Engine Problems of Subaru Outback

When downshifting to turn or when slowing to stop, the engine regularly sputters and has died twice in the last month causing a loss of power steering and brakes. It also happened once while I was turning left into my neighborhood. Luckily the car had enough residual speed to complete the turn and no traffic was approaching. The car does not have any issue restarting after it happens. I took the car to the dealer this morning, 26 July 2010. After 2 hours, they said they know of the problem, but could not "download the fix".

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My 2000 Subaru Outback wagon, with 120,000 miles has an occasional strong gasoline smell that enters into the passenger compartment, when driving and when stopping and turning off the ignition after a trip. It occurs most often on cold winter days. It has been happening for the past 2 winters. I was told by my mechanic that it's a common problem with leaking gasoline at the clamps on the hoses that lead to the fuel injectors. These are hard to get to, and would cost me $200 in labor for him to fix. Might this start an engine fire? I have read many similar complaints on auto discussion boards on various websites, so I know this is a frequent problem. I think this is a design defect, and should require at least a technical bulletin, if not a full recall.

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Loss of coolant, overheated engine, diagnosis of blown head gasket car: 1997 subarau legacy Outback with 2. 5 liter engine.

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2005 Subaru Outback. The car was in park and my right foot was tucked back behind my left foot which was resting on the foot rest pad on the far left side of the floor. The engine was idling normally when suddenly it went to very high revs for 4 to 5 seconds and then returned to normal idle. Later the same evening, as I slowly entered my garage and applied normal brake pressure, the car first slowed (as expected) then suddenly began to accelerate. I applied hard brake pressure and the car stopped. It did not seem like the engine had revved as high as the earlier incident and it only lasted for a couple of seconds, but there was a definite, brief surge forward as I entered the garage.

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1. Just bought from dealer. Going to get gas. 2. Overheating. Auto mechanic said oil in the antifreeze. Head gasket. 3. Repaired head gasket etc.

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The contact owns a 2004 Subaru Outback. While driving uphill at 70 mph with the cruise control activated, the rpm's increased to 6,000. The rpm's then decreased and the tires churped. The contact heard a bumping sound, which was the sound of the front axles failing. The vehicle has not been diagnosed by the dealer. The failure mileage was 94,000.

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2005 Subaru Outback 2. 5xt was parked in a public / private parking structure at approximately 6:30pm on 10/13/2005. At approximately 8pm the fire alarm was triggered by vehicle catching on fire. Fire dept found no signs of arson or foul play, looked to be an electrical fire in the front right headlight cluster. No response from Subaru, insurance dropped my policy - loss not covered!.

On two separate occasions the vehicle commences to surge and lurch forward while applying the brakes. Consumer was able to control the vehicle without any incidents. The vehicle has been to the dealer once and they were unable to duplicate the problem.

I had just paid approx. $450 for the major 90,000 mile dealer service and they told me my vehicle is in great shape. I've maintained it religiously. I had an extended warranty of 6 years/100,000 miles that just ended Sep. '04. I just drove it up to the mountains and 90 miles from my destination, with the car driving perfectly, I noticed the temp. Gauge was spiked. Ultimately it turned out that the head gasket went. I have 91,000 miles on my Subaru. I spoke to numerous garages in mammoth lakes and they see this problem on a daily basis. Doing research on the internet, you will find thousands and thousands of people with the same issue. I was told by one of the mechanics that all of the double overhead cam 4 cylinder Subaru engines blow head gaskets at some point after approx. 80,000 miles and that this engine has since been discontinued. I also have come to find out that the "phase 2" version was recalled and they will fix that one, but the "phase 1" engine that I, and thousands of others, have they won't do a damn thing about. What kind of company is this? it ain't rocket science. . . They put out a defective product and all they will do is stick it to the consumer. This company needs to be held accountable for their glaring and obvious screw up. How can they get away with this?.

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I own a 1999 Subaru Outback. Car light came on at about 85000. Dealer unable to determine problem & light turned off. Light back on shortly after - had 90000 mile maintainence completed - dealer still unsure of problem. Shortly after this, when accelarating to highway speed, clear power loss noted - engine running rough. Took vehicle into dealership - reported that valve broken - head required replacing. Dealer/ mechanic stated that they had never seen this problem before. Total cost of dealer bills - over 3500. Subaru refused to reimburse for problem - blamed on mileage. I've had well-maintained vehicles with over 150000 miles and never have encountered this problems before.

