2011 Subaru (B9) Tribeca / Destined to Fail
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- Опубликовано: 18 сен 2024
- The Tribeca was competitive crossover with fierce competition from its family and the likes of the Toyota Highlander, Honda Pilot, Mazda CX-9, etc. That said, it failed miserably after the first couple of years and today I'm going to find out why.
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Have driven a Subaru Tribeca since 2011. Having driven BMw's Volvos and Mercedes since then, I would always go back to my trustrworthy Tribeca. One of the most comfortable and well epuipped cars for its age. Has never been off the road for a day apart from routine servicing. These vehicles also offer many features of current day vehicles which came as standard. Show me a car as advanced, with more useful equipment and more comfortable ride than my trusty Tribeca ?
My 2011 is in dealership and cannot fix oil leak because they don’t make the parts anymore 😢
Agree with you. I also own a 2009 Tribeca and since that time I have had BMW, Toyota and Mazda vehicules and my Subaru is unique. The best performance.
@@mikezimmerman2786 Have you changed engine PCV valve? I will change mine's and then use a Liqui Moly to stop leak.
Honestly, the 2008 Subaru Tribeca is great; my family has owned one for over a year, and it always starts smoothly without hesitation. Also, it idles and accelerates smoothly. We got it with 96,000 miles and put on another 35,000 miles in that time. Three of us constantly push the good old Tribeca to redline, and that's just the start-we have different driving methods too. It's an absolute workhorse, considering how much aggressive driving it goes through. All it needs is regular maintenance and oil top-offs to maintain oil pressure and proper lubrication. The transmission definitely feels its age, but it's consistent-I wish it had a 6th gear. Considering we're getting 13-15 miles per gallon in town with inefficient driving, I'm content. It's not spacious, but that's not really necessary since none of us are tall. Put down all the seats, and you'll have plenty of room for cargo. Also, our Suby lived in the Northeast all its life without rusting out the bottom. That's impressive! It's not a handling vehicle, but I disagree when you say it's not fun and lacks character. Sure, some understeer at higher speeds, but it's still extremely predictable. In the snow, we've never had any problems with traction or getting stuck; Subaru definitely nailed the all-wheel drive. All we hope is to get over 150,000 miles on our car to make it more economical than buying a new car.
I am curious, on your 08 Tribeca, if you are driving in 5th gear at say 65, on level highway, what are you taching out at?
@@Romulan112 To answer your question, in 5th gear, holding 60-65 mph, I'm taching around 2100 rpm on a level highway. Now that's not bad because the Tribeca's 5th gear is a genuine overdrive gear, at 0.83 to 1. Although it would be nice to have a taller gear, that's not what I was talking about; when I say I wish the car had a 6th gear, I'm referring to the spacing of the gears. From my perspective, I would like to tighten up the gear ratios to have a smoother power flow. For example, the shift between 2nd to 3rd gear is definitely noticeable when accelerating at lower speeds. And I'm not talking about a little transmission slip; I'm talking about the rpm drop, which, in consequence, means there's a power drop. I wish the Tribeca had a 6th gear to be the highway gear leaving the other gears much closer in ratio. I know what I'm describing is like a sports car, but the spacing between the Tribeca's current gears is too large and a little noticeable. Practically, it would make the car more driver-friendly. Now Subaru probably didn't have a six-speed automatic because that wasn't as common back in the 2000s. Another idea might be the fact that the transmission shifts slowly. Thanks for asking! Anyway, my family's Tribeca is still driving well.
@@sirlion2631 Thanks for your reply. I understand you. I have a 2011 Chevy Colorado 2.9 5 speed standard. My first 4 speeds are all in sync. The overdrive, i.e. the 5th gear is like 2 gears higher than the 4th instead of 1 gear higher. Its like I have 1,2,3,4, and 6th gear. no 5th grear lol. My 5th gear is .73 to 1. I tach out at 2,000 rpm, doing 63mph on level highway. Not bad but trouble is getting to that 5th grear if its not at least level. Big power drop.
