Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||||
| SB-05-48-10R | 02/03/2011 | 10037966 | Ready | 06/08/2011 | |
| SB-05-48-10R | 02/03/2011 | 10037966 | Subaru: at highway speeds there is a steering wheel shake or vibration. 2010-2011 legacy and outback. *rm | 06/08/2011 | |
| STEERING - WHEEL AND HANDLE BAR | |||||
| TB-05-48-10 | 09/29/2010 | 10034544 | Subaru: steering wheel vibration (shake, shimmy) at highway speeds. the repair procedure should be performed to minimize the concern. the majority of these conditions can be greatly reduced, some road feel may be considered characteristic | 12/03/2010 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| STEERING | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 10500 | 1 | |
| Even after all the soa (subaru of america) fixes / service bulletins i still have a vibration issues at highway speeds, feel it in the seat and in steering wheel. it gets worse at highway speeds if your going around a curve on it tends to get worse. even after through the curve.. also noted it doesn't matter weather conditions hot, cold raining or dry. *tr | |||
| 08/01/2011 | 10500 | ||
| Even after all the soa (subaru of america) fixes / service bulletins i still have a vibration issues at highway speeds, feel it in the seat and in steering wheel. it gets worse at highway speeds if your going around a curve on it tends to get worse. even after through the curve.. also noted it doesn't matter weather conditions hot, cold raining or dry. | |||
| 03/23/2011 | 8022 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the steering wheel started to vibrate and shake. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the steering column, brakes, tires, lower control arms and a tire alignment was performed. the remedy failed to repair the problem. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not further repaired. the failure mileage was 8,022 and current mileage was 23,000. | |||
| 03/23/2011 | 8022 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph, the steering wheel started to vibrate and shake. the vehicle was taken to the dealer who replaced the steering column, brakes, tires, lower control arms and a tire alignment was performed. the remedy failed to repair the problem. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not further repaired. the failure mileage was 8,022 and current mileage was 23,000. kmj | |||
| 03/23/2011 | 8022 | ||
| Tl - the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. the contact stated that while driving 60 mph the vehicle steering wheel started to vibrate and shake. the vehicle was taken to the dealer decided to replaced the steering column, brakes, tires, lower control arms and tired alignment was performed. the remedy failed to repaired the problem. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance. the vehicle was not repaired. the failure mileage was 8,022 and current mileage was 23,000. pm | |||
| 11/23/2011 | 6000 | ||
| Steering wheel shakes from the left to the right at different speeds. it happens when steering away from center position. it also pulls in a turn to the opposite direction being steered. | |||
| 07/13/2011 | 8100 | ||
| Vehicle vibration - after about 8k miles a vibration started in the seat and steering. tires were rebalanced using a road force balancing machine.. then the vibration would come and go even at set speeds.. but would get worse going around turns at highway speeds. dealership did a fix which didn't change anything. no matter the loaded in the car 5 people in the car or empty vibration comes and go. they say the issue was fixed in 2012 models had a loaner while car was in for the 2 day fix.. same vibration issue as i had. the only good thing about this fix..my rear tires are wearing better then that they were before it...the outside of my tires were wearing funny even when the alignment was within spec. | |||
| 08/30/2011 | 4710 | ||
| Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. while driving approximately 50 mph, the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to maneuver. the contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently when driving at different speeds. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician stated that the power steering rack assembly, gear box assembly and power steering fluid would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. the vehicle was not further repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 4,710. | |||
| 08/30/2011 | 4710 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. while driving approximately 50 mph, the steering wheel became stiff and difficult to maneuver. the contact stated that the failure recurred intermittently when driving at different speeds. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics where the technician stated that the power steering rack assembly, gear box assembly and power steering fluid would need to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired but the failure persisted. the vehicle was not further repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 4,710. kmj | |||
| 08/30/2011 | 4710 | ||
