My vehicle accumulates a lot of highway miles. These are easy and unstrenuous to and from work. Over the past 3 months I had my vehicle misdiagnosed three times when I was complaining of transmission problems. As I have just broken 125,000 miles my vehicle gets diagnosed with needing a new head gasket and a new transmission. Costing easily more than the vehicle is worth. Subaru it not willing to back their vehicles. The vehicle should be lasting well past 125,000 without major mechanical problems like these that could have ended in serious injury. At this point nothing has been done to rectify what could have been an unsafe situation had I not continually prompted them to properly diagnose the problem. At this time my vehicle is unsafe to drive and has been over the past few months due to these issues.
2011 Subaru Outback transmission complaints
Page 4 of 8: complaints 71 to 100 of 216, newest first, as owners wrote them.
My 2011 subaru outback abruptly stalls when I stop. This occurrs in dangerous situations such as stopping at intersections, in traffic, and every other situation that requires braking while driving. It is similar to stalling a manual vehicle by braking without the clutch depressed
I was 40 miles from home after coming down a steep curvy mountain road in manual when subaru began shifting with big jerks and shudders in early sept 2019, had trouble shifting from one gear to next. Hanlee's subaru evaluated, replaced valve body and serpentine belt. A few days later in rush hour traffic at a rr crossing it shuddered to a stop and died during which there was a loud clanking sound under and behind me. I started it up again but was terrified of causing an accident. Returned to hanlee's where they had it for a week and could not reproduce the symptoms.since I picked it up it still has a "bump" when I slow down. Then 0n 11/4/19 it did the same shuddering stop when I braked in traffic(going 35 MPH) five miles from my house, dying completely. I restarted it and took it to subaru. They say it might be a torque converter. I'm worried for my safety. I also see that both the CVT and torque converter had extended warranties issued for these reasons. When these problems began the car had 110k miles. This is my third subaru and have never experienced such poor , dangerous performance on a car that should run well for at least 200k miles with good service. I am waiting to hear from hanlee's on the second day they have had my car.
My 2011 subaru outback has stalled out several times this summer, but the event that I can recall most objectively for reporting purposes occurred on august 17, 2019 when my vehicle stalled completely after applying the brakes suddenly to stop due to being flagged by an oncoming driver on my neighborhood road while traveling about 40 MPH. I had to turn over ignition switch to get the vehicle going again. When I reached home, I researched online for causes of stalling in 2011 subaru outbacks, and I found numerous complaints by other owners of the same issue. According to people who have had their vehicles repaired it is the torque converter. Subaru issued an extension to the vehicle warranty to cover the cost of repair up to 100,000 miles which does me no good because at the time of the incident, I was well over the 100,000 miles. Cost of the repairs on average is $2200.00. It is my understanding that if there is a known problem with a vehicle where driver/occupant safety is at risk, the car manufacturer has to recall the product. I would think a car stalling completely while in operation/motion in traffic/ road travel would qualify as a potential safety hazard.
The car engine cuts off when suddenly decelerating. My wife and child stalled twice already in traffic, once at a busy intersection. Also water leaks into the center brake light. Parking brake does not work.
My 2011 subaru outback sometimes shudders while slowing down and has started stalling out at stops. I feel this is quite unsafe. I took it to my local subaru dealer and they told me it needs a torque converter. They quoted $1459.45 for the repair. The man at subaru told me it is unsafe to drive, as it may fail while driving and cause an accident.
