Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION - FRONT - WHEEL BEARING | |||||
| 03-58-08 | 04/03/2008 | 10026727 | Subaru: there is a slight possibility that one or both of the vehicle's rear wheel bearings may, over time, develop a noise condition that causes the bearing to produce a whinnying sound. csc letter was received. *pe | 12/09/2008 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| SUSPENSION | |||
| 12/21/2007 | 21000 | 1 | |
| While driving the car on a slightly snowy/slippery road with light snow falling, it felt like the rear end of the car was spinning out and i was heading off the road. i had to slow down to about 30 mph in order to stay in my lane. everyone else was flying past me. i have since had many occasions where these same conditions caused the same effects with the car. it seems to worsen when i have passengers or any extra weight in the car. when the driving conditions that cause this problem exist, i cannot drive my car, but must rent another vehicle or borrow someone else's car. we have owned other subaru outbacks of 1998 or earlier with no problems in snow. numerous times i brought this problem up with subaru corporation of america and my dealership and everyone denies there is any problem with the car. i'm totally frustrated!! *tr | |||
| 02/12/2008 | 22000 | ||
| While driving north on 91 to vermont this car handled great in snow, . on the other hand the return trips the roads were plowed packed snow it was like the rear end was on ice skates(or ghost walking} whatever you call it when it happens it will scare the shit out of you. the first couple times it happened, i had every excuse why it wasn't the car, i thought the stock tires were shot, so i bought 4 brand new dunlop snow tires. i hoped problem would be solved, car handled even better in snow same on packed snow/ice. thought maybe the thule box was catching wind, removed thule box. problem did not get better. i began searching for similar issues online and came across many suggestions that stock suspension sucked, which i kinda new, so i replaced suspension with supposedley the best available kyb hoped that after that investment problem would be solved, i was wrong again. after deeper investigation online i learned of ghostwalking. if i had bought a chevy cavalier or ford taurus or any other piece of crap that you wouldn't expect to handle said conditions it's one thing but for a car that either endores or is endorsed by the us ski team, ski patrol this car is not safe. about two months ago i was driving up a straight away it had rained earlier. i was driving about 55 i the limit is 45 and the rear end slipped out and the car began ghostwalking. i don't feel safe driving my daughter in this car that i hoped to one day give her. i owned a 95 outback and had none of the above problems had reg tires. since finally figuring that i'm not crazy and other people are having this problem that can't be fixed,i want to trade it in but worry that whoever buys it might crash and die, icant very well go trade in this car and tell them this handles great, best car i ever owned just don;t drive it on packed snow you no the reason you want a subaru in the first place | |||
| 12/06/2011 | 85000 | 1 | |
| Our subaru started what is described as ghost walking. mild but noticeably last winter, severe and constant this winter (2013). on icy or snow packed roads, the vehicle's rear end moves or sways back and forth. speed from 25 mph up to 45 mph. can't go faster due to terrain and roads anyway. *tr | |||
| 02/12/2008 | 22000 | ||
| While driving north on 91 to vermont this car handled great in snow, . on the other hand the return trips the roads were plowed packed snow it was like the rear end was on ice skates(or ghost walking} whatever you call it when it happens it will scare the shit out of you. the first couple times it happened, i had every excuse why it wasn't the car, i thought the stock tires were shot, so i bought 4 brand new dunlop snow tires. i hoped problem would be solved, car handled even better in snow same on packed snow/ice. thought maybe the thule box was catching wind, removed thule box. problem did not get better. i began searching for similar issues online and came across many suggestions that stock suspension sucked, which i kinda new, so i replaced suspension with supposedley the best available kyb hoped that after that investment problem would be solved, i was wrong again. after deeper investigation online i learned of ghostwalking. if i had bought a chevy cavalier or ford taurus or any other piece of crap that you wouldn't expect to handle said conditions it's one thing but for a car that either endores or is endorsed by the us ski team, ski patrol this car is not safe. about two months ago i was driving up a straight away it had rained earlier. i was driving about 55 i the limit is 45 and the rear end slipped out and the car began ghostwalking. i don't feel safe driving my daughter in this car that i hoped to one day give her. i owned a 95 outback and had none of the above problems had reg tires. since finally figuring that i'm not crazy and other people are having this problem that can't be fixed,i want to trade it in but worry that whoever buys it might crash and die, icant very well go trade in this car and tell them this handles great, best car i ever owned just don;t drive it on packed snow you no the reason you want a subaru in the first place | |||
| 12/06/2011 | 85000 | 1 | |
| Our subaru started what is described as ghost walking. mild but noticeably last winter, severe and constant this winter (2013). on icy or snow packed roads, the vehicle's rear end moves or sways back and forth. speed from 25 mph up to 45 mph. can't go faster due to terrain and roads anyway. *tr | |||
| 02/12/2008 | 22000 | ||
