Power Steering Pump Problems of Subaru Outback

I requested many times to have our car checked for nhsta campaign : 19v493000. The dealership said our car was not included in that case. Our lane assist was too aggressive from the first day we drove the car. The dealership said the steering was speed sensitive and we were driving too fast. We explained that we could not keep the car in the lane when driving over 40 mph. In the first 24 months we carried the car to the dealership 20 to 30 times for the unsafe steering issue. Twenty four months later we had a rock chip the windshield and the chip ran into 3 cracks each over 8 inches long that afternoon while the car was in our home garage. After we paid a $500. 00 deductible and the dealership replaced the windshield , the car drove better. The battery has been replaced three times, the fuel pump replaced, all the sensors on the tail gate have been, the passenger side window would stick 1/2 up, and many other problems. A scan of the car shows 10 modules failed with many active codes. The codes are the same as before the third battery was installed. Many of the codes are safety issues.

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2011 Subaru Outback 3. 6r limited purchased new in October 2010. Vehicle had steering/handling issues from the start. Excessive steering wheel/tire vibration/shimmy at highway speeds was immediately evident. In addition the car had a pulsation in the steering assembly when making slow turns. At highway speeds the steering had a "stick-slip" phenomenon while negotiating curves in the road. The dealership performed a series of fixes recommended by Subaru of America (soa) including new tires with road force balancing, steering box replacement bushings, steering hydraulic pump replacement, replacement steering wheel, and replacement of steering rack assembly. At the conclusion of the various fixes the tire vibration was essentially eliminated. However, the steering pulsation/sticking was only ameliorated. The dealership informed me that soa was aware of the steering issue and was working on a solution, but that nothing further could be done with my vehicle at this time. The condition I have described is, in my opinion, a dangerous one. While driving winding country roads in the rain there is a distinct loss of feel for the road, similar to encountering a momentary patch of ice. Because of the varying resistance felt through the steering wheel the car tends to oversteer and understeer in the turns. It is clear that soa's piecemeal replacement of parts to "fix" the problem is not the solution. There is more likely a design issue with the steering assembly that is mitigated but not corrected when major parts are replaced, perhaps due to component tolerances. This issue must be resolved by soa and a vehicle recall issued.

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Our 2010 3. 6r Outback arrived in Apr. The first time that the vehicle was taken on the highway, I noticed a prominent high frequency vibration in the steering wheel. There is also unusual feedback in the steering wheel at slower speeds that feels unlike anything related to road noise. I researched the "problem" on the internet and seen that there were many forums identifying the same problem for 2010 Outbacks. I informed our local Subaru service dept. About the vibration and made an appointment. A Subaru service technician confirmed the vibration during a test drive and recommended a spin balance. After reading all the complaints and proposed "fixes" on the internet, I told them that I was not confident that a spin balance was going to be successful. I asked the service dept. Manager if they had been informed/aware of the ongoing problems and she denied having any previous knowledge of steering vibration issues with any Outbacks. The spin balance added a multitude of stick-on weights to all four wheels (some exceed 9 in. In length). The invoice said that a follow-up test drive by a technician produced normal steering as designed. A test drive home from the dealership on the highway again produced the same high frequency vibration. I informed the service dept. Immediately and the vehicle was again left there this morning. I produced several pages of complaints found on the internet identifying this issue. They made copies of them and told me that they were going to contact soa factory engineers. The bottom line is this. The vibration is prominent enough to cause fatigue and numbness in the hands on extended drives. There is also a concern of what may fail and cause a loss of steering or vehicle control. The faulty component needs to be identified and the issue fixed by soa immediately. Soa has tried a number of fixes without success (spin-balance, forced balance, alignment, backlash spring, wheel bearing, steering pump, replace out-of-round tires).

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Background: my 1997 Subaru Outback developed a problem that involved a failed piece of equipment and collateral damage from this failure. I took my Subaru Outback to jim norton Subaru of tulsa, ok, for repair. According to the service manager darrin johnson and the mechanic, lorin, the problem resulted when the bolt that serves as a spindle to the tensioner plate sheared off thus causing additional damage to plastic cowling, belts, and the facing plate that anchored the bolt. Estimate for repair was quoted as $512. 61 with a replacement of the timing belt in addition to the other belts. I told mr. Johnson that I was alarmed that this bolt suffered a catastrophic failure and wondered what it mean to safety of driving at interstate speeds of 70+ miles per hour. I told mr. Johnson that Subaru America should be called to alert them of this failure.

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