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Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

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    hypovhypov Member Posts: 3,068
    Cheryl-
    If I'm not mistaken, if an issue occurs and addressed during the warranty period and could not be resolve during or not resolved after that period is still covered by the warranty until resolved or as long as you own the car, which ever occurs first. There's something quirky going on in your car that's yet to be detected.

    -Dave
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    solowalkersolowalker Member Posts: 118
    Anybody ever hear of anyone installing a stock Sube turbo on an older Forester...?

    Why buy a new XT when my perfectly running '00 could be goosed up for 3 grand or so....
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    kenskens Member Posts: 5,869
    I know of one owner over in the other forum that turbocharged his Forester using an aftermarket turbo kit. I believe his user name is agent007kimball, or some permutation of the sort.

    Ken
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    paisanpaisan Member Posts: 21,181
    My SVX if it sits for 3-4weeks gets a dead battery. That was in the summer. So I'm not sure if it's an old battery or what not. Is the problem 2-days or 4-5weeks?

    -mike
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    psgpsg Member Posts: 72
    I'm in the process of flushing and replacing the coolant in my '95 Legacy L. I assumed (wrong!) that a ratchet wrench minus a socket would be the right size to remove the drain plugs. It isn't.

    What do you use? Any tips on getting the plugs out or on flushing the system?

    Thanks!

    Phil
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    leo2633leo2633 Member Posts: 589
    I was having problem with my 2001 Forester 5 speed hesitating under acceleration. I took it into the dealer and they found it was a bad coil. That is the thing that looks like a distributor cap on top of the engine with the ignition wires coming out of it. One of the four posts on this cap had what appeared to be corrosion on it. I have no idea what could have caused this. The dealer replaced the ignition wires and spark plugs also, even though my plugs were changed a few months ago. They said one of the plugs had been fouled by the misfiring coil. I have 79K miles on my car, and it has been meticulouosly maintained since new. Plugs were changed at 30K and 60K.

    Anyone ever hear of this problem with the Subaru coil before? Is it a common problem? I don't recall ever hearing about this on these boards.

    Thanks in advance for any and all information.

    Len
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    subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    It looks like we just got involved yesterday. I'll be working with the Sr. Rep. that is handling the situation and we'll sort it out. It looks like Bill has sent an alert out to get the appropriate attention to this. I'm sure it will be resolved. You should hear from us early next week. I'm sorry for all of the agg., but you have our committment to sort this out.

    Patti
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    williamskmwilliamskm Member Posts: 20
    Hi and Happy Thanksgiving! I should get my Forester back tomorrow (Friday) and I can't wait! The dealer has been fantastic throughout my ordeal. They gave me a 2002 GMC Envoy to drive for the past two weeks while they had my Forester. It was nice (loaded with everything imaginable) but it just isn't my Forester. I am being very optimisitc that all problems are fixed and I won't have any further problems. Thanks for your help in this issue. If anything is amiss, I will let you and the dealer know!
    Kim
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    rangnerrangner Member Posts: 336
    Don't do it! That's my advice after backflushing the system with the Prestone kit. Also, I believe in order to take out the drain plugs you need a 15mm allen wrench(I think)--which I searched and searched for but could never find. Sears carries a 14mm and a 17mm, but no 15. All other tool places usually don't carry over a 10mm. I even looked all over the internet--to no avail.

    Ok, what happened to me--even though I couldn't open the drain plugs, I decided to do it anyway. I found the heater hose which goes to the top of the engine and cut it and put in the tee that they provided with hose clamps, and backflushed with water.

    The thing is, since I couldn't get drain plugs out--I couldn't get the remaining water out--so that threw off my calculations to make 50/50 mix.

    Having done it, I see no real benefit over just draining the radiator and refilling--that is unless you have like >90k miles on the same coolant.

    Eric
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I just drain and fill my Forester.

    At the bottom of the radiator is a knob you twist, it drains nicely, then just tighten, refill, and "burp" it.

    -juice
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Sorry to hear about your problem, Cheryl. Let's let Patti work her magic.

    Hopefully they'll test the alternator and maybe change the belt.

