NHTSA Complaint #11364804 — 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK

MY 2012 SUBARU IS HAVING NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS - ALL DASH LIGHTS COME ON: IT HAPPENS RANDOMLY WHEN DRIVING OVER BRIDGES OR SPEED BUMPS. STARTED ON 8/8/16 WHEN CAR BOGGED DOWN AND DIED WHILE DRIVING DOWN HWY. 360. I TOOK IT TO MY REGULAR SUBARU AUTHORIZED REPAIR PLACE ' CHRISTIAN BROTHERS ON SUBLET RD. IN ARLINGTON. THE DIAGNOSIS WAS BROKEN EGR (EXHAUST GAS RECIRCULATION) SYSTEM. I HAPPENED AGAIN & I TOOK IT BACK. THE FINAL REPAIR FOR THAT PROBLEM WAS 'REPLACE MASS FLOW SENSOR & MAJOR FUEL INDUCTION SERVICE. THE DASH LIGHTS CONTINUED TO COME ON BUT THE CAR DIDN'T BOG DOWN ANYMORE. I TOOK IT TO AUTO ZONE WHO RAN THE FREE DIAGNOSTIC. SO I TOOK IT BACK TO CHRISTIAN BROTHERS. THEY CHARGED ME $99 TO RUN A MORE DETAILED DIAGNOSTIC & STILL SAID I NEED TO REPLACE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. THERE WAS NO TEST OF THE EMISSIONS OTHER THAN THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC. I WAITED A LONG TIME & THE FIRST CODE THAT CAME UP WAS FOR CATALYTIC CONVERTER. I SUSPECTED THAT THEY JUST DISCONNECTED THE BATTERY TO RESET THE LIGHTS) THE NEXT TIME I TOOK IT HILEY SUBARU 4/5/17 (FOR 60 K INSPECTION AND OIL CHANGE DATE). I ASKED THEM ABOUT THE DASH LIGHT PROBLEM. THE DASH LIGHTS WERE NOT ON THAT DAY BECAUSE I HAD LEARNED TO DISCONNECT THE BATTERY BUT THEY MENTIONED THAT THE 2012 OUTBACK RESEARCH INDICATED THAT 'REPOSITIONING THE BRAKE LINE' MIGHT BE THE PROBLEM BECAUSE OF OCCURRENCES HAPPENING WHEN CROSSING BRIDGES. THEY DID THAT, BUT THE PROBLEM CONTINUED ' NOT EVERY TIME I CROSSED THE BRIDGES, THOUGH. I TOOK IT TO 5 STAR SUBARU FOR THE 90 K INSPECTION 4/10/18 AND MENTIONED THE NEUROLOGICAL PROBLEMS. THEY INSISTED THAT THE PROBLEM WAS THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER BECAUSE OF THE COMPUTER DIAGNOSTIC. NEITHER DEALERSHIP WOULD GUARANTEE THAT REPLACING THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WILL FIX THIS PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM PERSISTS BUT THERE IS NO REAL EVIDENCE OF A PROBLEM WITH THE EMISSIONS.