'05 Outback 2.5i with electrical gremlins

[madgosling]

I have a new '05 Outback 2.5i with electrical gremlins that the service dept can't reproduce ... so, of course, can't fix.

 

1. The dashboard indicator intermittently shows that the right front passenger door is ajar. The door is always shut tight. I wouldn't mind the dashboard light so much but when it comes on, so does the overhead light. That's rather distracting -- especially at night.

 

There seems to be no consistent trigger for what makes these lights go on and off. The service guy drove it two different times and couldn't make it happen. He pretty much told me to go home, take some Paxil and lie down on the couch for a little while.

 

2. The car doesn't have an alarm system but it does have that panic horn function with the button on the key fob. The panic horn has gone off several times in the parking lot at work when my keys have been three stories up, on the other side of the building and safely in my desk. This has never happened at home. Could there possibly be someone in the parking lot with a remote non-Subaru key that uses the same frequency as my panic button?? What in the world can be done about this? I'm pretty sure they won't be able to duplicate this at the service department either.

 

I'm dropping it off again at the service dept on Friday. Any thoughts? I'm not very assertive and I could use all the encouragement I can get.

 

Thanks.

[Dr.Outback]

About the door problem. Make sure that when the door closes it is flush with the front edge if the passenger door. If for some reason the passenger side door is out a little, it could cause the door jamb switch to ground the interior light, turning it on when the body flexes around a corner. The other thing causing this could simply be a defective door jamb switch.