Subaru front wheels spinning on ice
Asked by GuruCR61N Mar 04, 2019 at 02:55 PM about the 2006 Subaru Outback 2.5i Wagon AWD
Question type: Maintenance & Repair
My 2006 Outback's front tires are spinning on an icy hill but the rear tires don't
seem to be providing any power. The are no warning lights indicating a
problem with the AWD system and my mechanic said everything looks okay
when up on the rack.
8 Answers
I think you need better tires. Maybe you should get a set of winter only tires.
Did the mechanic check to see if someone installed the FWD only fuse?
He tried the FWD fuse and it went into FWD, took it back out and said everything looked good but he didn't have an icy hill to drive it up. That is when I bought new all season tires like I have on my other Subaru and saw no improvement. I'm kind of stumped
Ice is Ice! When you go up a hill the weight transfers off the front wheels. All season tires are OK but they cannot compare to specialty winter tires. You probably need dedicated snow tires like Blizzak or at least tires rated for severe snow duty. These have the mountain/snow flake symbol on the side. If you drive on ice all the time maybe you need studded tires. AWD helps but it is not a miracle cure for ice!
Maybe but my other Subaru, with the same tires, is not having the same issue. Thanks for trying.
Did he actually check to see if the rear tires are getting power? I suppose the center differential could have a problem.
He had it on the lift, ran it, and front and rear tires were turning though the front were turning faster.
I think the center diff is damaged or not functioning properly. Have him check it out. If he does not know Subaru's find a specialist.
