My wife and children were driving down the highway when the car began to shift hard, as my wife slowed down the vehicle stalled out stranding them on a busy highway . They were stuck on the highway in 100 degree temperatures until a tow truck arived. We had this towed to a subaru dealer and we were told it was a transmission error that was a known issue by subaru. Subaru issued an extended warrenty to correct the issue however we were 3 days to late to take advantage of this offer. I contacted subaru to request that they cover the cost of the repair since it was a known fault in the transmission parts used in the vehicle. They refused to help with any of the repairs.
2011 Subaru Outback transmission complaints
Page 6 of 8: complaints 131 to 160 of 216, newest first, as owners wrote them.
While braking at intersections, engine stalls causing dangerous situations for my wife and self. We are beginning to fear driving our subaru.
It seems to me that this is a faulty torque converter. My car when making an abrupt stops seems to stall out and die
When having to come to a hard stop the engine will die. It has happened 3 times now. Our shop ran a diagnostic and it showed a problem with the torque converter.
2011 subaru outback only driven by myself, 93000 miles mostly highway. Stalling regularly when coming to a sudden or fast stop. Slow stopping and pumping brakes would avoid the stall. Rpms would suddenly drop after going below 1200. Out of warranty. Valve body and torque converter replaced. This issue has been noted for many subaru CVT between 2010 and 2012 and should have extended warranty to cover and repairs should be made at no cost to owner due to obvious fault in design.
Over the past year my mechanic has put in two new batteries in my car. My 2011 outback has a problem with starting, this was back when I had 80,000 miles on it. The connectors where fine and he cleaned them. The issue still has not been resolved, he can't seem to figure out what is causing it. There is no problem with the alternator. The passenger rear brake light has been replaced three times in four years of ownership, again no cause for the problem. I've taken it to authorized subaru dealerships and the original one I purchased from to no prevail. Today I write with the issue of my CVT. The fact that I received a one year or 100,000 miles from date of year made is or which ever comes first is complete crap. Today I started experiencing issues with the car wanting to what I describe as stalling out. I was going down my road which was slushy from snow/rain but mainly wet from the rain that came. Subaru told me there is nothing wrong, and won't do anything till something brakes. So if the problem which has plagued almost fifty thousand outbacks causing 'stalling" like manuals when the clutch isn't engaged and being told it needs to brake?? This is not safe to owners. This is not safe to other motorists.this is deaths waiting to happen, this needs to be addressed and made a recall. Only in the united states can a manufacturer get away with such things as this. I'm heading into winter in new england, last thing I need is for my car to fail in a storm, medical situation etc.. And be stranded because the automaker isn't taken full responsibility. Snow blows don't stop on a time, is it really necessary to continue to neglect the problem ?? Which should be a recall which is failure on the government for not forcing the issue.
The car is having issues at idling and shuts off / stalls while at the traffic light or stop signals. Dealer replaced the torque converter but the issue still persists.
Car is starting to stall when stopping from a higher speed 45-50mph at traffic lights on highways.
Car stalls when coming to a stop. This stalling is getting more frequent at both intersections and at traffic lights(both city streets and driving on highways with traffic lights) and is more pronounced when coming to a hard stop. This is becoming a dangerous safety hazard and should be recalled for correction. This started occurring in my are in sept 2017 and has now to the point I can not drive the car safely. I have brought the subaru outback to the dealer for a repair under the subaru tsb 06-107-17 and they are telling me it is not eligible under the extended warranty and the repair in approx $2000.00
My vehicle shutters and dies when stopping at intersections. Took to local dealership for diagnostic service . Told me they could not duplicate issue. Said they could not fix unless they could keep my vehicle and recreate the issue. I work full time and cannot leave my vehicle with them. I was not offered a loaner vehicle while they tried to troubleshoot my vehicle issue. My car is coming up on 100,000 miles. This is a known issue that subaru does not seem to want to fix . This is a safety issue. Please issue a recall before someone gets hurt.
I have been complaining about my car's symptoms to dealers and service mechanics since august 2014 (90,000+miles) with no diagnosis or repair. Symptoms could not be replicated or when low rpms were noted, it was just that - noted. My vehicle shudders, headlights dim, and dips to low rpms when approaching a stop or when in reverse at low speeds. It has stalled 4 times since I have brought it up. The first few were in a parking lot and at traffic lights. This morning was scary (143,000miles)- I was in heavy traffic and could not place the vehicle in park, remove my key or restart my car. I had to run out of my car and leave it there momentarily to get help. From what I understand, subaru has an extended CVT warranty tsb 16-107-17. In it, tsb 16-90-13r - design change to lock-up type torque converter is referred to. I believe this is my problem. But I'm getting the runaround from different subaru dealers and subaru of americas hotline on how this is addressed since I have over 100k miles and whether or not the torque converter is covered in this warranty. Since it is "not a recall, as it does not impact the safety of your vehicle", I cannot get it looked at right away nor am I offered a rental while waiting to do so. Please - stalling in traffic randomly is a safety hazard! I have to wait a week before I can get an appointment to just check this and hope this time they discover the same things I have - meanwhile I'm not offered a rental and have to drive this one that may stall at any time. Please consider having the faulty torque converter assembly recalled. Those who have symptoms of randomly stalling in traffic - our lives are in danger and it's only a matter of time before tragedy occurs.perhaps unrelated - my vehicle has also stalled on the freeway going 65mph... Lost acceleration and I had enough momentum to pull to the shoulder.