| While driving north on 91 to vermont this car handled great in snow, . on the other hand the return trips the roads were plowed packed snow it was like the rear end was on ice skates(or ghost walking} whatever you call it when it happens it will scare the shit out of you. the first couple times it happened, i had every excuse why it wasn't the car, i thought the stock tires were shot, so i bought 4 brand new dunlop snow tires. i hoped problem would be solved, car handled even better in snow same on packed snow/ice. thought maybe the thule box was catching wind, removed thule box. problem did not get better. i began searching for similar issues online and came across many suggestions that stock suspension sucked, which i kinda new, so i replaced suspension with supposedley the best available kyb hoped that after that investment problem would be solved, i was wrong again. after deeper investigation online i learned of ghostwalking. if i had bought a chevy cavalier or ford taurus or any other piece of crap that you wouldn't expect to handle said conditions it's one thing but for a car that either endores or is endorsed by the us ski team, ski patrol this car is not safe. about two months ago i was driving up a straight away it had rained earlier. i was driving about 55 i the limit is 45 and the rear end slipped out and the car began ghostwalking. i don't feel safe driving my daughter in this car that i hoped to one day give her. i owned a 95 outback and had none of the above problems had reg tires. since finally figuring that i'm not crazy and other people are having this problem that can't be fixed,i want to trade it in but worry that whoever buys it might crash and die, icant very well go trade in this car and tell them this handles great, best car i ever owned just don;t drive it on packed snow you no the reason you want a subaru in the first place | |||
| 12/06/2011 | 85000 | 1 | |
| Our subaru started what is described as ghost walking. mild but noticeably last winter, severe and constant this winter (2013). on icy or snow packed roads, the vehicle's rear end moves or sways back and forth. speed from 25 mph up to 45 mph. can't go faster due to terrain and roads anyway. *tr | |||
| 12/06/2011 | 85000 | ||
| Our subaru started what is described as ghost walking. mild but noticeably last winter, severe and constant this winter (2013). on icy or snow packed roads, the vehicle's rear end moves or sways back and forth. speed from 25 mph up to 45 mph. can't go faster due to terrain and roads anyway. | |||
| 01/04/2013 | 1 | ||
| I am the third owner so after my problems, i researched to learn the first owner couldn't maintain tire life; subaru replaced all four tires and kept trying realignment for her. the second owner informed me he could not maintain new tire life, never acknowledging to me that the car is all over the road and a hazard to your life. being the third owner, i never thought when i purchased this 2005 subaru outback that it could be an engineering problem with a company like subaru, not identified or recalled. i have learned the car is unsafe and after research online have learned there could be a serious engineering problem with the raised rear suspension. i have the subaru receipts from former two owners (they were related) and obviously subaru is negligent in not identifying the issue and reporting it. two different shops have assured me it is not ball joints, or suspension, etc. i spent $750 on the rear end and new alignment at the specialty spring and suspension shop and those tires seem to be wearing evenly. the front tires are cupped on the outside severely in six months. the car is all over the road. *tr | |||
| 12/18/2012 | 106000 | 1 | |
| This vehicle is dangerous on icy roads. on a recent trip when encountering ice, the rear end would fishtail uncontrollably until speed was reduced below 30 mph. this happened while maintaining speed in a straight line. all other cars were still doing speed limit (60) without problems and we were a hazard fishtailing at 30. a truck jackknifed trying to avoid us. please do something about these cars before someone is killed. the condition is called ghost walking and is widely reported here and on other websites. these are dangerous cars. *tr | |||
| 01/04/2013 | |||
| I am the third owner so after my problems, i researched to learn the first owner couldn't maintain tire life; subaru replaced all four tires and kept trying relignment for her. the second owner informed me he could not maintain new tire life, never acknowledging to me that the car is all over the road and a hazard to your life. being the third owner, i never thought when i purchased this 2005 subaru outback that it could be an engineering problem with a company like subaru, not identified or recalled. i have learned the car is unsafe and after research online have learned there could be a serious engineering problem with the raised rear suspension. i have the subaru receipts from former two owners (they were related) and obviously subaru is negligent in not identifying the issue and reporting it. two different shops have assured me it is not ball joints, or suspension, etc. i spent $750 on the rear end and new alignment at the specialty spring and suspension shop and those tires seem to be wearing evenly. the front tires are cupped on the outside severely in six months. the car is all over the road. | |||
| 12/18/2012 | 106000 | ||
| This vehicle is dangerous on icy roads. on a recent trip when encountering ice, the rear end would fishtail uncontrollably until speed was reduced below 30 mph. this happened while maintaining speed in a straight line. all other cars were still doing speed limit (60) without problems and we were a hazard fishtailing at 30. a truck jackknifed trying to avoid us. please do something about these cars before someone is killed. the condition is called ghost walking and is widely reported here and on other websites. these are dangerous cars. | |||
| 01/04/2013 | |||
| I am the third owner so after my problems, i researched to learn the first owner couldn't maintain tire life; subaru replaced all four tires and kept trying relignment for her. the second owner informed me he could not maintain new tire life, never acknowledging to me that the car is all over the road and a hazard to your life. being the third owner, i never thought when i purchased this 2005 subaru outback that it could be an engineering problem with a company like subaru, not identified or recalled. i have learned the car is unsafe and after research online have learned there could be a serious engineering problem with the raised rear suspension. i have the subaru receipts from former two owners (they were related) and obviously subaru is negligent in not identifying the issue and reporting it. two different shops have assured me it is not ball joints, or suspension, etc. i spent $750 on the rear end and new alignment at the specialty spring and suspension shop and those tires seem to be wearing evenly. the front tires are cupped on the outside severely in six months. the car is all over the road. | |||
