NHTSA Complaint #10078564 — 1997 SUBARU OUTBACK

I HAVE A '1997 LEGACY OUTBACK SUBARU. I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE FOR 3 YEARS. TODAY, JUNE 21, I STOPPED ON MY WAY TO BAR HARBOR, MAINE FOR A CUP OF COFFEE. I PLACED THE COFFEE CUP IN THE CUP HOLDER AND GOT BACK ON THE HIGHWAY. SHORTLY AFTER THIS, I THOUGHT I SMELLED BURNING, BUT THOUGHT IT MUST BE COMING FROM OUTSIDE. I THEN STOPPED AT A BANK TO TAKE CARE OF A TRANSACTION, AND AS I WAS LEAVING THE BANK, I AGAIN SMELLED A FAINT BURNING ODOR. LUCKILY, NOT FAR DOWN THE ROAD, I PASSED MY SUBARU DEALERSHIP, FOR A SHORT DISTANCE PAST THE DEALERSHIP I HEARD A CRACKLING COMING FROM MY CAR RADIO. THINKING I'D LEFT IT ON, I WENT TO TURN IT OFF, ONLY TO DISCOVER IT WAS OFF. THEN THE BURNING SMELL BECAME MUCH MORE EVIDENT, AND I REALIZED I MUST HAVE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. I TURNED AROUND, AND WENT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP. THEY DISCOVERED THAT COFFEE HAD SPILLED ONTO THE RADIO FROM THE STYOFOAM CUP(WHICH HAD A TIGHT CAP ON IT, BY THE WAY!), CAUSING THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEM. A WOMAN I HAD BEEN CHATTING WITH WHILE WAITING FOR THE DIAGNOSTIC WORK TO BE DONE SAID THAT HER '97 SUBARU HAD HAD THE CUP HOLDER BY THE RADIO TOO, BUT THAT THE FOLLOWING YEAR, THE CUP HOLDERS HAD BEEN MOVED FROM THAT LOCATION. IF THE SUBARU COMPANY HAD KNOWN OF THIS POTENTIAL ISSUE, WHY WASN'T I MADE AWARE OF IT? LUCKILY, I WAS NOT COMING THROUGH THE BLACKS WOODS INTO ELLSWORTH WHICH IS 20 MILES OF NOTHING BUT TREES! I BOUGHT MY SUBARU BECAUSE THEY ARE TOUTED AS ONE OF THE SAFEST VEHICLES ON THE ROAD TODAY. I'M NOT SO SURE THAT THEY ARE TAKING CARE TO NOTIFY CONSUMERS OF PENDING SAFETY ISSUES. TODAY COST ME OVER $T60.00, AND I'M OUT A RADIO TO BOOT. BUT I AM GRATEFUL THAT I WAS NEAR A SUBARU DEALER, BECAUSE THE INCIDENT COULD HAVE BEEN MUCH MORE SERIOUS. THE DEALERSHIP KEPT THE RADIO AND TOLD ME THEY COULD ORDER ONE, BUT IT WOULD HAVE TO BE SHIPPED FROM CA. I HAD JUST SPENT OVER $700 THE WEEK BEFORE WITH THEM, INSURING MY CAR WAS MAINTAINED AND SAFE FOR THE ROAD. GEE, WAS I WRONG. *AK