Car abruptly shifts, loses power, and intermittently stalls in lower gears during operation. This may occur during braking, idling, or acceleration. Three times the engine shut off completely while driving at lower speeds. All check engine dash lights would illuminate and the car would have to be placed back into park and the ignition turned off and back on to restart. It sometimes took several tries. This creates a significant hazard for being struck in intersections, or from behind in moving traffic. Car was in the shop for 2 weeks. Subaru mechanics confirmed a defective torque converter and recommended replacement. My mileage was 114k at onset. Car is automatic transmission 2011 subaru outback 2.5 I. I had car maintained properly at all recommended service intervals. These problems started after 100k and occurred without prior warning. Essentially, the automobile went from fully functional to this situation (sudden stalling during operation) within a week. This situation is a safety hazard and the transmissions should be recalled and replaced immediately. There is a safety bulletin related to this issue (tsb no. 16-101-16) and a warranty extension is not enough. Cars beyond 100k miles may not be eligible for coverage of the repairs, which may incur costs of several thousand dollars. Manufacturers must be held accountable for defective product.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. While coming to a complete stop with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle stalled without warning and the rpms decreased to less than 500. The contact placed the gear shifter into park and restarted the vehicle. The failure recurred numerous times. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic (chipp auto in fairmont, wv) where it was diagnosed that the torque convertor failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
Very low engine RPM when coming to a stop.it, once in a while with A/C running, killed the engine while at traffic light. It certainly is scary to almost having an accident because of it. Performed recommended maintenance by the dealership (trans fluid replacement, new spark plugs, new air filter), however, it didn't fix this very low idle issue.
2011 subaru outback 2.51 premium engine stutters and quits upon hard/quick braking. Hard/quick braking followed by vehicle engine quitting typically occurs in heavy traffic, resulting in near accidents. After research: cleaned the mass air intake sensor and throttle sensor. No improvement. Upon further research, appears to be a faulty torque converter.
Transmission shudders intensely when coming to a stop around 5 MPH. Also shudders when stopped, rpms dip to about 500. Car stalled twice in the last few days.
The torque converter on the 2011 subaru outback is defective when it reaches higher mileage and causes the vehicle to stall out when stopping abruptly (hard braking). I was driving approximately 30-40mph in suburban traffic when I needed to abruptly brake. My vehicle stalled out twice in traffic after hard braking, both times while driving straight. This is dangerous in traffic as you must restart the vehicle from the stall out and could be hit by other vehicles while doing so. For safety, it is necessary to replace this defective part, which is ridiculously expensive for the owner. Owners are loosing out; subaru should recall this part and replace free of charge.
Car stalls at when coming to a hard stop (sometimes this happens in traffic which is really dangerous). After the stall, the car starts up fine. But then stalls when coming to a hard stop.
My 2011 subaru outback is experiencing shuddering & stalls when coming to a stop resulting in the engine shutting off. It occurs randomly, and nearly got in accidents with drivers behind me having to react to the sudden full stops. The vehicle is at a subaru dealership now for repairs to the torque converter as well as the valve box and value box wiring harness. There is a subaru technical bulletin #16-90-13r regarding a known problem with the torque converter: "2010-12 my legacy and outback models equipped with CVT transmission", subject "design change to lock-up type torque converter". Given the danger of random stalling events, the number of reported incidents, and the ~$4400 repair expense being put on me for a known design problem, I would think this should be strongly considered for a recall.
My 2011 subaru outback is experiencing shuddering & stalls when coming to a stop resulting in the engine shutting off. It occurs randomly, and nearly got in accidents with drivers behind me having to react to the sudden full stops. The vehicle is at a subaru dealership now for repairs. There is a subaru technical bulletin #16-90-13r regarding a known problem with the torque converter: "2010-12 my legacy and outback models equipped with CVT transmission", subject "design change to lock-up type torque converter". Given the danger of random stalling events, the number of reported incidents, and the ~$1500 repair expense being put on the consumer for a known design problem, this should be strongly considered for a recall.