| 12/18/2012 | 106000 | ||
| This vehicle is dangerous on icy roads. on a recent trip when encountering ice, the rear end would fishtail uncontrollably until speed was reduced below 30 mph. this happened while maintaining speed in a straight line. all other cars were still doing speed limit (60) without problems and we were a hazard fishtailing at 30. a truck jackknifed trying to avoid us. please do something about these cars before someone is killed. the condition is called ghost walking and is widely reported here and on other websites. these are dangerous cars. | |||
| 12/24/2012 | 106521 | 1 | |
| While driving on straight, flat and level ice-covered northern indiana road at 35 mph, my 2005 subaru outback xt ltd fishtailed (rear over-steer) repeatedly. this felt as if the rear of the vehicle was being quickly pushed from side to side. (this is often referred to as ghostwalking and is unmistakable once experienced.) there were two average weight adults in the front seats and one young adult (135 lbs) in the rear passenger seat. the vehicle received a four-wheel alignment two years ago and does not exhibit any alignment-related issues on dry pavement. i.e., doesn't pull to left or right, nor wear tires unevenly. the vehicle is equipped in winter with bridgestone blizzak ws60 215/55 r17 tires with approx. 75% of their tread remaining. (these tires show no signs of abnormal wear or other defects.) i am a driver with 37 years of driving experience and believe this is a very serious safety issue with this vehicle. i've never experienced this degree of unpredictable instability in any vehicle that i've driven on ice. this vehicle gives the operator the impression that it is very sure-footed in any other condition, leading the operator to approach all road conditions with a level of confidence that can (and does) result in nearly out-of-control situations when the vehicle is driven on ice. *tr | |||
| 12/24/2012 | 106521 | ||
| While driving on straight, flat and level ice-covered northern indiana road at 35 mph, my 2005 subaru outback xt ltd fishtailed (rear over-steer) repeatedly. this felt as if the rear of the vehicle was being quickly pushed from side to side. (this is often referred to as ghostwalking and is unmistakable once experienced.) there were two average weight adults in the front seats and one young adult (135 lbs) in the rear passenger seat. the vehicle received a four-wheel alignment two years ago and does not exhibit any alignment-related issues on dry pavement. i.e., doesn't pull to left or right, nor wear tires unevenly. the vehicle is equipped in winter with bridgestone blizzak ws60 215/55 r17 tires with approx. 75% of their tread remaining. (these tires show no signs of abnormal wear or other defects.) i am a driver with 37 years of driving experience and believe this is a very serious safety issue with this vehicle. i've never experienced this degree of unpredictable instability in any vehicle that i've driven on ice. this vehicle gives the operator the impression that it is very sure-footed in any other condition, leading the operator to approach all road conditions with a level of confidence that can (and does) result in nearly out-of-control situations when the vehicle is driven on ice. | |||
| 02/02/2012 | 50000 | 1 | |
| Had the car for about a year now. driven it thru some snow and have experienced what is know as the ghost walking issue. the rear end tends to wander back and forth while driving on slushy snow and on ice. also does this when one rear wheel goes in a pot hole especially when driving on an off ramp. car has been aligned at the dealer and has new tires as well. these things were done to fix the issue but it did not. car is all stock. car is dangerous to drive in the above conditions. this car was bought for our daughter to drive back and forth to college and now we don't dare let her drive it. there have been many complaints about this issue on subaru sites like subaru.org that i am surprised nothing has been done. we are getting rid of car as soon as we can because of this main reason. *tr | |||
| 02/02/2012 | 50000 | ||
| Had the car for about a year now. driven it thru some snow and have experienced what is know as the gost walking issue. the rear end tends to wander back and forth while driving on slushy snow and on ice. also does this when one rear wheel goes in a pot hole especially when driving on an off ramp. car has been aligned at the dealer and has new tires as well. these things were done to fix the issue but it did not. car is all stock. car is dangerous to drive in the above conditions. this car was bought for our daughter to drive back and forth to college and now we dont dare let her drive it. there have been many complaints about this issue on subaru sites like subaru.org that i am surprised nothing has been done. we are getting rid of car as soon as we can because of this main reason. | |||
| 02/18/2006 | 12000 | 1 | |
| I have an 2005 outback xt. this car is dangerous on packed snow. i am a very experienced winter driver and have never had a vehicle handle this loosely on snow. above approx 40mph the back end wants to snap around even on flat, straight roads without the being on the accelerator or brake. after the first incident in 06, i was told by the mechanic it was due to uneven tire wear and an alignment issue. so after only 15k miles, i replaced the tires and had the car aligned. years later, i am now convinced that the ghostwalking issue caused these other issues and was not the result of them. i have since replaced the shocks/struts and use studded snow tires in the winter. this has helped, but the problem seems to come back erratically. it always occurs at highway speeds and now is sometimes even felt on wet freeways. i personally know of three other 05 outback owners in my neighborhood that have all experienced the ghostwalking problem at some point. i have previously owned a 92 legacy wagon and a 96 impreza and both were outstanding on snow, even without snow tires. the 05 outback has a serious safety issue that needs to be further examined before someone is seriously injured or killed. *tr | |||
