Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||||
| SB-05-50-10R | 02/03/2011 | 10037968 | Ready | 06/08/2011 | |
| SB-05-50-10R | 02/03/2011 | 10037968 | Subaru: there is a steering wheel vibration at highway speeds due to an imporper wheel balance. *rm | 06/08/2011 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| TIRES | |||
| 11/24/2010 | 9500 | ||
| 2010 subaru outback 2.5. 9.5k at speeds above approximately 65mph sever vibration of steering wheel (steering wheel deflection about 1/8 inch back and forth). speedometer hand seemed to vibrate - but could have been hands, arms, head, eyes absorbing the rapid wheel vibration). never happened on infrequent high speed road trips. could not have been not felt. dealer did road force test on the original continental brand powers. two failed and replaced. failed tires where in diagonal positions. asked manager about the other two tires - he said tires were either good or bad. not consistent with my experience. did not have vibration well into the mileage for the year. so tires could not have been bad at the beginning or it was not just the tires. | |||
| 04/14/2010 | 100 | ||
| Our 2010 3.6r outback arrived in apr. the first time that the vehicle was taken on the highway, i noticed a prominent high frequency vibration in the steering wheel. there is also unusual feedback in the steering wheel at slower speeds that feels unlike anything related to road noise. i researched the problem on the internet and seen that there were many forums identifying the same problem for 2010 outbacks. i informed our local subaru service dept. about the vibration and made an appointment. a subaru service technician confirmed the vibration during a test drive and recommended a spin balance. after reading all the complaints and proposed fixes on the internet, i told them that i was not confident that a spin balance was going to be successful. i asked the service dept. manager if they had been informed/aware of the ongoing problems and she denied having any previous knowledge of steering vibration issues with any outbacks. the spin balance added a multitude of stick-on weights to all four wheels (some exceed 9 in. in length). the invoice said that a follow-up test drive by a technician produced normal steering as designed. a test drive home from the dealership on the highway again produced the same high frequency vibration. i informed the service dept. immediately and the vehicle was again left there this morning. i produced several pages of complaints found on the internet identifying this issue. they made copies of them and told me that they were going to contact soa factory engineers. the bottom line is this. the vibration is prominent enough to cause fatigue and numbness in the hands on extended drives. there is also a concern of what may fail and cause a loss of steering or vehicle control. the faulty component needs to be identified and the issue fixed by soa immediately. soa has tried a number of fixes without success (spin-balance, forced balance, alignment, backlash spring, wheel bearing, steering pump, replace out-of-round tires) | |||
| 03/16/2010 | 90 | ||
| I purchased a subaru outback 2.5i premium (manual transmission) on 03/15/2010 and noticed moderate to severe steering wheel and front driver's side wheel vibration above 40mph on the second day. i subsequently checked tire pressure on all four tires, gave the car some time to break in, and tested various road conditions and speeds to determine if the problem is more pronounced under certain conditions. the vibration can be felt at speeds above 50mph on the front driver and passenger side floors, seats, and in the steering wheel, with the intensity increasing with speed, regardless of road smoothness. after the car didn't self-correct, i scheduled an appointment at the dealership for 04/26/2010 to do an initial/routine check of the car. they rebalanced all four tires and said that should fix it, but asked that i advise any future issues. the vibration remains, but at speeds above 60mph (a mere 10mph increase) from both the steering wheel and tires, and - as before - is increasingly noticeable at higher speeds and during rain/wet weather. i called the dealer and have scheduled another appointment to address this vibration issue. i will post a follow-up once this service is complete. | |||
| 12/15/2009 | 250 | 1 | |
| Brand new 2010 subaru outback has a shimmy problem . the steering wheel shimmies and when making a wide turn, often the steering feels like you hit an ice patch, even tho the road is dry. subaru is and was aware of these problems before production, and sold them anyway. *tr | |||
| 10/12/2009 | 1 | ||
| There is an continuous vibration and shimmy in the front-end and steering wheel of my 2010 subaru outback that since new (oct 2009) has not been able to be rectified by subaru mechanics, even with cooperation by subaru of america. this vibration can sometimes be dramatic through the steering wheel at highway speeds, and causes erratic drivability, especially in adverse conditions. this vibration may also cause premature wear on front tires, steering and suspension components that could lead to failure and injury, especially at highway speeds. in fact, subaru initially blamed the tire manufacturer - continental - for the issue, stating the tires were defective, and had continental issue replacement tires for my outback. this did solve the problem. if this problem is researched on popular and respectable automotive web sites, one can find that it has been affecting a considerable amount of 2010 subaru outbacks and to date, no owners have had their issue resolved by subaru of america. many other owners reported subaru of america replacing what were considered defective continental tires, with another set of exact tires from continental. i am worried that this issue is not getting enough exposure and may take an unfortunate accident for anyone to seriously take notice. i have a customer service case open with subaru, but it is evident from my repeated conversations with them that they are being evasive with where they are in fixing this issue, and i have now become deeply concerned for the safety of my family. they want to try another 'fix', but that will not be until mid-march, with no guarantee of resolution. this is a brand new car with only 6,000 miles on it, and i have been thoroughly disappointed with the issues it has had. this vehicle was heavily influenced by toyota, who owns a considerable percentage of subaru...if this says anything. *tr | |||