Used 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca SUV Consumer Reviews
Used B9 Tribeca for sale
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Great...for a while.
Bianca, 02/27/2018
2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca Ltd. 7-Pass. 4dr SUV AWD w/Nav, Gray Int. (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
68 of 73 people found this review helpful
Bought this car used in 2013 with about 78k. This was the first car I bought on my own! Previously had a 1998 Chevy cavalier (my first car I got in high school)! The subaru was a 7 passenger, limited, grey interior, with navigation. I LOVED this car when I first bought it. It was comfy, roomy, and had everything I needed and more! In 2015 my check engine light came on, the car would shake horribly, and completely struggled to accelerate...uh oh! But, problems are to be expected in a 9 year old car! Took it to a local shop to see what the problem was. Store owner claimed to love this vehicle and knows all about them...yeah...! Told me it was the battery connection and changed the battery for me. Great! Check engine light turned off, shaking stopped, accelerating went back to normal. I’m good to go, or so I thought. Nope! I live in Nebraska and the weather can change at the drop of a hat. Began raining one day, about two weeks later, and all the problems came back. Took it back to the shop twice before they decided to shut down their store without notice and without actually fixing the problem. Cool, what a waste of $500. Whatever, problem came and went as the weather changed for over a year. Weird, but apparently this vehicle is notorious for that, according to other reviews and subaru forums. Fast forward to 2017. The problem continued to come and go, but now the car was over heating and air conditioning wasn’t working (in the awesome heat of the summer - had upper 90’s this summer). Yay! Took it to multiple Subaru mechanics and NO ONE I mean NO ONE could figure out the problems. Kept driving, probably dumb, but oh well. Finally the power steering went out...while I was getting onto the highway. Let it sit for two weeks or more while I looked at buying a car. Well, as I was taking it in to be traded in it literally shut off, like the entire thing. Wouldn’t drive, lights turned off, compass on rear view mirror had all the lines flashing with it making no actual letter, wouldn’t accelerate, and lord knows what else was happening (I was in panic mode because I was on a main road). Finally had it towed to a local Subaru specialty shop and a NON-Subaru mechanic figured it out! Turns out the previous shaking was caused by a bad spark plug, like the wiring inside. The rest of the problems were caused by the serpentine belt going out (just under $300 for parts and labor). Car was back up and running, until about a month later when the check engine light came on again. Took it to autozone to check the code...it was the 3rd spark plug again which was causing me to drive on five cylinders instead of six. Light never turned off (since about November 2017), then started over heating again and the inside of the car was not warming up...aka, my windows wouldn’t defrost...in the middle of winter, cool, literally! Anyways, decided to go with a Honda CR-V this time around due to the massive headaches this thing was causing me. I turned in the keys with about 151k. Overall, it’s a good car, but left me with massive headaches when no one could figure out how to fix the problems. Last note, the car does not get 18/23 mpg. It’s more like 12/15. I was averaging 13 mpg since I drive highway (which bottlenecks during rush hour) and city. Will I buy a Subaru in the future, I don’t know. If I do, it’ll be a legacy or Forester or a more “popular” car because parts are VERY LIMITED in the States for this vehicle. Hope this was helpful for someone looking into this vehicle!
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Timing Chains break - No support from Subaru
ob108, 06/20/2013
2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca 5-Pass. 4dr SUV AWD w/Gray Int. (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
63 of 68 people found this review helpful
This comment is dated, but I was looking for a recall notice. While your story is not a good one, here is one better. Less than 84000 miles on it when the timing chain fails. That cause the cam gear to fail and the dealer says they don't replace timing chains they replace motrs if they fail Scary I thought. I fix it and $2400 lighter it was running again only to find out that the main bearing was damaged and cannot be fixed. That's why the replace motors. You would think that Subaru would stand behind one of their most expensive models. Nope I am on my own. To them I thank them for eduacating me that I will never trust them again.
Huge Disappointment!
Unhappy, 04/29/2009
2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca Ltd. 7-Pass. 4dr SUV AWD w/Beige Int. (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
33 of 35 people found this review helpful
Boy, am I disappointed and angry. This B9 started breaking down at approximately 40,000 miles and has not run properly since, despite four trips to the dealership. I lost all compression and had to have 2 Valve intakes, 2 valve exchanges, 13 o rings, and several gaskets replaced. It took two breakdowns to get this fixed. Now, one cylinder is not functioning. The dealership is not wanting to admit that this is a lemon and replace it as they should. I have contacted the national Subaru corporation for all the good it will do me. Be careful if you buy this auto. You too could get stuck with a lemon.
Best Car Ever!
Candy Larsen, 06/11/2019
2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca Ltd. 7-Pass. 4dr SUV AWD w/DVD, Gray Int. (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
41 of 44 people found this review helpful
Bought my 2006 used from a dealer. I drive up to 800 miles a week. This SUV has NEVER had a single issue. With time, I have replaced the life gate support which I popped in myself and I do the wipers myself. Contrary to other comments regarding oil changes and service needed to be done at a dealer is bogus. I now have over 200K on this SUV and recently had my cats replaced and the bushings replaced, all at a cost of under $800. That is the most expensive repair to date and is to be expected with that much mileage. I will be buying another Subaru, but not for awhile. With regular maintenance and assurance from my mechanic, I know this SUV is good for another 200K. The acceleration and MPG is fantastic. Thanks Subaru!
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Our Experience After 6 Years & 70k Miles
pbfoot, 04/28/2015
2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca Ltd. 7-Pass. 4dr SUV AWD w/DVD, Nav, Beige Int. (3.0L 6cyl 5A)
105 of 117 people found this review helpful
True and unbiased. Picked up our B9 Tribeca in 2009 with 30k miles as a family car for a young, active family. Drawn in by its AWD, NAV, DVD and 7-Passenger seating. Drove until 2015 with 100k miles. Car was mostly reliable until recently when the problems forced us to unload. It originally felt solid, well built, safe, with a quiet interior. Over time, its weaknesses became apparent, and shakes and rattles piled up. I agree with others' headlight complaint. So poor it was dangerous to drive at night. Service is expensive. The car is so rare that dealer service and oil changes are a must. Suspension and drivetrain components started needing replacement by 100k. 100% would not buy again.
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