    FWIW, this is not a common issue. If you do a search on "battery" in this thread, I think you'll find your case is unique. That doesn't help your case, I know, but hopefully SoA's involvement will.

    -juice
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    subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    I hope all is well when your Subaru comes home. If not, you know where to find us!

    Patti
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    psgpsg Member Posts: 72
    Since I've never flushed the system and have almost 100k on the clock, I thought it was time. I've always only drained the radiator (the knob twist only method). I figured the couple of quarts of old coolant left behind in the block didn't make that much of a difference. The important thing was to change the coolant regularly.

    I did try to make an Allen wrench out of an old hex headed lag bolt. I found a lag bolt in my work bench, the head of which is the right size. I ground off the threads and squared the bolt portion. Unfortunately, the plugs are very tight and I was not able to get enough torque with the hex lag bolt to remove them. I was holding the bolt with a pair of vice grips. I started to grind the bolt so it would fit in a socket. I figured I could then get a breaker bar on it, but I ran out of time. Something about eating dinner, the kids, and getting ready for Thanksgiving. My wife has a different set of priorities than I do. :-)

    Anyway, that's when I gave up on getting the plugs out and added the Prestone flush solution. The plan is to drive around over the next couple of days (for 3 to 6 hours per directions on the bottle) and figure out a way to get the block plugs out.

    Since the stores are open today, I may try to find a more appropriate tool, but it doesn't sound too promising. I would like to be able to finish this up on Sunday. I don't what to push my luck with the weather. Maybe, I need to go back to work with the grinder?

    Phil
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    crashton6crashton6 Member Posts: 245
    Phil,if you really want to get that plug out you'll need the correct tool. I'd suggest looking in the phone book for the closest Mac or Snap-On tool dealer. It won't be cheap, but I bet they'll have one.

    Chuck
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    rochcomrochcom Member Posts: 247
    My speed sensor that drives the speedometer failed a few weeks ago. The check engine light came on also. About a week later, I started having problems with stalling on deceleration, low idle speed, and what appears to be fuel cutoff on acceleration at relatively low speeds. Can these problems be related to a lack of speed signal to the engine controller, or should I be looking for a separate problem? The engine problems seem to happen on some days only, and sometimes will stop as suddenly as they started. I am still waiting for the sender replacement because it took 8 days to get the original service appointment, several more days to get the part that was not in stock, and another 8 days waiting for the replacement appointment.
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    rochcomrochcom Member Posts: 247
    While I was at the dealership, I heard the service writer explain to another owner that she had a failed coil and quoting $150 for parts and labor to replace. On most Subaru engines, the coil pack is right on top and can be replaced easily.
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    c_hunterc_hunter Member Posts: 4,487
    A bad speed sensor can cause exactly the symptoms you describe, so I would say that's the cause.

    Craig
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    hondafriekhondafriek Member Posts: 2,984
    In addition to the problems you are experiencing you may also notice problems with transmission shifts if your car is Auto Trans.

      Cheers Pat.
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    williamskmwilliamskm Member Posts: 20
    I don't usually assign my cars a gender but I couldn't resist. I picked up my Forester today and so far so good. It is running the best it has since I bought it. No hesitation on acceleration, no rough idle. I have to keep an eye on the oil for a few weeks just to make sure all is well.

    Thanks again Patti for all your help
    Kim
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    subaru_teamsubaru_team Member Posts: 1,676
    we are also prone to name them! I'm glad "she's" back, Kim. Have fun with your Subaru and try to get to enjoy it now that this is behind you. Now - you have to name her! No problem with helping on this. You should have a reliable car after you spend your hard earned money on one.

    Patti
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    samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    Have owned the XT for four months now... what a sweet engine and roomy car, but the design flaws are starting to get on my nerves. The seat belts are torture tight. The noise level at highway speeds is downright boomy and annoying. And today I discovered another "winner" - when turning on the front defogger, the A/C goes on by itself (not a big deal), but, in addition, all the vents blow nice warm air, except the DEFOGGER vents - ICE COLD air blows on the windshield!!!!! What kind of a genius desined this!!!!???? I'm going to have a lot of fun trying to keep the windshield warm and snow free in the winter....DUHHHHH!
    Subaru - what were your engineers thinking????
    No wonder the Forester sales are falling...

