1996 SUBARU Outback

Blew a head gasket which leaked antifreeze throughout the engine causing many other parts failures. For example, O2 sensors. Total cost of repairing vehicle – $4,800

Whenever the car has been parked in sub-zero temperatures for a minimum of three hours, the check valve in the brake booster vacuum hose will freeze in place and results in no power assist braking. the first application of the brakes would be normal as there was residual vacuum in the booster. additional application of the brakes would have no power assist at all. multiple pumps of the brake pedal would be required to break loose the check valve and restore normal braking. this car was new to me in 2013 and i was unaware of this defect. the first few times it happened to me, i went through stop signs not knowing that i had no power assist brakes. now that i know what to expect- before putting the car into gear, i would test the brake pedal at least three times. when the check valve is frozen, i would feel normal pedal pressure the first time then the pedal would go hard the second time. i would then have to depress the pedal multiple times until i felt the check valve break free and normal pedal pressure was restored. *tr

Recently purchased (1/17/14) vehicle a catastrophic loss after pax side t-bone @ a/b pillar subsequent to hill holder self-activation caused unrecoverable yawed slide/skid (to a non-inputted stop from 40-0mph in +/- .25mi.) during brake/downshift control input on (istha foia file)% uphill grade in 4-6" snow accumulation on neglectfully maintained [unclosed/fema/iema] eisenhower interstate highway system (to wit: il tollway: sb i-294 @ mph 39.5). cdl'd owner/operator suffering effects ptsd + right side bft/hard-impact orthopedic joint/related injuries. il state police dist. #15 star #6274 contributed to cause via improper lane usage (+/-20mph/#2ln {vs. #4/5} w/4way hazards on/duty e-lights off/obscured) in virtually unrecognizable snow-covered (incl. greenhouse) marked duty vehicle,+ failure to stop/cite semi-truck (like speed) in #1ln. *tr

Recently purchased (1/17/14) vehicle a catastrophic loss after pax side t-bone @ a/b pillar subsequent to hill holder self-activation caused unrecoverable yawed slide/skid (to a non-inputted stop from 40-0mph in +/- .25mi.) during brake/downshift control input on (istha foia file)% uphill grade in 4-6" snow accumulation on neglectfully maintained eisenhower interstate highway system (to wit: il tollway: sb i-294 @ mph 39.5). cdl'd owner/operator suffering effects ptsd + right side bft/hard-impact orthopedic joint/related injuries. *tr

While driving very busy highway, the temperature gauge went all the way to "h". i pulled over and noticed some steam under hood. added some water. a little later, still on "h". mechanic who has serviced my 1996 subaru outback since i got it in 1998 said it had a blown head gasket, common with subarus. in 2009 i had the 90k mile maintenance done, very expensive. also had all new brakes, very expensive. also four new tires and last month, a new battery. also, last month, had oil change. i have never received even one recall notice from subaru, even though they knew all along that their head gaskets are failing in their cars. i wanted my outback to last many more years but now must junk it because of a faulty head gasket. mechanic said it's useless to fix head gasket or replace it, and told me to get a new car, which i cannot afford. mechanic put chemical in line which is supposed to seal any leaks (no guarantees). i often visit my daughter, who is recuperating from breast cancer, in the northeast part of ct, in a very secluded area of few homes, no businesses. to have car failure in the woods would probably give this 70 year old a heart attack. *tr

Car overheated without warning. suspect headgasket failure allowing coolant to escape and engine to overheat . (potential for car to unexpectedly stall on interstate) upon internet search found that hundreds of the subaru 2.5l engines suffer from same condition (1995-1999). http://home.comcast.net/~skipnospam/. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 1996 subaru outback. when the contact placed her vehicle into reverse and then drive, it sped off on its own and did not respond when the brake and accelerator pedals were depressed. the contact did not have control over the steering as well. she attempted to steer the vehicle into tall grass; however, approximately 25 feet later, the vehicle suddenly began to respond and she was able to take control. she called several dealers, but they claimed to never have heard of the failure. the vehicle has not been repaired and the manufacturer was not notified. the current mileage was approximately 196,000 and failure mileage was approximately 186,000.