| 02/18/2006 | 12000 | ||
| I have an 2005 outback xt. this car is dangerous on packed snow. i am a very experienced winter driver and have never had a vehicle handle this loosely on snow. above approx 40mph the back end wants to snap around even on flat, straight roads without the being on the accelerator or brake. after the first incident in 06, i was told by the mechanic it was due to uneven tire wear and an alignment issue. so after only 15k miles, i replaced the tires and had the car aligned. years later, i am now convinced that the ghostwalking issue caused these other issues and was not the result of them. i have since replaced the shocks/struts and use studded snow tires in the winter. this has helped, but the problem seems to come back erradically. it always occurs at highway speeds and now is sometines even felt on wet freeways. i personally know of three other 05 outback owners in my neighborhood that have all experienced the ghostwalking problem at some point. i have previously owned a 92 legacy wagon and a 96 impreza and both were outstanding on snow, even without snow tires. the 05 outback has a serious safety issue that needs to be further examined before someone is seriously injured or killed. | |||
| 01/13/2012 | 48000 | 1 | |
| This was one of the first snows of the winter and i was driving my 2005 subaru outback down detroit freeways to metro airport to pickup my son. i had my wife in the front seat and my youngest son in the rear seat. as the snow began to fall i felt the car lurch back and forth as if i were driving through icy or snowy ruts. i am an experienced driver (50 years old) and had never experienced anything like this except during an ice storm, etc. i thought the road must have had black ice under the snow as my car was almost uncontrollable. i slowed down to about 30mph and, to my surprise, saw two wheel drive pickup trucks, etc. passing me at 10 - 20mph faster than i was going... everyone was passing our car as i when i tried to match their speed it seemed that i was going to lose control with the rear end having a mind of its own shifting back and forth. in the months that followed, i searched the internet and found the threads calling this phenomenon ghostwalking. i hope that nhtsa does something about this as i do not want anyone to get hurt or killed thinking that this car is a great snow car (from a ground clearance and awd standpoint) and finding out the hard way that it is not. it would appear that it is worse when the suspension is loaded down with more passengers, as it was in this instance, than when it is just the driver and no cargo in the hatch area. *tr | |||
| 02/18/2006 | 12000 | ||
| I have an 2005 outback xt. this car is dangerous on packed snow. i am a very experienced winter driver and have never had a vehicle handle this loosely on snow. above approx 40mph the back end wants to snap around even on flat, straight roads without the being on the accelerator or brake. after the first incident in 06, i was told by the mechanic it was due to uneven tire wear and an alignment issue. so after only 15k miles, i replaced the tires and had the car aligned. years later, i am now convinced that the ghostwalking issue caused these other issues and was not the result of them. i have since replaced the shocks/struts and use studded snow tires in the winter. this has helped, but the problem seems to come back erradically. it always occurs at highway speeds and now is sometines even felt on wet freeways. i personally know of three other 05 outback owners in my neighborhood that have all experienced the ghostwalking problem at some point. i have previously owned a 92 legacy wagon and a 96 impreza and both were outstanding on snow, even without snow tires. the 05 outback has a serious safety issue that needs to be further examined before someone is seriously injured or killed. | |||
| 01/13/2012 | 48000 | 1 | |
| This was one of the first snows of the winter and i was driving my 2005 subaru outback down detroit freeways to metro airport to pickup my son. i had my wife in the front seat and my youngest son in the rear seat. as the snow began to fall i felt the car lurch back and forth as if i were driving through icy or snowy ruts. i am an experienced driver (50 years old) and had never experienced anything like this except during an ice storm, etc. i thought the road must have had black ice under the snow as my car was almost uncontrollable. i slowed down to about 30mph and, to my surprise, saw two wheel drive pickup trucks, etc. passing me at 10 - 20mph faster than i was going... everyone was passing our car as i when i tried to match their speed it seemed that i was going to lose control with the rear end having a mind of its own shifting back and forth. in the months that followed, i searched the internet and found the threads calling this phenomenon ghostwalking. i hope that nhtsa does something about this as i do not want anyone to get hurt or killed thinking that this car is a great snow car (from a ground clearance and awd standpoint) and finding out the hard way that it is not. it would appear that it is worse when the suspension is loaded down with more passengers, as it was in this instance, than when it is just the driver and no cargo in the hatch area. *tr | |||
| 01/13/2012 | 48000 | ||
