I live in Minnesota, so we have plenty of cold. My new Outback is wonderful except for ONE very big thing. The heater is terrible. You end up with frozen feet. Any ideas what to do???
Look down under the dashboard and find where the heated air is supposed to be discharged. Turn the heater on high and feel to see if heat is coming out. I have had two cars, a 1971 Ford Maverick and a 1975 AMC Pacer that had blend door problems when I bouught the car and the heat in both cars wouldn't discharge at the floor level.
One other thought--is the car warming up? Check your temperature gauge to see. Also, you need to check to be certain that the coolant level is where it should be.
Since this is a 2011 car, it is under warranty and I think you need to take it back to the dealer.
Ditto
A new car, with multiple warranties, needs to be taken back to the dealership for any problems that you encounter. Not only do you not need a diagnosis from us, the dealership will reject any diagnosis that you provide when they are doing warranty-related work.
Think about it–If you provide a diagnosis to the dealership, and it proves to be wrong, who will pay for the unnecessary parts that were removed/installed by the dealership? (Hint: It won’t be either the dealer or the manufacturer!)
Describe the problem, and if possible, demonstrate the problem for the service personnel. Then, allow them to diagnose and fix the problem.
I can tell you that both the heater and A/C on this car are very effective. Or, at least they are on my 2011 Outback. Let the dealer figure out the reason why yours apparently is not functioning properly.
All of this being said, I will share my experience regarding the non-functioning heater on the POS Volvo that I bought many years ago. After 2 failed repair attempts, on the third visit they finally discovered that the temperature control knob on the dashboard had never been connected to the cable running to the heater. Once they connected things properly, the heater worked very well–unlike virtually everything else on that Volvo!
Without question its a dealer problem. Take it back.
As noted, if it is under the new car warranty, it should always go to the dealer. Don't bother trying to tell them what is wrong, just tell them what it is or is not doing. In this case you take it to the dealer and say: <div><br></div><div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; line-height: 18px; "><b><i> The heater is terrible. You end up with frozen feet.</i></b></span></div>