    Should've bought a Highlander...sigh...
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    zman3zman3 Member Posts: 857
    If you are unhappy with your vehicle I am sorry. I know how much that can suck.

    "What kind of a genius desined this!!!!???? "

    Probably the same kind of genius that spells designed "desined".
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    originalbitmanoriginalbitman Member Posts: 920
    I am at the point of naming my Legacy "Patti".

    bit
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    mikef11mikef11 Member Posts: 74
    Sounds like Ballistic and samiam need to trade XTs (No offense intended to either person) as it sounds like samiam's XT is doing exactly what Ballistic wants/needs.

    MikeF
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    williamskmwilliamskm Member Posts: 20
    I could name it "Sue". One day at work I mentioned I had to call Subaru and one of my co-workers said "Who is Sue Baru?"

    We do occassionally call my Forester Scooby doo so maybe that will be it's (her?) name.

    I used to drive a jeep wrangler and while I did not name it, there seemed to be a "secret" wrangler wave. As soon as I bought it I noticed other wrangler drivers waving to me. It was only wrangler drivers, not other jeep models. I read somewhere on the net that there is indeed that secret little wave among Wrangler drivers. I say we need a Subaru wave like that!
    Kim
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    ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    sounds like samiam's XT is doing exactly what Ballistic wants/needs.

    Well, not quite. When my car is surrounded by cold air, there should be no need to run the power-consuming A/C compressor (as Sam is doing when he selects the defroster setting) in order to get cool air out of the upper vents. Many of us have pleasantly experienced cars whose ventilation systems simply permit a blend of heated and unheated air to flow out of the upper vents - without having to run the A/C to chill it.

    Subaru is behind the curve on this one.
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    These issues are just more proof that a thorough test drive is key with such a large purchase. However, there are several ways to address your concerns.

    Seat belts - are you pulling them all the way out first? If so, they have locking retractors, i.e. they will only tighten, not loosen, unless you let them reel back in all the way. You might even hear the clicking at it locks. So try to get them on without pulling them all the way out.

    Noise? Well, that should have been evident in a test drive. Check the tires pressures, some cars are delivered with 44psi to prevent flat spotting. It should also not be any lower than 29psi or so. Quieter tires will work wonders. I went from an All Terrain tire to a Touring passenger car tires and that cut noise in half.

    Tires are cheap. Highlanders aren't. :-)

    HVAC - an easy solution is to put it on the defrost/floor setting, the A/C will not come on. The A/C's function in the full defrost mode is to dehumidify the air, reduce condensation fogging up the windshield. It works, that's what the engineers were thinking.

    Also, below a certain outside temp, the compressor does not come on. The system ain't as dumb as you think.

    If you prefer heat and they're not fogging up, use the defrost/floor setting.

    -juice
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    mikef11mikef11 Member Posts: 74
    I agree with you Ballistic.

    Not quite Juice. I can't speak for the Forester, but in the 03 Outback, defrost/floor selector does turn on the A/C. It is not always necessary to have the A/C on to keep the windshield clear. And, for people like my wife who tends to get sinus headaches from the A/C, it is a real pain (literally).

    I believe it does come on at low temperatures as the manual specifically says to turn it on at least monthly to lubricate the A/C seals.

    When you meet the Sube people in Detroit (Congrats to you and Bob BTW, glad to see you're hard work and dedication has some pay off. Well done to Subaru as well to listen to the customers), please represent the view of a number of people here to have the option of not having the A/C come on automatically, or at least be able to trun it off. Ditto for the disabled recirc in defrost or floor/defrost position. Thanks.

    MikeF
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    That's what someone in another thread mentioned, I think they own a Forester, so I took their word for it. Now it'd be worthwhile to verify - JB?

    I'll bring it up and see how they've designed the 2005 Legacy's HVAC.

    -juice
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    subearusubearu Member Posts: 3,613
    my '00 Outback in the floor/defrost selection does NOT turn on the compressor. It will turn on in the full defrost selection.

