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Subaru Legacy/Outback 2005+

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  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    My Sienna has a bizarre sequence you have to follow precisely, step by step.

    I did it because the front seat folds flat, and when you have cargo on it, the chime would go off! It thinks a person's weight is there.

    Hopefully Subaru has something similar.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,788
    It is a bizarre sequence. I don't recall it precisely, but I seem to recall it involving turning the ignition on and off a few times as well as latching/unlatching the seatbelt in sequence about 20 times within 30 seconds. ?
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Yeah, something like that. It's the type of thing you'd want to have written down and maybe even practice once.
  • bpeeblesbpeebles Member Posts: 4,085
    My Subaru chime drove me NUTS because I had to take off my seatbelt for work.

    I was able to 'silence' the seat-belt warning chime. As I recall it was pretty simple like "repeatedly plug-unplug the the seatbelt into the latch 20 times in succession within 30 seconds"

    As I recall I did it with the engine idling. AND IT WORKED!!!

    No more chime when I remove my seatbelt.

    Here is a Youtube link showing the procedure.
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    Nice find.

    Gotta love the Subaru Crew! :shades:
  • lotus37lotus37 Member Posts: 1
    This is a post about the issues I've had with car since new. I've owned four new Subaru's since 1996. In posting this I hope it helps others. I purchased Subaru extended warranty for this car w/ $ 100 deductible. I have reported to two things to nhtsa.gov, the wheel bearing and tpms issue. Also, this website has others who have had the same wheel bearing replaced. 2005-06, wheel bearing failure. I contacted Subaru and told them that this is a safety issue, which can damage other components. I suggested they find another company to supply them with the bearings or study why they are failing prematurely. Subaru rep took my statement & that was it. Car has been serviced only by Subaru dealer for everything including tire changes. I have 2 yrs left on the extended warranty & shudder to think what it will cost me to repair it after that. This car started falling apart way too early. I take good care of my vehicle & don't neglect it. I know other car mfg have issues & no car is perfect but I'm frustrated & disgusted w/ car. :sick:

    Thank you

    1) @ 13,000 (1yr old) driver side left front wheel bearing failure. It took 15 months and several trips to dealer because the noise was intermittent they couldn't fix it until it was heard. Diagnosed @ 26,000 m. I told them from the beginning it was the wheel bearing and they did all types of tests and said it was fine. Replaced under warranty.

    2. Didn't take test drive @ night. Since new, headlights have sharp cutoff & don't illuminate too far ahead. Asked dealer if headlights could be adjusted, no. There are complaints on nhtsa.gov for this issue.

    3. Noticed driver seat creaks when making turns. Dealer says nothings wrong. Trim pieces in back window pillars popping out. Dealer replaced both sides. New ones are doing the same.

    4. Brakes spongy & go to floor. Subaru is not known for their great brakes. Dealer said, all is normal. I've had the lines bled, new fluid & front & rear disc, pads replaced there hasn't been improvement. All at my expense.

    5. 5/10 New windshield replaced. Driving down street (25 mph) small rock hit windshield, cracked length of vehicle. I know it may be design of slanted windshield.

    6. Driving on highway & residential street, noticed rock chips on hood of car within 1st year.

    7.@ 2 yr (24,000) both trunk hinges are creaking loudly. Tech confirms failed trunk hinges. Replaced under warranty. I've had several rust buckets and never had a creaking hinge.

    8. Car from new stutters like it's going to stall and dealer says can't find any codes, nothing wrong. My 06 Outback did the same thing.

    9. Misaligned glove box (left side sags) from new. Dealer said no fix for this.

    10. Large gap on left side between trunk & body. Tech found trunk latch out of adjustment.

    11. @ 3 1/2 yrs (38,000) tires losing air. Dealer inspected couldn't find anything. Charged me to diagnose. I have two sets of tires, so I monitored the condition w/ the other set. It has been a somewhat slow but noticeable leak, added air.

    12. 4 yrs (41,000) In to mount tires. Dealer called, transmission lines leaking. I told them I didn't see fluid on ground. Dealer said that it's rubber & something may have cut, or it wore out. I was suspicious but told them to replace. covered by warranty.

