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2008 Tribeca Quirks and mechanical issues

7 messages,  Last post on Jun 17, 2013 at 8:46 AM

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What is this discussion about? Subaru Tribeca, SUV

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#1 of 7 2008 Tribeca Quirks and mechanical issues by bmm34

Jan 22, 2010 (2:16 pm)

I have a 2008 Tribeca 5 pass Ltd with 36,000 miles and I'm starting to think I should dump the vehicle. I have the following issues that are driving me nuts:
1. clanking noise in the transmission when I put it in reverse on a slight incline. The dealership said to monitor the problem because we still have warranty left. Because I imported the vehicle I would have to pay the $6,000 to change the transmission and then get reimbursed from the US. This alone is reason enough to dump it.
2. Faint beeping noise when ever I reach just over 100Km an hour or 60 Miles an hour. It's a short faint beep but it drives me crazy. Does anyone else experience this? Subaru said they never heard of such a beep???
3. Break light goes on when I'm accelerating around a right turn to get on a highway. It goes off 5 seconds later.
4. The front dash rattles in the far right corner. I had the windshield replaced and I think they must have busted clip that holds the dash in place in that far corner. It's a really annoying.
5. Just the other day I was driving it for about an hour on the highway and then went into the city. I was going around a corner and I started to hear a whistle sound that varied in intensity. I shut off the radio and the heating system and it still persisted. I stopped and opened up the hood and couldn't hear anything. For some reason I could only hear the whistling in the cabin. I shut the vehicle off and the whistling continued for approx 5 minutes and then I need to leave for an appointment. It hasn't happened sense.
6. When I slowly accelerate up a hill going about 40-60 miles an hour the car chugs. After some research I thought it could be the torque converter that is mentioned on this site. I took it to the dealer and they said they could get it to replicate the issue. The recommended keeping an eye on it because its covered under warranty for awhile yet.
I've had the stabilizers replaced in the back to get rid of the lift gate rattle. I've had the bushings replaced in the front to get rid of the rattle when I go over average bumps you get in city driving. My 10 year old Honda Accord is tighter than the 2008 Tribeca.
 
I love the all wheel drive but all these quirks and mechanical issues are crazy. Likely I imported the car when the CDN $ was strong and only paid $33,000 CDN all in. There is NO WAY I would pay the $46,000 plus delivery and taxes ($52,000) CDN for the vehicle from a CDN dealership. This brand is grossly over priced in canada.

#2 of 7 08 Tribeca Grill by stevepvca

Mar 17, 2010 (9:19 pm)

Anyone know where to purchase an after market gill for an 08 Tribeca?

#3 of 7 Air conditioner electrical problem by cskip

Jun 08, 2010 (5:00 pm)

My Tribeca has started changing the temperature and fan speed settings on its own. I start out with air conditioning and the dual temperature controls set to 65 and the fan on any setting. The car changes to heat - runs both the driver and passenger temperatures up to 85, and the fan speeds up and down on its own,. Eventually the controls do not work at all. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

#4 of 7 Same but different by gregphill

Jun 12, 2011 (11:54 am)

I can only make the temp go down and the fan speed go up no matter what direction I turn the knob....did you ever figure out what it was? I have had a few problems under dash since I bought it, on my 3rd stereo, the lights on the temp and mode went out??? Those came back on their own but I am now out of warranty, hope they will look at it like the same issue???

#5 of 7 check engine,traction control, flashing cruise by cougarsfc10

Jan 24, 2013 (4:45 pm)

I have a 2008 Subaru Tribeca.. One day I turned on the vehicle and the Check Engine light, Traction Control (off) light came on and the Cruise Control light began flashing!!!
 
I don't have any problems driving the car but I decided I needed to have it checked out!
 
I put one of theose OBD thingies on it and it came back with an error code E9???
 
E9: Transmission
00: Code
 
Does anyone know what this means?? I can't find this code anywhere!!!!

#6 of 7 Re: 2008 Tribeca Quirks and mechanical issues [bmm34] by gunny8

Jun 11, 2013 (5:58 pm)

Replying to: bmm34 (Jan 22, 2010 2:16 pm)
We also have a 2008 Tribeca with similar issues i.e. 1) Had to replace the torque converter 2) Puddle Lamps have wiring issues 3) Air conditioner works when it wants to (the dealer had it for several days and said they couldn't find a problem) 4) The heated drivers seat came on the other day and I couldn't shut it off. I stopped and turned off the engine and re-started it and the issue was gone??? 5) The pulleys and belt broke and it took them a week to get the parts!!! 6) We have replaced both head light bulbs (one twice) and both rear tail light bulbs
  I believe this is our 5th Subaru and it's been one problem after the other? The Foresters we had and the old Legacy never had these kind of issues? Unfortunately this will be our last Subaru.

#7 of 7 Re: 2008 Tribeca Quirks and mechanical issues [gunny8] by seven_ups

Jun 17, 2013 (8:46 am)

Replying to: gunny8 (Jun 11, 2013 5:58 pm)
Subject: 2008 Subaru Tribeca Limited
 
Upon reaching the approximate 65,000-mile mark, the following failures occurred, seemingly in unison:
 
- Driver-side air conditioning failed ( the unit was blowing ambient temperature air, with no cooling ); followed within two months, by the passenger side.
 
- Bushing failure, resulting in front-end rattle.
 
- Heat shield deterioration: heat shields failed simultaneously, rattling at the resonant frequency corresponding to ~ 2000 RPM.
 
- Strong vibration transmitted through steering wheel when braking; inspection revealed no problems with brake pads, rotors not out of round.
 
- Rattle upon closing driver-side door; a condition which has been discussed in this forum in the past.
 
This vehicle was driven modestly - never aggressively - throughout its entire service in our possession: high-octane fuel ( 93 ), Mobil-1 synthetic oil, regular vehicle maintenance at dealer, and so forth.
 
This vehicle was traded for another new, non-Subaru product. It is to be noted that the Tribeca has apparently been discontinued ( 2013 reported to be the final production year ) by Subaru - if true, not a model year too soon.

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