Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||||
| 093904 | 05/07/2004 | 10007901 | Engine coolant system refilling.*mr | 07/14/2004 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - COOLING SYSTEM - FAN | |||||
| 094306 | 10/24/2006 | 094306R | 10020307 | Modification of main cooling fan relay. *tt | 09/12/2006 |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||||
| SB-WVI-19 | 06/01/2009 | 10030868 | Subaru: engine control module (ecm) reprogramming. under certain unique driving patterns, such as repeated acceleration and deceleration and/or continuous uphill driving at higher speeds (about 75mph), the catalytic converters of affectiv | 12/16/2009 | |
| SB-WVH-18 | 06/01/2009 | 10030865 | Subaru: engine control module (ecm)reprogramming. under certain unique driving patterns, such as repeated acceleration and deceleration and/or continuous uphill driving at higher speeds (about 75mph), the catalytic converters of affected | 12/16/2009 | |
| 12 | 02/01/2007 | 10021477 | Radiator cooling fan relay #2. *kb | 05/02/2007 | |
| 166806 | 10/09/2006 | 10020531 | Vehicles equipped with 4 eat diagnostic procedures for p0851/p0852. *kb | 11/13/2006 | |
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL - CATALYTIC CONVERTOR | |||||
| SB-WVI-19 | 06/01/2009 | 10030868 | Subaru: engine control module (ecm) reprogramming. under certain unique driving patterns, such as repeated acceleration and deceleration and/or continuous uphill driving at higher speeds (about 75mph), the catalytic converters of affectiv | 12/16/2009 | |
| SB-WVH-18 | 06/01/2009 | 10030865 | Subaru: engine control module (ecm)reprogramming. under certain unique driving patterns, such as repeated acceleration and deceleration and/or continuous uphill driving at higher speeds (about 75mph), the catalytic converters of affected | 12/16/2009 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENGINE | |||
| 02/10/2010 | 60000 | ||
| On aproximately 10 occasions right after a rain when i start up the car the engine light starts blinking and the car runs roughly with little power. after a short time the car power returns but the check engine light stays on for about a week. once the light goes out the car then runs normal until the next rainstorm. it then does the same all over. | |||
| 02/25/2013 | 155000 | ||
| Subaru outback 2.5xt. 2005 check engine light came on & i could hear whistling or whoosing sounds from engine area. took it to an auto repair place slowly,asap & there it sits. has 155,000 miles on it & i maintain & love my car! the gears in the turbo 'broke apart' & left shards of metal in oil pan & at this time who knows where else. was hoping there was a recall as i maintain my vehicles & it seems like a manufacturer error. | |||
| 02/10/2010 | 60000 | ||
| On aproximately 10 occasions right after a rain when i start up the car the engine light starts blinking and the car runs roughly with little power. after a short time the car power returns but the check engine light stays on for about a week. once the light goes out the car then runs normal until the next rainstorm. it then does the same all over. | |||
| 02/25/2013 | 155000 | ||
| Subaru outback 2.5xt. 2005 check engine light came on & i could hear whistling or whoosing sounds from engine area. took it to an auto repair place slowly,asap & there it sits. has 155,000 miles on it & i maintain & love my car! the gears in the turbo 'broke apart' & left shards of metal in oil pan & at this time who knows where else. was hoping there was a recall as i maintain my vehicles & it seems like a manufacturer error. | |||
| 02/10/2010 | 60000 | ||
| On aproximately 10 occasions right after a rain when i start up the car the engine light starts blinking and the car runs roughly with little power. after a short time the car power returns but the check engine light stays on for about a week. once the light goes out the car then runs normal until the next rainstorm. it then does the same all over. | |||
| 02/25/2013 | 155000 | ||
| Subaru outback 2.5xt. 2005 check engine light came on & i could hear whistling or whoosing sounds from engine area. took it to an auto repair place slowly,asap & there it sits. has 155,000 miles on it & i maintain & love my car! the gears in the turbo 'broke apart' & left shards of metal in oil pan & at this time who knows where else. was hoping there was a recall as i maintain my vehicles & it seems like a manufacturer error. | |||
| 02/10/2010 | 60000 | ||
| On aproximately 10 occasions right after a rain when i start up the car the engine light starts blinking and the car runs roughly with little power. after a short time the car power returns but the check engine light stays on for about a week. once the light goes out the car then runs normal until the next rainstorm. it then does the same all over. | |||
