1998 Subaru Outback Electrical Problems

Your car's door locks and alarm system activate whenever a GMC vehicle parked nearby uses its keyless entry remote. This happens because your vehicle's alarm system is picking up signals from other manufacturers' remotes. An independent mechanic recommended taking your car to a Subaru dealer for diagnosis and repair of the alarm system receiver.

Your oil temperature warning light came on, prompting you to take your car to the dealer for diagnosis. The dealer found no actual transmission problem but discovered that replacing the battery can trigger a false warning about the automatic transmission. You paid $130 for this unnecessary diagnostic visit and are concerned that Subaru was aware of this known issue but didn't inform customers. The fix would involve resetting or recalibrating the warning system after battery replacement, or updating the diagnostic software to prevent false alerts.

BOTH FUSES ON THE COOLING SYSTEM FANS FAILED WITHIN THE SAME DRIVE. I CHECKED THE ONE MARKED IN THE 1998 LEGACY OWNERS MANUAL FOR THE COOLING FAN AND IT WAS NUMBER 13 IN PAGE 11-7. I CHECKED FOR THE OTHER ONE AND IT WAS UNDER THE HOOD AND IT WAS NIGHT TIME AND I DIDN'T HAVE A FLASHLIGHT OR LIGHT. I COULD COUNT WHERE THE FUSE WAS AND IN THE BOOK IT STATED IT WAS # 25. I PULLED THE FUSE 25 AND IT CHECKED OUT GOOD AND I PUT IT BACK IN THE SLOT. HOWEVER, I CHECKED IN THE DAY TIME UNDER THE FUSE COVER UNDER THE HOOD AND IT INDICATES THAT FUSE #22 IS THE CORRECT ONE. I CHECKED THAT AND IT WAS BLOWN. I NOTIFIED SUBARU A MONTH AGO AND HAVE NOT HEARD BACK FROM THEM ABOUT THIS ISSUE. IT SEEMS THOUGH THAT THERE SHOULD BE A CHANGE IN THE MANUAL AS IT WOULD HAVE PROBABLY MADE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS SITUATION. THE SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT WITH BOTH FAN FUSES BLOWN THE VEHICLE CAN STOP DUE TO AN OVERHEAT AT AN UNEXPECTED TIME AND CAUSE AND ENGINE FAILURE THAT CAN LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT. THE NUMBER 25 IS ACTUALLY A SPARE FUSE AREA AND DOES NOT HAVE AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTION BUT THE NUMBER 22 IS A DIFFERENT CONFIGURATION WITH A VEHICLE THAT HAS AN ACCESSORY POWER SOCKET IN SOME VEHICLE. I AM NOT SURE YOU WOULD CLASSIFY THIS AS A SAFETY PROBLEM BUT I AM INFORMING YOU IF YOU DO. *NLM **DIMSII IVOQ ENTRY POSTED AFTER 12/12/02 CUT-OVER TO ARTEMIS*768183

THE BATTERY WAS DEAD AND THE ALTERNATOR FAILED. NLM

ALTERNATOR FAILED. *SLC

CONSUMER EXPERIENCING ONGOING PROBLEM OF A BURNING ODOR COMING INTO THE VEHICLE ON A DAILY BASIS, BUT INTERMITTENTLY WITHIN A DAY. VEHICLE BEEN IN/OUT OF DEALER SHOP ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS. DEALER `INFORMED CONSUMER NOTHING COULD BE FOUND AND AT TIME REFUSED TO LOOK FURTHER INTO THE PROBLEM. *AK