2005 SUBARU LEGACY Power Train Problems

THE TURBOCHARGER SIMPLY WENT AT ABOUT 132000 MILES. FROM WHAT I READ ONLINE REGARDING THE FAILED LEGACY TURBO,THE TURBO COULD HAVE BEEN SAVED IF THE UNION ( BANJO) BOLT WITH FILTER WAS CHANGED. SUBARU DOES NOT NOTIFY THE CONSUMER REGARDING THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM; THAT IS IRRESPONSIBLE. IT COST ME $2300 TO REPLACE THE TURBO...I MADE SURE THAT THE UNION BOLT WAS REPLACED AS WELL. *TR

Mileage: 132,000

BOOTS CRACK AND YOU MUST REPLACE ENTIRE DRIVE SHAFT. LEFT FRONT DRIVE SHAFT WAS JUST REPLACED @85,000 MILES AS THE BOOT CRACKED ON THE OTHER SIDE AS WELL. THINK THIS IS A DESIGN FLAW AS DRIVE SHAFT SITS OVER THE TOP OF THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WITH NO SHIELD TO BLOCK THE HEAT. *TR

Mileage: 70,000

WHEN I ENGAGE THE CLUTCH IN THE MORNING, THE TRANSMISSION MAKES A WHINE SOUND. IT GOES AWAY AFTER TWO TO THREE MINUTES OF DRIVING THE CAR. I REPLACED ALL THE COMPONENTS OF THE CLUTCH TWO YEARS AGE AND DRIVE HE CAR GENTLY. I READ ONLINE AND READ THAT PEOPLE WITH CARS SUCH AS THE IMPREZA WRX AND MY MODEL SUFFER FROM THE SAME THING. SINCE THE TRANSMISSION ON MY CAR AND THE WRX ARE THE SAME AND THEIR CARS WERE UNDER 2,500 MILES IT MAKES ME THINK THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE THROWOUT BEARING. *TR

Mileage: 124,000

FOR THE SECOND TIME MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT HAS COME ON AND MY CAR HAS GONE INTO A FAIL SAFE MODE WHILE DRIVING (ELIMINATING THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE). THE CODE THE COMPUTER PROVIDES IS P2138, WHICH REFERS TO THE THROTTLE POSITION SENSORS (THERE ARE TWO) NOT BEING IN AGREEMENT. I TOOK THE CAR TO WHITE BEAR LAKE SUBARU IN WHITE BEAR LAKE, MN TO HAVE THIS ISSUE RESOLVED. THEY DID NOT REPLICATE THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND THEREFORE WOULD NOT PERFORM ANY SERVICE. THE ISSUE AGAIN HAPPENED, THIS TIME OVER 1,000 MILES AWAY IN GEORGIA AND I WAS ALMOST RUN OVER BY MULTIPLE VEHICLES AS I TRIED TO GET TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD - THE CAR WAS NOT RESPONDING. THEREFORE, THIS ISSUE IS A SERIOUS SAFETY HAZARD. *TR

Mileage: 93,000

VEHICLE WAS TRAVELING ON HIGHWAY AND ENCOUNTERED WET ROAD CONDITIONS. VEHICLE BEGAN TO PULL TO THE LEFT AND THE DRIVER SIDE FRONT BUMPER COLLIDED WITH CENTER CONCRETE MEDIAN. VEHICLE CONTINUES TO SPIN COUNTERCLOCKWISE AND THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR BUMPER COLLIDES WITH THE CENTER CONCRETE MEDIAN BEFORE COMING TO A STOP. NO OTHER VEHICLES WERE INVOLVED IN THE CRASH. HIGHWAY PATROL WRITES UP THE ACCIDENT AND VEHICLE WAS ABLE TO BE DRIVEN HOME. VEHICLE WAS BROUGHT TO THE INSURANCE COLLISION REPAIR CENTER AND INSURANCE DETERMINES VEHICLE TO BE A TOTAL LOSS. VEHICLE HAS A TOUTED REPUTATION FOR HAVING A SYMMETRICAL AWD SYSTEM FOR SUPERIOR TRACTION AND CONTROL. BASED ON THE EXPERIENCE OF THE ACCIDENT, THE VEHICLE LOSS TRACTION AND THE SYMMETRICAL AWD DID NOT PERFORM TO MAINTAIN TRACTION AND CONTROL. *TR