    13 . 7/12 (43,200) In for oil change. Tech finds drivers side front outer axle boot was cracked & all grease leaked out. Dealer asked if I heard noise while driving. I'm very aware to sounds & will not neglect my vehicle. Even though all grease leaked out but I didn't hear sounds they only replaced the boot & not shaft/cv joint. I think the shaft/cv joint should have been replaced since boot leaked grease, possibly getting dirty & failing early. In time, the cv joint might fail prematurely. I explained to dealer & was assured it was okay. Dealer said, boots are rubber & fail over time. My 7 yr old Impreza never needed a boot & that car survived harsh VT winters, long commute to work & no garage. Maybe Subaru is making them thinner.

    14.. 9/12 (43,000) I spray soap/water mix find bubbles @ base of metal tire valve. Call Subaru warranty to find out if TPMS failure is covered. They confirm it is. Taking car in Nov. to put on snows, will wait till then.

    15. 11/12 (45,000) Tell dealer I found air leak @ valve stem. They tell me that it could be corrosion & wouldn't be covered under warranty. Tech confirmed 3 were leaking & I said it's premature for them to leak. The TPMS is 1 unit & it doesn't come in separate pieces. Dealer said there is "no code for leaking valve stem." They replace 3 sensors & tell me" we"ll tell Subaru it wasn't corrosion & make it covered under warranty somehow." I will inform Subaru of failure. At this point, I don't think it's worth my time.
  • ponytrekkerponytrekker Member Posts: 310
    Honestly, 1, 4, 5, 6, 11, 14, 15, sound like wear and tear or as designed to me.
    Call us when your cat, head gasket or transmission go.
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,788
    A few of the things are just what they are.

    Paint chips - that's just par for the course. Paint nowadays is not as durable as it once was, and experience will differ based on road and traffic conditions from one day to the next.

    Headlights? Yours might need some realignment, but the "sharp cutoff" is an artifact of projector-style headlights. Your visibility wouldn't necessarily be better with non-projector headlights, but you wouldn't notice the transition as much.

    Windshield - I feel your pain. For what it's worth, though, the '08 glass was more durable than later offerings! It's tough to get good glass now, and even the best stuff can crack with the right chip.

    Interior squeaks, rattles. Yep, that's what makes a Subaru, a Subaru. ;)

    The other stuff:

    Wheel bearings - documentation is pretty stout with premature failures here. Frustrating that it took them 13K miles to fix it, but at least you documented it early. That could make a difference as you near the ext. warranty end (too bad you didn't go with zero deductible!).

    Boot failure - happens. Like with paint and glass, you can't really compare one situation to the next, as there may have been debris that contacted the part or some other condition not present in a past example that hastened this one's demise. That said, I would have insisted on axle replacement under warranty for exactly the reasons you specified. Had it been out of warranty, I wouldn't be opposed to a fly-by-night boot replacement to extend the life of the axle a little before having to replace the whole thing. The axle joints don't generally fail by themselves - the boot fails first, followed by joint failure under accelerated wear conditions.

    Brakes - can't help you there. I've also had four Subaru vehicles, and the brakes have worked great on all of them. If yours really does travel "all the way to the floor," then, as you and I both know, they're not working correctly.

    TMPS failure. I'd count myself fortunate! Put regular stems in there and never look back! :D Seriously, though, with that sort of nanny stuff, I'd expect it to last as long as there's warranty on the car. So, if corrosion was the excuse, then that's pretty flimsy.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • sandikbjsandikbj Member Posts: 1
    Do you think these problems are going to continue i had a subaru iimpreza air condition was gone after two years didn't replace I had oil leaks cost a plenty i takee excellent car of my cars I had a reciept for everything done all those years finaaly it needed a repair that costs 500.00 I was done so I bough a mazda 3 cute care but I really miss my subaru and hope to buy one by next year. I sold that car for 1000.00 would not come done tolpeole
    i'll just kep it they fixed it it's so cute I really miss it
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    $500 is not an expensive repair nowadays.

    My buddy needed brakes and tires at 21k miles on his Range Rover Sport and it was over $2k!
  • rob_mrob_m Member Posts: 820
    FWIW - I have a 2005 Legacy GT LTD that has now crossed 130k. Honestly, one of the better Subies I have owned this one being number 5 out of 6.

    Some of the things are know issues - ie: wheelbearings, and some of the things are wear and tear.

