Faults:

Clutch replacement at 29K miles covered by dealer.

Head gasket started leaking at 80,000 miles.

General Comments:

Subaru owner since 1981. Have had a BRAT and AWD wagons since then. I am sorry to say my '02 Outback is joining the leaking head gasket club. Started out by noticing I couldn't keep coolant to full line. No dripping noticed on garage floor when parked overnight, only drips coolant when engine running. Until repairs made, recommend checking coolant at least every couple of days to minimize overheating potential. Another Subaru in my future? Probably not unless I am confident Subaru has fixed this problem.

Faults:

2002 Outback Legacy - 31k evidence of coolant leak; smell, fluid on driveway, drip-skirt, and near timingbelt/water pump; car overheating. Opened case at SOA and took it to Dealership. Tech railroaded me and claimed the fluid had leaked from resevoir and claimed to have cleared an "air pocket" and could not detect overheating. 10 months later fluid leaks and smell returned, but no overheating - 5 yr warranty expired. Now at 41k, 4 months past drive train warranty exp. car is leaking fluid and overheating - this time same Dealership claims it does indeed need a head gasket replacement (for $2,400). Opened new case at SOA, but they have yet to offer any coverage. Does the extended warranty 100k/8yr for gaskets on phase 2/2.5 liter engines apply to 2002 Outback Legacy? (WWP-99 campaign was not posted to owners of this vehicle). Car also has strong smell of gas in cabin when it is below 20 degrees F. Rear brake rorors needed to be replaced at 22k. Oxygen sensor needed replacement at 25k. Wind noise on Driver's side is excessive.

General Comments:

This 2002 Subaru Outback Legacy is junk.

Faults:

The dealer told me that I have a bad head gasket leaking oil at 39,000.

General Comments:

I love my Subaru Outback Wagon, but now I am told it has a bad head gasket leaking oil.

The symptom was a bad smell when the heater was on.

I was wondering how many 2002 Outbacks have this problem. Subaru claims that it is uncommon.

Faults:

Goes through headlights.

Had grounding issues on headlights.

General Comments:

This is my fourth Subaru. I had 2 jeep Cherokees after my third Subaru.

It is a good car overall and I like the way it drives and shifts (automatic). Fuel economy is around 29 mpg on trips with 31 mpg my best on a two lane mountains and curvy roads. No I was not just going down hill.

Things I do not like.

When you go to park it does not track correctly. In other words when you think it will go into a parking lot parking space it does not. Once you know this you can adjust.

The Seats are horrible after about two hours. I actually am in real pain by the 3rd hour. This was not the case in my old subaru's or jeeps. I tend to drive my Silverado on long trips now even with the price of gas being high.

After a year or so the window slips when you shut the door and at first you could fix it by rolling the window down and then back up, but no longer so wind noise is a problem. This is a known issue.

I would buy a new subaru, but not this model.