@@Romulan112 Yep, I hear where you're coming from. A 1 to 1 to a .73 is a big jump, especially since you're driving a manual!
Has your Tribeca been already affected by the P1710 transmission problem?
The back seats can move back another 3 inches or so when not using the third row. That orange handle at the bottom of the seat is how you use it.
10:36 you can move the second row of seats about 15cm to have more space, clearly compromising the third row. I love my 2011 Tribeca, great traction, good brakes with ABS and more than enough acceleration
Seems the Tribeca gets mixed reviews, however, just as reading the comments here show, most who own one love it, as I do. You also need to look at it NOW as a used car, usually purchased as a second family car or a young persons first car, not necessarily review it as it was as a new car vs competitors. Maybe it's not ideal for big families but for us as a couple, it's interior space is roomy but it's not a big car and easy to park, visibility is great, it goes well with the 3.6 (I was looking at 2.5 legacy and Impreza and wasn't impressed with drivability, you definitely have to push them harder), and Subarus AWD is just awesome. It's one of those cars you just get in, stick it in drive and it does what it's supposed to without complaining. Very underrated vehicle if you ask me. I'm impressed!
My 2013 Subaru Tribeca Limited with 62,000 miles, has the 3.6R, 5EAT and limited-slip rear differential and runs better now than when it was new! The AWD sytem delivers 55% of the power to the rear wheels and 45% to the front wheels, thereby giving the vehicle a slight rear-wheel bias, which is great for going around curves and making turns! I had replaced all the factory fluids with the following: Amsoil 100% synthetic 5W-30 Signature Series Motor Oil in the crankcase, Amsoil 100% synthetic ATF fluid in both my transmission and power steering reservoir, Amsoil 100% synthetic 75W-90 Gear Lube in both differentials, synthetic Amsoil brake fluid in my brake lines & master brake cylinder, and Amsoil Antifreeze & Coolant (good for 5 years or 150,000 miles, whichever comes first) in my radiator, making my vehicle run like a top (better than the factory driveline-fluids)!
I also have a 2016 Toyota Camry Hybrid that does everything amazingly well. Ever since 2011 Toyota uses only synthetic fluids throughout each of their vehicles they manufacture. At about 40,000 miles I had the transmission flush performed using 100% synthetic Amsoil ATF, where I not only noted a noticeable improvement in how the car shifted, but the EV light was coming on more often and was staying on longer, which translates that the vehicle operates longer on pure battery mode, so my MPG increased! The oil changes on the Camry get the 100% synthetic Amsoil Signature Series 0W-20, which provides my car with more pep and a few miles per gallon better than the former synthetic fluid. The Amsoil Signature Series is a mixture oil of two synthetic base oils, a Class IV PAO synthetic and a Class V Ester synthetic (the latter has an opposite polarity to an engine that attracts the oil to adhere magnetically to all parts of your engine, even with the engine is sitting at rest, which is highly important when you start your vehicle on a cold start, especially when you encounter frigid temperatures). This oil can go 25,000 miles normal (highway) driving or 15,000 miles severe (city) driving-my type of driving falls in the severe category. Every oil change gets the same Amsoil once a year with an Amsoil synthetic filter, which filters 99% of particles down to 20 Microns in size (compared to Mobil 1 oil filters that only filters 99% of particles down to 30 Microns). Unfortunately, the small capacity of the filters on these Camrys can only extend to 15,000 miles (while their larger Amsoil filters can go 25,000 miles). Amsoil was the first synthetic oil certified by the API in 1972 and they were also the first to provide the following in a synthetic: ATF, Gear Lube, Diesel Oil, Racing Oil, etc. They also provide the widest warranty in the business.
