NHTSA Complaint #732544 — 1998 SUBARU FORESTER

THE SUBARU FORESTER CITED IN THIS COMPLAINT WAS PURCHASED NEW AT WOODBRIDGE JEEP SUBARU IN WOODBRIDGE VA. ON AUGUST 29, 1998. UNKNOWN TO US AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE, THE 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS MISALIGNED. ON AUGUST 25, 2000, MY WIFE WAS ON AN EXTENDED TRIP WHEN THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON FOR NO READILY APPARENT REASON. THIS PROMPTED HER TO RETURN HOME AND US TO TRY TO CONTACT WOODBRIDGE JEEP SUBARU WHICH WE SOON LEARNED HAD QUIT SELLING SUBARUS. WE THEN CONTACTED THE NEXT CLOSEST SUBARU DEALER WHICH WAS REYNOLDS CADILLAC SUBARU IN ORANGE VA., A DISTANCE OF 36 MILES ONE WAY FROM MY RESIDENCE. ON AUGUST 30, 2000 , WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE SAID DEALERSHIP IN ORANGE. THE DEALERSHIP CHECKED THE CAR AND COULD NOT DETERMINE WHY THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALERSHIP DID, HOWEVER, INFORM US THAT THE REAR TIRES HAD WORN EXCESSIVELY TOWARDS THE OUTSIDE TREAD TO THE EXTENT THAT IT WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION BECAUSE THE TIRE HAD WORN DOWN TO THE BELTS ON OUTER PART OF TIRE. THE EXCESSIVE WEAR, I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER REPRESENTATIVE, WAS DUE TO A MISALIGNMENT OF THE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM. I WAS TOLD TO MAKE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT TO GET THE CAR ALIGNED AND TO GET NEW TIRES PUT ON THE CAR. IN THE INTERIM THE SAID DEALERSHIP WAS TO CONTACT SUBARU TO SEE WHAT SUBARU WOULD DO ABOUT THE PROBLEM SINCE THE TIRES HAD OBVIOUSLY WORN PREMATURELY. ON SEPTEMBER 6. 2000, AFTER DRIVING BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, WE WERE INFORMED THAT SUBARU HAD AGREED TO PAY FOR THE ALIGNMENT AND 65% OF THE COST TO REPLACE THE TIRES DUE TO THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE ALIGNMENT BEING WRONG AT THE FACTORY. WE INQUIRED WHY THERE WASN'T A RECALL ON THE 1998 SUBARU FORESTER AND WERE INFORMED THAT THERE "JUST WASN'T" THAT SUBARU HAD SINCE CHANGED THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THEIR FORESTERS. *AK