NHTSA Complaint #10336830 — 2010 SUBARU OUTBACK

5 MONTHS AFTER THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW I STARTED USING THE AIR CONDITIONER. WITHIN THE FIRST WEEK AS I WAS SLOWING MAKE A RIGHT TURN INTO A PARKING LOT FROM THE STREET I ENGAGED THE CLUTCH TO SHIFT FROM 3RD GEAR TO SECOND AND THE CAR DIED AND I HAD NO POWER STEERING OR POWER BRAKES. I DIDN'T USE THE AIR CONDITIONER ALL THE TIME. TWO TIMES THE FOLLOWING WEEK THE SAME THING OCCURRED AGAIN, BOTH TIMES SLOWING DOWN AND ENGAGING THE CLUTCH AND DOWN SHIFTING. I TOOK THE VEHICLE IN TO HAVE IT LOOKED AT ON 6/2/10 AND THEY TESTED ALL THE SENSORS AND CHECKED IT ON THEIR COMPUTER AND THEY FOUND NO PROBLEMS AND ASKED THAT I KEEP A LOG OF EACH TIME IT HAPPENS AND IF I NOTICE ANY PATTERNS. I NOTICED THAT THE MAJORITY OF TIMES AS I WOULD ENGAGE THE CLUTCH TO DOWN SHIFT THE TACK WOULD DROP AND THE CAR WOULD SHUTTER AND THE TACK CAME BACK UP. THE TIMES WHEN THE TACK DROPPED AND THEN DIED IT DID NOT SHUTTER. THE PROBLEM ONLY HAPPENS WHEN THE AIR CONDITIONER IS ON. I THEN HAD A NEAR COLLISION SHIFTING FROM 4TH TO 3RD IN A BUSY T-INTERSECTION AND CALLED SERVICE THE NEXT MORNING, 6/10/10 AND SCHEDULED TO TAKE THE CAR IN ON 6/14/10 AND DID NOT USE THE AIR CONDITIONER AT ALL. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DUPLICATED THE PROBLEM AND HAD A SUBARU ENGINEER LOOK AT IT. THEY ERASED THE CAR'S MEMORY AND WILL HAVE A PROGRAM WRITTEN TO HOPEFULLY FIX THE PROBLEM. SINCE THE PROGRAM WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE FOR A LONG TIME THEY ARE GIVING ME THE CAR BACK TO DRIVE AND BELIEVE THAT SINCE THEY ERASED THE CAR'S MEMORY THAT MAY FIX THE PROBLEM. THEY BELIEVE IT MAY BE AN ELECTRICAL OR COMPUTER PROBLEM. *TR