NHTSA Complaint #10130588 — 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK

ON TWO SEPARATE OCCASIONS, MY 2005 SUBARU OUTBACK GOT STUCK AFTER INCURRING A MINOR OBSTRUCTION (SEVERAL INCHES OF SNOW IN ONE CASE AND A SOMEWHAT SHARP INCLINE IN ANOTHER CASE) WHILE DRIVING IN HIGH ALTITUDES (10,000 FT TO 11,500 FT). ON BOTH OCCASIONS, THE CAR SUDDENLY LOST MOST OF ITS POWER AND NO WHEELS WOULD TURN. DESPITE PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR TO THE FLOOR, THE ENGINE NEVER WENT ABOVE 2000 RPMS. FORTUNATELY, ON BOTH OCCASIONS, THERE WERE PEOPLE AROUND TO PUSH THE CAR. ONCE THE TIRES WERE TOTALLY FREE OF ANY OBSTRUCTION, NORMAL ENGINE POWER RETURNED AND THE CAR COULD BE DRIVEN. I TOOK THE SUBARU TO MY HOME DEALERSHIP IN OLATHE KS (JACK MILLER) ON JUNE 29, 2005, A COUPLE WEEKS AFTER THE FIRST INCIDENT. DEALER SAID HE COULD NOT REPLICATE THE PROBLEM , SO HE COULD NOT FIX IT. THE INVOICE NOTES: "2000 RPM IS APPOX TORQUE CONVERTER STALL SPEED." FOLLOWING THE SECOND PROBLEM ON JULY 20, I TOOK MY CAR TO JOHN ELWAY SUBARU WEST IN GOLDEN CO. DEALER INVOICE SAYS:" IF TIRES WERE NOT SPINNING, CAR HAD TRACTION AND WAS NOT ABLE TO BUILD BOOST AT ALTITUDE TO PRODUCE POWER." DEALER, HOWEVER, SAID THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE INABILITY TO BUILD BOOST, AND WERE THUS UNABLE TO FIX THE CAR. I FILED A VERBAL COMPLAINT WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA ON JULY 27 AND FOLLOWED UP ON JULY 29. AS OF THEN, SUBARU OF AMERICA WAS STILL TRYING TO CONTACT THE DEALER. SUBARU MARKETS ITS CARS AS HAVING SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE IN THE MOUNTAINS, SNOW AND IN DIFFICULT DRIVING CONDITIONS. SUBARU ENJOYS A LARGE MARKET SHARE IN THE COLORADO MOUNTAINS, WHERE BOTH MY "NOT ABLE TO BUILD BOOST" PROBLEMS OCCURRED. MY CAR CANNOT BE SAFELY DRIVEN IN THE CO MOUNTAINS, PARTICULARLY ON MOUNTAIN PASSES OR DIRT ROADS, BECAUSE HELP MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE TO GET THE CAR RUNNING AGAIN. I DO NOT KNOW IF MY EXPERIENCES ARE ISOLATED OR PART OF A LARGER PROBLEM. IN EITHER CASE, I AM DISAPPOINTED THAT SUBARU HAS BEEN UNWILLING OR UNABLE TO FIX THIS POTENTIALLY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. *NM