Car started and ran normally for 5 to 10 minutes along a country road at about 45 mph, vehicle suddenly accelerated to full throttle. Poked accelerator pedal a few times with no result, and pedal did not appear to be stuck down. Held speed of vehicle down with both feet hard on brake pedal. Vehicle returned to near normal operating condition on its own after about 30 sec to 1 min, although vehicle could maintain 30-40 mph when not touching either accelerator or brake. Returned to fully normal operating condition after a few minutes. This was the second occurrence in less than two weeks. In the first occurrence, vehicle was hard to start for several seconds, then when did start raced to extremely high idle for several minutes. Poking accelerator pedal had no effect. Vehicle returned to normal operating condition after being turned off and re-started. Vehicle was brought to dealer, but technicians could not duplicate problem, and all diagnostic checks were negative. Problem is still unresolved.

Took my Subaru to dealer for 60,000 mile check. He advised me that my head gasket was about to fail and needed replacement. He also informed me that failure of the head gasket in 1998 Outbacks was common. This repair is very costly (about $1500), and failing to make it could cause catastrophic damage to the engine.

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The now infamous "blown head gasket" in phase I 2. 5l engines is the focus of my complaint. Subaru of America has at least recognized the phaseii 2. 5l engines in 1998 models and newer, but only because of a different metal was the "problem". The overwhelming number of cases in the phase I 2. 5l (1998 and prior) engine is an obvious indicator of design flaw in the actual shape of the product itself. A recall investigation is a definite must. Just another unhappy Subaru customer.

Dealer will replace the engine at 115000 miles.

Spark plug popped out of head while driving, engine died. Spark plug unable to be reinserted resulting in a head replacement. Very expensive! only 135000 miles regular mechanic said that he has seen 4 of these cases in this model in the last 3 months. No acknowledgement form dealer about mechanical defect.

At around 74,000 miles the cam shaft began to fracture, causing the engine to seize. The engine had to be replaced with a remanufactured engine. Subaru refused to provide any compensation because it was outside the warranty period.

Blown head gasket at 105,000 miles. My research indicates that this is a very common failure for this engine/model year. It cost me $3400 for a new short block/labor to effect repairs.

Blown head gasket on 1998 Subaru legacy Outback at ~70k, just out of warranty,. This problem occurred in 2003, but given the continuation of complaints from current Subaru owners experiencing this problem, it seems highly negligent of Subaru to deny responsibility for addressing this problem. This is a major problem on Subaru's dating from 1997 forward. Repair cost in excess of $2,500. This problem continues to arise on Subaru engines, yet the company has done nothing to reimburse owners for cost.

Blew a head gasket while traveling with two children. Broke down and had to wait on side of busy road with one year old and two year old. The car,a 1996 Outback only had 115,000 miles on it. Real low for this type of incident.

Nar 03-27-2003 mr the car dies intermittently at speeds between 20-25 mph on deceleration. The power is completely lost with no power steering control. Additional items noticied . . Shifting in transmission at low speeds, dashboard creaks and drivers window faulty.

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1998 Subaru Outback - blown head gasket, resulted in over heating. My mechanic estimates $2500 (assuming there is no other damage to the engine). We are also checking prices for used engines to possibly replace the existing engine. Mileage was approximately 129000 miles.

While in motion and descending a steep grade the vehicle will intermittently accelerate on its own up to 4500 and 5000 rpm's. Dealer is unable to duplicate the problem.

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Consumer states that engine block and head are cracked with no signs of overheating, Subaru mechanic could not find no mechanical reason why this occurred. Manufacturer was contacted.

Consumer states that engine block and head are cracked with no signs of overheating, Subaru mechanic could not find no mechanical reason why this occurred. Manufacturer was contacted.

Local Subaru dealer has sold these parts several times recently. It appears to be a known problem. When this fails the pully system of the engine falls apart, literally, resulting in the loss of electrical power, power steering, brake warning. . . This would have been dangerous had we not been on a back road with no traffic.

Oil plug broke resulting in failure.

Check engine indicator light illuminated. Also, while driving at highway speeds vehicle pulls to the left. The cause of the problems have not been determined.

Blown head gasket. Seems to be a manufacturing problem, considering the number of blown head gaskets on Subaru 2. 5l engines. Contact Subaru mechanics to obtain unusual high numbers.