| 02/25/2013 | 155000 | ||
| Subaru outback 2.5xt. 2005 check engine light came on & i could hear whistling or whoosing sounds from engine area. took it to an auto repair place slowly,asap & there it sits. has 155,000 miles on it & i maintain & love my car! the gears in the turbo 'broke apart' & left shards of metal in oil pan & at this time who knows where else. was hoping there was a recall as i maintain my vehicles & it seems like a manufacturer error. | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING | |||
| 12/27/2011 | 75023 | ||
| Intermittent throttle disabled. car becomes unresponsive to the gas pedal. engine continues to run but gas pedal has no response. | |||
| 10/01/2009 | 90000 | ||
| I have been having a problem with my car for the 2-years and has been getting worse. the throttle pedal at times will become non-responsive and the engine idle cannot be controlled. at this time the check engine light is on with a code. p2138. i have taken the car to the dealer with no luck they could not find anything wrong. the car has left me stranded several times and i had to limp or be towed home. the rpm can be anywhere from idle to 3000 rpm and as i said the pedal has no control. i have replaced the accelerator pedal assembly and the problem was gone for the past six months. it has now failed again. | |||
| 10/29/2011 | |||
| Second time this has happened. when in a stopped position and intend to pull out, motor running, but gas pedal does not engage. push all the way to floor - still nothing. in order to correct, must turn off engine and disconnect battery cable so vehicle can reset itself. also had problem when sitting still where vehicle began idling as if accelerator being pressed down - lasted 5-10 seconds then backed off. when purchased car used, had problems with cruise control not working and light flashing continuously. found that injector had to be replaced - apparently tied to cruise mechanism. this corrected the problem but quite expensive to repair. | |||
| 05/09/2011 | 85000 | ||
| At approximately 85,000 miles, the check engine light on our 2005 subaru outback xt went on and we took the vehicle in to our local repair shop to check the light and they recommended having the vehicle towed to our subaru dealer. the vehicle was towed in and the dealer service person called stating that timthe turbo had failed (along with the cv boot & alternator belt). i provided the information regarding our official subaru 100,000 mile gold plus extended service contract which we purchased for $1975. the service representative would not confirm whether or not these components would be covered under our service contract and then called me and said subaru denied the claim pending receipt of service records. my husband and my father have changed the oil, air filters and performed general service in combination with service by various service shops. my records are not complete and i expect that subaru will try to deny coverage of the turbo due to this. there are ample reports on subaru forums reporting the same failure and i feel that this problem is not due to owner negligence, but by faulty design. this type of failure should be the responsibility of the manufacturer and they should service the vehicle per the service contract without causing undue stress to the owner of the vehicle. | |||
| 04/20/2011 | 62000 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru outback. the contact stated that the engine failed. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they were told that the banjo filters screen failed and sent shards of metal through the engine. the dealer told the contact that in 2007, the vehicle was serviced because of the failure and the engine was previously rebuilt. the contact stated that the information was not listed on the vehicle history report. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage and current mileage was 62,000. | |||
| 04/20/2011 | 62000 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2005 subaru outback. the contact stated the engine on the vehicle failed. the contact took the vehicle to the dealer and they were told the banjo filter screen failed and sent shards of metal through the engine. the dealer told the contact that in 2007 the contacts vehicle was serviced because of this failure and the engine was previously rebuilt. the contact said this information was not listed on the carfax history report and this dealt with the turbo of the vehicle being blown out. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the failure mileage and current mileages were 62,000.rl | |||
| 04/09/2009 | 35600 | 1 | |
