2009 Subaru Outback owner complaints

"takata recall" 9/7/2016 voice mail svc.mgr @ local Subaru dealership ([xxx]), no reply 9/12/2016 called svc rep took VIN, will have svc adv call me. 9/13/2016 svc. Adv. [xxx] called me - back ordered airbag, will call me back. 10/28/2016 called [xxx] dealership for status, they never returned my call. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr

Tl* takata recall. The contact owns a 2009 Subaru outback. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 16v358000 (air bags); however, the parts to do the repair were unavailable. The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. The manufacturer was notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Air bags have become disabled due to either the switch in the seat or in the overhead console. The engine also consumes an enormous amount of oil (has since new) about 2 quarts every oil change or 3000 miles sometimes more

While driving the airbag light comes on intermittently. If car is turned off and restarted it generally stays off. Research states that the air bags will not deploy if this light is on when an accident. This appears to be due to part needing to be soldered to fix the problem. Subaru should recall the vehicles involved. This is happening to many cars.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Subaru outback. After the vehicle was restarted from being driven, the engine remained abnormally hot and the air bag warning indicator was consistently illuminating. The failure recurred on several occasions when restarted after being driven and progressed during humid weather. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000. Updated 1/19/16 ln the dealer found a code indicating a problem with the passenger air bag. The dealer replaced the map light assembly which included the air bag control electronic module. Updated 03/29/16*jb *cn

After fuses blown repeatedly and replaced, rear wiper, washer pump and lock ceased to operate for perhaps a year. Recently the headlights got real funky - would not operate in normal "on" position. But then some strange behavior when shifted into reverse (ignition on without starting to allow shifting). Headlights still not lit in either off or on position, but then came on as switch moved back from headlights on to running lights position! I happened upon the video mentioned in an earlier post about rear wiring harness issue which easily could have been related to wiper/lock issue, so took a look. Inspection revealed 11 severed wires with a clump of 5 or so melted together and another 3 wires nearly severed (see photos). Dealer says he'll replace wiring harness for $350 -500, and had a sa

There is a well documented faulty design issue that leads to failure of the wiring harness (rear gate cord) to the rear wagon door/gate of this model Subaru ouback wagons. Failure of the wiring harness has affected me while driving the vehicle. As this issue has progressed, more and more wires break, completely severed, and lead to the rear lock not working, then backup lights not working, rear defroster not working, wiper not working, and license plate light not working. This is a safety issue, especially the backup lights, rear defroster, rear wiper, and locking mechanism not working at all! These compromise visibility and car safety. This faulty design, or faulty material choice is clearly Subaru's fault: severed electrical wires, as a result of normal use, should not be a

The rear gate wiring harness failed, causing rear brake lights and tail lights to stop working. Without replacing the rear gate wiring harness ($88.80 parts + $448.80 labor + 51.07 tax) soon the rear wiper and defrost would not work and the back hatch would lock. This is a serious safety issue, I want to see a recall and reimbursement of $588.67 from Subaru of america.

Rear gate electrical cord premature failure at rubber accordion bend

I recently purchased a 2009 Subaru outback 2.5 special edition. While driving on I-35 near cloquet, mn, the car exhibited dangerously unstable handling that has been described by other Subaru outback owners. The road conditions were icy and even with greatly reduced speed the car would slide/drift sideways on straightaways. This was very unnerving as I could do nothing save reducing my speed to a crawl to avoid this drifting effect. At this point I was being passed by all other traffic on the highway (semis, FWD and RWD cars, etc.), which did not seem to have the handling issues I was having. The car is new (3700 miles) and I had just taken to a shop that morning for an oil change and everything checked out ok. I believe the outback has a dangerous handling issue that appears to ma

Driving on slick road conditions ice/snow on freeway with lightly loaded Subaru outback (4 passengers, which included 2 females in back seat and light luggage for four). The rear of car began "ghostwalking" oscillating side to side about 3-4" at approximately 30 miles/hour on straight road. Passed by numerous 2 wheel drive trucks and cars traveling at much faster rates. Needed to pull to shoulder because the care felt too unstable/unsafe. This did not appear to be related to driver error, slick road surface or tires. This was a first experience for me and first time on slick surface with vehicle loaded. Many other people report same experience with this phenomenon. Spooky and very scary is best way to describe. This is not safe! *tr

The fuel pipe filler and valve assembly failed and allowed gasoline to leak. There was also a leak on the fuel pump that the dealer was not able locate on the first two attempts. The leaks were most noticeable when parked in the garage and could have possibly caused a fire.

The hood latch has failed repeatedly causing the hood to become unlatched while driving, presumably risking the hood flying up and impairing visibility. A different Subaru model was recalled for this failure but not the outback model (2009 or other). This keeps happening.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Subaru outback. While driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle started to make an abnormal noise and the check engine warning light and cruise control warning light illuminated. The vehicle decelerated and was taken to a dealer. The technician diagnosed that the engine fluid was leaking. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The VIN was unknown. The approximate failure mileage was 149,000.

The contact owned a 2009 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle had failed to accelerate above 60 MPH without warning. The contact soon began to notice heavy white smoke in her rear-view mirror as the smoke quickly spread to the front end of the vehicle. The contact immediately pulled over, grabbed vital items, and exited the vehicle. The contact called 911 as flames quickly engulfed the vehicle, and a deputy who witnessed the fire pulled over to assist the contact. The fire department arrived at the scene and extinguished the fire. The contact sustained emotional distress as a result of the accident but did not seek medical attention. The contact was not given a police or fire report. The vehicle was initially towed to an independent tow yard before t

The contact owns a 2009 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while attempting to come to a complete stop, the contact stated that the brake pedal depressed fully to the floor without applying the brakes. The contact stated that the ABS warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a local mechanic where it was diagnosed with needing the junction box and brake lines replaced. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA Campaign Number: 14V311000 (Service Brakes, Hydraulic) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 170,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Subaru outback. The contact stated that he had difficulty seeing the road while driving at night with the low beam headlights on. The headlights failed to illuminate brightly enough to provide proper visibility of the roadway. An authorized dealer and the manufacturer were made aware of the failure and offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 20,000.

While driving the engine suddenly died. Luckily we were on a lightly traveled road and were able to pull off to the side. The engine would start, run for about one second, then die. While waiting on a tow truck, a gearhead-type friend that I had called to take my wife home arrived, thought about the problem a bit, and unplugged the MAF sensor. The engine ran great. It turned out that a defective air filter had allowed debris to clog the sensor. My complaint is that an invalid reading from a non-critical sensor should not be allowed to pull the engine fuel/air/timing parameters so far off that the engine will not run. Obviously the engine computer knows approximately what those values should be since it ran great with the sensor disconnected. Sensor readings beyond what would reas

While traveling on a 2 lane road at night during a heavy rainfall, my driver side windshield wiper disconnected and jammed into the bottom of the windshield, jamming the passenger side wiper as well. Visibility in the rain was reduced to almost nothing. I turned on the emergency lights and traveled further down the road a greatly reduced speed, unable to make out any place to turn off. By slowing down I was increasing my chances of avoiding an accident, but increasing the risk for the cars in front, approaching and behind me. The problem was that a small plastic pin in the wiper blade had fallen out, a quality control issue. This tiny part could have caused a major accident. I urge you to require higher quality standards for the wipe blades. I can't find a manufacturer identification on th

On november 13, 2013 I was driving on st rt 52 heading east in new richmond, ohio at a speed not less that 50 and not greater than 60 MPH. At approximately 12:00 noon my driver-side rear tire completely separated from the tire wall--luckily this did not happen to any of the front tire otherwise I might have been killed. *tr