you hope that you are not involved in an accident because of this and you hope that your insurance won't go up for the next
3 years if you are involved. What happens to you when your warranty runs out?
The quality control within the company and with respect to the sub contractors building many parts of the cars has been terrible. Transmission lever welds breaking -Front suspension welds breaking -Bad axle grease -Hesitation problems- Bad oil filters- Alternators giving out- Defective engine cylinder heads- Engine vibration- Fit and finish problems. What's next? And this is only deals with a span of two 1/2 model years. With a record like this, every part should be suspect.
To borrow a slogan "This is NOT your father's Subaru".
"As someone reminded me, SOA really only makes one car. Everything is built from the Legacy platform. The Outback is a beefed up Legacy wagon. The Impreza is a shortened Legacy. The Forester is re-bodied Impreza.
Why can't they get it right?
(96 Legacy) (98 Forester) (97Outback) (95 Impreza) http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov/cars/problems/complain/compmmy1.cfm
The National Highway Transportation Association (NHTSA) is getting more complaints every month.
I have grouped the complaints at this page --> 
After looking at the postings, you have to ask yourself, is there a software problem in the AWD, TCS, ABS computer systems? Given the fact that software bugs are discovered everyday, I don't think that it can be ruled out.
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Steve Eckert. Producer, Dateline NBC, Email to: steve.eckert@nbc.com
AUTOWEEK Magazine. Editor - Larry Edsall (313) 446-0324 ROAD & TRACK (949) 720-5300 CONSUMER REPORTS - Auto Complaints- (914) 378-2740 Consumers Union, 101 Truman Ave, Yonkers, NY. 10703 Ralph Vidusic at SATISFACT-N, INC. The Federal Trade Commission http://www.ftc.gov/ The Center For Auto Saftey CENTER FOR AUTO SAFETY 2001 S Street, NW, Suite 410, Washington, DC 20009 (If you also just happen to own a Ford vehicle, look at the 'Action Alerts' section to learn what you haven't been told by your Ford dealer). Herb Dennenberg He is a very well known consumer advocate and has delt with Subaru in the past. He can be reached at hdenenberg@aol.com |
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Please Contact you State Attorney General |
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- I have made contact with people from across the country with the same problem. Some had to get rid of there cars and have incurred big losses.
- Some are still driving the cars hoping they don't kill someone.
- There appears to be evidence for a class action against Subaru of America.
- Contact me and I will forward your situation to the attorney working on my behalf in my particular case.
- Even if you have gotten rid of the car because of this problem, you may still have rights.
- UPDATE: 1/11/99- I just found out that there had been someone killed as a result of the problem in '98 Forester. Information obtained from NHTSA.
- Wording from letter to NHTSA.
- August 15, 1998; Stratford, CT.
-
"At a high rate of speed" the vehicle was uncontrollable,
and the brakes would not hold.- It continued for about 405 feet.
All in reverse. - It struck a man standing on the green approx 380' away.
The man was killed.
My friend and I were taken to the hospital with minor
cuts and bruises. The Subaru people claimed that there was nothing wrong with the vehicle. When inspected, the computer and the back-up computer were wiped clean of any information. Witnesses thought that there was something wrong with the vehicle the way it snaked its way up the street."
The driver is being sued for manslaughter. In my opinion, Subaru of America should be the one being sued.
. Janet Wolfinger, 56, of 301 Cleveland Ave., received a six-month suspended
sentence, and must pay a $235 fine. As a condition of her release, she will not
be allowed to drive for two years, Judge Burton Kaplan ruled.
Two former executives of Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. are to be indicted for failing to report defects and issue recalls in approx. 1.47 million Subaru cars. One serious accident was caused by defective cruise control systems. The driver told police in Tokyo the brakes failed. Also Police say that the cruise control system engaged even though the driver did not turn it on.
This is the first case in which Japanese authorities aim to press
criminal charges related to auto defects.
The Legacy in the accident was a '94 . Japan got the current Legacy back in '93.
The accident occurred in '96. There were seven defects in five models.
They tried to have vehicles repaired secretly without issuing a recall.
Is this related to current problems?
Look at the NHTSA complaints link above.
E-mail me at: mklphoto@sprynet.com
Remember, you are not alone.
Collectively we can get Subaru to acknowledge us and do the right thing.
Subaru customer service contacts:
Ms. Susan Hopf (Her area of specialty is Lemon Law I've been told). Why is she a seinor customer service rep?? I found out that this is done when there is an ongoing known problem. The auto company wants a trained legal mind to answer 'your' questions in a certain way, while trying limit their liablity in the process.
Ms. Jean Garcia, Subaru customer service, (800) 782-2783.
Also, Ms. Dene Witt at Subaru customer service in Colorado, (303)-373-7769.
Also Complain to: Mr. Yasuo Fujiki, Chairman of the board and CEO. Subaru of America's Inc.
Subsidiary of Fuji Heavy Industries LTD.
Subaru Plaza, 2235 Rt. 70 west, Cherry Hill, NJ. 08002
Mr. George Muller, President of SOA. Inc.- Phone (609) 488-8500, Fax (609) 488-0485
Even if the problem only exist in a small percentage of cars. That does not mean that it should be ignored. That is what customer service is about. Dealing with problems
to the customer's satisfaction.
Also, why don't all the cars behave this way if they are 'operating as designed' ???
| VW I owned and raced in IMSA. International Sedan Series. |
300 HP Eurospec Subaru Impreza WRX I've driven. |
Engine of Mazda 323 turbo 'street' car I used to own. 250 HP. |
to find out more on what you need to do now.Copyright) November 30, 1998 (all rights reserved)- Based on the information I have gathered, my theories on this are:
- 1) A bad computer signal from another input device, leading the computer to do something it shouldn't, though it thinks everything is normal. That would explain why there are no error codes.
- 2) A bad cruise control system causing the car to be 'taken over' without the driver activating it.
- 3) A bad alternator giving AC voltage instead of DC for some unknown reason which could cause the erratic idle, or a spike of DC energy of too high a voltage. This might also cause all sorts of incorrect signals to the ECU or another device, (like the cruise control). There seems to be a vacuum or pressure related situation with the brakes.
The throttle body recall involves a missing ball bearing. This is only to become a problem on 'high mileage cars'. Practically all of the cars had less than 30k miles on them when a problem arose. Some were only a few months into ownership. Also the bearing problem would be on deceleration and not explain why a car would accelerate, have the idle jump all over the place, or explain the combined loss of braking too. Of the cars who's VIN numbers were affected by the recall, they passed the bearing test. Why did they still have the problem then?
If you think you have the HESITATION problem then visit, Gary Friesen's "Cure for Hesitation" page.
If you want good information about the Outback's virtues and problems, visit Rich Rubel's "Outback Owners" page.
Old index of the Owners Forum (slow loading, but worth the wait).
Legal stuff > This page is in no way endorsed or supported by Subaru of America or any of its dealers, distributors, or franchises. The author of this page holds no legal responsibility for anything you may try as a result of having read it here. Nothing provided here is the substitute for the advice of competent legal counsel. Background images are photographed at Glanzman Subaru, Jenkintown, Pa. who is in no way affiliated with this page. Subaru Impreza, Legacy, Outback and Forester are trademarks of Subaru and Fuji Heavy Industries, Inc.
Last updated: 2/23/05 3:40:21 PM Mike Levin (S.O.A. case number 369976)