| Tl- the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. while driving at approximately 50 mph the steering wheel became difficult to maneuver and stiff. the contact stated the failure occurs intermittently at different speeds. the vehicle was taken to the dealer for diagnostics. the technicians stated the power steering rack assembly, gear box assembly, and power steering fluid would have to be replaced. after the repair the failure continued. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 4,710. ds | |||
| 11/17/2010 | 500 | ||
| Vibrtion and shaking (pulsing) of steering wheel at speeds over 65 mph. vibration throough floor of drivers side vibration through seat of drivers side. when going through turns steering wheel can pulsate (feels like something is catching). this can happen on a ramp where it is necessary to correct steering or a sweeping turn on the highway at speed. driving on the highway there are times when the car will loss control momentarily, almost like hitting a patch of ice. | |||
| 11/30/2010 | 125 | ||
| I purchased a 2011 subrau outback 2.5i limited on nov 30 2010. on the drive home from the new car dealership the steering wheel had a shimmy and the entire car was vibrating. the vibration began 45mph and had gotten worse at 65/70mph. i contacted the dealer the next day and they determined by test driving the car that the four continental pro contact tires were defective. eventually they replaced all four tires with new continental pro contact. the car is riding much better amd smoother. the dealer wanted to install a vibration damper kit on the steering wheel and i declined. i perfer to know if there is a problem rather to cover it up. i hope this may help anyone having the same problem. | |||
| 10/07/2010 | 110 | ||
| 2011 subaru outback 3.6r limited purchased new in october 2010. vehicle had steering/handling issues from the start. excessive steering wheel/tire vibration/shimmy at highway speeds was immediately evident. in addition the car had a pulsation in the steering assembly when making slow turns. at highway speeds the steering had a stick-slip phenomenon while negotiating curves in the road. the dealership performed a series of fixes recommended by subaru of america (soa) including new tires with road force balancing, steering box replacement bushings, steering hydraulic pump replacement, replacement steering wheel, and replacement of steering rack assembly. at the conclusion of the various fixes the tire vibration was essentially eliminated. however, the steering pulsation/sticking was only ameliorated. the dealership informed me that soa was aware of the steering issue and was working on a solution, but that nothing further could be done with my vehicle at this time. the condition i have described is, in my opinion, a dangerous one. while driving winding country roads in the rain there is a distinct loss of feel for the road, similar to encountering a momentary patch of ice. because of the varying resistance felt through the steering wheel the car tends to oversteer and understeer in the turns. it is clear that soa's piecemeal replacement of parts to fix the problem is not the solution. there is more likely a design issue with the steering assembly that is mitigated but not corrected when major parts are replaced, perhaps due to component tolerances. this issue must be resolved by soa and a vehicle recall issued. | |||
| 11/29/2010 | 260 | ||
| 1.) 2011 subaru outback premium - new car purchase - with less than 300 miles on it. 2.) the car loses control at upper speeds (65mph+) where it sways out of control as if an icy patch was hit. the steering wheel also shakes at a rapidly low frequency creating a numbness in the driver's hands and forearms making it difficult to hold the steering wheel. this occurs every day when above 65mph. 3.) subaru dealerships have said they can not repeat the issue (however they do not take the car outside the city, therefore they are not driving beyond 65mph). no parts or repairs have been provided although tires were checked over for balance. this is an on going issue with subaru owners for the 2010 and 2011 model. i know of other subaru owners who have had tires rotated, balanced, etc and nothing has changed. thousands of forums are now online in regards to this. | |||
| 07/31/2010 | 200 | ||
| Purchased new subaru 2011 outback on 07.31.10. immediately noticed vibration in steering beginning at 60mph and gradually get worse at 70mph. contacted dealer and was advised to have car looked at. on 08.23.10 the dealer test drove vehicle and confirmed slight vibration in steering wheel. they adjusted tire pressure but didn't correct problem. on 08.27.10 left car at dealer to have tires road force balanced. after road force balancing the steering wheel vibration is better but still noticeable. the service manager claims some vibration is normal for outback. still believe there is a problem but will drive care for several hundred miles before returning to see if problem gets worse. opened case with subaru. extremely disappointed in response from dealer and subaru to this problem since it's a very expensive auto. | |||
| 08/10/2010 | |||
| 2011 subaru outback 2.5i limited purchased aug 10, 2010. noticed steering wheel vibration from time of purchase, assumed it was just me getting used to driving the car. a week later even more noticeable, brought to the attention of the dealer. checked balance, found two tires out of round. replaced those tires (tsb 05-50-10), rebalanced - vibration still there. dealer then installed vibration kit (tsb 05-48-10), vibration persists. head of service stated he did not notice vibration at 65mph, tech taken for ride with this owner (owner drove car - average speed 70-75mph). tech observed vibration, stated this shouldn't be like that on a new car. awaiting response from service manager on next steps. in the course of a month, my car has spent 5 days at the dealership! very disappointed in subaru at this time! | |||