Mileage: 29,719

I HAVE 2005 SUBARU LEGACY 2.5I, BASE MODEL. FIRST THE RATTLING NOISE BY THE DRIVER SIDE DASH BOARD AND THE CRUISE CONTROL FAILED, WHICH IT IS ALREADY ON RECALL STATUS (CRUISE CONTROL ONLY). NOW, THE CLUTCH IS FAILING BY ENGINE CUTTING OFF IN THE MIDDLE OF DRIVING WHEN THE CLUTCH IS ENGAGED-- I MEAN WHILE DRIVING OVER 60 MILES. I CONSIDER IT IS LIFE THREATENING SITUATION WHERE THE CAR MANUFACTURE SHOULD LOOK INTO IT. *TR

Mileage: 84,000

TRANSMISSION POPPED OUT OF GEAR NUMBER FIVE ON HIGHWAY AND STRIPPED THE TEETH OFF THE GEAR. HAD TO GET THE TRANSMISSION REBUILT NOW 4TH GEAR IS GRINDING. *TR

Mileage: 72,000

THE LETTER I SENT TO SUBARU OF AMERICA (EDITED): I AM THE OWNER OF A 2005 LEGACY GT. ON AUGUST 5TH, 2008 MY FAMILY AND I WERE HEADED TO BOISE, IDAHO FROM BEND, OREGON. ABOUT AN HOUR AND A HALF FROM HOME I NOTICED THAT THE ENGINE WAS REVVING ABNORMALLY HIGH TO MAINTAIN SPEED. I CALLED THE SHOP BACK IN BEND (THOMAS SALES AND SERVICE) AND THEY RECOMMENDED THAT I HAVE THE CAR TOWED BACK TO THEM. WHEN WE ARRIVED BACK IN BEND THE TECH AT THE DEALER INSPECTED THE CAR AND DETERMINED THAT IT WAS A TURBO ISSUE, AS I HAD SUSPECTED. THE SERVICE MANAGER AT THE DEALER WHO INFORMED ME THE ISSUE WOULD BE COVERED UNDER WARRANTY. PARTS WERE ORDERED AND SERVICE WAS SCHEDULED. SEVERAL DAYS LATER I WAS CONTACTED AGAIN BY THE SERVICE MANAGER WHO INFORMED ME THAT SINCE MY CAR WAS AT 74K MILES (BUT STILL INSIDE THE 5 YEAR WARRANTY PERIOD) IT WOULD NOT BE COVERED AND THAT THE REPAIR COSTS WOULD BE RIGHT AROUND $2000. NATURALLY I WAS UPSET WITH THIS NEWS. I AM A MEMBER OF THE WEBSITE LEGACYGT.COM AND STARTED LOOKING AROUND FOR INFORMATION REGARDING MY PROBLEM AND FOUND A SERVICE BULLETIN REGARDING THE BANJO BOLT SCREEN IN THE TURBO GETTING CLOGGED. AT NO TIME WAS I EVER CONTACTED BY SUBARU OR MY DEALER REGARDING THIS POTENTIAL PROBLEM OR I WOULD HAVE HAD IT CHECKED OUT. I AM ALSO A MEMBER OF MYSUBARU.COM AND WAS NOT INFORMED THERE EITHER. I HAVE HAD REGULAR OIL CHANGES PERFORMED AND HAVE PERFORMED SEVERAL MYSELF (I HAVE NO RECORD OF THIS IN THE FORM OF RECEIPTS, SEE ATTACHED COPIES) AND THE NIGHT BEFORE WE LEFT FOR BOISE I CHECKED ALL THE FLUIDS AND THE AIR PRESSURE IN THE TIRES AND FOUND EVERYTHING WAS GOOD. I WAS PLANNING ON HAVING THE OIL CHANGED AGAIN IN BOISE. I HAVE ALWAYS USED HIGH QUALITY SYNTHETIC OIL SINCE AFTER THE FIRST COUPLE OF CHANGES. WHAT IS REALLY TROUBLING IS THAT AT NO TIME DID I EVER GET A WARNING FROM A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT OR ERROR CODE, YET I SEEMED TO HAVE HAD A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE. *TR