I first started using Amsoil Motor Oil as an ordinary customer in 2004 after being a loyal Mobil 1 fan for several years, where I became enthralled with its overall performance, especially the extra torque and horsepower that I felt from the seat of my pants, so at that point I became hooked. If this review inspires you to buy an assortment of Amsoil products, you can go onto the Amsoil website at Amsoil dot com and apply to become a Preferred Customer for a 25% discount with free shipping (with a purchase over $100) by using a Referral Code of 1420935. Thanks!
I recently (7/2022) purchased a 2012 Tribeca with 94k. Did not buy an extended warranty from the Lexus dealer where I got it. At 920 miles (of the 1,000 mile basic dealer warranty) the transmission valve failed while driving. I towed the vehicle to a local Subaru dealer only to be told the part (approx. $1950 installed) was unavailable, and it would likely be months to get it from the manufacturer. Pretty shocking. Thankfully, the seller retrieved the car (over 115 miles away) and put a rebuilt entire transmission. They also provided a lifetime warranty on it. Total cost was $2850. The vehicle now drives great but I notice a bit of oil consumption (1 qt / 900 miles). I will be replacing the PCV shortly, and start using full synthetic to see if the consumption lessens. Overall, I like the car very much - warts and all. Price was $11,500. Fingers crossed.
Was that the P1710 transmission problem right? It is spreading like a virus. I’m pretty sure this was a factory problem, that bloody “turbine speed sensor n2”😢
I think the Tribeca was meant to be a more premium vehicle for Subaru at the time it was introduced, and if you compared the interior of the Tribeca to that of the next biggest Outback and Legacy of the times, it definitely had that premium vibe.
Maybe compared to the 06 to 09 Outback/legacy, but it was pretty even after that and the interior is less comfortable if you're taller too. Plus it was never more premium than its own competition either imo. I was genuinely impressed with how it held up though!
@@Realistick I would even say it still felt more premium compared to even the 2010-2014 models too. I did own a Legacy from both of those generations. I felt the 2010-2014 Legacy/Outback was a bit of a mixed bag. There were definitely some good, but also some not so good.
October 21/22
We bought a used 2007 Tribeca about a month ago and love it ! Has 147,000 kilometres , I think it has great design 👍
I have 2006 tribeca and still have no problem very good car I love it.
I have a 2007 B9 Tribeca. Now has 356k on it and still going strong. The interior is still like new. Its a really nice car, and not that hard to work on. Still has the early 2000s H4 Subaru feel when it comes to the simplicity of working on it. Only issue I've had is the valve body being changed in the transmission due to a bad solenoid. Will drive it until it quits.
I have a 2011 Tribeca. Original owner. It has only 66K miles on it. I've had no major problems and have taken it on many road trips.
Great. Do you remember how many times you had to pump gas during your road trips?
Have driven this model Tribeca for over 10 years, have had no wish to upgrade to something newer, as I think you would be paying through the nose for a bunch of dubious electronics. Problem for Subaru is they forgot to advertise this vehicle well before its time. So powerful and spacious and so, so reliable with the benefit of the avant guard interior . Wish current Outback owners are as happy as i am with my purchase 10 or 12 years down the track.
I have a 13 Tribeca and just like every other review I've seen, you didnt see the secondary lever for the second row slide. You have to pull both the orange lever and the standard slide lever and the 2nd row slides back another 4-6" making the second row extremely roomy. Much more knee space than the sam model year Pilot (I have both). This of course completely eliminates the 3rd row usage but since that is used only in a pinch anyway.. the Tribeca most of the time is a very roomy 5 passanger vehicle. If you still have access to the vehicle, check it out.
I'll check it out! I did slide the second row back as far as I could but I didn't see a second lever and never heard of that anywhere during research so it would make sense that no other reviewer caught it.
@@Realistick took me a while to figure it out too. If I could post pictures I would here. No mention of it in the manual either from what I could see. Finding it was a game changer for installing rear facing car seats.
@@rickybonn and it's the seven seater model, right?
@@Realistick that's right.