| With 35,600 miles on our 2005 subaru outback xt, the turbo failed. the dealer service technician said this was do to the condition of the engine oil which was 7 months old and had 5,400 miles on it. all 7 of the vehicles oil changes were done within the 7,500 mile interval set forth in owners/vehicle maintenance manual. according to the subaru service bulletin # 02-103-07 (http://store.forcedperformance.net/merchant2/graphics/subaru_oil/02-103-07.pdf -- not sent to owners), there appears to be a design defect with the banjo bolt oil supply line to the turbo, which make this engine unable to live up to the specified maintenance intervals in its power train warranty. *tr | |||
| 05/02/2008 | 94000 | 1 | |
| 2005 subaru outback with a blown head gasket at a cost of $2,000. this is in addition to a bad turbo charger two months ago at about $1,800. many subaru's have this head gasket problem but subaru has not done a recall. thousands listed on internet having this head gasket problem. *tr | |||
| 06/21/2006 | 20000 | 50 | 09/02/2004 |
| I have been experiencing a problem while accelerating from a stop or from coasting, such as when a red light has just turned green. i begin to depress the accelerator and the engine just about dies. this has nearly caused me to get t-boned at intersections numerous times. i have brought it to the attention of two different subaru dealers and they say that nothing is wrong with it. i have heard that other subaru owners are having this problem but subaru will not admit that this is a safety issue. *jb | |||
| 07/20/2005 | 13800 | 2 | 09/24/2004 |
| On two separate occasions, my 2005 subaru outback got stuck after incurring a minor obstruction (several inches of snow in one case and a somewhat sharp incline in another case) while driving in high altitudes (10,000 ft to 11,500 ft). on both occasions, the car suddenly lost most of its power and no wheels would turn. despite pressing the accelerator to the floor, the engine never went above 2000 rpms. fortunately, on both occasions, there were people around to push the car. once the tires were totally free of any obstruction, normal engine power returned and the car could be driven. i took the subaru to my home dealership in olathe ks (jack miller) on june 29, 2005, a couple weeks after the first incident. dealer said he could not replicate the problem , so he could not fix it. the invoice notes: 2000 rpm is appox torque converter stall speed. following the second problem on july 20, i took my car to john elway subaru west in golden co. dealer invoice says: if tires were not spinning, car had traction and was not able to build boost at altitude to produce power. dealer, however, said they could not replicate the inability to build boost, and were thus unable to fix the car. i filed a verbal complaint with subaru of america on july 27 and followed up on july 29. as of then, subaru of america was still trying to contact the dealer. subaru markets its cars as having superior performance in the mountains, snow and in difficult driving conditions. subaru enjoys a large market share in the colorado mountains, where both my not able to build boost problems occurred. my car cannot be safely driven in the co mountains, particularly on mountain passes or dirt roads, because help may not be available to get the car running again. i do not know if my experiences are isolated or part of a larger problem. in either case, i am disappointed that subaru has been unwilling or unable to fix this potentially serious safety issue. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE | |||
| 06/11/2011 | |||
| 2005 outback x limited with 67,000 miles. check engine light comes on followed by a whining sound from engine compartment and then rattling noises accompanied by loss of power. car was transported to garage and diagnosed with blown turbo. metal shavings discovered in oil filter. total engine loss. subaru denies coverage and will not accept responsibility for design flaw | |||
| 12/01/2009 | 120000 | ||
| Subaru outback 2005 pzev - head gasket failure. the cylinder head gaskets on this vehicle have failed such that engine oil drips onto the hot exhaust system, and produces visible, foul smelling smoke whenver the car is driven. manufacturer has refused to repair under warranty, or recognize a problem, in spite of similar failures in earlier models, and previous class action lawsuit settlement because of those failures. the car is still under an emissions warranty that will expire at 157,500 miles. the car was sold as a partial zero-emissions vehicle, but clearly the smoke from the dripping oil exceeds any emission standard. my feeling is that the manufacturer should repair the car under the emissions warranty, as well as prior failure history. | |||
| 07/02/2008 | 19000 | 1 | |