| This was one of the first snows of the winter and i was driving my 2005 subaru outback down detroit freeways to metro airport to pickup my son. i had my wife in the front seat and my youngest son in the rear seat. as the snow began to fall i felt the car lurch back and forth as if i were driving through icy or snowy ruts. i am an experienced driver (50 years old) and had never experienced anything like this except during an ice storm, etc. i thought the road must have had black ice under the snow as my car was almost uncontrollable. i slowed down to about 30mph and, to my surprise, saw two wheel drive pickup trucks, etc. passing me at 10 - 20mph faster than i was going... everyone was passing our car as i when i tried to match their speed it seemed that i was going to lose control with the rear end having a mind of its own shifting back and forth. in the months that followed, i searched the internet and found the threads calling this phenomenon ghostwalking. i hope that nhtsa does something about this as i do not want anyone to get hurt or killed thinking that this car is a great snow car (from a ground clearance and awd standpoint) and finding out the hard way that it is not. it would appear that it is worse when the suspension is loaded down with more passengers, as it was in this instance, than when it is just the driver and no cargo in the hatch area. | |||
| 07/30/2010 | 84194 | 1 | |
| Right and left front control arm bushings split and replaced along with both front control arms. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2012 | 190000 | 1 | |
| Purchased 2005 outback in april 2012 with approximately 190000 miles. car felt very unstable when going over any uneven road surface. replaced rear struts with no improvement. tried different tires with no noticeable change. decided it must be an odd but normal condition for the vehicle. today, 9/18/12, drove car in light rain along a 2-lane road at approximately 50-55 mph and car was very unstable in the rear. the rear steered left/right and felt very unstable. there was a sense the vehicle was going to abruptly cross into the other lane. i have over 40 years of driving experience and realize this is not normal vehicle performance. i live in a central ny and purchased this vehicle for the safety of all wheel drive after owning a 1995 subaru impreza and a 1997 subaru outback. given the situation i had today, i am afraid of what will happen in ice/snow conditions common in ny. i began to research the issue online in an attempt to correct my situation before winter arrives. i found many online concerns regarding this issue. while i have not yet approached subaru directly, i get an overwhelming sense from online comments that subaru will not be very helpful. i am making this safety complaint in hopes that multiple complaints combined will expose what i feel is a very serious/dangerous handling issue with a 2005 subaru outback. *tr | |||
| 06/01/2012 | 190000 | ||
| Purchased 2005 outback in april 2012 with approximately 190000 miles. car felt very unstable when going over any uneven road surface. replaced rear struts with no improvement. tried different tires with no noticeable change. decided it must be an odd but normal condition for the vehicle. today, 9/18/12, drove car in light rain along a 2-lane road at approximately 50-55 mph and car was very unstable in the rear. the rear steered left/right and felt very unstable. there was a sense the vehicle was going to abruptly cross into the other lane. i have over 40 years of driving experience and realize this is not normal vehicle performance. i live in a central ny and purchased this vehicle for the safety of all wheel drive after owning a 1995 subaru impreza and a 1997 subaru outback. given the situation i had today, i am afraid of what will happen in ice/snow conditions common in ny. i began to research the issue online in an attempt to correct my situation before winter arrives. i found many online concerns regarding this issue. while i have not yet approached subaru directly, i get an overwhelming sense from online comments that subaru will not be very helpful. i am making this safety complaint in hopes that multiple complaints combined will expose what i feel is a very serious/dangerous handling issue with a 2005 subaru outback. | |||
| 11/29/2010 | 60000 | ||
| I have experienced what is refered to as ghostwalking in my 2005 subaru outback. while driving in winter conditions such as slush, snow and ice mix, and black ice the car fishtails in the rear wheels making it impossible to safely drive this car. however driving on hardpack snow and hardpack powder the car handles fine. the car fishtails much worse when even a little weight is loaded in the rear. i do have dedicated snow tires, with studs. i am a very experienced driver in winter conditions, i do not drive too fast in poor road conditions. this is a serious problem that apparently many people have experienced. i have multiple friends who drive older subaru's who have never experienced such an encounter with their cars. bottom line this car is not safe to drive on winter roads, i have literally feared for my life on several occasions. please do something about this. | |||
| 12/28/2009 | 70000 | ||
| I reside in the sierra nevada mountains in california and experience snowy/icy driving conditions regularly thoughout the winter. the outback was purchased for its performance in these conditions and is equipped with blizzak studless snow tires. on several occasions, in both ca and co, while driving on packed snow at approximately 40 mph, the rear end began to fishtale out of control. this situation continued to worsen until the speed was reduced to below 30 mph. i have spoken to the dealer and of course, they have never heard of such an event and did not have any idea as to what may have caused this condition nor how to correct. there are too many reports of this identical out of control condition for it to be coincidental, subaru needs to address this issue before someone is seriously injured or killed. | |||
| 01/12/2012 | 162516 | ||