I purchased my 2011 subaru outback at 75,000 miles from hansel subaru in santa rosa,ca in april of 2017 from a salesman named andre. A couple weeks after purchasing it I took it back to the dealership to get the transmission inspected because it was not driving properly (complaining of hard shifting). After they inspected it they asked me if this was my first CVT and I said yes, they told me that the car needed to learn my driving habits so they did a 're-learn' on the CVT which I had to pay for out of pocket. At this time I had no knowledge of the extended warranty or the CVT transmission the subaru released in 2014. This should have been disclosed when I purchased the car. When I took it in for the inspection they should have replaced the CVT according to they service bulletin with the extended warranty. A couple weeks ago I'm driving home from ventura at night, traveling 70mph in heavy traffic and out of nowhere all the dashboard lights start flashing and the car suddenly looses power, almost causing the vehicle behind me to rear-end me. The vehicle is at 125,000 miles (just outside the 100,000 mile extended warranty) and subaru is refusing to provide any assistance with a new transmission. Now I'm stuck with a repair bill of $8000 on a vehicle I still owe $10,000 on. This should be a recall, the passenger and I could have been injured or killed in a freeway pileup.
Car has been exhibiting intermittent low idling while parked or while stopped at red light and stop signs. About 3 days ago, on three separate trips my outback shuddered and shaked quite violently when stopping for oncoming traffic as I was attempting to turn. When I depressed the gas pedal to make the turn, the car continued to shudder and stalled amidst the three lane oncoming traffic. I restarted the car and gently depressed the gas pedal to hobble my way into a parking lot. I made my way back home fully aware of how the car behaved to avoid incident, but also leaving me afraid for my family's safety. I immediately scheduled a service appt at the subaru dealership. The car didn't exhibit any of the previous issues on my drive to the dealership. After agreeing to pay for the diagnosis fee, the service rep explained to me that I needed to replace the torque converter, which would cost me over $2000. I felt like I had no choice but to authorize the repair, so I did. After leaving my car at the shop to return home I had the opportunity to conduct some quick research about the torque converter as it pertains to my model year car. There have been numerous complaints filed to the federal safety agency and subaru of america about this issue. I recently purchased my outback used (second owner) at 145,000 miles in late may 2019. Extended warranty expired 8 months prior to my purchase. I took the car to the dealership to check for any outstanding recalls upon my purchase. But since the extended warranty (as a result of technical bulletin 16-90-13r) isn't an actual recall, nothing was flagged. There was absolutely no way for me to be aware of this until the problem revealed itself, now leaving me with a potentially hazardous (if not deadly) situation if not adequately remedied by the dealership. I'm currently working with subaru of america to see if they'll cover the expense.
Around 12pm on 8/28/19, my 2011 subaru outback stalled in the middle of an intersection as I was coming to a fast stop to allow an approaching ambulance to turn. I could not restart my car before the light changed, leaving me stranded in the flow of the intersection, unsure whether to continue through against the red light or stay put as cars drove by from both sides, a frightening and dangerous experience that left me shaken. As my safety was threatened by this incident, I notified subaru of america by phone on 9/6/19. I was contacted by antoine laval (customer/retailer services dept.) and will have an appointment with my subaru dealership at 1pm on 9/13/19 to have the transmission evaluated. My car has been shuddering/stalling intermittently for months, and it is now clear that this is due to the faulty CVT issue referenced in the letter sent to me june 2017. Although the letter states that "for vehicles that are more than ten (10) years old or have more than one hundred thousand (100,000) miles, inspections or repairs under this one year coverage period must be completed on or before july 31, 2018," I am petitioning subaru of america to fully cover the cost of repair/replacement of the faulty transmission in my subaru as compensation for being placed in the dangerous situation of being stranded in the middle of an intersection in cross traffic.
My car stalls when I brake suddenly. This happens randomly and has almost caused be to be involved in several accidents. Just this morning my car died after braking on the highway and I was nearly rear-ended.
When braking the car starts to shake and then stalls. You then need to put the car in park and restart. If you apply the brakes and feel the car shaking, sometimes letting off of the brake it will keep it from stalling. It is still an unsafe situation.
This is a new complaint after subaru agreed to replace the transmission at no cost to us, the original owners. The car was dropped for diagnosis on 7/29-told that it needed a new transmissions, parts ordered, and service scheduled. Subaru had the car for just over two weeks. Picked up on 8/13 and experienced the same issues that we had prior to dropping it off. Hesitation and stalling, etc. See previous complaint. Now they want us to drop it off for service again.