Mileage: 74,000

AT 48,000 MILES THE TURBO BLEW. THE CAR HAS HAD REGULAR OIL CHANGES AND NOW WE ARE BEING REQUIRED BY SUBARU OF AMERICA TO PROVIDE RECEIPTS FOR THE OIL FILTER/OIL AS WE DID OUR OWN OIL CHANGES AND MAYBE IT WILL BE COVERED UNDER THE POWERTRAIN WARRANTY. WE WERE NEVER INFORMED OF THE BANJO BOLT AND THE NEED TO CLEAN THE SCREEN TO PREVENT OIL STARVATION (SEE SUBARU TECHNICAL BULLETIN 02-103-07) THIS PROCESS HAS TAKEN A MONTH ALREADY AND THE CAR STILL SITS, DEAD, IN THE SUBARU SERVICE DEPT. UPON INVESTIGATION THERE ARE OTHER LEGACY GT OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. SUBARU DID NOT USE THESE SAME TURBOS (VF40) IN THE 2006 MODELS. MAYBE THEY REALIZE THERE IS A MAJOR PROBLEM WITH THE 2005'S? *TR

Mileage: 48,000

I HAVE A 2005 SUBARU LEGACY GT MANUAL TRANSMISSION SEDAN. THUS FAR I HAVE HAD SEVERAL ISSUES WITH THE CAR. 1) ENGINE STUTTERING: THIS PROBLEM NORMALLY OCCURS WHEN STARTING FROM A DEAD STOP, OR WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. THE ENGINE WILL PAUSE, OR STUTTER, OR HESITATE, AND CAUSE THE CAR TO SLIGHTLY "JUMP". THIS OCCURS UNDER LOW ACCELERATION AS WELL AS HIGH ACCELERATION. 2) CLUTCH STINK: THE PROBLEM IS ESPECIALLY NOTABLE WHEN GOING UPHILL FROM A DEAD STOP. WHEN THE CLUTCH SLIPS, IT CAUSES A VERY ACRID SMELL, LIKE SOMETHING IS BURNING. THIS ISSUE ALSO OCCURS WHEN IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. 3) CLUTCH SQUEAK: WHEN PRESSING ON THE CLUTCH, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR 5-10 MINUTES, THE CLUTCH WILL BEGIN TO SQUEAK, AND CAUSE REVERBERATIONS THAT CAN BE FELT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AS WELL. THE CAR WAS BROUGHT INTO THE DEALER WHO VERIFIED THE ISSUE. THE ENTIRE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED WITHOUT FIXING THE ISSUE. THEN THE CLUTCH SPRING WAS REPLACED, AND THAT MADE THE SQUEAK GO AWAY FOR A WHILE, BUT HAS SINCE RETURNED. 4) WEAK WINDSHIELD: OVER THE COURSE OF NORMAL DRIVING ON HIGHWAYS, THE WINDSHIELD HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS SMALL CHIPS FROM DEBRIS. SEVERAL OF THESE HAVE CAUSED CRACKS THAT HAVE HAD TO BE FILLED IN. *JB