| 09/16/2010 | 40 | ||
| Test drove 2011 subaru outback 3.6r before purchase and vehicle had front end shake at freeway speed of 70 mph or so. as result did not buy. | |||
| 08/10/2010 | |||
| 2011 subaru outback 2.5i limited purchased aug 10, 2010. noticed steering wheel vibration from time of purchase, assumed it was just me getting used to driving the car. a week later even more noticeable, brought to the attention of the dealer. checked balance, found two tires out of round. replaced those tires (tsb 05-50-10), rebalanced - vibration still there. dealer then installed vibration kit (tsb 05-48-10), vibration persists. head of service stated he did not notice vibration at 65mph, tech taken for ride with this owner (owner drove car - average speed 70-75mph). tech observed vibration, stated this shouldn't be like that on a new car. awaiting response from service manager on next steps. in the course of a month, my car has spent 5 days at the dealership! very disappointed in subaru at this time! | |||
| 09/16/2010 | 40 | ||
| Test drove 2011 subaru outback 3.6r before purchase and vehicle had front end shake at freeway speed of 70 mph or so. as result did not buy. | |||
| 08/10/2010 | |||
| 2011 subaru outback 2.5i limited purchased aug 10, 2010. noticed steering wheel vibration from time of purchase, assumed it was just me getting used to driving the car. a week later even more noticeable, brought to the attention of the dealer. checked balance, found two tires out of round. replaced those tires (tsb 05-50-10), rebalanced - vibration still there. dealer then installed vibration kit (tsb 05-48-10), vibration persists. head of service stated he did not notice vibration at 65mph, tech taken for ride with this owner (owner drove car - average speed 70-75mph). tech observed vibration, stated this shouldn't be like that on a new car. awaiting response from service manager on next steps. in the course of a month, my car has spent 5 days at the dealership! very disappointed in subaru at this time! | |||
| 09/16/2010 | 40 | ||
| Test drove 2011 subaru outback 3.6r before purchase and vehicle had front end shake at freeway speed of 70 mph or so. as result did not buy. | |||
| 08/10/2010 | |||
| 2011 subaru outback 2.5i limited purchased aug 10, 2010. noticed steering wheel vibration from time of purchase, assumed it was just me getting used to driving the car. a week later even more noticeable, brought to the attention of the dealer. checked balance, found two tires out of round. replaced those tires (tsb 05-50-10), rebalanced - vibration still there. dealer then installed vibration kit (tsb 05-48-10), vibration persists. head of service stated he did not notice vibration at 65mph, tech taken for ride with this owner (owner drove car - average speed 70-75mph). tech observed vibration, stated this shouldn't be like that on a new car. awaiting response from service manager on next steps. in the course of a month, my car has spent 5 days at the dealership! very disappointed in subaru at this time! | |||
| 09/16/2010 | 40 | ||
| Test drove 2011 subaru outback 3.6r before purchase and vehicle had front end shake at freeway speed of 70 mph or so. as result did not buy. | |||
| 07/14/2010 | 500 | ||
| Steering wheel of the vehicle started shaking bad around 500 miles. it is a constant pulsation left/right. hand/arm pains and aches while trying to hold the steering wheel. this is also termed as shimmy / steering wheel shake problem and subaru has 2 tsb in effect 05-50-10 and 05-48-10. 05-50-10 (rfb) was performed. that did not fix the issue and the steering wheel still continues to shake. they have not yet scheduled 05-48-10 (bunch of parts replacement) for me, but i have a case opened with soa (subaru of america) - case # 1-915630149 in addition, during long moderate-speed turns like highway ramps, highway entrances the steering wheel pulsates. it feels like there is a free-play going around mid-turn. also, i would have to hold the steering wheel tight otherwise it tends to go away or float. from what i get from other owners who got this tsb done, the problem has not been fixed. subaru seems to be masking the problem rather than fixing the problem. [refer link : http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/108-steering-wheel-shake-issues/] i am yet to get the major tsb done. soa said parts will arrive at dealer this week. i will followup with my dealer on this. i wanted to report this as a critical issue since i do not believe this tsb will fix my problem (based upon experience from others). please help to address this issue | |||
| 08/16/2010 | 20 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. the contact stated that she noticed the steering wheel vibrated when she drove. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership but the dealer could not figure out why the problem occurred. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current and failure mileages were approximately 20-bk | |||
| 07/14/2010 | 500 | ||
