bannergraphics Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 The long running thread about Subaru clutch stutter problems fell off the board when we swithed hosts I think. At last check (June '03) there had been 163 mostly angry postings about this problem. The thread had been read by almost 5,000 people. I still have the problem and I'm still mad and I think this issue should be kept in front of potential Subaru buyers. I've had a very bad clutch stutter for over 2 years. they replaced the original clutch. Same problem occurred in about 4K miles. I took it back and they said SOA said there was nothing they could do. I have been banging on this ever since with no luck. When the list of replacement parts was finally released by SOA, I called my dealer again. They acknowledged that there was indeed a fix available now, but I wasn't elegible. The service manager at my dealer said that I have done EVERYTHING right, but then can do NOTHING for me because of SOA. This is really ignorant customer care. I complained when the replacement clutch went bad with the same symptoms as the original faulty clutch. I kept a continuous paper trail at the dealership, noting this specific problem, which the dealer acknowledges is accurate and in place and that I did everything right. However, the dealer says that SOA will not replace the faulty clutch because I now have too many miles on the car, and that I should have purchased an extended warranty.... WHAT BS! I was put off and put off until they could try to sweep this away. This clutch stutter is not just an inconvenience. It stalled our car in a busy intersection recently and we were almost hurt badly, or worse. I'm glad others have had their clutches replaced. I must have the worst dealer, or the worst SOA regional rep... maybe both. My recommendation is to avoid Subaru until they learn to give a damn their customers. Bannergraphics Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calebz Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 My mother in law has made similar complaints about her OBW.. was bought used with a new clutch in it(OEM).. after 3k miles.. clutch stutter.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShawnW Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 They were saved and our search function works really well. I did a search: http://usmb.ultimatesubaru.org/forum/search.php?s=&action=showresults&searchid=669&sortby=lastpost&sortorder=descending and it showed me the thread you were referencing with 4900 visits. -Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subie Gal Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 hmmm... well how many miles DO you have on the car? and... how many miles were on the replacement clutch when you took it into Subaru? Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theotherskip Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 clutches are not usually covered by extended warranties anyway, since they are consumable like brakes, so the dealer was most likely just feeding more bs onto the fire. since you have a paper trail from while the car was under warranty, keep pressing the dealer. if they continue to fight you, try some of the legal routes, to see if they can put pressure on them... you can find many resources online for your particular state - things like lemon laws and consumer resource centers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ferret Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 Contact SOA, either call them (1-800-SUBARU3 I think), or go to the web site and click on 'contact us'. Either way, Open a Case. That's what I had to do. Then I had to leave my Forester at the dealer overnight for them to verify that the Shutter was real ( I knew it was, and my service records showed a concern each time I took the car in for service). After they verified it was a problem, a few calls back to SOA and they picked up the bill. Facts about my case, I had a record of clutch complaints since the day I took delivery. The day I drove away, I turned around and went back to ask about the clutch and was told it was 'normal'. I still had them write up a servce record so it was a registered complaint. 2 years of repeated complaints with each visit, each time being certain it was being written into my service record with each visit. After SUBYROO posted the TSB here on USMB, I printed it out, and sent a copy to Subaru when I opened my complaint online. They had me go to my dealer to verify my complaint. They then picked up the Parts & Labor ( I was over 36K by then). End of my $.02 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Subie Gal Posted August 19, 2003 Share Posted August 19, 2003 thing is... 1 - you had the clutch replaced 2 - still chattered (understandable) but how long had you had the 2nd clutch installed BEFORE you went to the dealer? and how many miles took place in this time frame? *if your car was over 36k miles* then you may have gone out of parts warranty on the 2nd clutch paper trail or no.... subaru does NOT have to cover it in this case. factory clutch is covered until 36k miles parts warranty is good for 12 months from install date or xxx(gotta look it up) amount of miles so how many miles were on: 1 - the odo when you brought the car in w/the 2nd clutch 2 - on the 2nd clutch itself??? Jamie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenBaja Posted August 26, 2003 Share Posted August 26, 2003 Short Story - my wife bought a used '00 OBW last winter, and purchased ext warranty along with it. Noticed some clutch problems and took it to dealer #1. Nothing was found. We now go to dealer #2. During the rust recall, they diagnosed the clutch shudder problem. We gave them a copy of the TSB that ferret posted a while back. They called SOA on our behalf regarding the clutch. The car now has 45K miles on it. SOA may or may not cover the clutch repair. The dealer is telling us they need to strip the car down to determine if it will be covered or not. So a minimum charge of $200 just to take a look. If it isn't covered, the total bill is around $700. What do you guys think our chances of having this fully recovered is? Should we call SOA and open up a case on this. I believe she went to dealer#1 under the initial warranty, but not sure on this since the mileage was close when she bought it. Also, I'm not sure we have the paper trail from dealer#1 either. Zen (I was SonofJaqen on EZboard) I own an 03 BAJA, no problems so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZenBaja Posted August 29, 2003 Share Posted August 29, 2003 After contacting SOA and opening a case on the clutch judder for the 2000 OBW, it doesn't look good. The warranty may cover the repair, but they need to strip the car down to see. That is the story they are feeding me. So I guess I have two options: 1) Live with it. 2) Gamble and repair it. Unfortunately, if I go for the gamble route, do I really want subaru replacement clutch if I'm paying for it? Or are there other clutch options that would be better? We're no racers, just grocery getters. But our driveway is a little dangerous pulling out, so the shudder if it acts up at the wrong time makes it a little worse pulling out. Zen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LameRandomName Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 What is the clutch stutter you talk about? What does it feel like? I ask because I wonder if something my '00 Forester does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stor Posted September 5, 2003 Share Posted September 5, 2003 If you have experienced clutch stutter…. Whether the dealer fixed your problem or not, you should file a complaint with the NHTSA: http://www-odi.nhtsa.dot.gov/ivoq/ That way if it is a systemic problem, then the manufacturer can be held responsible, thus helping current and future Subaru owners. You can also search through complaints, recalls, and TSBs at this site. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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