The car stalls when coming to a fast stop and sometimes shudders like it is going to stall when slowing down. This was horrible on the freeway during traffic as I had to restart my car numerous time. Got close to getting rear ended a few times. I took my car to subaru and it is a common problem but instead of doing a recall they extended the warranty to 100,000 miles. My car now has 103425 and not covered. It started around 102250 miles while in california on my way back home. I had to pay $2490.59 to have a safe car to drive. This is a major safety issue when it comes to transmission stalling while driving. How is it even legal that this isn't a recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. While driving various speeds, the vehicle started to vibrate abnormally without warning. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the continuously variable transmission failed and the vehicle should be taken to an authorized subaru dealer for repair. The vehicle was previously diagnosed at heritage subaru owings mills (located at 9808 reisterstown rd, owings mills, md 21117, (866) 738-1475); however, the mechanic was unable to retrieve a fault code or duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 100,000.
Within owning the vehicle for approximately 6 months, the vehicle began shuddering when coming to abrupt stops. This continued and by approximately 11 months, the shuddering had become more common in less abrupt stops and in some cases would stall the car. The issue remains persistent, however intermittent. The most recent time of it stalling was two days ago, approximately 18 months into owning the car. I've held up traffic numerous times due to this issue while having to restart the car, however this most recent time, it occurred on a steeper hill and, had I not reacted quickly with the brakes, I could have rolled back into a car and potentially injured the occupants and myself.
Car would shudder when coming to a stop occasionally and feel like it was going to stall. I brought it to a mechanic who couldn't replicate the problem. After months of this happening randomly, the car suddenly lit up with all these dash warning lights, I tried turning the car off and back on but the lights remained on, afterwards the car would suddenly lose power. As it was late in the evening, I drove home, with the car alternating between lurching forward and losing power. The next morning the problems continued. I took my car to my mechanic who said it was a transmission issue and I needed a transmission shop. My car has been there for over 2 weeks. They said that there was damage to the transmission and that this is a common problem with these cars, I have yet to receive an estimate for repairs. The day before the issues started I had to drive an hour and a half away, should these issues had happened on the highway, the car could have stalled out doing highway speeds and caused a major accident. Furthermore, I was never notified of the warranty extension. I purchased the car in december 2017, the shuddering occured at random since I purchased it, I known the shuddering was a symptom of a impending large, catastrophic issue, I would have been able to bring it to a dealer to have it repaired as the warranty extension expired july 2018.
Car hesitated while driving, rpms soared. Lights came on dashboard-check engine light, brake lights, traction control system lights as well as other lights. Took to local mechanic who advised the code related to transmission issues, he reset code and asked us to drive for a few days to see if it would come on again. It did. Same code. Contacted subaru of america who advised it would need to go to a "authorized subaru dealer" for diagnosis before they could help us. Research indicates that subaru extended the warranty on these vehicles for this exact problem to 10 years, 100,000 miles. The person I spoke to at subaru, martina brown indicated that once it was diagnosed that they would be able to review the claim and help us out, so we drove the car to our local subaru dealer. Car was driving fine when it was dropped there. After diagnosis, it was confirmed that the transmission needed to be replaced, but they refused to do it at no cost. In fact, they offered us 1k toward the purchase of a new subaru. What a joke, I can't even believe they would have the audacity to make an offer like that. We'd already been offered way more than that as a trade for a new vehicle elsewhere, but didn't take the offer because we were under the impression that subaru would do the right thing and fix it. The car is under the 10 years, but over the 100,000 miles. I feel that subaru should fix it at no cost since they knew this was an issue. There should have been a recall on this issue as it is a safety issue. They should be made to pay for these repairs. Please advise what options I can pursue to get this fixed at no cost to me, the original owner of the vehicle.
When coming to sudden stop vehicle stalls. It's due to a faulty torque converter.
