Just bought the new legacy, SE. I'm not a car guru by any stretch, so I had a concerned question about the steering. Making sharp turns and turns when pulling out of a driveway or when you are turning the wheels when the car is stopped seems very noisy and very very tight. Is this a know "non-issue" with Subaru? I'm taking the car in Friday to get the spoiler put on and was going to ask about this...

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

Thanks!

 

Matt

It shouldn't be noisy. Are your tires the same size, are they properly inflated.

 

it almost sounds like torque-bind.

Yes, the car is brand new (3 weeks old)

 

I did notice that the yellow caution light came the other day, which means "check tires for to make sure they are properly inflated"...the light went off the next day. the tires looked absolutely fine. I will check tire pressure on my way home, but I highly doubt that is the problem.

How does the steering feel in normal driving? It's not uncommon for some vehicles go groan or feel tight when turning the wheel while stopped, especially if on pavement.

 

If you mean you are turning the wheel to lock (as far as it will go) and holding it there you will definitely hear some noise as the pump internal pressure relief valve will open.

 

Visually it is hard to tell if a tire is soft. The TPMS lamp comes on if any tire pressure drops below about 27psig. Now that temps are dropping your tires probably need a bit more air; ideally check them when cold or vehicle hasn't been driven more than a few miles.

It may be a little tight due to AWD, this is normal for an AWD car.

 

Describe the noise. Check the PS fluid level, as it may be low. Turn the wheels lock to lock slowly about ten times to make sure all the air is out of the ps system.

 

If its still an issue, back to the dealer. Drive another 08 and see if its the same.

 

 

nipper

I had a co-worker take a look and listen and he said it sounded BAD. It sounded like metal on metal. He took a look under the hood and we found power steering fluid on the engine. So there is some sort of leak. I'm taking it in Friday.

ewww ok that does sound bad. In addition to whatever leak fix they do, I would definitely push for a new power steering pump, especially if you can document (i.e. take pictures when you get to the dealer - especially showing low/no fluid in the reserviour). The pump is not cheap and running it without fluid is not good.