Subaru outback began to exhibit "ghost walking" while driving straight during a winter storm. rear end attempted to race the front end, and could not regain control. this "ghost walking" is well discussed in the online form at subaruoutback.org. car eventually made it to the edge of the road where it then proceeded to roll 3 times. the experience was not the normally sliding on ice. the rear end seemed to have a mind of its own. *tr
Front wheel bearings failed. initially, the noise happened around 30-40 mph. then the noise (grinding/rotational) got progressively louder and started happening even at low speeds (under 20 mph). eventually, the noise was accompanied by vibrations/shuddering when the broken bearing supported the load of the car on every rotation of the wheel. *tr
Rear wheel bearings on both sides had to be replaced. this is a known problem (faulty wheel bearings) in 2005 and 2006 outbacks and subaru has an extended warranty covering certain vins under 100k, but my vin was not in that list. *tr
Vehicle becomes very unstable on icy roads at relatively low speeds. excessive rear tire wear suggests defect in construction of this vehicle. problem persisted even after a 4 wheel alignment and new tires last winter. rear tires completely worn out in less than one year.
Recently had to replace a rear wheel bearing in my 2006 subaru legacy outback, which only has approx. 46,000 miles. my mechanic indicated that he has seen several of these failures in the newer subarus, but that subaru has not issued a recall notice. *tr