NHTSA Complaint #10550045 — 2006 SUBARU OUTBACK

FOUR TIMES IN ONE MONTH PRIOR THE ABOVE DATE, THIS VEHICLE STOPPED RUNNING IN TRAFFIC. IT WOULD NOT RESTART. MOST IMPORTANTLY, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION COULD NOT BE TAKEN OUT OF GEAR AND PUT INTO PARK!! IN ADDITION, THE EMERGENCY BRAKE FAILED TO PROPERLY KEEP THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING IN TRAFFIC. THE MOST RECENT TIME THIS HAPPENED, THE DRIVER WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC ON A HILL AND THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AGAIN DID NOT PROPERLY HOLD THE VEHICLE. THE DRIVER HAD TO OPEN HER DOOR, EXIT THE VEHICLE IN ORDER TO PHYSICALLY STOP IT FROM ROLLING DOWNHILL IN TRAFFIC AND WAS NEARLY RAN OVER BY A PASSING SEMI TRAILER TRUCK. THIS IS A WELL MAINTAINED VEHICLE, OFTEN THROUGH THE DEALER IT WAS PURCHASED FROM. DURING THIS TIME, THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TWICE TO THE DEALER. THEY DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM AS BEING CAUSED BY ELECTRONIC COMPUTER PARTS MALFUNCTION. AFTER THESE EXPENSIVE AND POSSIBLY UNNECESSARY REPAIRS THE PROBLEM STILL PERSISTED. THE VEHICLE CONTINUED TO STOP FOR NO REASON IN TRAFFIC AND WOULD NOT RESTART. EACH TIME THIS HAPPENED, THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE TAKEN OUT OF GEAR AND PUT INTO PARK!! I KNOW OF NO OTHER VEHICLE WHERE THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM HAS HAPPENED. AFTER THE LATEST BREAKDOWN, UPON INSPECTION, THE DEALER LOCATED A SECTION OF WIRE LOOM THAT HAD WORN BARE AND POSSIBLY HAD CAUSED A SHORT IN THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM. THIS WORN SPOT IN THE WIRE LOOM MAY HAVE TRIPPED UP THE LOGIC IN THE VEHICLE COMPUTER AND BEEN THE REASON THE DRIVER COULD NOT PUT THE VEHICLE IN PARK AFTER BREAKING DOWN IN TRAFFIC. IF THIS ELECTRICAL WIRE LOOM CAUSED THIS "MALFUNCTION", IT WOULD PUT ANYONE IN THIS VEHICLE IN A POSITION WHERE THERE IS GREAT POTENTIAL FOR SERIOUS INJURY, OR DEATH. THIS PROBLEM SHOULD BE LOOKED INTO BY YOUR DEPARTMENT IN ORDER TO MAKE SURE THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN AGAIN TO SOMEONE ELSE. *TR