Я тоже рычаг не нашёл но место до 3 ряда есть чтобы сдвинуть
My son's first car is a 2011 Tribeca. So far so good.
We have a 2006 B9 Tribeca Limited with 255000 Km (155000 miles) best and most reliable vehicle we have ever owned.
It didn't sell because Subaru never advertised it. Barely anyone knew it existed.
Best riding car we have ever had. Wife still likes it. 2014.
I own a 2009, km is now 241000 and love this vehicle it does what I need it to do. My current issues are rear differential leak, and all the dash lights are on, not sure wht the issue is. I took it to the delership, they change a few sensors but the issue still remains. Overall I am happy with my Subaru Tribeca. cheers
When I worked at a Subaru dealership, a lot of the Christmas tree light issues were related to some brake light switch or a fuse but a lot of times it's one issue that disables a bunch of others.
My 08 or right behind with 231200
I have a 2007 B9 and it has an anemic 3.0 liter. It's got the quirky front-end design and is terrible on gas mileage (13 - 15 MPG around town). Comments below say this is model better than a Volvo and I can honestly say this doesn't even come close to being better than my Volvo. I live in the Northeast and it gets winded halfway up most hills and you have to keep the revs up or it bogs down. Biggest complaint is the Suby dealers - one dealer wouldn't diagnose my car because it had a NAPA O2 sensor in it and would only look at it once they replaced the perfectly functional sensor with an OEM one. One note: the 2nd row seat is adjustable and slides back and forth on a track for more legroom. The model you reviewed had the 2nd row almost in the full forward position.
I slid the seats back, someone else commented that there was another lever to roll it back further but it sold before I could check it again.
Moms got a 09. The exterior design still looks modern in 2024 . This styling was a trend setter that others copied "ford for one" and was ahead of its time.
Interior dash was futuristic and uniform to driver/ passenger but current dash designs seem to once again have a cockpit feel with the big led screens and guages more focused towards the driver. Love the dash in the toyota c h r ...imo that is the future design for a while
"...but to be fair 75% of those now old crossovers offer a similar level of pain for large occupants."
I felt that.
I love my b9, I've driven new Mazda zx 5 and it sucks, I have a 21forester limited and my tribeca feels larger and handles good, compare tribeca of same yr 2007 to Ford, jeep etc, don't even think it was like the new stuff out there now I think today's cars have way to much junk electric crap. Newer don't mean better. Got mine 5000.00 bucks love it
I own a 2011 Subaru Tribeca premium with cloth seats. The vehicle is very reliable, comfortable and safe. It meets the expectations of my growing family and I sometimes use the third row to carry my small girls. I like the exterior and interior style, but gas mileage is mediocre, that I don't like. Maintenance wise, I just change the oil and filter, I had to change tires and radiator but after 120k miles it is normal wear. Anyways, I like the vehicle very much, now it is cheaper than the competition, and I think it was a sales fiasco because the competition had more space, better towing capacity and better gas mileage at the same price range.
Best looking car reviewer on RUclips.
I helped my sister buy a 2009 for $6500 with only 70k miles. As a mechanic and car enthusiast I like it quite a bit. I have a big family and she trollies 5 fully grown adults around in fair comfort. Has plenty of luxury features, gets out of it's own way, and is overall excellent. I'm not afraid of the maintenance since I can do and monitor it and overall 2 years in it's been dead reliable aside from normal maintenance items (2 cv axles, window switches, going to have to re-solder the center lcd at some point). Fuel economy is probably the biggest complaint she has but it's used as an around town vehicle so not a huge concern.
Great car, low maintenance cost, abundance of features, great audio with HK, i own it 7 years
2006 Tribeca, was my father's originally, purchased new in 2006. Rides very well, handles very well in snow, rain and wet conditions in general.
