Recalls
| Campaign | Manufacturer | Manufacturing date | Type | # of units affected | Date Owner notified Mfg | Recall Initiated by | Manufacturers of recalled vehicles/products | Report Recieved Date | Record Creation Date | Regulation Part Number | FMVSS Number | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM | ||||||||||||||||
| 02V240000 | SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. | from 08/19/2002 to 08/30/2002 | V (Vehicle) | 555 | 09/12/2002 | MFR | SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. | 09/13/2002 | 09/16/2002 | |||||||
| Defect Summary | On certain sport utility and passenger vehicles equipped with 4-cylinder engines, the water pump pulley center hole was improperly machined. | |||||||||||||||
| Consequence Summary | In some instances, the interference fit between the inner wall of the pulley center hole and the water pump drive shaft was not as tight as specified in the drawing specification. this could result in the water pump pulley dislodging from the water pump shaft, which can cause severe engine damage/seizure during vehicle usage. | |||||||||||||||
| Corrective Summary | Dealers will replace the water pump. owner notification began september 12, 2002. owners who take their vehicles to an authorized dealer on an agreed upon service date and do not receive the free remedy within a reasonable time should contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. | |||||||||||||||
| Notes | Customers can also contact the national highway traffic safety administration's auto safety hotline at 1-888-dash-2-dot (1-888-327-4236). | |||||||||||||||
Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| 118006 | 11/08/2006 | 10020697 | Throttle position sensor. vehicles equiped with h-6 3.0l engines. *kb | 12/28/2006 | |
| 029605 | 09/09/2005 | 10016869 | 2.5l remanufactured sohc short block release. *tt | 10/13/2005 | |
| 93 | 09/01/2002 | 10000102 | Improperly manufactured engine water pump. recall campaign wwi93. *tt | 02/12/2003 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 05/21/2009 | 80000 | 1 | |
| Head gasket failure***** 2003 outback **** this is not a new problem as four of the subaru's we've owned had hg issues. although in the past subaru acknowledged the failures and repaired them under the wwp99 campaign (1998-2002 model years). while this failure continues to be widespread (just google subaru head gasket problems and you'll get pages of complaints of hg failures) subaru has stopped repairing them or even acknowledging there is a problem. this appears to be solely a cost saving strategy. when the gaskets fail, oil leaks outside the engine which contacts the exhaust system. the burning oil puts smoke and fumes inside the car. i would think this is also a fire concern. inside the engine, oil and coolant mix and can cause catastrophic damage/failure. is there anything i can do to get this repaired by subaru? they seem to be getting away with a huge consumer injustice just by acting like it doesn't exist. can they be required extent the champagne (wwp99) with the 03 and later models? subaru clearly acknowledges a head gasket problem in previous years and later model years have the same failure. *tr | |||
| 05/21/2009 | 80000 | ||
| Head gasket failure***** 2003 outback **** this is not a new problem as four of the subaru | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 07/01/2011 | 90000 | ||
| Subaru has been selling cars knowing of premature head gasket failures. 1998 to 2002 head gaskets failed with internal and external coolant leaks. subaru has issued the wwp99 campaign (upto 8 yr 100,000 mile). this campaign introduces an additive into the coolant to plug the leak. they also will repair the gaskets in rare cases. the 2003 head gaskets are also failing prematurely even with proper maintenance. these fail with an external oil leak that directly hits the exhaust causing fire hazard and noxious fumes in and around the car. the repair is $2000 at dealer. subaru is not addressing this. | |||
| 02/14/2011 | 40000 | ||
| The car would die usually while coming to stops. and on most occasions will start back up. at first it seemed to only die in very hot weather and on one occasion it didn't start back up for 15 min. but it has since died on days without extreme temperatures. most of the times it dies while stopping, twice it died when braking on highways which was very dangerous. this has occurred about 15 times in 4 years. i have brought it in to two different subaru dealers multiple times. they have never been able to diagnose the problem and have been completely useless. they have reset the computer a few times. one mechanic replaced the fuel pump, the battery has been changed and this still occurs. the oil and filter are changed regularly, i even use 93 instead of the 91 recommended fuel and it has still occurred. | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 82546 | 1 | |
| 2003 subaru outback with leaking head gaskets. consumer would like to be reimbursed for repair cost. *kb at around 80,000 the consumer began to smell burning oil. the consumer stated subaru recalled other models because of a possible external leak at the cylinder head gaskets. the consumer stated her model has the same engine as the other models. the consumer stated subaru was only will to cover 50% of the cost. *jb | |||
| 06/17/2006 | 80000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2003 subaru outback. the contact stated that the vehicle would continuously overheat while driving or while the vehicle was sitting idle with the engine on. the contact also mentioned the vehicle was emitting a burning oil smell. he stated that the failure was due to a defective head gasket. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 112,000. | |||
| 05/16/2005 | 1 | ||
| 2003 subaru outback cut off in the middle of traffic.***no answer required***. *mr subaru was unable to find out what was causing the stalling problem. *sc *jb | |||
| 04/18/2003 | 10000 | 7 | 11/16/2002 |
| Consumer states that while driving and without warning the vehicle will stall. the dealer was notified. *nd when braking to stop or make a turn the vehicle will stall. the consumer was told that thee are other vehicles (same make/model) with the same problem. *scc | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 05/29/2009 | 1 | ||
| Subaru outback 4 cyl wagon engine cooling problems/head gasket failure. car had to be turned off in traffic several times,extremely hot,fumes go in the car. took it to dealer and it is past warranty by approx 10,000 miles. it is a 4,000. job to fix. *tr | |||
| 11/27/2007 | 37000 | 1 | 08/01/2007 |
| Head gasket developed a coolant leak. it was less than 30 days from the warranty running out. the dealership did the warranty work but said they could not do the other head gasket because it had not failed and the warranty would not allow them to replace it. it only makes sense if the one side failed that the other side was right behind it. *tr | |||
| 03/15/2006 | 30000 | 1 | 10/15/2005 |
| Dt*: the contact stated after having the 30,000 mile service performed on the vehicle, it began having multiple problems. the gas mileage decreased 50 miles per tank. there was an oil smoke smell coming from the vents when the fan was on. a pinging noise could be intermittently heard coming from the engine. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer for inspection; however the problems could not be duplicated. the manufacturer was alerted. | |||
| 02/17/2003 | 500 | 4 | 12/26/2002 |
| Nar 03-27-2003 mr the car dies intermittently at speeds between 20-25 mph on deceleration. the power is completely lost with no power steering control. additional items noticied .. shifting in transmission at low speeds, dashboard creaks and drivers window faulty. *cb | |||
| 04/17/2002 | 375 | 9 | 10/24/2002 |
| Car keeps shutting off in infrequent intervals. first at 375 miles and by 9000 miles it did it 9 times. the car has been at the dealer 6 times and just now subaru is admitting to having other cars with this issue. all 2003 6 cylinder engines. i was told after the 4th time at the dealer that they cannot fix it, end of story. then after filing a complaint with the attorney general office they are working on it again. they are now starting to replace stuff and want to put a black box in. this car shuts off only at a stand still so far but this is very dangerous. subaru admits to having more cars like this and they only could fix half of them. *jb | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 04/01/2004 | 15000 | 3 | 04/01/2003 |
| When car was slowing for a stop sign it would stall, however it could always be restarted. the consumer would have to place the vehicle in park and restart. *ak the dealer was unable to diagnose the problem. *sc *jb | |||