NHTSA Complaint #10598402 — 2008 SUBARU OUTBACK

THE RADIO AND HEATER, A/C AND DEFROSTER CONTROLS ARE ALL ONE PIECE IN MY CAR. THE DISPLAY SCREENS ON BOTH GO BLANK WITHOUT WARNING. WHEN THIS HAPPENS NOTHING WORKS, MOST IMPORTANTLY THE DEFROSTER WHEN YOU BAD WEATHER WHILE DRIVING. THE OUTPUT TEMPERATURE AND FAN SPEED CANNOT BE CHANGED AND THE DEFROSTER CANNOT BE TURNED ON OR OFF. THE FACTORY RADIO-A/C CONTROL UNIT WENT BAD AND WAS USELESS. SUBARU WAS UNABLE TO PROVIDE SERVICE PARTS SINCE IT IS NO LONGER AVAILABLE NEW, ONLY AS A REBUILT UNIT, AND SUBARU HAS NO CORES TO REBUILD NOR DO THEY KNOW WHEN THEY WILL GET ONE. I BOUGHT A USED RADIO-A/C UNIT FROM A JUNKYARD AND INSTALLED IT ABOUT A YEAR AGO. NOW THIS UNIT IS STARTING TO GO BAD. I HAVE CONTACTED PANASONIC TO FIND AN AUTHORIZED REPAIR FACILITY AND THEY CANNOT IDENTIFY MY RADIO EVEN WITH THE NUMBERS ON THE TAG THAT SAYS MADE BY PANASONIC, SO THEY CANNOT TELL ME WHERE I CAN GET IT REPAIRED. SUBARU HAS BEEN JUST AS USELESS. I CAN LIVE WITHOUT A RADIO, BUT WHEN MY WINDSHIELD FOGS UP AT 60 MPH AND I CANNOT TURN THE DEFROSTER ON OR IT'S 20 DEGREES OUT AND I CANNOT TURN THE HEAT ON, THIS BECOMES A SAFETY ISSUE. I CHECKED A SUBARU OWNERS WEBSITE AND FOUND NUMEROUS PEOPLE WITH 2005-2008 MODELS SAYING THEY HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. I HAVE OWNED THE CAR SINCE NEW AND BESIDES CHANGING THE OIL MYSELF, ALL OTHER REPAIRS ON THE CAR HAVE BEEN DONE BY A SUBARU DEALER. THE DEALER EVEN INSTALLED THE JUNKYARD RADIO. THE LAST CONTACT I HAD WITH THE SUBARU FACTORY, THEY ARE BLAMING THE PROBLEM ON ME USING AN AFTERMARKET RADIO. MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALER CONFIRMED THRU SERIAL NUMBERS THAT THE RADIO FROM THE JUNKYARD IS THE EXACT SAME RADIO-A/C UNIT THAT CAME IN MY CAR WHEN NEW. SINCE SUBARU NO LONGER USES PANASONIC RADIOS, THEY ARE NO LONGER PROVIDING ANY PRODUCT SUPPORT ON PANASONIC PRODUCTS. SUBARU IS REQUIRED BY LAW TO PROVIDE SERVICE PARTS FOR AT LEAST 7 YEARS AND THEY ARE NOT DOING IT. *JS