Subaru B9 Tribeca (B9X)

schow1 · January 2009

I have a 2007 limited 5 pass. Tribeca, mileage 46600, few days ago, the spring broke ( left rear tire area), not sure if the absorber broke too. I did not get into an accident. I am wondering why it would break so easily. My 1999 Nissan Quest van currenty with 170,000 mileage on it, and I never have springs problem with it. My van and Suv "live" in the same property and of course they use the same bumping mountain road. Subaru is make for off road driving, isn't it? Can anybody tell me in what situation, the spring will break. Thanks!

I am still waiting for Subaru to see if they will pay to fix the problem.

jerrys2 · January 2009

Hi Mike, glad to see your Tribecca is running fine./ I bought mine at the same time but only have 40k. I have been exceptionly pleased with the car. Headlights no problem for me, always use premium, additional cost offset by performance and mileage, which overall is about 20 MPG. Also use Mobil 1.Been away from the board for a while, what did you purchase for replacement tires? Mine still are good but will probably change in the spring.Does anyone recall the procedure to turn off the seat belt nanny? Mine re appearedafter 31/2 years. Jerry

morey000 · February 2009

To shut off the seat belt chime:
Turn ignition to ON, lock an unlock seatbelt 20 times within 30 seconds, turn ignition to OFF.

It will reset any time you disconnect the battery.

ateixeira · February 2009

That's bizarre, do you recall hitting any large potholes?

Even so, you'd think the rim would bend before a spring broke.

There was a recall on Legacy springs a while ago, they could rust or something like that. See what your dealer says, or call 800-SUBARU3 to report that.

I would expect them to replace it. If the tire and/or rim did not fail, it was likely a bad spring to begin with.

schow1 · February 2009

We do have quite a few potholes, but I always try to avoid or drive slow going thru those holes. I have quite a few neighbors all have subaru, but not Tribeca. Non have problem like mine.

Just like what you said, the dealer told me if I hit a pothole, something should bend, but everything looks fine. I had to wait for 4 days before the factory agreed to
paid for it. They changed the strut (broke too)and spring. I hope it won't happen to the other three. I am very worry. I don't want to listen to the dealer saying that I don't have warranty because my mileage is over 46K.

Thanks for the #, I called and reported my concern to them.

ateixeira · February 2009

I think it's a fluke, we haven't seen other cases like that.

I doubt it would happen a 2nd time.

mikejl · March 2009

Update - Now at 102K miles and climbing - shooting for 150K. Still love the car. No maintenance issues to speak of except the front sway bushings that go out every 20-30K miles.

I've replaced the tires twice so far. The first time was with Yokohama Geolander G052, the second with MasterCraft (Cooper) Courser HTR Plus. I liked the Yokohamas better than the MasterCraft tires, but I think I'll get Bridgestone Dueler Alenza tires next. I have Duelers on my F150 and and I like them a lot.

iamknott · April 2009

The specs on the Subaru website say that the Tribeca is 88.8 inches wide. Can that be true? If so, it is about 10 inches wider than my 2005 Pilot and is going to make my garage too crowded. I took a measuring tape to the dealer's lot and tried to check it. Even allowing for the rear fender flare, it only measured 37 inches to the middle of the rear emblem, or about 74 inches total width. Where are they getting another 14 - 15 inches?

bdyment · April 2009

It is either a misprint or they are measuring mirror tip to mirror tip as some pickup trucks do.

flgirlaol · April 2009

SOMETHING IS WRONG WITH THESE BRAKES! There is something wrong with this Tribeca. In 2 years our brakes have failed us and our car has been in 2 bad wrecks. Thankfully everyone is safe. Just yesterday. I had to punch the brakes for an emergency stop......sunny day. Dry pavement. I skidded and hit a car. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED WHERE THE BRAKES HAVE LOCKED UP. I thought these cars had ABS/anti lock brakes???? The truck in front of my was dented. DENTED!!!!! My tribeca? FOLDED LIKE AN ACCORDIAN. AGAIN! The car literally would not stop. What is wrong with these brakes? I have to write to the CEO of the company and Consumers Reports. This is unreal. I bought this car for safety and yes, I should be safe because I was going at a low speed but the brakes locked up and this should not happen.