When driving the check engine light/traction control light came on and stayed on while the cruise control and the parking break light began flashing. Lately I've noted the vehicle shuttering when slowing and almost stalling out. This is at stop lights/stop signs or driving out of the driveway. After taking it to the dealer they confirmed the valve body needed replacement...and that this is a known issue with over 1.5 million subarus affected. Could also be a torque converted issues, however, my dealer didn't mention this. I've contacted subaru as there was an extended warranty to 100k miles however, my car has just slightly more than that. It sounds like this is a known issue and creates anxiety to drive in traffic not knowing if your car will simply stall out and have someone hit you. This issue has been happening for a little bit of time (maybe 6 months?) with no lights showing issues. The car has been maintained consistently and on time since I bought it new.
Engine will abruptly stall due to low idle when coming to a stop or starting from a stop. Additionally, when starting from a stop, vehicle will shudder and lose power as if the transmission is not shifting. Dtc codes 2762, 2764, and 0700 are present indicating a problem with the unlocking of the torque converter. Vehicle has 152,000 miles. This is a serious safety issue when the car stalls unexpectedly in traffic. It is a known issue to subaru, and it is only a matter of time before someone is injured or killed because of this manufacturing defect. A recall needs to be issued!
Transmission failed - loss of power while driving
When traveling with cruise set car has stalled/stuttered. It also has an extreme stall/stutter when coming up to a stop or taking off from a stop. This has been a safety concern due to drivers around me needing to react to the sudden change of speed.
While slowing down the car starts to shutter then stalls out when my speed is under 15 MPH. I believe it's the torque clutch converter. I have to restart car in traffic. This happens every time I slow down weather its at a stop light or just turning.
Stalled at highway speed causing very dangerous situation. Check engine light and brake light, stability control light and at temperature lights flashing. Read so many known issues of this happening to others. We are under the 10 years but slightly over the 100,000 miles. I would think they would be willing to fix the issue at no charge. I am the original owner of vehicle. Engine had to be replaced 4years ago. That was covered under the extended warranty that we had purchased. I would like to say good things about subaru, but will be unable to do so if they don't fix this issue at n/c. Transmission problem probably
Was driving my outback in interstate traffic going the speed limit. Accelerated slightly to go up a hill and the car "lost power". Wouldn't accelerate. Speed dropped fast and I had to quickly pull over to keep from being "run over" by vehicles behind me
My vehicle will stall and turn off when coming to a stop. This has happened many times while on the city streets and when on the highway once during traffic. This could of been a deadly situation. The car also stalls and slips gears when going from 1st gear to 2nd causing a jerking motion like an manual transmission would do.
Under sudden breaking vehicle stalls. Engine stops and has to be restarted. This has happened at stop lights or in intersections if another vehicle in front stops suddenly. Have had this diagnosed as a faulty torque converter. This could be very dangerous if the car needs to get out of the way and is stalled! Subaru has known about this for years yet does not consider it a safety issue. I understand this has to do with their CVT transmission. A recall should be issued.
Vehicle stalls when coming to a rapid stop. The RPM plumets during the stopping action and does not recover in time, therefore causing the engine to stall. The vehicle does not have to be traveling particularly fast either. 15mph or above will cause this to happen. It does not occur all the time, but the frequency does increase over time. It is believed that this is a problem with the CVT torque converter.
A few weeks ago, my car started stalling out at low speeds while trying to accelerate. The car loses power and forward momentum and then catches up again. Starting from a stop light and entering an intersection, the car lurches unexpectedly, causing a disruption in forward momentum-- which is very alarming for me and the cars behind me. I took it to the subaru dealership for service and was told it needed a valve body replacement for the CVT. I asked specifically if the codes that came back said it needed a valve body replacement and was told, yes.
Stationary, started car and went to put in reverse gear (manual transmission) only to have it grind and pop out. Unable to put in reverse, now the other gears have been affected by a damaged reverse synchro breaking up. Earlier model year 2011 outbacks were part of a transmission (manual 6 speed) recall failure for lack of lubrication- this is a later in the year model so not covered under other recall.
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