2008 Subaru Outback owner complaints

Air bag: the "ovhd console pass on off indicator" had to be replaced. Seat belts: the front driver side seat belt does not retract reliably. It has broken the left front door switch twice. Windshield wipers: the wiper blade transmission unit had to be replaced.

"takata recall" I understand that I may be driving a car with these airbags and that they may cause serious damage or death in case of an accident. Nothing has yet happened, but in the case of an accident there could be something serious.

The airbag warning light occasionally illuminates while driving or idling and can remain on for minutes, hours, or consistently over consecutive driving days. In some instances, illumination occurs during cold and/or humid weather. The problem is suspected to be caused by a failure in the overhead/map lamp assembly pc board. Upon visual inspection of the board, numerous surface mount components had solder cracks at their component terminals. There was no apparent physical damage to the map lamp assembly enclosure.

The airbag warning light comes on intermittently sometimes and other times stays on. I was told that this has been a problem with this year, make and model car and that the passenger airbag could be defective. This should be a recall by Subaru as it is a safety issue. I have read numerous complaints online regarding this year outback. The consumer should not have to pay for a defective part that Subaru is well aware of and it is their responsibility to correct. *tr

The airbag light on the front dash comes on without any crash or front end impact. My vehicle has 45k miles on it. According to my research, this is a well known problem that has not been addressed by Subaru. The Subaru dealer diagnoses this as a code 26 which requires the overhead console to be replaced at a cost of about $400. This is an unsafe condition in which the airbags will not deploy in an accident unless the overhead console is replaced. A safety recall seems warranted given the number of Subaru consumers experiencing this problem, and the compromise in safety that could result from neglecting to get it replaced

The airbag light on the dash illuminates due to a flawed part in the system. This is a common problem with this series of subarus and disables the airbags while the car is in use, a very dangerous and possibly deadly problem. Subaru has been aware of this problem for years but refuses to do anything about it. The part and its replacement are expensive and often does not get repaired because it is at the owner's expense. My feeling is that safety equipment should be warranted by the manufacturer for the reasonable life of the automobile. The flawed part has been used for years with Subaru's full knowledge that the part is flawed. *tr

Sometimes the airbag light comes on either when the car is started or once it's driving. It's very sporadic.

Dash airbag light comes on intermittently, and this disables the airbag. Dealer states this is a known problem, but can only fix by trial and error replacing (expensive) components. It happens most on cold wet weather days, often goes off when car warmed up, so probably electrical. Has continued for years now, still happening at 105,000 miles. Many many examples on internet boards of people with this same problem. Should be a safety recall! *tr

Recently replaced headlights did not illuminate on a return trip home. They turned off without warning while driving. According to the dealer, the wiring harness failed. *tr

The dashboard lights blinked off & on and the heater stopped working, then started working again. This happened three times. It gives the appearance of involving a short circuit. This happened both when the vehicle was stationary and while moving.

Wire harness going to rear hatch had multiple wires severed by repeated opening/closing of rear hatch. Lock and tail light wires were broken though. 4 other wires had their insulation cut and the conductor was exposed. In searching the net this appears to be a very common problem. Why hasn't a recall been issued? Failure of brake lights or tail lights are a safety issue.

When driving our new 2008 Subaru outback in darkness there are times when the headlights do not project the beam far enough ahead to adequately see. This condition is very noticeable in hilly terrain where as the vehicle is moving in a forward down motion with a upward hill approaching. There is a definite horizontal plane of light and darkness. At times this situation has caused us to brake quickly due to the possibly of coming in contact with something in the road that we would otherwise be able to avoid with adequate lighting. *tr

The rear trim that retains the center light will break off if there is ice built up on the inside of the hinge area. All ice and snow can be removed from the top of the car, however there is no seal between the rear hatch and the body to prevent ice from building up. There is no warning with the car to be aware of this issue. There is no warning to the owner until it too late and you have broken the wing off the car. *tr

On thursday, dec. 22, about 11:25 a.m., I came to a intersection of meadowlark lane and rt. 528 in rio rancho, nm. And got in the right turn lane. I depressed the brake pedal part-way, felt and heard the grinding under my foot. I lifted off my foot and depressed it fully (no noise or grinding) and came to a complete stop. I turned into the right lane of the 3-lane street. I wanted to get to the far left lane. I signaled and turned left. The car passed through the center lane. As the car entered the left lane, it suddenly veered right into the middle lane and continued forward in a "s" pattern for a few feet! The road was damp, by no means slick (not shiny and no puddles or visible water or ice on the road). I believe the temp was above freezing. I was able to turn the car back to th

Tl* the contact owns a 2008 Subaru outback. While driving 40 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and traveled to the floorboard. The vehicle failed to stop. The vehicle was taken to glanzmann Subaru (95 old york rd, jenkintown, pa 19046, 215-885-8282) to be repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 14v311000 (service brakes, hydraulic), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and stated that the recall had been performed once and could not be done again. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000. The VIN was not available.

Ghostwalking Subaru outback, 2008. Driving my family (2 adults, 2 teens) to a family event, along with luggage, experienced rear end sway back and forth uncontrollably while driving on slightly slick roads (slushy conditions). It felt like rear end was swaying into traffic in adjacent lane. It was extremely unnerving. Occurs in speeds above 50 km/h. Problem continued while driving above 50 km/h with slick road. Had to slow down below 50 km/h on highway (which is illegal). *tr

While driving on slightly slick roads in northern michigan the rear wheels would lose traction and start to fish tail. This happened without the gas applied, with or without the traction control engaged. The car felt as if it was sliding side to side in the back. The tires are in good condition and the vehicle is well maintained. Other vehicles were traveling without issue. This has been referred to as ghost walking in on line blogs. This is extremely unsafe and dangerous. *tr

My wife had an uncontrolled acceleration event in her 2008 Subaru outback when she was trying to park behind another car. She didn't think the floor mat was involved. She had winter boots on and thought she was only pressing on the brake. Her front license plate was torn and she did about $700 of damage to the other car's rear bumper. *tr

Transmission failed, on the road, problem shifting, I want to know if there has been a recall. I could find the place to enter that info. I am not a machanic!

I have a 2008 Subaru outback equipped with good winter tires. At highway speeds on winter roads my car is extremely unstable. For no apparent reason the rear end of the car starts to sway and I am only able to bring it under control by bringing down my speed, and I end up traveling much slower then the traffic flow. My brother in law has the same car and experiences this problem as well with his vehicle. There is a design and engineering flaw with this car and Subaru needs to comes to grips with it and come up with a solution. This car is unsafe on slick winter roads. *tr