| I have owned and driven this subaru since july 06 and have driven it through 5 northern illinois winters. today was our first snowfall this season and for the first time i have noticed that the car exhibts very un-nerving handling quailites in very light snow road conditions. something has changed to make me feel like i will loose control of the vehicle. the car feels like it wants to fishtail out of control at any speed over 30 mph. strange wandering best decribes it.it feels like i'm driving in deep ruts of heavy road snow that wants to pull the car into the ruts but the road is barely covered. on two lane roads it feels like the car could easily cross the center line because of this odd steering feedback i feel on slick snow covered road conditons. i don't feel it in rain condtions. it has never felt like this before. the rear struts were replace last summer with oem struts. the car has never had an alignment but has always tracked down the road very straight. tire wear is even and tires have been rotated multiple times. tires are bridgestone turanza serenity with 66k and been through 3 winters before with no handling issue. once i noticed on this site that many outback owners are experiencing the same symptom, i knew i needed to get this posted in case of an accident. i'm now at least on record with my handling concern complaint and subaru of america can't say my concern was never addressed with the nhtsa. a car should never display the kind of handling issues that makes it feel unsafe to drive in light winter conditions. p.s. i took my son's honda crv with 198 k for a test drive in the same conditions today,on the same roads and found its handling very predictable. what is going on with these outbacks ? | |||
| 12/28/2009 | 70000 | ||
| I reside in the sierra nevada mountains in california and experience snowy/icy driving conditions regularly thoughout the winter. the outback was purchased for its performance in these conditions and is equipped with blizzak studless snow tires. on several occasions, in both ca and co, while driving on packed snow at approximately 40 mph, the rear end began to fishtale out of control. this situation continued to worsen until the speed was reduced to below 30 mph. i have spoken to the dealer and of course, they have never heard of such an event and did not have any idea as to what may have caused this condition nor how to correct. there are too many reports of this identical out of control condition for it to be coincidental, subaru needs to address this issue before someone is seriously injured or killed. | |||
| 01/12/2012 | 162516 | ||
| I have owned and driven this subaru since july 06 and have driven it through 5 northern illinois winters. today was our first snowfall this season and for the first time i have noticed that the car exhibts very un-nerving handling quailites in very light snow road conditions. something has changed to make me feel like i will loose control of the vehicle. the car feels like it wants to fishtail out of control at any speed over 30 mph. strange wandering best decribes it.it feels like i'm driving in deep ruts of heavy road snow that wants to pull the car into the ruts but the road is barely covered. on two lane roads it feels like the car could easily cross the center line because of this odd steering feedback i feel on slick snow covered road conditons. i don't feel it in rain condtions. it has never felt like this before. the rear struts were replace last summer with oem struts. the car has never had an alignment but has always tracked down the road very straight. tire wear is even and tires have been rotated multiple times. tires are bridgestone turanza serenity with 66k and been through 3 winters before with no handling issue. once i noticed on this site that many outback owners are experiencing the same symptom, i knew i needed to get this posted in case of an accident. i'm now at least on record with my handling concern complaint and subaru of america can't say my concern was never addressed with the nhtsa. a car should never display the kind of handling issues that makes it feel unsafe to drive in light winter conditions. p.s. i took my son's honda crv with 198 k for a test drive in the same conditions today,on the same roads and found its handling very predictable. what is going on with these outbacks ? | |||
| 01/11/2008 | 15000 | ||
| I am a very experienced driver in snowy and icy conditions. my outback 2005 2.5i started wiggling out of control (especially felt the back end wiggle left to right) on a straight road with approx 1/2 inch ice and packed snow causing me to slow down from approximately 40 mph to 20 mph . other 2 wd vehicules passed us at much higher speeds with no apparent problem to keep straight. our car had 2 adults and 2 small children in it with skiing gear. changed our winter tires immediately after. the problem occurred again on a few other similar occasions, for which i went to the dealer to get aligned, tire changed again. went to dealer in 2010 after this occurred again on the highway with only slush and water. i had to slow from 55 mph to 30 mph to keep car in control. remember this is on the highway!! went to dealer again to re-align the car which according to them was not aligned. the problem re-occurred again this winter. i am now fed up, this is a dangerous car and i am turning it in to buy a new car. i can't understand why subaru is not recalling to fix the rear suspension. | |||
| 01/13/2011 | 53000 | ||
| Car is not safe on packed snow or icy roads. all road feel is gone and it feels as if the car could spin out of control at any moment. most other cars seem to pass without issue. for a awd car this is unacceptable. you must slow down to 40 and below to have any hopes of keeping the car in a straight line. i have put nokia snow tires on the and car drives perfect in fresh snow but still cannot drive in slippery conditions. i have not noticed this on wet pavement. subaru feels like an alignment will correct the problem. going in for one in a week. if it does not fix the issue i will sell the car. i found many owners with the same issue on subaruoutback.org. | |||
| 01/20/2006 | 10000 | ||
| 2005 subaru outback will not track straight in slippery conditions at all. the term | |||
| 02/02/2008 | 12400 | 1 | |
| 2005 ob sw mt. car is very unstable in slush or snow. car weaves from side to side resulting in driving very slowly to minimize instability. *tr | |||
| 10/27/2009 | 61000 | 1 | |