| Steering wheel of the vehicle started shaking bad around 500 miles. it is a constant pulsation left/right. hand/arm pains and aches while trying to hold the steering wheel. this is also termed as shimmy / steering wheel shake problem and subaru has 2 tsb in effect 05-50-10 and 05-48-10. 05-50-10 (rfb) was performed. that did not fix the issue and the steering wheel still continues to shake. they have not yet scheduled 05-48-10 (bunch of parts replacement) for me, but i have a case opened with soa (subaru of america) - case # 1-915630149 in addition, during long moderate-speed turns like highway ramps, highway entrances the steering wheel pulsates. it feels like there is a free-play going around mid-turn. also, i would have to hold the steering wheel tight otherwise it tends to go away or float. from what i get from other owners who got this tsb done, the problem has not been fixed. subaru seems to be masking the problem rather than fixing the problem. [refer link : http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/108-steering-wheel-shake-issues/] i am yet to get the major tsb done. soa said parts will arrive at dealer this week. i will followup with my dealer on this. i wanted to report this as a critical issue since i do not believe this tsb will fix my problem (based upon experience from others). please help to address this issue | |||
| 08/16/2010 | 20 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. the contact stated that she noticed the steering wheel vibrated when she drove. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership but the dealer could not figure out why the problem occurred. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current and failure mileages were approximately 20-bk | |||
| 07/14/2010 | 500 | ||
| Steering wheel of the vehicle started shaking bad around 500 miles. it is a constant pulsation left/right. hand/arm pains and aches while trying to hold the steering wheel. this is also termed as shimmy / steering wheel shake problem and subaru has 2 tsb in effect 05-50-10 and 05-48-10. 05-50-10 (rfb) was performed. that did not fix the issue and the steering wheel still continues to shake. they have not yet scheduled 05-48-10 (bunch of parts replacement) for me, but i have a case opened with soa (subaru of america) - case # 1-915630149 in addition, during long moderate-speed turns like highway ramps, highway entrances the steering wheel pulsates. it feels like there is a free-play going around mid-turn. also, i would have to hold the steering wheel tight otherwise it tends to go away or float. from what i get from other owners who got this tsb done, the problem has not been fixed. subaru seems to be masking the problem rather than fixing the problem. [refer link : http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/108-steering-wheel-shake-issues/] i am yet to get the major tsb done. soa said parts will arrive at dealer this week. i will followup with my dealer on this. i wanted to report this as a critical issue since i do not believe this tsb will fix my problem (based upon experience from others). please help to address this issue | |||
| 08/16/2010 | 20 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. the contact stated that she noticed the steering wheel vibrated when she drove. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership but the dealer could not figure out why the problem occurred. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current and failure mileages were approximately 20-bk | |||
| 07/14/2010 | 500 | ||
| Steering wheel of the vehicle started shaking bad around 500 miles. it is a constant pulsation left/right. hand/arm pains and aches while trying to hold the steering wheel. this is also termed as shimmy / steering wheel shake problem and subaru has 2 tsb in effect 05-50-10 and 05-48-10. 05-50-10 (rfb) was performed. that did not fix the issue and the steering wheel still continues to shake. they have not yet scheduled 05-48-10 (bunch of parts replacement) for me, but i have a case opened with soa (subaru of america) - case # 1-915630149 in addition, during long moderate-speed turns like highway ramps, highway entrances the steering wheel pulsates. it feels like there is a free-play going around mid-turn. also, i would have to hold the steering wheel tight otherwise it tends to go away or float. from what i get from other owners who got this tsb done, the problem has not been fixed. subaru seems to be masking the problem rather than fixing the problem. [refer link : http://www.subaruoutback.org/forums/108-steering-wheel-shake-issues/] i am yet to get the major tsb done. soa said parts will arrive at dealer this week. i will followup with my dealer on this. i wanted to report this as a critical issue since i do not believe this tsb will fix my problem (based upon experience from others). please help to address this issue | |||
| 08/16/2010 | 20 | ||
| Tl-the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. the contact stated that she noticed the steering wheel vibrated when she drove. the vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership but the dealer could not figure out why the problem occurred. the vehicle had not been repaired at the time of the complaint. the contact called the manufacturer who offered no assistance. the current and failure mileages were approximately 20-bk | |||