2013 Subaru Outback: jerking or lurching

Filed Jan 8, 2024 · Brakes, Transmission · FL

I was driving on a highway when my car started to suddenly stutter, hesitate, and jerk after about an hour on the road. I pulled over on the shoulder immediately and tried to better position the car further off the highway with the same vehicle behavior. Initially I thought a tire had blown so sudden was the impact but after exterior inspection I realized the tires were fine and the problem was probably under the hood. The CVT transmission and TCM malfunctioned, and electric parking brake engaged creating a noise. My ability to steer the vehicle in a predictable direction was gone creating a safety hazard on the highway or any road. The car had to be long-distance towed back to where I live; it could not be safely driven. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by two independent service centers, one a general service center and the other a foreign car expert service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else. There were dashboard warning lights that came on at the time the vehicle started to shake. The lights were the vehicle dynamics control warning light and the check engine warning light. A " boat load" of transmission codes that lead to the vehicle being assessed at the foreign car service center. I am asking for Subaru’s assistance in resolving this matter. I purchased a Subaru based on recommendations from other family members and their experience of having multiple Subaru vehicles some of which lasted 300,00 miles. If this is a manufacturing problem I believe that Subaru has a responsibility to notify their owners of the potential problem (which didn’t happen in my case) and a responsibility to resolve the problem when it occurs. I took my vehicle into my nearest Subaru dealership for a warranty repair that I was notified of approx. three years ago. No one notified me of the potential CVT transmission problem at that time. My vehicle cannot be driven in its current state and it is dangerous to drive because of this problem.

Filed Dec 15, 2022 · Acceleration, Engine · CT

I experienced a sudden unintended acceleration of my 2013 Subaru Outback while braking to make a left hand turn at a stoplight on Federal Road in Brookfield, CT. I was able to squeeze the brake hard while shifting into neutral to avoid slamming into the car in front of me while the engine raced. The car would have gone out of control had I not been able to press very hard on the brake pedal. This incident was not the first time this unintended acceleration of the vehicle occurred. About a month ago, I was in a similar situation on the road when I was decelerating and applying the brake that the car had a rapid unintended acceleration that caused me to press very hard on the brake pedal to keep the car from lurching forward. I’ve owned the vehicle since December 2012 and this situation has probably occurred less than 5 times over the 10 years of operation. Each time I thought it was perhaps my error for somehow touching the accelerator with my foot while the brake was applied. After the recent November 22 incident, I now realize that there is likely a systemic problem with the accelerator. I plan to have accelerator inspected by the dealer.

Filed Aug 4, 2019 · Acceleration, Steering · 40,000 miles · CA

When driving over 40mph the car seems to jerk out of the blue it even seems like one side of the vehicle lifts or tilts as if it has hydraulics makes it hard to control continuously grip the steerg wheel in order to keep control is unbearable. There is something seriously wrong after readg online&on this website obvious somethings wrong. Why r u waiting for crashes& possible deaths to raise this issue? When driving on the highway at normal highway speeds all of a sudden you feel a quick pull as if a magnet just pulled your car and it also starts to lift when driving on the highway at normal speeds. Car lifts the front right side of suspension as if it's going to roll over and at the time it drops like it's going to fold under and you're going to crash. Like it has hydraulics but only on one side. This is very scary when your driving at normal highway speeds. This makes you slow down out of nowhere and causing others around you to suddenly avoid you. This is a nightmare. Subaru needs to acknowledge there is a problem. See all the other complaints and there is a lot more online by others that don't know how to go to this website and place a formal complaint because I did not even know about it. Came across by mistake. This car is meant for driving long distances and I am afraid to do so. When your afraid to drive your own car scarred of the quick jerk and the possible rolling of your car due to the "real" actions the car is performing while driving is and should be a vehicle safety concern prior to accidents and deaths taking place. Just because the "manufacturer" says it's in specs does't mean nothg wrong plus its the manuf sayg this, not an independent company.boweing their airplane had hard time stating plane's fault. You can not put the manuf in charge of making the right choice when it comes to money.

Filed Feb 14, 2019 · Transmission · 56,000 miles · CA

The transmission jerks and stutters and while in traffic the car lost power for approximately 5 seconds and I was almost hit. It happens at low and high speeds. It has happened on city streets and the latest was on the highway. I have also had it stall completely at low speeds. I've had it in the dealership 3 times and they say they can't replicate it. I have had the transmission flushed. It still continues. It feels unsafe to drive.

Filed Jan 5, 2015 · Acceleration, Electrical · 35,700 miles · GA · crash

Prior to this incident, I had noticed several occasions where the engine would suddenly rev for no reason while I was driving at a slow speed or braking. This incident happened on dec 2, 2014 at approx. 7:40am eastern time. As I was approaching the security check-in gate at my job, traveling about 10 MPH, I depressed the brake to slow down and wait for the gate to open. As I was slowing down, the engine suddenly rev'd to maximum and the car accelerated and lurched forward. I was not able to stop or control the car and it crashed through the security barrier gate. No one was injured and there was no damage done to the car, but the metal arm of the gate was severely bent. I took the vehicle to my subaru dealer several days later to be inspected and report the incident. The dealer said there was a problem with the engine control module (ECM) and updated the software. Since then, the car has run smoothly with no further acceleration problems. The ECM update also seemed to solve a problem I had experienced where the car had difficulty starting up.

Filed Jan 2, 2014 · Fuel system, Suspension · 9,000 miles · MD

In temperatures lower than 45 degrees f, if not 'warmed up' the car will make a loud thunk noise and lurch forward upon being put into drive. If the brake is not firmly engage, the car will jump forward. The subaru dealer claims this is caused by the car's status as a performance vehicle, and engine warm up needs to occur to lower the rpms.