2010 Subaru Outback Complaint Log

MY WIFE AND I OWN A 2010 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY OR HAS A FAULTY DESIGN. THE WEIGHT SENSOR IS SUPPOSED TO TURN ON THE AIR BAG WHEN ANYONE OVER 100 POUNDS SITS IN THE SEAT. MY WIFE WEIGHS 130 POUNDS. THE AIR BAG DOES NOT BECOME ACTIVE MORE THAN 50% OF THE TIME WHEN SHE IS SITTING IN THE SEAT. SUBARU TELLS US THAT THE SENSOR IS FUNCTIONING PROPERLY AND IS CALIBRATED CORRECTLY, YET MY WIFE CONTINUES TO BE UNPROTECTED MORE THAN HALF OF THE TIME. THEY OFFER NO RESOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM OTHER THAN RECOMMENDING THAT SHE SIT UPRIGHT IN THE SEAT. THE 2010 OUTBACK IS ALL NEW THIS YEAR AND I BELIEVE THAT THIS AIR BAG DESIGN IS A FLAW WITH CATASTROPHIC POTENTIAL. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY RISK FOR PEOPLE IN OR NEAR THIS WEIGHT RANGE. THE AIR BAG IS SUPPOSED TO COME ON FOR ANYONE OVER 100 POUNDS, BUT IN REALITY ISN'T RELIABLY ENGAGING UNLESS YOU ARE ABOUT 150 POUNDS OR MORE. OUR LOCAL DEALER HAS ADMITTED TO SEVERAL COMPLAINTS FOR THE SAME ISSUE. THE INTERNET ALSO REVEALS OTHERS HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM. SUBARU NEEDS TO INVESTIGATE THE PROBLEM AND PROBABLY INITIATE A RECALL IN ORDER TO REPLACE THE SENSOR THRESHOLD WITH A LOWER WEIGHT LIMIT SO AVERAGE SIZE PEOPLE WILL BE PROTECTED. THIS TOP SAFETY PICK VEHICLE HAS A MAJOR SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

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

SERIOUS VIBRATION PROBLEMS IN 2010 SUBARU OUTBACK. UPON DELIVERY, WOULD SAY IT WAS DANGEROUS AT ANYTHING OVER 45MPH. AFTER MULTIPLE FIXES, IS NOW DOWN TO A MUCH MORE MODERATE VIBRATION, MOST NOTABLE AT 65-70MPH IN THE STEERING WHEEL. THE STEERING WHEEL OSCILLATES OVER APPROX A 1/8" RANGE, WITH A PERIOD OF AROUND 3 PULSES PER SECOND. IT IS UNNERVING WHEN DRIVING, AND CERTAINLY CAN NOT BE GOOD OVER A LONGER PERIOD FOR THE INTEGRITY OF AFFECTED PARTS. *TR

I PURCHASED SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5I PREMIUM ON 09/23/2009 AND NOTICED A STEERING WHEEL VIBRATION ABOVE 50 MPH SPEED 1ST DAY. CALLED DEALER AND SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT FOR 09/25/2009. THEY REBALANCED TIRES, AND IT DID NOT HAVE A VIBRATION UNDER 80MPH. ABOUT MONTH LATTER, I NOTICED VIBRATION AROUND 70 MPH, AND I CALLED A DEALER, SERVICE MANAGER TOLD ME THEY CAN NOT ROAD TEST VEHICLE ABOVE LEGAL SPEED LIMIT. AFTER I INSTALLED WINTER TIRES, PROBLEM WAS GONE FOR ABOUT A MONTH (UNDER 80MPH), THEN IT STARTED COMING BACK. I JUST SCHEDULED APPOINTMENT WITH DEALER (BURLINGTON SUBARU, VT) FOR 03/25/2010, AS VIBRATION IS NOTICEABLE AT SPEED ABOVE 50 MPH. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL BASED ON NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS. *TR

2010 SUBARU OUTBACK. THIS VEHICLE HAS A STEERING WHEEL SHAKE SINCE 250 MILES ON THE ODOMETER. MOST EVIDENT ABOVE 60 MPH BUT PRESENT BELOW. DESPITE MULTIPLE TIRE BALANCES, ROAD FORCE BALANCES, THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. IT CAUSES ME FATIGUE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY. THE TIRES ARE NOT DEFECTIVE. APPARENTLY THIS PROBLEM HAS OCCURRED TO 30% OF THE OWNERS OF THIS YEAR/MODEL VEHICLE BASED ON SURVEY DONE BY THE FORUM OF SUBARU OWNERS. *TR

ABS, CHECK ENGINE, BRAKE, VEHICLE STABILITY AND CRUISE CONTROL WARNING LIGHTS ALL CAME ON AND STAYED ON, AS WELL AS TAPPING NOISE. DEALER SAYS IT IS DEFECTIVE ABS SENSOR. VEHICLE HAS BEEN IN SHOP SINCE AUGUST 25, 2009. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT ANY SPEED, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIR BAG DID NOT ACTIVATE WHEN SOMEONE WAS SITTING IN THE PASSENGER SEAT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER TWICE BUT THE FAILURE COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. THE CONTACT CALLED THE MANUFACTURER WHO STATED THAT THE SEATS WERE SET TO ACTIVATE THE AIR BAGS AT 125 LBS. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 200.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 50 MPH, THE STEERING WHEEL BEGAN TO SHAKE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS WHERE IT WAS STATED THE TIRES NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BUT THE PROBLEM PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED. THE VIN WAS NOT PROVIDED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 800. *TR

MY 2010 SUBARU OUTBACK 2.5I LIMITED DEVELOPS UNSAFE STEERING AND HANDLING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS. THE STEERING WHEEL SHAKES AND VIBRATES AND ALL STEERING FEEL IS LOST. WHEN THIS OCCURS, THIS CAR WANDERS AND, WITH THE ABSENCE OF STEERING FEEL AND THE SHAKING OF THE STEERING WHEEL, IT IS VERY DIFFICULT TO KEEP THE CAR'S DIRECTION STABLE. THIS IS A DEFINITE HAZARD IN HIGH SPEED DRIVING. AT LOWER SPEEDS THE STEERING AND HANDLING ARE FINE. REPEATED REBALANCING OF THE WHEELS HAS NOT FIXED THE PROBLEM. SWITCHING TO WINTER TIRES DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM SEEMS TO VARY TO SOME EXTENT WITH SMALL CHANGES IN TIRE INFLATION ABOVE OR BELOW THE MANUFACTURER'S RECOMMENDATION, BUT IT CANNOT BE CURED BY PLAYING WITH TIRE PRESSURE. MY CAR WAS PURCHASED IN JULY 2009 AND THE STEERING AND HIGHWAY WANDERING PROBLEM HAS BEEN PRESENT SINCE THE BEGINNING. *TR