Subaru Crew Problems & Solutions

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19283 messages, Last post on May 01, 2013 at 9:15 AM

You are in the Subaru Crew Forum.

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What is this discussion about? Subaru Impreza, Subaru Outback, Subaru Forester, Subaru Legacy, Coupe, Sedan, Wagon, SUV

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Your Community Leaders are ateixeira and rsholland.

#87 of 19283 Wheel Bearings / same as #7 by rsayre2

Jul 10, 2002 (5:49 pm)

What's going on with Forester wheel bearings? The right rear ones in my 2000 Forester S had to be replaced

60K. Now, 10K miles later, the car's starting to make that noise again... A friend, who has a 2001 Forester S with less than 30K has had hers replaced *twice* already. A local mechanic (not Subaru) told me this happens a lot with Foresters and Imprezas. Is there any recourse??? Thanks!

#88 of 19283 by ateixeira

Jul 10, 2002 (7:29 pm)

Yes. I think there is a newer design, and they fit on the rear axle, but not the front. Ask for those.

Also, the key was the installation procedure, not the part itself. It has to be torqued to specs, no more no less. The new design is just more fault tolerant, but the mistake is made during the installation, not in manufacturing the part.

-juice

#89 of 19283 Wheel bearings by stv99

Jul 12, 2002 (8:18 am)

So what are the indications of a faulty wheel bearing? I think I might have the same problem.
I have a 2001 Forester S+ with about 25K miles and hear a squealing noise from underneath the car. It occurs when i go foward or reverse from a standstill, with no braking of course. Ususally audible at about 5-10 mph.
thanks!

#90 of 19283 by ateixeira

Jul 13, 2002 (12:09 pm)

Our Mazda 626 had the front left one fail. I heard a speed-dependent chunk-chunk-chunk driving down the road. It got louder and louder with time, so we were able to fix it.

It had 70k miles or so, but cost a rather painful $820 IIRC. The car was falling apart so we dumped it.

-juice

#91 of 19283 Wheel bearings by dane7

Jul 13, 2002 (6:12 pm)

Bad wheel bearings will start out making a minimal noise and very slowly get louder. You should get plenty of warning. I had the wheel bearings replaced in my 94 maxima last year for about $50 per wheel.

#92 of 19283 by Mr_Shiftright HOST

Jul 14, 2002 (8:09 am)

wheel bearing noise can be hard to diagnose. Generally not a squeal, no. Much more subtle. More like a "ballsy-rumble" sound, a grinding noise that gets faster as the car goes faster, kinda like a washing machine pulse but far away in the next room in the closet.

#93 of 19283 Has anyone else had these problems? by woodsedge

Jul 14, 2002 (1:04 pm)

Hi, I bought a 2002 Subaru Forester L about 8 months ago. I can't begin to tell you how much I regret that purchase. It's a shame because I had a 1986 Subaru GL which I just loved and all the research I did suggested that I would have a similar experience with a Subaru GL. Quite the opposite. Outlined below are the problems my car is having:

1. Gas tank: it doesn't fill completely. At first it filled to 3/4 tank. I took it to the dealer, who told me that the gas tank is in the shape of a horseshoe and goes around the transmission. In the middle of the horseshoe is a small valve, which apparently got clogged in my car. They had to take off the wheels and transmission to get to the gas tank, by the way. Anyway, the situation only got worse. Now I can only fill the tank to 1/2 tank. I took it back to the service guy who says it's a "trait of the car" and he won't try to fix it anymore.

Air conditioning: It "cools" to 85 degrees. Service guy says that "everything works fine".

Paint: the paint is chipping off on my 8 month old car. Dealer says that it's "normal" wear and not covered under warranty.

Does anyone else have these problems?

Can anyone give me any advice?

I've contacted Subaru of America twice now. The first time I called and spoke to someone who was incredibly rude to me. She took down all the information and said someone would call me back, but they never did.

The second time, I wrote them a letter. A different amazingly rude woman called me and told me that the Regional Service Manager would have to look at the car. I took it to him at the appointed hour. I was really excited, hoping that I'd get my problems resolved. I took him for a test drive, welcoming him into my Subaru world. Naturally, that was the ONLY time (honestly!) that the gas tank filled completely. Murphy's law, I guess.

Interestingly, the air conditioning problem seemed to resolve itself for the moment. I have no doubts that it'll return.

Any advice or help is welcome. Patti, I really hope to hear from you. Can you help?

Cheers,
Elizabeth

#94 of 19283 Edmunds just rated Subaru by rayfbaird

Jul 14, 2002 (4:52 pm)

as the best used midsize value. See the home page for details.

#95 of 19283 Woodsedge by goldencouple1

Jul 15, 2002 (4:58 pm)

I'm afraid I have no advice. But I can assure you that our 2002 Forester is just great. We've had it about 9 months. No fuel related problems; great fuel efficiency; no problems at all. The air conditioner is fantastic, icy cold, and we are in southern New Mexico where the summer temps rise to over 100 on a regular basis.

We have had regular contact with Subaru of America -- as I say, no problems, just for various non-problem reasons before and after our purchase -- and everyone at Subaru of America has always gone out of their way to be polite and helpful.

I suppose there can be problem vehicles with every manufacturer, and it sounds like you've had the bad luck to get one. It sounds absolutely unbelievable that a dealer would try to tell you the things you've said were wrong with your car are normal! If you pursue getting these problems fixed, I'm confident that Subaru will straighten it out for you. From all I've seen on these boards Subaru does an excellent job at standing behind what they make and sell. Patti is a wonder and a blessing (as my mother would say). I know that in my family Subaru is what we drive: me, my brother, and my sister (Sis has two). Statistically (consulting Consumer Reports, for example) Subaru vehicles are very reliable and are recommended as used vehicles -- Subaru makes great cars, and the Foresters have proven to be very good cars, looking at the model as a whole.

Good luck! I'm sure it will all work out.

#96 of 19283 annoyances by ejhara

Jul 15, 2002 (6:15 pm)

2001 Outback Wagon, 20K, 2.5 4 cylinder, auto--good car, very fast, 27 mpg.,valuable to have on icy days, etc. But . . . several small problems, and before I take it to dealer I'd like some advice. One: It pings on most gas, most of the time, esp. in summer. We're talking mid-grade here. Two: Engine hesitates upon first starting up in drive, almost stalls. Three: brakes continue to grind and squalk, esp. when car is cold. All of these problems cause me to "lose face" in the neighborhood. It doesn't sound like an almost-new car. It has had regular maintenance, is driven easily, and has displayed these characteristics since new. Again, thanks for any help.

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