So my father in law is about ready to dump his 01 outback because of the following issues:

• HG issues replaced under warranty by Subaru but still needed replacement at 60k.
  
• Paint clear coat cracked, repainted by Dealership under warranty 65k.
  
• Steering Rack Failure at 70k
  
• Now he has symptoms of Torque Bind at 75k

Are all these issues normal?

I have not owned any roos newer than 96 OWB (2.2) and my current 91 LS wagon has 175 on it with no issues ever.

I talking him into this car from Toyota since he wanted a wagon and I told him how my 15 other roos have been perfect cars.

 

He is contemplating getting ride of this before it “nickels and dimes him to death”.

Was this vehicle purchased new or used?

So my father in law is about ready to dump his 01 outback because of the following issues:

• HG issues replaced under warranty by Subaru but still needed replacement at 60k.
  
• Paint clear coat cracked, repainted by Dealership under warranty 65k.
  
• Steering Rack Failure at 70k
  
• Now he has symptoms of Torque Bind at 75k

Are all these issues normal?

I have not owned any roos newer than 96 OWB (2.2) and my current 91 LS wagon has 175 on it with no issues ever.

I talking him into this car from Toyota since he wanted a wagon and I told him how my 15 other roos have been perfect cars.

 

He is contemplating getting ride of this before it “nickels and dimes him to death”.

 

Yip, its a POS on the level of a 1992 Cavalier. Our 03 has faired much worse in its 25k life and will probably be the last Subaru I buy. At least he can take sollace in that!

Was this vehicle purchased new or used?

New

Yip, its a POS on the level of a 1992 Cavalier. Our 03 has faired much worse in its 25k life and will probably be the last Subaru I buy. At least he can take sollace in that!

Really your 03 was that bad? Have you had that many problems with it? I thought they fixed the HG issue in 03?

Well the HG thing is a known potential issue on these years so that failure is understandable. Not sure about the clearcoat issue though I think I have heard of that a few times. Haven't heard of many steering racks failing so that one is kind of odd. I'm sure you already know the common causes of torque bind.

Well the HG thing is a known potential issue on these years so that failure is understandable. Not sure about the clearcoat issue though I think I have heard of that a few times. Haven't heard of many steering racks failing so that one is kind of odd. I'm sure you already know the common causes of torque bind.

Yea he is type-a with maintance, tires, fluid changes, etc. I am shocked that the tranny is going south with such low mileage. Have you had any of these issues with your 00?

Ok sounds like lack of maintenance isn't the issue.

 

The issues I've had so far on '00obw is a fractured front sway bar (has happened on many '00 outbacks) and a torn inner RH cv joint boot and the exhaust donut before the resonator rusted out. It's got 117k miles on it, but I've only had it since 96k miles. I bought it about 2-1/2 years ago. No signs of HG issue yet and they haven't yet been replaced. The trans does take a second to go to drive when it's cold out, that's another not uncommon issue on some '99 and '00s.

there are quite a few people with newer subaru's with no issues at all. i've done timing belt jobs on plenty that have not had any problems. actually none that i've worked on for friends newer than 00 have had any issues that i can think of. it's mostly anecdotal with the exception of the HG, but few people can think in terms of anything but their own experiences. he's been hit with a number of rather large items. this is normal....people have a bad experience with a car or dealer and say they'll never buy again. it's not like i haven't heard that about every other major manufacturer from someone.

but of course that still doesn't change his experience, so if he's ready to move on from Subaru then there are other good vehicles out there....but none produce a vehicle that has never, ever had an issue.

and a torn inner RH cv joint boot

that's one thing i've seen on 00's as well!

HG repair is only as good as the shop that repairs it. Even the best parts certified bullit proof from NASA are useless if poorly installed.

 

Never heard of a rack going bad this early. Define "bad"

 

Torque bind can be from driving on an underinflated tire. Even I have been caught off guard by a low tire, that didnt look all that low. No one checks thier tire pressure as much as they should. I've gotten in the habit of once a week.

 

The boot, subaru has a thicker replacement boot.

 

nipper

it's not like i haven't heard that about every other major manufacturer from someone.

but of course that still doesn't change his experience, so if he's ready to move on from Subaru then there are other good vehicles out there....but none produce a vehicle that has never, ever had an issue.

Yea he is comparing this first Subaru to his other Hondas that he owns.

I understand his point of view since I have owned 5 Hondas and never has one had a single issue.

I am not living in dream land about perfect cars but going from a Hondas to this Subaru for him I can understand his frustration.

hondas are great cars, there's no doubt about that. there are subaru owners that have owned 5 trouble free subarus though as well and disappointed first time honda owners.

 

the AWD is an interesting system considering it does add more components, more issues and more possibilities of failure. particularly considering low air, different tires, lack of rotation and improper towing can negatively affect it.

 

if he can make it through these annoyances he'll probably be happy with how easily it can make 200,000 - 250,000 miles. "love takes time"....or something?

hondas are great cars, there's no doubt about that. there are subaru owners that have owned 5 trouble free subarus though as well and disappointed first time honda owners.

 

the AWD is an interesting system considering it does add more components, more issues and more possibilities of failure. particularly considering low air, different tires, lack of rotation and improper towing can negatively affect it.

 

if he can make it through these annoyances he'll probably be happy with how easily it can make 200,000 - 250,000 miles. "love takes time"....or something?

That is a great point!! I have taken several roos over the 200k mark, and my latest 91 is getting clost 175k. I am going to tell him they are like a fine wine...

Hopefully such things like paint will improve now that they build Toyotas at the Indiana plant.

Really your 03 was that bad? Have you had that many problems with it? I thought they fixed the HG issue in 03?

 

No headgasket issues, simply needs its second manual transmission rebuild already, is on its 3rd cd changer, has a clutch that slipped since new, exhaust rattles like my 95 SVX and the fit and finish wouldn't pass GMs stringent standards.

 

Most of the people who as Gary says "have no issues" in reality do have these same problems, they just aren't anal enough to care about their car.

Our '00 which was bought at 13 months old and 100,000 on the clock ran and looked fine up until the day it was killed by a Jeep Cherokee (it did manage to total the offending Jeep in the act) at 186,000. We did regular maintance, and the only repairs we had were a wheel bearing (which my wife caused by hitting a curb I believe), a torn CV, some sensor or other. We did the Subaru goop thing, and I managed to cure the exhaust rattles myself.

 

I hated to see it go, and had planned to run it until 300,000 or 2010 whichever came first. That said, I sure love our 'new' '06.

Our '00 which was bought at 13 months old and 100,000 on the clock ran and looked fine up until the day it was killed by a Jeep Cherokee (it did manage to total the offending Jeep in the act) at 186,000. We did regular maintance, and the only repairs we had were a wheel bearing (which my wife caused by hitting a curb I believe), a torn CV, some sensor or other. We did the Subaru goop thing, and I managed to cure the exhaust rattles myself.

 

I hated to see it go, and had planned to run it until 300,000 or 2010 whichever came first. That said, I sure love our 'new' '06.

Same here! My friend's (which I advocated buying) '00 Outback runs like new ,with 105k on the clock, and nary a problem. This, being a car thats driven on a dirt road daily, sits outside in the blistering heat, and receives only passing attention to maintenance. Actually, I am little envious, as it has been so much more solid than my Forester.

My '00 OBW 5 sp had the HG done under warranty at 86K miles. Trouble free other than that. No rattles or buzzes. Clutch works fine as do syncros. Hoping to run it to 200K miles + without huge problems.