I'm very upset right now. :mad:

ateixeira · April 2009

Are your tires in good shape? The anti-lock feature should prevent skidding, but if the tires are lousy that's the only surface touching the road.

If a crumple zone hits something rigid and connected to a frame (like a tow hitch) it will accordian, in fact it is designed to do that.

x5killer · May 2009

my 2006 B9 came with the vesion 1.0 NAV dvd and later got the 3.0 version for a hefty price ($250 or something ridiculous like that, I'd have to look it up)

Well I recently traded the car in to save tax on the new vehicle (though of course got a low ball trade in price) so I really didn't want to give them the NAV 3.0 update dvd if i didn't have to since i still had the 1.0

well i didn't think of this till after the fact and stupidly mentioned it as if they would give me more for the tradein which they didn't so i realized i should ahve just taken it out.

once i mentioned it they warned that on some vehicles if you put the old nav dvd in after its already been updated with a newer one it can break the whole system and that I would be responsible for the cost of the repair of the nav unit if it did that.

I call BS and they are just trying to get me to lave the 3.0 version nav update so i wanted to check for sure with Tribeca owners to see if we can find out if in fact downgrading to a previous version of the NAV would have any adverse effect on the nav system.

if not, i see no reason to give them the update which I can gladly sell to another Tribeca owner for half the normal price of the NAV 3.0 update dvd and case with both east and west coast discs (then the person could sell whichever cost they dont need if they want)

morey000 · May 2009

Almost certainly BS. Take your disks back.

I haven't tried it, but I expect you'd have no problem selling your Nav 3.0 on ebay. Let us know when it might be available for bidding :shades:

ilushka03 · September 2009

Hi there, just came across your post regarding tires. Did you put Dueler HL Alenzas on your Tribeca? I am currently looking to replace my OEM tires, I have 50,000 miles on my GYs. (So far my top choices are H/L Alenzas, GY Triple Tread)
Thanks,

xwesx · September 2009

The Tripletred is a fantastic tire for all-season driving. I have no experience with the others.

schow1 · September 2009

I have the H/L Alenzas, much better than the Good Year( not the Triple Tread tire) that came with the 2007 model Tribeca. Those tires only lasted a year for me (live up in the mountain). Before changing the tires, I was debating about the Triple Tread and the Alenzas. I consulted two tire places. Both suggested Brigdestone. So far I am pretty happy with these tires. I have them for 1 year and 9 months now!

adkcar · October 2009

The right and left rear lights on My 2006 Subaru Tribeca are both out, my license plate light as well. My brake lights work, as do my rear directionals.

Are the three lights that are out run by a fuse, or is it a coincidence that all three went out at the same time? Thanks.

samiam_68 · October 2009

Most likely a fuse.

ateixeira · October 2009

Yeah, lights to tend to blow out at approximately the same time, but it would be a few days apart, not all at the same time.

ilushka03 · October 2009

Hi Mike,

I am looking to replace my tires soon and it looks like you had some experience with Geolanders. I did some research and my top 3 picks are the Bridgestone Dueler H/L Alenzas, Goodyer Fortera Triple Treads, and Yokohoma Geolanders. Did you notice any change in MPG with Geolanders and how long did they lasted? How does Duelers perform in winter (rain/snow) ? I have 50k mi on my Tribeca and my OEM LS-2's are still at about 4/32... However, I am thinking to replace them this year.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Eli.

mikejl · November 2009

I decided to put General Grabber HTS tires on the Tribeca this last time. I really like them a lot. The improvement in the ride was truly remarkable. I have since put them on my F150, as well. Great tires.

xwesx · November 2009

How well do they wear?

mikejl · December 2009

Tires never last long for me. The Grabber HTS is as good as any I've had so far.

xwesx · December 2009

I just looked them up, and they have a treadwear rating of 640, which is pretty good. I would think they should last 50,000 miles or more under normal use.

ateixeira · December 2009

That's almost too good. I wonder if the tread would be sticky enough, they have to compromise something to get such long life.

