general problems of the 2008 Subaru Outback

Car caught on fire I was driving heard a weird gurgle came home got out and it burst in to flames almost caught my house on fire.

Sticky, melting dashboard, shiny and reflective in direct sunlight creating visibility problems, unsure how it will react if passenger airbag must be deployed thru deteriorating dashboard, affecting resale value. Dashboard literally comes off on hands or wiping rags, possible release of chemicals into interior? Subaru will only address 1/3 of the defect repair cost. Total average cost for replacement is approx $1500-1600. 00, actual dashboard itself retails for $502. 50 from dealers and is aparently available within a few days when ordered. Subaru gave credit for $500. 00, almost covering the cost of the dashboard / cover only*** approx. $1000 . 00 in labor must be paid by customer. Car is in otherwise immaculent condition. This is a defect affecting safety, and is a known problem with Subaru effecting all of this model and similar models with high sun exposure. It is also cross manufacturer affected, ie; Toyota, Nissan, etc. They have taken the role of recall and replace. Subaru has not to date. Subaru is aware that this is a serious problem yet refuses to accept full responsibility for.

I was stopped on a side street, waiting for a traffic lighttip change around 9:50am on Sunday, June 17, in denver, CO. There were cars in front of me and one in back but none of us were moving. Suddenly, and without warning, my driver's side window completely shattered. It had been half open before this happened with no mechanical issues. Glass sprayed in and out of the car. I had several small cuts. There was no evidence of anything hitting or being thrown at the window.

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 foward 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 the far left lane. The next day, I took it to my mechanics for an appt. I had made for to have the cv boots? replaced and they said they checked out the steering, brakes, etc. And tried to reproduce the same thing. They said they was nothing mechanically wrong. Possibly the anti-skid action was set off. This was very unnerving. I am not comfortable driving this vehicle.

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.

"takata recall" my vehicle was towed to "Subaru of plano" in plano, TX. For an oil leak, was there for 3 weeks while I went back and forth with my insurance company. On the second to last day I learned of the air bag recall and called to inform my service advisor of this since at this point I was unaware of the recall. Got a call from him the next morning stating that all of the repairs had be completed and my car was ready. . . ? (sounded fishy to me. . ) anyhow, I noted that the vehicle was only driven 2 miles in the three weeks it was at the dealership. Needless to say I made it a whole 4 miles before the car started to die and turn off in the middle of the road. . . Took the car to a near by service center and found that the dealership put 2 times the amount of oil in the car that it is supposed to have which is concerning but what I'm really concerned with is the short amount of time it took to install the new airbag, since the recall department I originally spoke with stated that the parts where still on a national back order?.

Melted dashboard on 2008 Subaru Outback 2. 5i. Causing glare in windshield reducing visibility.

In July following the replacement of our catalytic converter I wrote to Subaru to inquire about reimbursement. There was no response. The replacement cost was $728. 08. Apparently only seven states issued a mandatory recall. Virginia isn't one of them. The vehicle was religiously maintained, all supported by documentation. At 97,600 miles the catalytic converter wearing out had something to do with the part itself. Reimbursement for this catalytic converter would go a long way in our future decision of which brand car to buy. It's known in marketing it costs a lot less to keep a customer than to gain a new one.

Dashboard has suddenly become very sticky/tacky, and extremely shiny. Attempts to clean or remove apparent residue have had no effect on stickiness, and lint from rags or paper towels tends to stick to dash. In sunlight, moonlight or streetlight, dashboard surface reflects onto windshield and poses a safety hazard. Dashboard plastic appears to be chemically breaking down or melting. A similar issue affected several million Toyota vehicles from the same manufacture date (2007-8), particularly in sunnier states with more uv exposure (FL, az, CA) and Toyota issued a recall. Suspect the same/a similar subcontractor provided similar/identical plastic to both manufacturers. Our car has been kept mostly outdoors in MD, CA and hi. Subaru has yet to follow Toyota in issuing a recall. Severe visibility hazard.

My vehicle is "ghost walking" as defined in this thread:. . Read more...

Vehicle will loose acceleration without warning. This has happened six (6) times. When this occurs pressing the gas pedal does nothing. The vehicle's speed immediately drops to about 5 mph. The "engine" and "cruise" lights illuminate. The tachometer continually fluctuates between 2500and 3000 rpm during this time, . One must pull over and turn off the engine, let it set for a few minutes then restart the engine in order to reset the acceleration system. We have had several near accidents as drivers behind our vehicle needed to swerve away from our vehicle as it lost acceleration. Subaru performed the following. 1. Flashed the engine control module (ecm) code twice. 2. Replaced the gas pedal assemble twice 3. Replaced the engine wiring harness once 4. Replaced the engine control module (ecm) once. I have three (3) services cases recorded with Subaru of America (soa). The case numbers are as listed. > 1-2810691799 filed on December 17, 2012 > 1-2888482660 filed on December 26, 2012 > 1-4032748404 filed on may 21, 2013 the ecm was replaced on may 29, 2013 and we hope this will resolve the problem. However during this ten (10) month period of time soa always promised to correct the problem yet did so reluctantly. As the number of incidents went from 3 to 6 soa customer services was not at all customer orientated. These failures are a safety issue. Accident, injury or death could have been the end result of any of these incidents. We have been very lucky but honestly do not know that the problem has been resolved.

Dashboard is melting.

Subaru Outback 2008 -- this model's frequent brakes problems are an outrage. Subaru has known for years, with several Subaru recalls already, that the Subaru 2008 Outback has a defective brakes design and/or manufacture. I have experienced brakes problems on several occasions throughout my ownership and reported them to Subaru -- beginning the first weeks of ownership. This began within weeks of purchase. Subaru stated for the entirety of my new-owner warranty period that they couldn't replicate the problem. But once that warranty's ended, weeks later Subaru told me I needed "a full set of brakes" and sought nearly $2k for it ---on a car bought new just about two years earlier and well under 18k miles. My car again displays the "err ss" code as it did as an early precursor to the Subaru defective brakes recalls in past years. For approximately 5 weeks -- mu Subaru Outback was in Subaru's service centers under the required diagnostic evaluation service at two Subaru service centers. Both -- you guessed it -- stated they were unable to replicate the problem. (these Subaru mechanics also were unable to replicate and/or diagnose the problem of erratic-/non-start, pulsing lights, random alarm and radio function that arose following Subaru's replacement of my alternator following the manufacturer's regularly scheduled timing belt maintenance. ) Subaru has dragged out the process of required diagnosis for literal years. Per its pattern or practice, Subaru opened, stalled for months at a time to return a call and/or email, then closed cases regarding the on the very same reported brakes issues (and alternator repair). Subaru, for the past 18 months or so, has resorted to the excuse of "an older car" -- after Subaru have ignored for years at a time and then failed to properly repair the known brakes defect that needs regular repair -- not related to regular wear and tear.