117,000 miles now, between 90,000 and 105,000 had to sink a bunch of money into this car to keep it on the road: (1) leaking water pump, (2) radiator, (3) leaking oil cooler, (4) fuel injector went out. Some of the maintenance I do myself (Oil changes, brakes, suspension, brake fluid, bulbs)
The interior is pretty frustrating. It's not a double DIN, so you can't upgrade the plain stereo with NAV, there is no auxiliary in the 06's, just a blank plate inside the center console. There is no Bluetooth, there is no backup camera either (added one and it went out). The 'audio' button for the stereo stopped working a long time ago. The transmission doesn't like cold starts, so I shift manually until it warms up, then it's fine. Overall good highway cruiser. Gas mileage isn't great, maybe 300 miles on a tank City/Highway combined.
I drive a Tribeca everyday and have had it since 12 years already and it still feels like new. If i wanted to change my car for something with a boxer engine of the same size, three rows and All Wheel Drive it would be ridiculously expensive. Not that i want to have it forever but by now it just doesnt make sense to me to sell it
You mentioned that the previous years needs premium gas, but you never said that 2008-2014 use regular gas, big NO in a review in my opinion!
It looks like a mix of a 2015 Buick Encore and a 4th gen RAV4 but honestly I kinda like it
These things are so fascinating to me and I have no idea why
Man... Trying to find every reason to hate this vehicle, but she seems to do a good job of still making you have to admit it is pretty good. We just bought our second 06 Tribeca. For the size of the vehicle, it has a good amount of space to it. We also own an 04 Yukon Denali and an 07 expedition. Both of these much larger vehicles have a way more cramped seating position than the Subie. Plus, with a 16 year old son and twin 12 year old girls, there is still decent room in the second row with how wide the vehicle is. Subaru (or GM) did a good job designing this.
Doing the mechanical work, you can definitely see the GM influence. It is nothing like working on pre GM year Subarus where every bolt was easily accessible and everything was made for rally pit area maintenance, but still, it has the Subaru feel to it which I enjoy driving!
Remember you are reviewing a 10plus year old car, which had and still has many features of a current model car, you seem to be concentrating on the negatives, how about the positives of a more than 10yea rold vehicle. Love my Tribeca !!
I enjoyed the tribeca, and I am quite familiar with reviewing 10 year old cars. It is a review though, not an advertisement!
@@Realistick 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
I have a 11 tribeca for five years now, and it has been very reliable for me. The part I hate about this car is that for some reason Subaru decided that it was a good idea to install two cats on these vehicles (as if they don't cost a fortune) and any 3.6 engine equipped Subaru. Other than that it has been great.
Lmao my 2002 wrx has 3 cats. It’s a pain
Looking into getting one. Have you had issues with your cats?
Can someone tell me what cats means?
@@ralanii 😺
@@ralanii meow
Been looking for an affordable used SUV with under 150000 miles to daily to work. I found a 2010 tribeca with 123000 miles for $5900 but was sold before I could get the guy selling it a down payment to hold it for me until I could get to the bank. I think I screwed up and should of left work early! Lol. Looks like it would of been a good bang for the buck!!!👍💯🇺🇸
No clue about the call-only Bluetooth
-Live from Tribecastan
This one looks pretty good, unlike the previous design. BTW, the pictures are pretty deceiving, it looks like a compact crossover in photos.
Can you do a review on the 2008 - 2012 Subaru Forester, if it is available?
I'd love to see the review.
I'd love to, I keep missing my opportunities to do one. I'm waiting for a 5 speed manual one!
The reason Subaru couldn’t sell Tribeca was the price. It was a pricey car and people could not get past this.
Yeah, it really couldn't hold its own against it's competitors at that price. At least with it's given strongsuits.
Those controls were used on R53 Mini coopers
Car reviews by Ed Snowden ;)
Love your videos🎉
this guy is finding ways to criticise the vehicle. Nothing else besides the value it offers for the price
I love weird Subaru cars. I had a 2009 legacy GT with a hood scoop, since it seems Subaru’s have gone too mainstream the quality has diminished. The 2009 was comparable in material to a Audi A4 or Acura
I like the review but as somebody who's been driving one for a year, that is NOT how you launch a Tribeca. If you drive modern box trucks with drive-by-wire, you'd understand.