I've owned tires rated 140 (gumballs) up to 460 (hard), but 640 is nuts!

xwesx · December 2009

That can be an issue, but the best all-season I have ever experienced, the Goodyear Assurance Tripletred, also has the highest wear rating: 740! They have an unbelievable 80,000 mile treadwear warranty (and an initial tread depth of 11/32), yet were fantastic on snow and ice, even at ridiculously cold temperatures (as cold as -50). So, treadwear rating is not everything.

For reference/comparison to the 740 rating on the above-mentioned tire, I drove a set of Goodyear Allegras, which I think are great in terms of cost vs. performance (for everyday, year-round driving), 76,000 miles. They have a rating of 680.

ateixeira · December 2009

Wow, I didn't realize the ratings went that high.

My Miata has 140 rated tires. I've been taking it easy, I suppose, but I bet they give me 2 years, tops.

xwesx · December 2009

Well, apparently the rating system is not absolute. In other words, "740" does not equal "80,000 miles," etc. It is supposed to be a methodology to allow the consumer to gauge the relative tread life of a tire. In other words, one can expect a 320-rated tire to last longer than 140. 560 should last longer than 440, etc. Many tires, like studless ice/snow tires and ultra-high performance tires, do not even list such ratings because their life is so dependent upon road conditions. A set of Blizzaks might last 30-40K miles on icy roads, but only 15-20K on dry (or mostly dry) roads... even less if the ambient/road temperatures are very warm.

The 740 on the TripleTred is the highest I've seen. One of the other posters on Carspace, ruking1, claims over 100,000 miles on tires he has owned, but I do not know how highly the tires were rated for treadwear. He has a specific method for "breaking in" the tires and takes it pretty easy on them when driving.

I think one major factor for tread longevity is the time over which those miles are accumulated. If you run a set of TripleTreds at 4-5,000 miles a year, you will likely have to replace the tire long before you hit 80,000 miles. There might be tread on it, but the rubber compound is likely going to be so aged that performance is severely diminished, as well as sidewall integrity.

I have a set of tires on my '69 Chevy that were installed in July 1997. I have about 40,000 miles on them, and they have tread left, but they really need to be replaced.

ateixeira · December 2009

True, it's also a rating by the manufacturer, FWIW.

But the treadwear warranty says they stand behind it.

robr2 · December 2009

True, it's also a rating by the manufacturer, FWIW.

That's right - you can only compare treadwear ratings within the manufacturer. A 440 rated Michelin is not equal to a 440 rated Goodyear.

xwesx · December 2009

Oh. That's good to know. Thanks for pointing that out, Rob!

xanderv · November 2012

You installation was not done properly. Please refer to the factory installation sheet.

Zenurez · August 2018

rsholland said:

Yes, this 2-stage middle-row seat is a bit tricky. I had to be shown as to how it works. What you do is: • Grab the lever under the seat, and slide it back to position # 1, where it will lock in place. • Then, again grab that same under the seat lever, and with the other hand grab another release lever on the outside edge of the seat. That outside lever will release it from the first stop. Bob

So, I know this thread is dead, but as a new onwer of a used '08 Tribeca I almost cried when my Recaro infant carrier and base didn't fit in the second row. I noticed the track extending behind the seat and googled if maybe it went further back. I had noticed the orange handle but thought it removed the seat. I had a digital owners manual and not a hard copy so I hadn't looked up what the orange handle does. I'm so happy to learn how to move the second row back so I can fit two rear facing car seats. I got 230K on my '98 Forester before upgrading to my third row Tribeca and I can't wait to put a couple more hundred thousand on this one

:) Thanks Bob!

Subaru B9 Tribeca (B9X)

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