2.7

hardly worth mentioning
Crashes / Fires:
0 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
53,125 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.

Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 1998 Subaru Outback:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

problem #1

Jun 072003

Outback 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 53,125 miles
I own a 1998 Subaru Outback.: VIN #[xxx]. on the date below, the timing belt on my car, which had 53 thousand miles on it at the time, broke and resulted in a catastrophic engine failure. This forced me to buy a used engine. Fortunately, I was only driving at 20 mph and was able to safely pull over. Had this happened at interstate highway speed the result might have been very different. Subaru's own maintenance schedule says that the timing belt should be inspected at 60 thousand miles. I've been in touch with the company but they don't seem to be very responsive or forthcoming. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

Add Complaint