| 2005 subaru outback sedan driven on icy/snowy road conditions experiences extreme slippage in the rear of the car. have experienced this on at least two other occasions with this vehicle in similar conditions. awd does not appear to be keeping the rear of the car on the road or in line. vehicle fishtails or ghostwalks on the road surface in these conditions. each time this was experienced was while driving on highway at speeds between 30 and 70 mph in icy/snowy conditions. i have a 1996 subaru legacy sedan as well that does not exhibit this type of unnerving wandering on the road when driven in exact same conditions. this wandering makes vehicle feel extremely unstable and the back of the car feels as though it wants to spin around or off the road. *tr | |||
| 02/23/2008 | 44500 | 1 | 12/22/2006 |
| Car is very unstable on snowy road surfaces and fishtails from side to side. other vehicles on the road do not experience this problem. this incident has occurred many times during winter driving conditions. we have new snow tires and four wheel alignment yet the problem persists. car instability is very dangerous and we are concerned for our safety. we have contacted the subaru dealer and subaru directly yet no one seems to know what the problem is. *tr | |||
| 05/29/2006 | 21000 | 1 | 05/15/2005 |
| Excessive rear tire wear, bridgestone potenza re92, 225/55/17 installed on 2005 subaru outback. normal tire wear through 19k miles. rear tires completly worn out after 2k road trip with moderate vehicle loading. no signs of mis-alignment or over/under inflation. front tires remain serviceable. *nm | |||
| SUSPENSION - FRONT | |||
| 04/20/2010 | 55000 | ||
| Front wheel bearing failure @ 55,000 miles. | |||
| SUSPENSION - REAR | |||
| 01/08/2011 | 83000 | ||
| Driving on icy/snowy roads, the back end sways/ghost walks extremely dangerously probably 2-3 each way regardless of braking/turning/straightaway/accelerating. we were driving along with a 2wd vehicle from wi to mt which handled significantly better than the outback (which is supposed to be the top of the line winter car). had brand new (300 miles) quality all weather tires and an alignment. the car actually appears to be doing this now in dry conditions as well when i encounter bumps at highway speeds. the feeling of safety is severely lacking | |||
| 12/03/2010 | 50000 | ||
| 2005 subaru outback exhibits a serious of stability when driving at a steady speed on the highway when there is the slightest degradation of traction. the rear of the vehicle will begin to sway from side to side on flat and straight road surfaces if the roads are wet from rain or even with a light dusting of snow. on december 3 2010 i was driving north on i-75 north of flint michigan, there was occasional light snow flurries that were barely coating the road surface. i was driving at the posted speed limit (70 mph) when the snow started to lightly coat the road the vehicles rear end started to sway from side to side in a violent manner. i had to slow down to 50 mph to regain control of the vehicle, all the while i was being passed by 2wd pick ups and 2wd drive vehicles. the vehicle has exhibited the same behaviors on wet road surfaces during and following rain. it's time for subaru to correct this problem. i'm not feelin the love. | |||
| 10/23/2010 | |||
| 2005 subaru outback unstable rear suspension. this car is absolutely terrifying to drive at hwy speeds in adverse weather conditions. the rear end sways and hops and swings uncontrollably. i have stopped driving this car and it will have a new owner. i will not drive such a under engineered piece of japanese iron and have the life scared out of me. there's plenty of cars out there that are safer to drive than this thing. subaru need to step up to the plate and fix this. | |||
| 01/10/2011 | 109000 | ||
| Rear end of the vehicle fishtails when driving straight on an icy road. i have read many similar reports and experienced the issue somewhat, but today driving with a full passenger load was truly terrifying. the rear wheels would sway suddenly and completely without warning, sometimes feeling very close to the point of losing control on the interstate. i have lots of experience with driving various vehicles (including other late model subarus) in icy conditions and can state with absolute certainty that there is a dangerous problem with this car. | |||
| 01/15/2008 | 31000 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2005 subaru outback awd. while driving approximately 35 mph during snowy weather conditions the vehicle rear was swaying left and right like it wanted to go into a spin. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for the failure and the dealer realigned the wheels. he stated the failure happen again two days again. the failure has occurred three times. he also stated his tires were properly inflated. he stated he had two passengers in the rear seats during the failure. the vehicle had not been taken to the dealer for the recent failures. the vin was unavailable. the failure mileage was 31,000 and the current mileage was 35,000. vwb | |||
| 02/05/2010 | 25500 | ||
| 90 degree swing of rear end when travelling at only 10 mph on icy road with excellent snow tires. there may be a rear suspension problem because left rear is over an inch lower than right rear. there is no subaru recall. | |||
| 02/11/2010 | 42412 | ||
| We have a 2005 subaru outback that sways in the rear of car under the following conditions 1. over bumps the rear will swing to the right and dip. when roads are slick it will almost spin the vehicle. if you are in a left hand curve, even at low speed, the condition is exaggerated more than you would expect sort of like it was pushed in addition to the normal inertia you would experience. 2. rear end traction becomes unstable under icy conditions where it appears that too much power is being distributed to the rear of the driveline then oscillating to each individual rear wheel. in my opinion 100% of the vehicles power concentrated to the rear differential is alternately distributed between the rear wheels and kind of gets stuck in this mode. | |||
| 01/17/2009 | 37000 | ||
| I have several times experienced what is known as | |||
| 12/24/2008 | 50000 | 1 | |
