Engine Head Gasket Failure problems of the 2000 Subaru Outback

Cylinder head gaskets replaced at 81,098 miles. Due to the low mileage, the vehicle was not under warranty because 8 years had passed (8 years or 100,000), whichever comes first. August 2014 vehicle would take several seconds to engage into drive from reverse. Eventually, the problem became worse and I was afraid that it could cause an accident because it was taking too long to engage into drive. I took the car to aamco who installed a rebuilt transmission at 83,695 miles. These problem have been reported by Subaru owners, but I have yet to see a recall. So, in the last two years, I have spent $5,055 in car repairs. I'm retired so I can't afford to buy a newer vehicle. Although this car handles well in snow and rain, due to the expensive repairs I have had to make and Subaru corporation's lack of acknowledgement of these issues, I doubt that I will ever purchase a Subaru again.

The head gasket of my 2000 Subaru Outback failed and was under warranty at 48,000 miles, but at 101,000 miles the replacement head gasket has failed again. With so many of the head gaskets in this engine model failing, Subaru's fix of a coolant conditioner or head gasket replacement is not sufficient. The problem lies with the engine block and head. The gasket is not the problem. The problem is a structural defect in the design where the head gasket fails prematurely.

Repeat head gasket failure.

Head gasket failure on a 2000 Subaru Outback at 84443 miles. Then a full engine replacement at 97,000. There were no accidents or deaths caused by this, however, let me appeal to you to review Subaru's 2. 5l engine. We bought this as a reliable car for our children. The vehicle became unreliable when it began overheating with our children at the wheel, not once but twice. The first instance was in the daylight hours and we were able to take it right into a Subaru dealership. The second instance was the car overheated with my child at the wheel on a dark road in rural se washington at night. Thank goodness she did have a cell phone and could call us for help. Two different authorized dealerships, looked at this problem three times and did not fix the problem. Now after replacing the head gaskets at a local vehicle repair shop and then the engine, yep, the engine due to oil and water leakage, because of the failure of the dealerships that misdiagnosed this problem. Now as I search for what happened and why, I find websites that document hundreds of Subaru owners with the identical story as mine. Overheating problems, dealership not fixing the problem properly and then ending up with head gasket and for some of us engine replacement. Please, please look into this. The websites are almost endless on this problem. I do not like being angry over this issue. I just want Subaru to fix what is wrong, and to help all of their customers get some financial assistance for what we have had to pay out of pocket, nothing else. Subaru of America needs to fix what is wrong with their 2. 5l engines. Thank you for your help.

The contact owns a 2000 Subaru Outback. The vehicle would jerk when idling. When the accelerator pedal was depressed, there was a delay and the vehicle would jolt forward. The dealer stated that internal transmission parts failed and the transmission needed to be replaced. At 64,000 miles, the contact smelled rotten eggs when driving 35 mph. The dealer replaced the catalytic converter. While driving between 25- 60 mph with the air conditioner activated, she smelled something burning inside the passenger compartment. The dealer stated that the head gasket failed and needed to be replaced. The head gasket failed at 55,000 and 80,000 miles. The failure mileage was 55,000 and current mileage was 95,000.

I own a 2000 Subaru Outback ltd, white VIN 4s3bh6866y7617984. It has approx. 63,000 miles and has had for the last several weeks, an anti-freeze smell after the car has initially warmed up. As it turns out, I brought the vehicle into the nearest Subaru dealership for it's 60,000 mile service and was dismayed to receive a call from the service advisor informing me that the head gasket was gone and needed replacing. In this day an age of modern vehicles, a head gasket rarely becomes defective at 63,000 miles; check statistics!!! I believe that this failure is due to a design flaw when Subaru went to the 2. 5l engine size as many other Subaru owners are now experiencing this unwarranted repair at such an early time frame. As these irritated Subaru owners approach the 60,000 to 80,000 mile mark and start experiencing these head gasket replacements, you should become inundated with complaints. Before this occurred, I recommended Subaru's to may people, but with this expensive repair, which should be partly or wholly covered by Subaru, I will never recommend a Subaru to anyone ever.

The head gaskets and catalytic converter went out on my 2000 Subaru in February and April 2004 respectively. Subaru paid for the head gaskets under warranty; however, it was not under a recall and refused to pay for the catalytic converter. Had it happened 3 months later, it would not have been covered under warranty at that time. I even mentioned that I thought that the two were related. I was told by the dealer "kelly Subaru" that the incidents were not related; however, I believe that the two events were related. Here it is February 2008 and the head gaskets and catalytic converter are both in need of replacing. When I talked to Subaru at 800-782-2783 their customer service area, they said what should I expect from a car that has 190k miles on it. I then tried to explain that this was the second incident in 8 years and it's always involves both at the same time. I explained to Subaru that this is not normal and that I have never in my 45 years of owning cars have I ever had to replace a head gasket; much less twice. Yes, I did replace the catalytic converter once on another car after 15 years of use. This is why I think that Subaru is willful and negligent in this manner.