Subaru 05' Outback and newer, DANGEROUS ON ICE!

Bryan,

Good luck with your efforts to have the manufacturer or dealer address the problem. I would continue with the effort as it seems there are quite a few folks with the same issue. A subaru should not have the symptoms you describe. We owned an older one and it was amazing in the snow (equipped with good all season tires it outperformed my 4WD Suburban). I can verify that it is not the tires, I have the Assurance Tripletred on our current ski vehicle, a 2WD Focus. I also have a lot of snow driving experience with all different types of vehicles (my wife who is a less avid skiier than myself is a ski patroller). These tires are very good except on smooth ice and then their only drawback is lack of traction on acceleration (2WD is partly to blame), but I can still get up the hill as fast as the 4WD'ers. There is never a wiggle off throttle and the cornering and braking are solid. The Subaru is sold as a safe snow car and it should perform as such. Perhaps the cost of hiring a lawyer to write a letter would be a good investment. You chances will be the best if you are the original owner and make a big stink with the selling dealer. Contacting the State Attorney General might also help.

Peter

Start this thread on tele tips and you'll open a huge can of worms, there have been multiple "what's wrong with my late-model Suby" threads there. I do remember someone having an alignment issue with the car loaded, someone trashed a set of tires on a trip to Alaska or something like that. It could be related.

Have the alignment checked. This can cause the described problem

Hello all, I feel your pain bscott. I think i have been driving your car. I have had subarus in my house since 84, and swear by them. Not the o5 OB that i have now. The car is a driving casket! I am having the same problems and don't know where to turn. It is not the tires, not the loads, not the driver, it is the car. I am just wondering if the problem can be fixed? Thanks...KT

It sounds like there are indeed as lot of people out there experiencing this problem -- a swaying of the back end while driving on slippery surfaces, more like a wind sway than the feeling of the back end kicking loose. My money is on the LSD and rear suspension configuration. Unfortunately, it is a very hard problem to diagnose, since it will be a rare day that you can get a service tech to test drive your car on ice in the Puget Sound lowlands.

One thing that would be telling, does this happen when coasting in neutral?

LSD does have a way of making things sway!

So should I try LSD in my Volvo and report back? Ironically that could be considered a control.

As I've been considering getting another car, wanted the mythical wonder car with all-wheel drive, ground clearance, good mileage along with room and comfort, we were close to going with a newer or new Outback, but after reading Brian's report and questions, and all of your responses I'm bagging the idea.  Here's a link to a suburu forum wherein 13 pages of discussion in which many reports both document this problem as well as many careful, and some not so reasoned, attempts to explain the cause.  www.subaruoutback.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=11267.  There seems to be no concensus on the cause, with many attempts to solve it - involving repeated realignments, new tires, changing suspension links, changing weight loading, etc. - as well as the usual recommendations to change driving practices, etc.  I suspect the multilink suspension system in the post '04 Sub's is the culprit; it is rumored that the 09 Suburu will have a different rear suspension design.  Bryan's dead on right - no new car in this day and age should exhibit this kind of behavior, nor need expensive user alterations to make it driveable and safe.  Having ridden in and driven a lot of older sub's, I have to say they were bullet proof and great snowcars.  But probably a great deal simpler mechanically!  With gas at 3.50 now, I'm really looking for something to replace my bulletproof F250 4x4, which is unperturbed by any road condition whether in 2 or 4 wheel drive.  Any suggestions?  Anyone driving the RAV4?  or Volvo XC70?Thanks!  Gerry H.

So sad! Our 2000 outback was superb on packed snow and ice (manual, 4 cyl, Les Schwab's best Toyo ice tire, can't remember name); only problem was the seats would not provide me with adequate support for a good posture once I developed degenerative disc disease. so we had to trade in on a Volvo XC70 (a bit bigger, heavier, but infinitely more expensive!). I always thought the sub legacies and outbacks were the best buy for the money for a winter sports enthusiast; oh well ...

I drive a Suburu Impreza RS (hatchback, auto, '05).

It is the best thing ever on snow and ice, and I was even able to go over some small downed trees while a suburban behind me got stuck.

I also have new tires on it...nothing fancy though, just run of the mill all arounds.