Tribecas biggest killer was terrible timing: the facelift+3.6 upgrade arrived in 2008 just in time for the economic downturn. Also the MPG was not good enough to qualify for the 'cash for clunkers' program in 2009. If you look at the sales number for all mid-size SUVs there is a huge dip during this time.
I enjoyed this review....quite balanced
Thank you
That Saab looks hideous and I love it
I think the Subie headlights made all the difference (08-14)
Your title is misleading.... A Toyota is boring....Destined to fail is way way to much... If you were talking about an EJ engine found in a Impreza, Legacy or Forester n/a which are prone to head gasket failure I would understand... A Tribeca with 3.6 could go 300000 miles, stop misleading people...
That’s up to your own interpretation, if you don’t watch to understand why I thought it was destined to fail, that’s on you.
@@Realistick , LOL dude...
I hope you can keep doing these
Me too, no sign of stopping now unless big random expenses pile up! I'm really going to try to ramp up my numbers this year as there is one big thing I want to buy for the channel...
Has anyone that owns one of these taken them off road such as through pretty rough, muddy or snowy roads? Wondering how the awd system does off road.
I could not give a f ac about the power lifted gate..
B9 кузов с изюминкой , эта унылая
B9 Tribeca 06 129000 and going strong. Definitely quirky in a good way...
07-09 Acura MDX
Fuel tank was too small. Only complaint.
On a four banger it would be fine. The 6 needed a bigger tank
One of the worst purchases of my life - a Subaru Tribeca. I purchased a 2010 model in 2015. So it had 150,000 kms (kms = Canada and not miles). It's now clocked 260,261 kms. Since last year had to spend almost 5000$ on it's repairs (reactive and protective maintenance) besides gives only 440kms to a tank(60-64 liters) of gas. My model also has a built in DVD player which makes continous humming noise when I turn the ignition on. I have to slam the screen for the humming noice to disappear. Worst SUV in a Japanese clan.
Not to mention their lacklustre/pain jane interiors. Nissan already had a USB interface for music in 2010 but this gas guzzler does not have any of those features.
Will sell this junk away next year and settle for a nice hybrid vehicle - Ford or Kia. Never ever again a Subaru in particular or Japanese model in general.
I am a bit surprised that others still like this white elephant. The video heading is quite apt - destined to fail 🙂
Our 2014 is nearing 100K miles. Bulletproof.
if you're a teenager looking for a car, get this one. seriously its got the feistiest engine out of all Subaru makes, IS NOT CVT and... its very spacious nudge nudge
i’ve never seen a tribeca in red tbh
Neither have I, there's only 4 for sale in all of the US and this was the only touring with the color keyed fenders. Really makes a big difference in the look.
Red was relatively available here in Australia.
gm always seems to have a finger in everything, but they also like to ruin a lot of what they touch.
almost like the biggest companies make the worst crap
It's usually because they half--ass a lot of projects. It seems like GM only cares about a select few models when it comes to testing and development.
Umm... Don't buy Gm they are hunks of junk and try and get them serviced at a dealer - if you can find one these days !
Obviously you're sponsored by a Toyota dealer.....
Damn I wish they were paying me
@@Realistick 'Royal South Toyota'' Jesus, is obvious that your making advertise for Toyota (2:08), (15:51)
''The stuff is friendly and inventory diverse..''
Only 2006-07 models had "B9" as a part of the name. You lost me at the title, didn't even watch.
Lmao okay pal, this video encompasses the whole generation (which is why the b9 is in parentheses). If you watched one minute of the video, you would see that.
@@Realistick 2011 is not a B9.
I am well aware, as I already said here and in the video you didn’t watch.