NHTSA Complaint #10662895 — 1999 SUBARU FORESTER

NOTE: BELOW IS AN EXTRACT FROM A MESSAGE I SENT TO AN ATTORNEY IN WISCONSIN IN 2011 REGARDING THE PROBLEMS I WAS HAVING WITH MY VEHICLE. I HAVE SINCE HAD THE COOLING SYSTEM PROBLEM REPAIRED AT MY OWN EXPENSE. NOTE ALSO: I SEE WHERE THERE HAS BEEN A RECENT ENTRY FOR PENDING DEALER REPAIRS ON A HONDA CIVIC (I THINK) PERTAINING TO "COOLANT LOSS". AT LEAST HONDA COMPANY WILL LIVE UP TO AND CORRECT ITS MANUFACTURING MISTAKES. I AND OTHERS HAVE HAD ISSUES WITH THEIR SUBARU VEHICLES CIRCA 1997-2004. THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE HAS TO DO WITH THE COOLING SYSTEM LOSING COOLANT AT AN UNACCEPTABLE RATE. THIS IS THE RESULT OF FUNCTIONAL DESIGN FLAWS OF USING DIFFERENT METALS IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT. THIS ALLOWS LARGER THAN NORMAL GAPS TO OPEN UP IN THE CYLINDER WALLS AS THE TWO METALS EXPAND DIFFERENTLY WHEN THE ENGINE HEATS UP. COUPLED WITH CHEAP GASKETS, THIS FORMULA HAS LED TO MANY ENGINE SEIZURES IN THESE CARS ACROSS THE COUNTRY DUE TO OVERHEATING. (I'VE CAUGHT MINE BARELY IN TIME AS THE THERMOSTAT HIT RED-LINE TWICE NOW WITHOUT WARNING.) MEANWHILE, SUBARU KNEW ABOUT THIS PROBLEM FROM THE ONSET, SINCE DEALERS TREATED THE COOLANT SYSTEM WITH SO-CALLED COOLANT "CONDITIONER" BEFORE SELLING THESE CARS. AND THEY DIDN'T ADVISE THE PURCHASER THAT THEY WERE DOING THIS AND WHY. PROBLEMS IS...THE CONDITIONER WILL NOT WORK INDEFINITELY AND MAY EVEN ACCELERATE THE BREAKDOWN OF THE CHEAP GASKET. I'VE GOT 81,400 MILES NOW ON MY CAR AND I'M ON MY SECOND CAN OF CONDITIONER. BUT THE COOLANT LEVEL KEEPS DROPPING AND IT'S BURNING AWAY IN THE HOT ENGINE. I CAN SMELL IT WHEN I LEAVE THE CAR IN THE GARAGE OVERNIGHT. (IT SMELLS SWEET BUT I'M NOT TOO PLEASED WITH IT.). SUBARU HAS SINCE HAD THE FORETHOUGHT TO CHANGE ITS GASKETS TO MUCH STURDIER ONES. BUT, OF COURSE, THAT MEANS I'D HAVE TO SHELL OUT THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS TO REPLACE MINE. *TR