2002 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport from North America - Comments

Power windows squeaked from day one when wet. Dealer cannot fix after multiple tries.

Engine blew a piston at 33K. Dealer fixed, but getting the warranty service coverage was near impossible unless you walked up the food-chain and screamed at Subaru Corporate.

Seats are horrible & uncomfortable from day one.

Paint on hood started to chip after 2 years, dealer warranty tried to cover to no avail. They blamed tree sap when an independent auto body shop said the paint was defective.

Cooling system leaks after just 20K miles. Another warranty nightmare to have covered.

I will NEVER buy another Subaru ever again. You are stuck with utterly incompetent dealer service, and an uncaring company that takes your money and does not care a bit, & gives in return terrible customer satisfaction.

I feel your pain, I really do. However, I think the problem is more with the dealer than the car. Not to minimize the problems with your car, but I have the same car and have had brutal service from my dealership. Having owned Subarus on and off for more than 20 years, I can tell you, Subaru dealers can't seem to inspect and prep their cars before the sale to save their hides. I bought mine used last year (with 42000 km on it!!). There were some brake, steering and clutch problems they were supposed to fix before I bought it. They assured me they were fixed. My co-signer insisted I drive it before we signed the papers: not fixed. It took two blown tires and a lot of yelling on my part to get the dealer to accept responsibility for the problems. Turns out all the problems were related to bad tires. Final word: Subarus are good cars with bad dealers.

I just retired my 1991 Subaru Legacy after 16 years and 320,000 miles. I just bought an Impreza Outback Sport because my experience with Subaru has been excellent.

I agree with your comments and those of one respondent completely. Subaru build a good engine and drive-train however their body, finish, cooling systems, brakes and overall interiours are far below comparable models of Toyota and Honda cars. Subaru Dealer service here is also sadly pathetic. I only take my Subaru to the dealer when something is covered under warranty and never for anything else under any circumstances whatsoever. My advice to you is to find a competent private mechanic and let him handle all your maintenance needs and forget Subaru Dealer Service entirely unless of course you have money to toss away on Subaru Dealer Service Technicians whom I have found to be completely incompetent.

Complaints, complaints... ALL brands of cars have terrible dealer service. The service dept. is where the dealer has the most income potential so doing warranty work is last on their list. I have had bad experiences with many different dealers and brands from Nissan to BMW to Cadillac. Don't fault the brand of car for poor service. It is just the nature of the car business. Why would you want to do "free" work when you can get $75-$100 per hour + the cost of parts.