| I took a cross-country trip this summer from la to kansas city, mo. i had the car serviced and everything checked out before i left both going and coming back. i left kc to head back to la. 3 hours outside of kc i saw my check engine light come on and the temperature gauge up to red. i pulled over immediately. smoke poured out of my car. i put coolant and water in it 3 times. it seemed fine when i started the engine, then the needle would go up to red. i didn't dare drive it, so i called aaa. they towed me to a subaru dealership in ks. i was told my head gaskets had blown. they fixed them. i had to stay there overnight. they called me the next morning and told me before i was to pick up the car that they had taken it out for a test drive and it broke down on them. this time it was the tensioner to the timing belt had slipped time and the belt had shattered into. okay, that was another week and a half stranded to get that fixed. i finally left to drive back to la. the car overheated all the way back to la. it was the worse trip in my life. i stopped in co. they told me it was my radiator cap not holding pressure as long as i kept the rpm's up the car would stay cool. i have to say with all that going on, the car got me home. whew! it was a nail biter. when i got back to la the dealer there told me i had to have new head gaskets. what?! i said, i just had new ones done. they found out that the heads were warped. no one checked. now, here is the craziest thing. my car had only 19,000 miles on the car when it broke down. 19,000! it was practically still a new car! it was still under warranty for the power train. i had the heads planed and new gaskets put in. the dealership in ks and la started pointing fingers at whose fault it was and meanwhile my car is sitting at the dealership, with them doing nothing to it. i finally found someone at subaru corporate who helped me out. then a couple months go by and my car starts stalling intermittently. lemon! *tr | |||
| 06/21/2008 | 17441 | 1 | |
| 2005 subaru outback. the car was in park and my right foot was tucked back behind my left foot which was resting on the foot rest pad on the far left side of the floor. the engine was idling normally when suddenly it went to very high revs for 4 to 5 seconds and then returned to normal idle. later the same evening, as i slowly entered my garage and applied normal brake pressure, the car first slowed (as expected) then suddenly began to accelerate. i applied hard brake pressure and the car stopped. it did not seem like the engine had revved as high as the earlier incident and it only lasted for a couple of seconds, but there was a definite, brief surge forward as i entered the garage. *tr | |||
| 10/13/2005 | 8061 | 1 | 03/14/2005 |
| 2005 subaru outback 2.5xt was parked in a public / private parking structure at approximately 6:30pm on 10/13/2005. at approximately 8pm the fire alarm was triggered by vehicle catching on fire. fire dept found no signs of arson or foul play, looked to be an electrical fire in the front right headlight cluster. no response from subaru, insurance dropped my policy - loss not covered! *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - ENGINE - GASOLINE | |||
| 12/16/2005 | 21350 | 1 | 11/11/2005 |
| 2005 subaru outback totally destroyed by fire of unknown origin approximately 30 minutes after engine shut off. no one was in the car and police/fire dept determined arson unlikely. *nm | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM | |||
| 04/09/2009 | 35600 | 1 | |
| With 35,600 miles on our 2005 subaru outback xt, the turbo failed. the dealer service technician said this was do to the condition of the engine oil which was 7 months old and had 5,400 miles on it. all 7 of the vehicles oil changes were done within the 7,500 mile interval set forth in owners/vehicle maintenance manual. according to the subaru service bulletin # 02-103-07 (http://store.forcedperformance.net/merchant2/graphics/subaru_oil/02-103-07.pdf -- not sent to owners), there appears to be a design defect with the banjo bolt oil supply line to the turbo, which make this engine unable to live up to the specified maintenance intervals in its power train warranty. *tr | |||
| ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING - EXHAUST SYSTEM - EMISSION CONTROL | |||
| 02/01/2006 | 1 | 09/30/2005 | |
| Consumer concerned about failure of the catalytic converter in the 2005 outback. *ts the consumer wanted a federal emissions equipped vehicle. the consumer was not informed before he purchased the vehicle that it had a mandated california emissions system, which could result in a decrease of power. the vehicle required special fuel which may not be available in the states where he needs to drive. *jb updated 04/11/06. | |||