Problems with 2003 Subaru Outback ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

Subaru has been selling cars knowing of premature head gasket failures. 1998 to 2002 head gaskets failed with internal and external coolant leaks. subaru has issued the wwp99 campaign (upto 8 yr 100,000 mile). this campaign introduces an additive into the coolant to "plug" the leak. they also will repair the gaskets in rare cases. the 2003 head gaskets are also failing prematurely even with proper maintenance. these fail with an external oil leak that directly hits the exhaust causing fire hazard and noxious fumes in and around the car. the repair is $2000 at dealer. subaru is not addressing this. *tr

The car would die usually while coming to stops. and on most occasions will start back up. at first it seemed to only die in very hot weather and on one occasion it didn't start back up for 15 min. but it has since died on days without extreme temperatures. most of the times it dies while stopping, twice it died when braking on highways which was very dangerous. this has occurred about 15 times in 4 years. i have brought it in to two different subaru dealers multiple times. they have never been able to diagnose the problem and have been completely useless. they have reset the computer a few times. one mechanic replaced the fuel pump, the battery has been changed and this still occurs. the oil and filter are changed regularly, i even use 93 instead of the 91 recommended fuel and it has still occurred. *tr

After smelling leaking oil for many months, my mechanic confirmed that the head gasket is leaking. oil is leaking down onto the exhaust creating a constant burning smell. i contacted subaru and they are unwilling to address this in any way, despite the fact that the engine has been meticulously maintained and serviced. *tr

Tl*the contact owns a 2003 subaru outback. the head gasket failed. he noticed that the air conditioner wasn't cooling and the reservoir was empty, but it didn't have a leak. he took the vehicle to a mechanic and the diagnostic test located the failure as the head gasket. the vehicle will be repaired. the vin information wasn't available. the failure and current mileage were 76,600.

Subaru outback 4 cyl wagon engine cooling problems/head gasket failure. car had to be turned off in traffic several times,extremely hot,fumes go in the car. took it to dealer and it is past warranty by approx 10,000 miles. it is a 4,000. job to fix. *tr

Head gasket developed a coolant leak. it was less than 30 days from the warranty running out. the dealership did the warranty work but said they could not do the other head gasket because it had not failed and the warranty would not allow them to replace it. it only makes sense if the one side failed that the other side was right behind it. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2003 subaru outback. the contact stated that the vehicle would continuously overheat while driving or while the vehicle was sitting idle with the engine on. the contact also mentioned the vehicle was emitting a burning oil smell. he stated that the failure was due to a defective head gasket. the failure mileage was 80,000 and the current mileage was 112,000.

Dt*: the contact stated after having the 30,000 mile service performed on the vehicle, it began having multiple problems. the gas mileage decreased 50 miles per tank. there was an oil smoke smell coming from the vents when the fan was on. a pinging noise could be intermittently heard coming from the engine. the vehicle was taken back to the dealer for inspection; however the problems could not be duplicated. the manufacturer was alerted.

2003 subaru outback cut off in the middle of traffic.***no answer required***. *mr subaru was unable to find out what was causing the stalling problem. *sc *jb

When car was slowing for a stop sign it would stall, however it could always be restarted. the consumer would have to place the vehicle in park and restart. *ak the dealer was unable to diagnose the problem. *sc *jb

Consumer states that while driving and without warning the vehicle will stall. the dealer was notified. *nd when braking to stop or make a turn the vehicle will stall. the consumer was told that thee are other vehicles (same make/model) with the same problem. *scc

Nar 03-27-2003 mr the car dies intermittently at speeds between 20-25 mph on deceleration. the power is completely lost with no power steering control. additional items noticied .. shifting in transmission at low speeds, dashboard creaks and drivers window faulty. *cb

Car keeps shutting off in infrequent intervals. first at 375 miles and by 9000 miles it did it 9 times. the car has been at the dealer 6 times and just now subaru is admitting to having other cars with this issue. all 2003 6 cylinder engines. i was told after the 4th time at the dealer that they cannot fix it, end of story. then after filing a complaint with the attorney general office they are working on it again. they are now starting to replace stuff and want to put a black box in. this car shuts off only at a stand still so far but this is very dangerous. subaru admits to having more cars like this and they only could fix half of them. *jb