NHTSA Complaint #10074954 — 2000 SUBARU OUTBACK

AFTER A TUNE UP FROM A CAR DEALERSHIP, MY 2000 SUBARU OUTBACK EXERTS AN INTERMITTEN PROBLEM OF HESITATION. ONCE MOVING THE CAR DOING OK, ESPECIALLY ON FREEWAY. BUT AFTER EXITING FROM FREEWAY TO A COMPLETE STOP, CAR IS CHOKING AS IF HAVING A TIMING PROBLEM AND CANNOT SLOW RPM TO IDLE. AFTER THAT AS THE LIGHT TURNS, STEP ON THE GAS PADDLE WON'T INCREASE RPM OR MOVING THE CAR. WHEN THIS HAPPENS, IT USUALLY TAKES A FEW MINUTES BEFORE IT BEGAN TO ROLL AGAIN. IT CONTINUES TO TAKE MUCH MORE TIME TO GET CAR BACK TO NORMAL SPEED. THE PROBLEM IS PROGRESSING TO A GREATER FREQUENCY. NOW AFTER A MONTH, IT'S REALLY DANGEROUS TO RUN. IT ACTUALLY STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET A FEW TIMES. A TRIP BACK TO THE DEALER DIDN'T HELP. AFTER KEEPING THE CAR FOR 2 DAYS FOR TEST DRIVE THEY SAID THE PROBLEM COULDN'T BE REPLICATED AND SO THERE IS NO PROBLEM. I TOOK THE CAR TO A REPUTEABLE MECHANIC THAT SPECIALIZES IN SUBARU. HE RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM BUT AFTER MANY DAYS OF DIAGNOSTICS AND CHANGEING THE FUEL REGULATOR, FUEL PUMP, FUEL INJECTOR, THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. YET THERE IS NO CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ON. THE CAR IS NOW IS ALMOST UNDRIVABLE. SO FAR I HAVE SPENT OVER 3000 DOLLARS BUT STILL NO SOLUTION. THIS CAR IS ONLY 4 YEARS OLD AND 70K MILES WITH A WELL MAINTENANCE RECORD. THIS PROBLEM MUST BE KNOWN TO THE MANUFACTURER SINCE I FOUND SO MANY DESCRIPTION OF THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE NET, STARTED WITH AN EARLY MODEL. THIS IS A SERIOUS FLAW THAT NEEDS MANUFACTURERS ATTENTION OR EVEN A RECALL. *AK