    None of this will stop me from getting an MT XT btw. :-)

    -Brian
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    mikef11mikef11 Member Posts: 74
    Brian,

      My '00 didn't either, the '03 Outbacks do. Ina nother thread I quoted a large section from the manual. It won't stop me buying an XT either, but my dealer will be disconnecting the micro switch before I drive it off the lot.

    Thanks Juice.

    MikeF
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    vetmatsvetmats Member Posts: 71
    I agree partially with MikeF. I have an '03 Outback. The A/C does come on when you select Defrost with either the "windshield only" or "windshield and foot".

    However, I disagree that you can't manually control the A/C and Recirc. I can manually turn the A/C and Recirc on or off, no matter what mode is selected.

    I agree with juice on this: the best way for your car to defrost its front windshield is to turn on the A/C and turn Recirc off. So, when you select "Defrost", the system automatically picks the best settings for defrosting.
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    mikef11mikef11 Member Posts: 74
    eh? (Canadian for WTF) :-) The manual clearly says that the recirc cannot be turned off, unless you have the auto climate control system. That is not available in the base model Outback.

    I'll disagree with you on how best to defrost the windshield. When it is cold, the A/C does not help. The air is already relatively dry, what is needed is heat, not cold air. Also, when the forst or ice is on the outside of the windshield, how does drying the air on the inside help?

    It does help in defogging the windshield, but is still not needed all the time.

    MikeF
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    vetmatsvetmats Member Posts: 71
    OK,
      I misunderstood your post then. I have the auto climate system. I have to admit that I wasn't thinking about the manual system. However, my base '00 Outback had the manual system, and had a separate on/off button each for the A/C and recirc. Was this changed in subsequent models? or for the Canadian market?

     Could an argument be made that if you have ice on the outside of the windshield, and you get condensation on the inside of the windshield in defrost mode as a result of having the A/C off, that the energy from the Heated air would be spent heating up the condensation on the inside of the windshield, rather than the windshield itself?
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    vetmatsvetmats Member Posts: 71
    OK,
      I misunderstood your post then. I have the auto climate system. I have to admit that I wasn't thinking about the manual system. However, my base '00 Outback had the manual system, and had a separate on/off button each for the A/C and recirc. Was this changed in subsequent models? or for the Canadian market?

     Could an argument be made that if you have ice on the outside of the windshield, and you get condensation on the inside of the windshield in defrost mode as a result of having the A/C off, that the energy from the Heated air would be spent heating up the condensation on the inside of the windshield, rather than the windshield itself?
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    once_for_allonce_for_all Member Posts: 1,640
    in general seems a weak spot for some Subaru models. My '03 Forester XS is quite variable in temp output, sometimes blowing HOT at the 70 degree setting and sometimes blowing COLD (middle and floor vent settings). I don't use the auto mode at all, it does not react responsively enough. The manual is better but is still worse than what I expect from a car of this caliber.

    John
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    samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    OK guys, I didn't use the spell check :) and my laptop keyboard is not the greatest for typing :(
    Here's a tidbit - the A/C can be turned off in defrost mode by pressing the A/C button. There is no Floor/Defrost setting on the '04 Forester XT. The driver's seatbelt is just too damn tight, too much tension, nothing I can do to adjust. Had it replaced, but to no avail. I had numerous Toyotas, Lexi, an Acura, a Chevy, a Ford, and a '96 Legacy - all had normal seatbelts - comfortable to wear. My Lexus has pyrotechnic pretensioners just like the Forester, but the seatbelt is ultra relaxed and comfortable, yet locks INSTANTLY on hard braking. The Forester seatbelt just likes to tighten up and lock for no reason whatsoever.
    So, in conclusion, I think the Forester is a good car, just needs the engineers to pay attention to details which can make the driving experience very frustrating sometimes.
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    samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    Sorry, the Forester DOES have a floor/defrost setting, but I have never seen it in operation in AUTO mode. I guess I'll just have to keep overriding the AUTO climate control...lol
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    cmunizcmuniz Member Posts: 604
    For others that may be reading all this, I have not had any problems with the seatbelts or the Auto climate controls. They work very well to my satisfaction. I like the fact that it cools/heats the car quickly. The defrost has worked fine any time it was needed. The dash vents next to the doors that blow air when in the heating mode can be shut off with a dial if they blow too much air. My wife turns hers off occasionally, but for me they have been ok. Just another point of view!
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    deadeye5deadeye5 Member Posts: 93
    "My Lexus has pyrotechnic pretensioners just like the Forester" Read your Post about the seat belts
    where you made the above comment,,,Please enlighten me -I have never read and/or heard that
    the Forrester had such a device installed. ?? ??

