Applicable vehicles:
2005 and newer Legacy and Outback; 2006 and newer Tribeca
If you encounter a customer complaint that there is water on the front passenger-side floor, there is the possibility that the evaporator drain hose is obstructed. The evaporator drain hose will need to be checked for obstructions and modified.
The evaporator hose was modified in production starting in the middle of October 2008.
Repair Procedure
Evaporator drain hose inspection:
1. Check to make sure the hose is not folded or kinked.
2. Check to make sure the hose is not pinched by the ECM bracket (located on the front passenger-side foot area).
3. Check to make sure there are no dry leaves, insects, spider webs, etc. in the hose.
4. Check to make sure the hose is properly seated to the evaporator case.
5. Check to make sure that the grommet in the firewall that the hose runs through is properly seated.
Hose Modification: By cutting the hose to a shorter length, it helps prevent spiders from crawling from the control arm to the hose end.
• Cut off the end of the hose (engine compartment side) to the following specification:
– Legacy/Outback – 10 mm
– Tribeca – 25 mm
Note: For Tribeca models, if an orifice was installed following Service Bulletin #10-76-06, remove the orifice, cut the hose and reinstall the orifice.
Courtesy of Identifix.