2012 Subaru Impreza: CVT failure

Filed Nov 5, 2023 · Transmission · NY

I was on the highway in mixed traffic for a couple hours. There was a burning smell in the cabin and then the warning lights came on including a check engine light and transmission light. The car started to jerk erratically when I accelerated and ultimately it would not accelerate. I pulled over and turned the car off as recommended in the owner's manualAfter following the manual's instructions to let the engine cool down, I attempted to turn the car on and put it in gear. It would not move when I put it in reverse or drive. The transmission failed entirely. Previous to my taking the car on this trip, I brought the car to my Subaru Dealership because I smelled the same burning in the cabin along with a strange whirring sound and the transmission light came on then too. At that time, I pulled over and read the owner's manual and did what it recommended. The car started working again after 10 minutes of cooling. This is why I brought the car to the Subaru dealership to have this issue inspected. At the time they recommended that I change the CVT fluid and that the issue would then go away. The issue did not go away. When I informed them that the car was unsafe and dangerous to drive because of the jerking and violent shuddering, they told me that I should trade the car in or pay for a new transmission. They did not tell me that the 2012 version of the car had a history of issues with its CVT, and that some of the repairs were covered under warranty.

Filed Jun 20, 2021 · Transmission · 102,926 miles · MA

Two instances of CVT Transmission failure. First: Occurred at 102,926 miles, car only 8 years old. While driving, suddenly many warning lights came on and the car started shuddering. The lights were Check Engine, Oil Temp, Cruise Control, vehicle dynamics, and ABS. I drove my car to a transmission shop, who read the codes 2764 and and 0700. He replaced the TCC Solenoid and valve body on 11/18/2020. I drove the car for 6 more months to ~106,000 miles successfully, until... The Second Issue: On 6/6/21 while driving my car, it stopped accelerating. I couldn't go above 18 mph! This was a huge safety issue. I had to drive on major roads with a speed limit of 50mph going only 18mph, with my hazard lights on. I'm so fortunate it happened to be at 10pm on a Sunday night, or I could have gotten in an accident. Once I got home, I called AAA and had them tow my car back to my transmission mechanic (because I couldn't get to my mechanic without getting on the highway, which would obviously be unsafe at 18mph). My mechanic said it was an issue with the same solenoid again having shorted out, which means that it's actually a deeper issue with the CVT transmission burning through solenoids. The solenoid is just a symptom, not the root problem. Then, I finally googled Subaru solenoid issues, and I discovered this is a well documented problem, that has already been reported to your office, and yet Subaru has not yet issued a recall. Only an extended warranty, which only goes up to 100,000 miles so it doesn't help me!! My transmission wore out at 102,000 miles. Do you think it's a coincidence that Subaru made their warranty for 100,000? I'm lodging this complaint in hopes that your office sees the CVT transmissions are still a safety issue, and the warranty hasn't solved the problem. Please get Subaru to issue a recall! This is unacceptable behavior from a car manufacturer. Thank you.

Filed Sep 24, 2020 · Transmission · 146,358 miles · MA

Was driving at 60 MPH normal highway speed and bunch of lights came on the dash while driving. Trouble codes pulled on scan tool were p2764 and p0700, these codes indicated bad solenoid on CVT transmission valve body therefore had to replace the CVT valve body. Car has 146,000 miles however CVT has been properly maintained and CVT fluid replaced every 30,000. Subaru is hiding the issues with the CVT model tr-580 and purposely extending the warranty only up to 100,000. I believe they know the CVT will fail after 100k and don't want to put out the money to issue a proper recall. The options to fix the issue are either CVT valve body replacement or full transmission replacement which are both very costly. Subaru needs to issue a proper recall because I worry that my replacement of valve body could mean I still need to replace the entire CVT transmission if something else fails on the internals in the near future.

Filed Aug 9, 2020 · Transmission · PA

Transmission went at 154000 miles extended warranty not sure if I was taken care or and needed to by new one. If it is gonna be a continuous problem they should have bought back the years with the CVT issue. You can put into drive reverse and park but won't switch gears and just revs

Filed Sep 23, 2019 · Engine · 120,000 miles · OR

Cvt transmission failure, while vehicle was moving on highway

Filed Aug 2, 2019 · Transmission · 103,000 miles · WA

Subaru CVT - known issue my 2012 subaru's CVT transmission failed without warning while in motion at 60mph driving in the left hand lane of a busy interstate. The car/engine had regular maintenance as directed by the maker, however without warning the transmission failed putting the driver and three passenger's lives at risk. Subaru has acknowledged issues with this specific transmission, however an extension of the warranty is not an appropriate intervention when potentially catastrophic accidents could occur without warning. This was a well maintained vehicle with no identifiable signs that the transmission could fail. Subaru should be held accountable for these failing CVT transmissions.

Filed Apr 3, 2019 · Transmission · 141,000 miles · NH

Hit a bump and dashboard lit up with sensor lights. Subaru repair shop inspected with codes and said I need a new valve body for $1700. The warranty extension for this ended july 2018, but I never received a notification from subaru or from my subaru dealer regarding this known problem with the CVT.

Filed Apr 26, 2018 · Transmission · PA

Car won't shift into proper gear has a jerky feel CVT won't allow to manual shift all the lights on the gauge cluster is on including the check engine.

Filed Dec 21, 2012 · Transmission · 45 miles · MD

I backed up in my driveway and shifted into drive and I noticed a lag time of about 2 seconds shifting from reverse to drive. I contacted the subaru dealership and the staff assured me that was normal for the CVT transmission. When I took the subaru impreza for the 2500 mile check up and spoke to the service manager at the dealership, he also felt that this was a safety issue especially when backing up into traffic and waiting for the transmission and it's "slow engagement" into drive. He has expressed his views to subaru and like me has been assured it's ok. I still feel it's a safety issue.

Filed Apr 23, 2012 · Transmission · 1,940 miles · IL

I was driving my vehicle in rush hour traffic at 65 MPH and all of a sudden my vehicle acted as if I had shifted into neutral. It started to decelerate and when I pressed down on the accelerator, it only revved the RPM's higher. It did not speed up to allow me to safely get out of traffic. I tried manually shifting the automatic CVT transmission, but this made no difference. The cruise control was not on at the time. I turned on my flashers and was able to go from the left lane to the shoulder. I put the car in park, shut off the ignition and let it set for a minute. I then restarted the car and was able to drive away. I immediately drove it to the subaru dealership. They tested it for a couple days and were unable to recreate the incident. They said that there were no codes stored and I did not see any check engine light when this happened. They also said they filed a claim with subaru north america. The service tech said he has never heard of anything like this happening with subaru. I no longer feel safe driving this vehicle.

Filed Mar 1, 2012 · Transmission · 500 miles · OH

Tl* the contact owns a 2012 subaru impreza. The contact stated that while approaching a traffic stop, the vehicle stalled and all of the warning lamps illuminated. The contact stated that he restarted the vehicle but the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the CVT transmission was defective and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who stated that they would contact him at a later date. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 500.