                                 deadeye
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    mikef11mikef11 Member Posts: 74
    The newer cars still have separate AC and Recirc buttons, but there is a micro-switch behind the vent selector that automatically turns on the AC with no capability to turn it off and also locks out the Recirc, with no capability to turn it on.

    "I doubt it" is the answer to your second question. With the heat on, moisture doesn't have time to condense so it is a bit hard to say. In extremely cold weather I have had frost on the inside of the side windows of an old car that had a much worse air distribution system, but that was at approx -40 and driving approx 70 mph. The heater just couldn't keep up with the heat loss. That car didn't have AC.

    Samiam, I believe you for your car as the XT has an auto climate control system. The base Outback does not so the auto AC is turned on by a hard (mechanical) switch; I would imagine yours is made by a soft (computer) switch.

    MikeF
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    subkidsubkid Member Posts: 94
    Now. it looks like those Americans will teach us Canadians what's the best way to defrost the wind shield. Show them MikeF. :):):)

    Seriously, I've been playing a little with it (trying to avoid disassembling of HVAC unit and playing with the micro switch). It's true that AC doesn't come on below the certain temperature, no matter defrost. That temperature isn't exactly 0, but rather -2 or -3. So yes, system isn't that dumb, but also, it isn't especially smart either.

    The biggest rival, CRV, comes with the similar setting by default, but can be programmed differently.

    K
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    ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Don't forget you have windshield wiper de-icers, front and rear. Not one competitor has that.

    -juice
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    samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    All 2004 Foresters, and I believe all 2004 Subarus, have seatbelt pretensioners powered by a small explosive charge. The charge goes off in case of a collision, coordinated with the airbags, and the force of the explosion reels the seatbelt in as tight as possible to hold the occupant in place.
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    deadeye5deadeye5 Member Posts: 93
    Thanks for the info on the belt pretensioners.
    I feel sure you suprised (pleasantly) a lot of owners.

                          Deadeye
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    ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    The driver's seatbelt is just too damn tight, too much tension, nothing I can do to adjust. Had it replaced, but to no avail.

    Sam, I wish I could exchange mine for yours. I want my lap belt very tight, to hold me in place during cornering maneuvers. The belt in my XT is useless for this.
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    ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    The dash vents next to the doors that blow air when in the heating mode can be shut off with a dial if they blow too much air.

    The outer vents on the face of the dash can indeed be shut off, but those aren't the ones that are problematic. The vents that cannot be shut off are the two triangular ones on the dashtop at the far left and right ends. These have no shufoff at all, cannot be re-aimed, and (along with the defroster slots at the base of the windshield) they pump out heated air whenever the mode is set to the "foot" position. There's nothing that can be done about it, and I call that very poor HVAC design.
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    samiam_68samiam_68 Member Posts: 775
    Ballistic - I will gladly exchange seatbelt assemblies with you - mine is VERY tight.
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    ballisticballistic Member Posts: 1,687
    I will gladly exchange seatbelt assemblies with you - mine is VERY tight.

    The contemporary automotive restraint design (with a sliding buckle blade on a long one-piece continuous belt) won't accomplish what I want. I want just the lap belt to be cinched tight, while the chest belt reels in and out as needed. No modern cars do it that way anymore. <sigh>
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    cmunizcmuniz Member Posts: 604
    Ballistic - In my opinion, the small window vents on the dash don't blow enough air to bother the driver/passenger but provide a valuable function of keeping the window clear in order to use the outside mirrors. Sorry it bothers you, but I call it clever, not "very poor" design. My opinion!!
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