I had notified you about my subaru outback and the stalling problem we were having whenever we would come to a quick stop. Subaru mechanic said that the transmission needed to be replaced at a cost of $11,000. We had a local transmission shop look at it and they said it was the torque converter. They replaced the converter at a much cheaper cost and the vehicle so far has performed well. I have talked to other owners that are experiencing the stutter problem whenever they come to a stop but the vehicle has not stalled. I am confident that it will in time just as ours did. Should subaru issue a recall on these converters?
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. While driving approximately 15 MPH, the vehicle shuddered and stalled. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, but the technician could not identify the cause of the failure. The dealer diagnosed that the torque converter failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 97,500.
Torque converter is malfunctioning. This is a known subaru defect, I believe. The car dies if I make a sudden stop- definitely a safety hazard. This happens on highways and surface streets.
The torque converter locks up at low rpms and causes the car to stall. This is problematic at intersections and in traffic (which we experience a lot of in austin, texas). It is an ongoing problem that started recently.
Engine stalls when the car comes to a quick stop. Similar to when you fail to push in the clutch on a standard transmission, but in this case, this is car has an automatic transmission.
My car stalls regularly when braking quickly, like when someone stops suddenly in front of me. It also stalls while applying the brake to stop at a light on a hill. This fault has placed me in several hazardous situations, including stalling on railroad tracks, and in busy intersections. When I first complained about it two years ago, subaru told me that it was an oxygen/fuel mixture issue and wanted to charge me $1200 to fix it. But when I searched on line, other subaru owners were complaining of the same issue and the oxygen/fuel fix didn't work for them after spending all the money to fix it. After living with this fault for nearly two years, I went to another repair shop who told me about this tsb: date: 01/06/14 revised: 05/07/14 applicability: 2010-12 my legacy and outback models equipped with CVT transmission subject: design change to lock-up type torque converter introduction this bulletin announces the availability of a countermeasure torque converter assembly to address a customer concern of very low engine RPM when coming to a stop. The condition is similar to coming to a stop in a manual transmission equipped vehicle without depressing the clutch pedal. Thrust washer wear inside the torque converter can cause restriction of the oil passage used to bleed off lock-up clutch application pressure. The result is either a delayed (momentary low engine RPM) or no lock-up pressure release. The thrust washer has been changed from a solid bushing-type to a needle bearing type. Subaru wants $1500 for this torque converter assembly to be replaced. If you search on line, you'll discover that this is a common issue. This needs to be upgraded to a vehicle recall, not just a tsb. This is a fault in subaru's CVT transmission design that is a danger to everyone driving one. Please help us in enforcing this recall. Thank you.
Our 2011 outback would stutter at a stop, subaru said this was the way it was designed to conserve fuel. The vehicle now stalls, always starts back up but this is not comforting especially when my wife is driving by herself. This began sometime in january 2017 subaru tech said need to replace the entire transmission at a cost of $11,000. That's crazy. Was referred by a friend to a transmission shop in baytown, says it is the torque converter and can either be rebuilt or replaced. I took it in yesterday and hopefully will pick it up friday. I have made several trips to the subaru dealer and called the headquarters. I am not pleased with my first subaru. Should have stayed with a toyota which I have had great success with. Our family of 4 had 4 camry's and got a combined total of over 1,200,000 miles on them.
I have experienced a driver safety concern that can easily cause a collision to occur. When coming to a stop the automatic transmission does not go to neutral and the engine halts. I have to restart the car. This is dangerous as it may cause a rear end collision and has almost done so on numerous occasions. This is related to bulletin number 16-90-13r that has already been opened with subaru on 01/06/2014. The remedy is to replace torque converter thrust washer from a solid bushing-type to a needle bearing type. I strongly believe this should be a recall issue and not be passed onto to the customer. This can easily escalate to a class action law suit if a serious collision were to happen. Here is the complaint presented to subaru bulletin number 16-90-13r; date: 01/06/14 revised: 05/07/14 applicability: 2010-12 my legacy and outback models equipped with CVT transmission subject: design change to lock-up type torque converter introduction this bulletin announces the availability of a countermeasure torque converter assembly to address a customer concern of very low engine RPM when coming to a stop. The condition is similar to coming to a stop in a manual transmission equipped vehicle without depressing the clutch pedal. Thrust washer wear inside the torque converter can cause restriction of the oil passage used to bleed off lock-up clutch application pressure. The result is either a delayed (momentary low engine RPM) or no lock-up pressure release. The thrust washer has been changed from a solid bushing-type to a needle bearing type.
Car transmission shudders on deceleration; occasionally killing the engine altogether. Feels like clutching mechanism within the automatic transmission is not functioning properly. Dealer prescribed a new transmission. Subsequently I researched multiple instances of similar situation/symptoms in same model year, but my VIN was excluded from the federal safety agency safety recall tsb no. 16-101-16. This situation is too coincidental; the recall needs to be expanded.
Car stalls at hard stops and shudders on highway at speeds 45-55
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