1. just bought from dealer. going to get gas. 2. overheating. auto mechanic said oil in the antifreeze. head gasket. 3. repaired head gasket etc. *tr

According to subaru in nhtsa recall no. 01v-216, the protective paint was applied incorrectly to '96 subaru legacy outback springs which leads them to rust and break. subaru will replace the front springs but will not replace the rear springs, even though the same problem occurs on both front and rear springs. both of my front springs broke, one of my rear springs broke, and the other rear spring is cracked and breaking. when the rear springs break there is the same safety issue as when the front springs break, that being that the car may become uncontrollable which could be fatal at highway speeds. please prompt subaru to recall the rear springs as well as the front to mitigate this safety issue. thanks. *jb

Car seemed to be running fine but radiator temp was high. took car into repair shop, cracked head gasket. called subaru, they offered no help or advice. cost to repair is at a total loss to me, a college student. subaru dealer said cracked head gasket is a problem in subarus. i would have not bought this car if i knew it would have these kind of problems. part to be replaced is head gasket. *jb

Dt: the consumer states that the 1996 subaru outback was having a problem with the gas tank filler guard and pipe. the guard rusted from debris over the years, and dirt and debris were getting underneath the guard. the result was rusting and leaking gas from the gas tank. the gas tank was noticed leaking last week. the owner has contacted the dealer, has e-mailed and contacted subaru via phone. they seemed not interested in the fact that the car was old. *ak

Dt: 1996 subaru outback caller complained about the fuel injection .system. when starting the car it shut off again. when driving it didn't have any speed, the speed odometer was 60 mph when going 40 mph. sometimes it will pick up speed and sometimes it won't. took vehicle to dealer and he would not work on this car. the car will not accelerate, and he would not listen . the car was parked on the road side now and it will not run. the car vibrated when trying to start the car today. and the car will not start. this has been happening for the last two weeks and today the car just died. *ak

While sitting at a intersection waiting for the light to change the air bags went off inadvertently. driver was not injured, and the vehicle was towed to the dealer. a cause could not be determined at this time. *ak

A permanent hazing of the headlight lenses has been progressively getting worse, and cannot be removed. this has caused safe night driving illumination to drop dramatically.*ak

Car started and ran normally for 5 to 10 minutes along a country road at about 45 mph, vehicle suddenly accelerated to full throttle. poked accelerator pedal a few times with no result, and pedal did not appear to be stuck down. held speed of vehicle down with both feet hard on brake pedal. vehicle returned to near normal operating condition on its own after about 30 sec to 1 min, although vehicle could maintain 30-40 mph when not touching either accelerator or brake. returned to fully normal operating condition after a few minutes. this was the second occurrence in less than two weeks. in the first occurrence, vehicle was hard to start for several seconds, then when did start raced to extremely high idle for several minutes. poking accelerator pedal had no effect. vehicle returned to normal operating condition after being turned off and re-started. vehicle was brought to dealer, but technicians could not duplicate problem, and all diagnostic checks were negative. problem is still unresolved.*ak

I drive a 1996 outback with 116,000 miles on it. i've read about possible recalls pertaining to the transmissions binding in turns, which is what i'm expereincing now. i've been told that if it gets too bad, it may break an axle or something. if it is a recognized problem/mistake, i'd really like to see a recall.*ak

Blew a head gasket which leaked antifreeze throughout the engine causing many other parts failures. for example, o2 sensors. total cost of repairing vehicle - $4,800

Blew a head gasket while traveling with two children. broke down and had to wait on side of busy road with one year old and two year old. the car,a 1996 outback only had 115,000 miles on it. real low for this type of incident. *nlm

Complete separation of tread from body and sidewall of right front michelin harmony tire. tires in service for three months on a subaru legacy wagon. *jb

Consumer states wheels are oxdizing/corroding and air is leaking in all tires. checked by dealer who oxidized the tires.*jb

At very low speed spring of left front strut broke and went through tire.*ak *slc

Michelin xw4 tire p205/70r15, dot m3h342dx079, outside sidewall slit open below the tread edge, michelin stated the tire blew out due to a road hazard or underinflation, consumer checked over tire and found no indications of a puncture. *slc

When traveling 45 and mph upon applying the brake pedal to make a suden stop, vehicle continued to acclerate ,causing extended stopping distance, resulting in an accident. upon impact, neither driver's side nor passenger's side air bags deployed. passenger side frontal damage to the front end. consumer has contacted the dealer. please provide any further details. *ak

Vehicle caught on fire in the fuel tank area due to improper tire size and the overheating of the rear differential. please give any further details. *ak

Vehicle did a 360 degree spin across the highway and rolled over, neither driver's or passenger's side airbags deployed. the roof and the front end caved in. also the seat belts did not hold. *ak

Vehicle was rearended by another vehicle. then outback rearended another vehicle. airbags deployed. passenger's side air bag cover disengaged & shattered windshield. restraint cover came off completely. passenger was injured by air bag. *ak

This vehicle was involved in a roll 0ver impact at very low speed 2 or 3 mph w/no damage to the vehicle. the dual air bags deployed, cracking the windshield. *ak