    Paint? Yeah - the front of mine is chipped and looks like it has been sandblasted with rocks. I do live in New England and commute in some of the worst weather.

    Windshield - replaced when hit by a rock from a newly paved highway. Chipped it a week later on the same spot. FWIW - every Subaru I have owned has had a windshield replaced at least once.

    Brakes and Tires - two sets, not bad for the mileage. And depending where you live, the aluminum rims are suspect to leakage. I have had all four tires popped off and re-sealed, along with the stems because the road salt got into the beads.

    Other repairs - various sensors, intake manifold gasket and wiper motor totaling about $1200.00 out of pocket after the 100k warrantee was over.

    Yes, my seat creaks and my dashboard squeaks, but given total cost of ownership over the years - and the enjoyment this car gives me, the car is worth every cent!
  • winter2winter2 Member Posts: 1,801
    As to the CV joint boots a spray of silicone several times a year does the job. We just got rid of my wife's 1998 Chrysler Concorde and the boots never broke or tore.

    We have a 2010 Mercury Milan and it gets the same treatment. Also have a 2013 Outback 2.5i Premium. Very good brakes with a firm pedal and little travel. CVT whines under acceleration but I was told that this behavior is normal. Fairly good on gas but I was not expecting Prius like fuel economy either.

    Body panels fit together nicely and the gaps are within 1mm of each other.
  • ohassenohassen Member Posts: 2
    edited February 2013
    I have a 2006 Legacy 2.5i Sedan. Bought less than a year ago (Apr 2012 @ 85,000mi). I heard nothing but good about Subaru's but shame on me for not doing more research. I basically have/had issues 2, 8, 9, 11 + persistent alignment issues. And I hate that I have to replace all 4 tires when I lose one. Already had to do that once after a flat tire.

    I've driven a 98 Accord for the past 5 years b4 it (245K mi & still running :). Passed it down to lil bro. I'm used to the low maint Hondas and Toyotas. Pretty pissed off at this Legacy and can't wait to get rid of it. The problem is that I'm reading that Hondas and Toyotas have been making crap lately :(
  • ateixeiraateixeira Member Posts: 72,587
    I have a Sienna and my wife drives a Forester, no significant difference in maintenance costs for us. She actually gets free oil changes from the dealer so the Toyota is more work. The oil filter is the cartridge type and it is much more work vs the spin off kind Subaru uses.

    Heck, the new Fb25 engines Subaru has puts the filter at the top of the engine so it would be no comparison. Also 7500 miles vs 5000 interval for the Sienna.
  • idearequestidearequest Member Posts: 11
    Hi, My tires are not more than a couple of years old. Today, the low tire pressure light flashed a few times. After car had cooled down a couple of hours (hot day here), the tires all read 34. I've read that it could be a sensor or that it could be a battery in the tire pressure gauge system. Any thoughts? Thanks so much!!
  • saedavesaedave Member Posts: 694
    There may not be anything wrong. Radio transmitters or other interference used to activate my sensors(s) at particular locations on some local roads. When and where does it happen?
  • idearequestidearequest Member Posts: 11
    Thanks very much for responding. So far, it just happened yesterday. It was a very warm day and I'd been doing a couple of stop and go errands. It didn't happen today, so I'll keep an eye on it for now. Thanks again!
  • xwesxxwesx Member Posts: 16,788
    They do have batteries, so that's a possibility. My car's (!) light came on while I was on my recent trip, and I suspect it was due to the hot road temperatures! The combination of high ambient temps (>90F), 70 mph speeds, and scorching sun on blacktop boosted the tire pressure over the upper limit for the sensors... perhaps?

    The first time it occurred, I had just pulled off the blacktop and onto a small, washed out dirt path for a little off-roading adventure to an abandoned bridge near the highway, so I thought maybe I had picked up something in a tire (and was none too happy with myself), but after stopping and inspecting, the tires were all fine (rears were still at 45 PSI, right where I set them).

    I started out again, and, after ten minutes on the highway at 70, the light re-illuminated. After that, it recurred the same way any time we were on the open highway in 90+ heat.
    2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100, 1976 Ford F250
  • idearequestidearequest Member Posts: 11
    Thanks for your response. It hasn't happened again to me yet, but when I have my next oil change, they'll check. Interesting that you see a clear pattern with yours.
    Regards...
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