Mileage: 4,000

I HAVE A 2005 SUBARU LEGACY GT MANUAL TRANSMISSION SEDAN. THUS FAR I HAVE HAD SEVERAL ISSUES WITH THE CAR. 1) ENGINE STUTTERING: THIS PROBLEM NORMALLY OCCURS WHEN STARTING FROM A DEAD STOP, OR WHEN SHIFTING FROM 1ST TO 2ND GEAR. THE ENGINE WILL PAUSE, OR STUTTER, OR HESITATE, AND CAUSE THE CAR TO SLIGHTLY "JUMP". THIS OCCURS UNDER LOW ACCELERATION AS WELL AS HIGH ACCELERATION. 2) CLUTCH STINK: THE PROBLEM IS ESPECIALLY NOTABLE WHEN GOING UPHILL FROM A DEAD STOP. WHEN THE CLUTCH SLIPS, IT CAUSES A VERY ACRID SMELL, LIKE SOMETHING IS BURNING. THIS ISSUE ALSO OCCURS WHEN IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC. 3) CLUTCH SQUEAK: WHEN PRESSING ON THE CLUTCH, ESPECIALLY AFTER THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN FOR 5-10 MINUTES, THE CLUTCH WILL BEGIN TO SQUEAK, AND CAUSE REVERBERATIONS THAT CAN BE FELT ON THE BRAKE PEDAL AS WELL. THE CAR WAS BROUGHT INTO THE DEALER WHO VERIFIED THE ISSUE. THE ENTIRE CLUTCH ASSEMBLY WAS REPLACED WITHOUT FIXING THE ISSUE. THEN THE CLUTCH SPRING WAS REPLACED, AND THAT MADE THE SQUEAK GO AWAY FOR A WHILE, BUT HAS SINCE RETURNED. 4) WEAK WINDSHIELD: OVER THE COURSE OF NORMAL DRIVING ON HIGHWAYS, THE WINDSHIELD HAS RECEIVED NUMEROUS SMALL CHIPS FROM DEBRIS. SEVERAL OF THESE HAVE CAUSED CRACKS THAT HAVE HAD TO BE FILLED IN. *JB

Mileage: 4,000

VEHICLE STUDDERS ON ACCELERATION, NOT A CONSTANT PROBLEM THAT WOULD BE ASSOCIATED WITH TURBO LAG, BUT AN OCCASSIONAL, INFREQUENT PROBLEM, NOT A LAG, BUT A STUDDER OR FLUTTER IN ACCELERATION FROM A DEAD STOP OR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS.

Mileage: 2,073

THE CLUTCH ON THIS VEHICLE SEEMS TO SLIP DURING NORMAL DRIVING, CAUSING THE WORST SMELL. IT SMELLS LIKE A SEWAGE TEREATMENT PLANT IN THE SUMMERTIME, AND NORMALLY DISSIPATES AFTER A FEW MINUTES. THE CLUTCH SLIPS DURING NORMAL DRIVING, SUCH AS STARTING ON A MILD GRADE, OR EVEN DURING BUMPER-TO-BUMPER TRAFFIC. THIS LAST ONE IS PARTICULARY ANNOYING AS THIS IS AN EVERYDAY OCCURENCE FOR MANY OF US. NORMAL DRIVING IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC CAUSES A PROLONGED OVERWHELMING SMELL IN THE PASSENGER COMPARTMENT, CAUSING OCCUPANTS TO BECOME SICK TO THEIR STOMACHS.

Mileage: 2,500

THE CLUTCH OR SOME PART OF THE CAR SMELLS BAD (LIKE SULPHUR) WHEN THE CLUTCH SLIPS AS THE CAR STARTS ROLLING AND GAS IS APPLIED. IT IS AWFUL AND I HAVE READ THAT IT WAS SUPPOSED TO GO AWAY B/C ITS A NEW CAR..... WELL I HAVE ALMOST 4K MILES ON IT NOW AND IT IS STILL THERE. SUBARU NEEDS TO RECALL THE CAR AND REPLACE THE PART. MANY PEOPLE ARE HAVING THE ISSUE AND SUBARU IS NOT RESPONDING.*AK