NHTSA Complaint #10488032 — 2006 SUBARU LEGACY

OUR 2006 LEGACY OUTBACK WAS OUR 4TH FAMILY SUBARU, AND WAS RECENTLY PURCHASED USED. I'M A DRIVER WITH OVER 48 YEARS OF ACCIDENT-FREE EXPERIENCE IN NEW ENGLAND AND THE NORTHERN US, TRAVELING ON PERSONAL AND BUSINESS TRIPS DURING ALL TYPES OF SEVERE WINTER DRIVING CONDITIONS. WHILE DRIVING ON A TWO-LANE STATE ROAD, LIGHT SNOW HAD JUST BEGUN. SPEED LIMIT (50) AND JUST DEVELOPING CONDITIONS WARRANTED NO SPECIAL CONCERNS, HOWEVER ONCE OR TWICE THE BACK END FELT AS THOUGH WIND WAS AFFECTING TRAVEL (THERE WAS NO WIND), I SLOWED TO 30-35 MPH ALTHOUGH SNOW STILL HADN'T COVERED THE ROAD. MINUTES LATER WHILE ON A STRAIGHT-AWAY WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC APPROACHING AT A DISTANCE, THE FRONT END BEGAN DRIFTING INTO THE OTHER LANE. WITHOUT BRAKING OR ANY SIGNIFICANT CHANGE IN ACCELERATION, I SLOWLY CORRECTED AND THE CAR BEGAN TO COME BACK TO THE RIGHT, HOWEVER AS I STRAIGHTENED THE WHEEL, THE CAR BEGAN PUSHING HARD TO THE RIGHT, AND WOULD NOT RESPOND TO MY COUNTER STEERING. THE CAR WENT OFF THE ROAD AND STRUCK A TREE NEAR THE SHOULDER OF THE ROAD. NOW I CAN UNDERSTAND THE CAR DRIFTING TO THE RIGHT AFTER MY INITIAL CORRECTION, SINCE THE ROAD WAS CROWNED IN THE CENTER AND THE ROAD HAD SNOW ON IT. HOWEVER, I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE CAR HAD DRIFTED TO THE LEFT INITIALLY. IT WAS A STRAIGHT-AWAY, I WAS STEERING STRAIGHT SO IT WASN'T A CASE OF UNDER-STEER, AND THE PECULIAR THING WAS THAT AT THE TIME IT FELT AS THOUGH THE REAR END WAS PUSHING ME OUT OF MY LANE. NONE OF THIS MADE ANY SENSE UNTIL AFTER THE ACCIDENT WHEN WE BEGAN RESEARCHING AND LEARNED OF SIMILAR REPORTS DESCRIBED AS 'GHOST WALKING'. THE INITIAL EXPERIENCE OF THE 'WIND' SENSATION WIGGLING THE BACK END, AND THE INEXPLICABLE 'PUSH' FROM THE REAR RIGHT SEEMED TO FIT WELL WITH THE EXPERIENCES OF OTHERS. ONE OTHER NOTE, BETWEEN OUR TWO DOGS AND SOME LUGGAGE, WE DID HAVE ABOUT 250 LBS LOADED FROM THE REAR SEATS TO THE STORAGE AREA. *TR