To be fair, my 2011 Subaru Outback is a lemon, and that is not the fault of Gresham Subaru. I did not even buy it there, but they have ended up dealing with all the dealer requiring issues. The bad guy is Subaru itself; Subaru really should recall the 2010-2012 manual transmission Outbacks. This 6 speed transmission has caused problems since I first got the car: very stiff shifting when cold, no coverage of the linkage so that sticks got stuck in the linkage twice, rendering it stuck in once in second, once in fourth gear, cable breaking at 40,000 miles, clutch going at 50,000 miles. And if you have ever tried driving miles at night on the freeway in second gear, or starting from a full stop on a hill in fourth, you know the sticks in the transmission were not minor problems.
When they told me I needed a clutch at 50,000 I went to my regular Subie mechanic in disbelief. He agreed, said it was probably due to the prior transmission problems, and said their estimate was too high compared to other dealers.
I was so fed up at this point, I went back to Gresham Subaru and told them the car needed to be recalled and replaced. They checked their price for the clutch, and said they had misquoted the labor, and corrected it so that their price matched the other dealers. Then they called Subaru. Between Subaru and the Gresham dealership, they reduced the cost of the clutch by half. But, no surprise, they did not replace the car. They admitted that Subaru was no longer going to make a manual transmission for the Outback starting 2015, but did not admit it is because this transmission has problems. I believe this poorly designed transmission will cause other problems that result in more repairs and engine issues and more expense down the line.
Because of the all this, I bought the extended warranty. I bought the only one they offered, which I thought was the basic one, but it turned out to be the gold-plated premium. This covers tires. I had already had one unfixable flat (NOT sidewall) and had to buy a shaved down new tire. I got another unfixable flat (not sidewall) driving down my unpaved drive, and found it still cost $112 to replace this 80,000 mile tire, two down by 50,000 miles. This week, #3 unfixable tire. I bought 4 new tires--- makes 6 new tires by 50,000miles. No help from the Subaru warranty. Continental has no warranty for the original tires but does for the new tires--- the last of these 80,000 mile tires lasted for less than 2,000 miles. However, Continental said the warranty was voided by shaving down the tires to match the remaining two. Figures.
My conclusion is that the 2010-2014 Subaru Outback is no longer the off-road 4 wheel drive car I loved in rain and snow and ice and mud for over 10 years. The manual transmission is not appropriate for off road if sticks can get stuck in it--- what if I had gotten stuck in 2nd or 4th on Mt Hood in snow and ice? So, I guess I will give up on Subaru for my next vehicle. Advice, anyone? read more