| In december of 2008 i drove from idaho to montana over christmas. road conditions were broken ice and compact snow. whenever the car would hit a bump in the road, the rear end would tend to kick from side to side. i was forced to reduce my speed to around 30 mph, even though all other vehicles could maintain higher speeds in a safe manner. i have experienced this problem on several later occasions, and it appears to occur only when the vehicle has been loaded down with passenger(s) or cargo. subaruoutback.org has a gigantic thread on this topic. it appears i am not the only one with this problem. http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/showthread.php?s=b16ba9fdce5398dec3b38124c6d0e1b9&threadid=11267&perpage=20&pagenumber=1 in march of 2009, i had an alignment done at a subaru dealership in boise. i have not experienced the problem to date, but this winter has been unseasonably warm, and i have not driven on much packed snow or ice. moreover, i have not driven with extra cargo, which seems to exasperate the problem. however, i am not convinced the problem is gone, and judging by the continued amount of complaints on subaruoutback.com, i believe subaru needs to formally address the problem. this is a significant safety concern. *tr | |||
| 12/24/2009 | 58550 | 1 | |
| I | |||
| 10/22/2009 | 70000 | 1 | |
| I drive a 2005 subaru outback xt limited and have experienced the rear sway, unstable conditions that many other people seem to be experiencing. i have done much research on the problem and have found that subaru's rear sway bar and alignment specs. to be unmatched for the longer wheel-base and the weight of the vehicle. after the replacement of the rear sway bar to a heavier duty one and a better alignment my outback now drives outstanding and handles like a dream. i am a spirited driver and i drive in all weather conditions including ice and snow and have had no problems since the upgrades. *tr | |||
| 12/25/2008 | 71000 | 1 | |
| While driving on icy roads at speeds of 40 mph or more, the car sometimes floats to the side several inches. it feels different than fishtailing -- more like the car is being pushed by the wind. this occurs with no cross-wind, no acceleration, no cornering or braking, on flat straight icy roads while driving at a constant speed. the sideways slip is severe enough that you feel you may lose control and leave the road. the only fix is to slow down to 40 mph or less, while other cars are passing at 60 mph or more. after several occurrences, always on icy or slushy roads, i took the car to the subaru dealer, who performed an alignment. the report shows that the car had positive toe-in of 0.23 degrees (front left), 0.24 degrees (front right), 0.22 degrees (rear left) and 0.44 degrees (rear right). too much toe-in, i'm told, can cause excessive tire wear and can also cause poor handling on icy roads. please consider that complaints for both these issues may have a common cause. there are reports that toe-in increases over time with subaru outbacks, and that toe-in also increases when there is more weight in the back end of the car. the subaru outback dynamically shifts power to non-slipping wheels when one or more wheels loses traction, and apportions power 60/40 favoring the rear wheels. could these factors, along with excessive toe-in, create the kind of dangerous floating on icy roads that many outback owners have experienced? please, please investigate. *tr | |||
| 12/11/2008 | 59342 | 1 | |
| 2005 subaru outback, 2.5l, 4eat, awd vehicle feelsloose at speeds greater than ~35 on highways with patchy ice, slush, and or icy ruts. rear end feels like it wants to come around. has occurred with two passengers and approx 250 pounds in cargo area and with one passenger and ~250 pounds in cargo area. *tr | |||
| 01/15/2008 | 28000 | 5 | 09/01/2006 |
| On snowy/icy road, the handling on my 05 outback xt was worse than everything else on the road that day. the rear-end of the car was unstable and sliding side to side. i have put new tires on and had an alignment. this is unsafe, especially in a car that is thought to be good in winter. *tr | |||
| 02/03/2008 | 12 | 04/12/2005 | |
| Unstable car is extremely unstable on ice or slush cover roads. this has happened many times in the past 2 years. the rear fishtails from side to side. had to slow down to very low speed to regain control. other cars had no trouble and easily passed. tires are good, alignment good. car also floats from right to left on dry pavement if wheels hit pothole or large crack in pavement. rear instability. *tr | |||
| 01/19/2008 | 93500 | 10 | 04/28/2005 |
| Car is extremely unstable on slick roads. specifically the rear of the vehicle fishtails. *tr | |||
| 01/19/2008 | 20090 | 1 | |
| My 2005 subaru outback xt limited does not handle well in snow/icy conditions. the rear end oscillates back and forth in a very uneasy, unsafe manor. i just had the rear end and front end aligned. the tires are only half way worn. i was traveling 45 mph and every car on the road was not having issues with the road. i had to slow down to about 10 mph in order to feel safe. *cn | |||
| 12/26/2006 | 34000 | 3 | 03/11/2005 |
| While driving on icy roads, the rear end of the car pitches left & right at an oscillation of about 1hz, 2-3 constantly trying to throw the car off the road. it does not matter if it's off throttle, off brakes - in a straight line at almost any speed it does it. new tires and 2 alignments did not correct the issue. *tr | |||
| 07/18/2005 | 5000 | 2 | 01/28/2005 |
| On an extended road trip (17000 mi), in our new 2005 outback, we went through two sets of tires. the dealership corrected the alignment, which was severely off the first time (after 5000 miles.) but then at about 16000 miles, the second set was severely worn out. we had the alignment redone at the dealership in whitehorse, canada but we did not replace the tires as the warranty was not honored at that dealership. the left rear tire blew out about 400 miles from anchorage. we purchased a used tire at a gas station and limped on to anchorage, where we had purchased the vehicle. the performed an alignment for the second time, this time with a loaded back seat. we have since put about 6000 more miles on the vehicle and it has not shown severe wear since that re-alignment. *jb | |||