Consumer Complaint Detail

SUBARU / OUTBACK / 2001

Recalls
0 Injured
Investigations
0 Death
Complaints
No Fire
Components - Details
NHTSA Complaint Number: 005009618 Incident Date: Mar, 07 2005
Consumer's City: WEBSTER Consumer's State: NH
Vehicle Transmission Type: AUTO Manufacturers Name: Subaru of America, Inc.
Model Name: OUTBACK Model Year: 2001
Vehicle Involved in a Crash: No Component's Description: Service brakes, hydraulic:foundation components:disc:rotor
Vehicle Involved in a Fire: No Persons Injured: 0
Vehicle's VIN#: 4S3BH806117 Date added to File: May, 23 2021
Date Complaint Received: Mar, 07 2005 Complaint Type: IVOQ
Incident Reported To Police: No Purchase Date: Feb, 14 2000
Was Original Owner: Yes Anti-lock Brakes: Yes
Number of Cylinders: 6 Date of Manufacturer: -
Was Vehicle Towed: - Description of the Complaints: I own a 2001 subaru outback. i bought it new and over the last 4 years it has required 3 complete brake jobs (rotors and pads), so currently the car has it's 4th set of brakes. i have never owned any car that has required that many brakes jobs in such a short period of time. i have had all my repairs done at subaru dealerships and have been told by the service technicians that the design and materials of the brakes cause the rotors to warp and wear out prematurely, requiring both the pads and rotors needing to be replaced each time, which is expensive. as the wear progresses, the steering wheel wobbles and the wobble gets worse very quickly over time. the first 2 brake jobs were covered under warranty. i had to pay for the last one. i have since learned that there are many other subaru owners like me experiencing the same premature brake wear. for just one example of other testimonials, visit the website ww.autobytel.com/content/research/forums/index.cfm/action/posts/fid/1959 and you can see that i am not alone in my complaint. i believe the brake design is a factory defect. i think subaru should redesign them and in the mean time be made to cover the cost of these repeated repairs. i have been in contact with subaru of america about this problem but their position is that it is "a wear issue". i realize, like tires, certain items on cars do wear out over time and require replacement as part of the normal maintenance of a car. however, i do not agree that the problem with the brakes on my subaru is simply a wear issue and apparently, neither do their own maintenance technicians. *ak