Two problems related to radiator have been reported for the 2001 Subaru Outback. The most recently reported issues are listed below.
Bought Outback from nate wade Subaru in salt lake city in Nov. Of 2006. I was told that nate wade performed a complete inspection of the vehicle, and was told by the salesman, bryce, that the vehicle was in good condition. After purchasing the car(along with powertrain warranty), I noticed that in cold weather, the belt squealed. Talked to dealer, and dealer fixed the problem, but now I'm very insecure about the actual condition of the car. I'm not so sure that the salesman or the dealer was being honest about the condition of the car. Once the weather began heating up, the car would overheat. I took it into nate wade service. They said all that needed to be done was a new radiator cap and flushed the lines. Paid for that. The problem persisted, so I took the car back in. Service told me then that I needed a new radiator. Apparently, this was not a problem that could have been discovered when I visited nate wade service a week prior. I took the car to another mechanic for a second opinion, and he told me that it was not overheating due to the radiator because the radiator leak was minimal. Nate wade refused to do anything further to figure out what was wrong with the vehicle besides replacing the radiator. Recently the car has been losing power and a severe decrease in fuel mileage. Took the car to nate wade. Nate wade said that there was nothing wrong with the car at all, but that I could get a tune up for 150. But, there is nothing wrong with the sparkplugs or the timing. I know there is a problem with the car, but all the dealership wants me to do is throw money at the problem, and stall until the warranty expires this November. They refuse to identify the problem, but want me to just keep spending money to eliminate the possibilities for them. I'm concerned that the car was not in good condition when I bought it, as was promised by bryce, the salesman.
I have gone through one head gasket on Jan 2003. The head gasket went out in Dec of 2003 and the whole engine had to be replaced. In January of 2004 I had the overhead camgaskets go out on the car as well as the the oxygen sensor. I have had more issues but it would be a small book. Subaru has been relativly unresponsive even after many phone calls and letters to my concerns. Every part was replaced however there seems to be a poroblem with my new engine since there is now an investigation within Subaru. They refuse to pay the dealership for the new engine replacement which raises the question of was this a new engine or what is wrong with the new engine.