Driving 58mph w/traffic speed, w/cruise control on; vehicle in front slowing down; tapped brakes, but cruise control failed to disengage; shifted lever fail to disengage cruise control. was not able to stop until swerved to miss another vehicle, and hit side of mountain; air bags deployed. occupants not seriously injured. treatment at emergency room. vehicle totaled. *ak

Vehicle was traveling about 10mph when the vehicle hit the back tire of a dump truck and the airbag deployed. *ak

The receiving part of the belt buckle is extended too long from the seat, leaving a gap when a child safety seat is placed in the vehicle's back seats. *ak

Consumer has noticed exhaust fumes inside the vehicle while driving with the windows up. *ak

Was driving hit an icy spot, lost control and the truck rolled over and hit a ditch. *ak

In head-on collision with both cars at 30 mph, both front air bags deployed. passenger side air bag burst through the windshield and ended up on the hood. passenger never touched the air bag, but was restrained by the seat/shoulder belt. no other known reason for windshield damage before or during the crash. *ak

All 4 alloy wheels have deteriorated to the point that tires will not retain sufficient air pressure. other brand vehicles with alloy wheels (ex. audi) driven in idential conditions and housed in same garage have shown no abnormal deterioriation as has the subaru. tires deflate rapidly when car is driven at highway speed.*ak

The anti skid system on this vehicle has a major flaw in operational design that only becomes evident in packed snow & ice conditions, and at very low initial speeds, when first beginning to move on a downhill slope. on such slippery surfaces, when the car is barely moving forward downhill by gravity, if you apply the brakes ever so gently to avoid unwanted acceleration, the anti-skid will release rapidly and continuously, destroying any deceleration capabilitity, even though the surface friction characteristics are such that the tires could grip and stop the car. i drive in hilly terrain in the winter and this has happened a number of times. to demonstrate to myself that the car can be stopped under such conditions, i have, on several occasions, done the following; placed the transmission in reverse while the car is stopped on a slippery downhill grade, with the footbrakes applied. the 'reverse' input to the transmission tries to move the car upward on the hill. slowly releasing the brakes permits gravity to move the car downhill, even though the transmission is applying a force against it.. as the car accelerates forward (because of gravityd), i apply just enough gas pedal to bring the car to a stop, via the transmission 'reverse' imput to the tire and surface interface.. had i applied the footbrake alone, without the reversing force, the anti-skid would have activated and rapidly cycled as the car accelerated downhill. i have nearly wrecked my car several times because of this shoprtcoming. each time i stopped oniy when reaching the bottom of the hill. this dangerous problem that can easily be fixed by subaru by tweaking the system to cut out at very low speeds. i hope you can solve this dangerous problem before someone gets into real trouble. thank you. j. ruddy. *ak

The design of the anti-lock brake system (abs) seems to overcompensate in icy or slick conditions, to the point that no significant braking occurs. this has caused the vehicle to sail through intersections during icy conditions numerous times. the system does not perform as other abs systems such as chrysler/dodge. this problem is typical for those people driving in northern areas of the u.s. where winter condition exist. the problem appears to be a design defect, not a maintenance related issue. constant or increased pressure on the brakes did not affect the outcome. disengaging the servo to the abs may be a safer option during winter conditions than to allow the abs system to override driver braking control entirely. subaru customer service (1-800-782-2783 attn:don) was contacted on 1/5/2000 and did not recognize this as a significant/chronic problem, but noted that they would log the complaint. review of the nhtsa defects investigations points to this problem as being an ongoing and recurring theme. *ak

Car jumps when steering at low speed. i was informed that it was a transmission defect. i feel it is a construction defect. *ak

Michelin tires and aluminum rims appear to be incompatible. dealer cannot detect reason for continuing air loss. have been filling tires with air almost as frequently as filling tank with gas. i think this is a safety hazard and because it is all tires or at least two or three, i need an answer regarding a cure. i am in touch with subaru.

Oil plug broke resulting in failure.

Wheel well liner was torn off.

Passenger power motor assembly failed causing window to be stuck open.

Warped rotors caused brakes to pulse.

Cruise control failed tried to have it repaired but still does not work.

On sevral occasions, the left and right bearings failed causing damage to the axle assembly. bearings had to be replaced twice. dealer notified. *tt

Consumer loss control of vehicle when the right rear wheel broke at the macpherson strut causing the vehicle to flip over once and come to rest on the drivers side. consumer walked away with abrasions and bruising. *nlm

Vehicle experiencing bucking on two occasions when the foot is taken of the accelerator / when making a turn due to solenoid failure. repairs were done. problem still exist. *yc

The rear oil pan gasket was replaced due to leak. *yc

Vehicle stalls intermittantly.

Driver's/passenger's air bags deployed in less than 5 mph front end collision. the passenger's air bag shattered the front windshield and dislodged the rear view front mirror of its mounting bracket.