2020 Subaru Outback: transmission slipping

Filed Nov 3, 2026 · Transmission · TX

Hendrick Honda Cars of McKinney sold me a 2020 Subaru Outback with severely mismatched tires, completely failing to identify the issue despite passing the vehicle through three separate pre-sale and/or safety inspections. Subaru strictly requires identical tire tread depths across all four wheels on its symmetrical All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system to maintain stable power distribution and vehicle control. Selling and operating an AWD vehicle with a critical tread depth variance (5/32" vs 10/32") forces the tires to rotate at different speeds, putting severe, un-designed friction and heat stress on the center differential. This introduces an immediate, permanent risk of unexpected drivetrain binding, catastrophic mechanical failure, or sudden loss of vehicle control at highway speeds. To further mask this hazard, the dealership installed subpar new tires and actively deleted the vehicle's wheel alignment data from Internal Repair Invoice #369267 to hide the defect. When I subsequently forced the facility to run a proper alignment check, the data confirmed the vehicle was dangerously out of alignment. I complained about slipping and the smell of rubber numerous times to be told my tires and vehicle were safe. By intentionally deleting tracking data and pushing a dangerously misaligned, mismatched AWD vehicle through three consecutive inspections, the facility actively covered up a severe mechanical safety risk, exposing the driver and public to potential drivetrain failure and loss of control. They have admitted to this in writing also..

Filed Sep 28, 2026 · Transmission · TX

Noticed minor hesitation in the reverse down our driveway Aug 2024. By Aug 2026, the transmission hesitation has turned into very noticeable shudder and slip. In reverse down the driveway, the TR580 CVT was showing premature initial failure resulting in unexpected loss of motive power control as well as acceleration hesitation in forward. This transmission defect compromised the ability to safely navigate down the driveway and through traffic, creating an risk of a rear end collision and stranding the vehicle in a hazardous roadway position. The vehicle was driven to Austin Subaru dealer early September 2026 where certified technicians inspected it. They diagnosed a catastrophic internal failure that is pending and stated the entire transmission assembly requires complete replacement. We were quoted an out of pocket retail repair cost of $9,774. Additional consideration: This defect occurred at exceptionally low mileage (<37,000) on a well maintained vehicle as it included Subaru provided services through April 2025. Only had a single oil change at a third party. Furthermore, Subaru of America Corporate Customer Advocacy was contacted regarding this exact VIN. Despite Subaru previously issuing a warranty extension program for identical transmission "judder" and slipping defects on 2019-2020 models (extending coverage to 10 years/100,000 miles), corporate formally denied coverage for my vehicle. This indicates that the dangerous premature CVT failure defect extends beyond the specific manufacturing batches Subaru has currently acknowledged, leaving drivers exposed to sudden loss of propulsion at highway speeds. I am requesting the federal safety agency investigate the 2020 Subaru Outback TR580 CVT for inherent safety defects leading to sudden loss of motive power.

Filed Feb 22, 2026 · Transmission · MN

I'm writing to request assistance with my recall. This recall was first reported to the local dealership over one year ago. They have had me take the car back 4 times for inspection. Since that time as the problem has proceeded to get worse, which will now cost even more to repair, and increase the likelihood of the transmission damaging other parts of the drivetrain. Now I just received notification that they will not perform the recall as my vehicle doesn’t qualify. It has the problem of transmission slipping which is what the recall is for. I saw the pictures they took that looked exactly like the problem specified. I do not have $7000 dollars plus to fix the transmission. I can’t sell the car because the VIN will show the recall (which I’m sure they will try to just remove). All they have done is waste my time for the last year to do what? Gather enough evidence to try and get out of the recall?

Filed Aug 7, 2025 · Transmission · 56,700 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while attempting to make a turn, the transmission was slipping while attempting to shift gears. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 56,700. The VIN was not available.

Filed Feb 12, 2025 · Transmission · KY

The car shifted (transmission) into neutral when cruising down the interstate at 62 MPH and stayed in neutral until the ignition was turned off. With no brake light cars were not worn and was nearly hit from behind. 2 weeks earlier the same happened on a city street. There was a previous transmission recall WRK-21Chain Slippage Recall on this vehicle that apparently didn't correct the problem.

Filed Mar 9, 2024 · Transmission · NC

[XXX] recall , Chain is slipping , Subaru Dealer In Boone NC Recommends [XXX] repair kit. Dealer, Hendrick of SouthPoint, Durham NC, won't cover expenses, because when they did the original procedure, [XXX] noted nothing was slipping at the time, and they updated the TCU and stamped completed. Now that the car is over 100k miles by just a few thousand they will not repair it. Cost to repair $12000.00. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Apr 22, 2022 · Engine, Transmission · OH

On 3 separate occasions, my transmission has switched from automatic mode to manual “Auto-stick” mode on its own with no input from me. There were no warning lamps or error messages, and the gearshift was still firmly in Drive. This has resulted in 3 near-miss accidents because the car landed in 1st gear even though I was going about 30 mph each time. From my experience driving manual transmission vehicles, I know what happens when a moving vehicle is suddenly jammed into 1st gear—it comes to an immediate, violent stop. On all 3 occasions, I was lucky not to have other cars behind me. But I know I won’t be so lucky forever. Sooner or later, I will be rear-ended when this happens. I have taken the car to the dealership twice for inspection. They told me that they had never heard of nor seen any vehicle doing what I described. Technicians drove it 7 miles and reported no incidents. I knew it was unlikely to happen on command since it has occurred 3 times in 32,000 miles. They told me that Subaru requires dealerships to reproduce issues before undertaking any repairs. Therefore, they returned the vehicle and told me that it absolutely could NOT change modes unless I had bumped or moved the gearshift. Less than 2 weeks later, the defect happened for the third time. I returned to the dealership and insisted they look further into the problem. I involved the Service Dept manager so that my complaint might be taken more seriously. There is an open recall on the transmission for slipping but they said the 2 issues were unrelated. This time they kept the car for a week and drove it 46 miles. They connected a diagnostic computer to the transmission while driving it. But again, I was told since they witnessed no problems, they could do nothing more. I showed them a blog on Edmunds.com from Subaru owners reporting this exact issue beginning in 2011. Owners have taken this to Subaru many times but new cars still do this. Please help. I’m at my wit’s end. Thank you.

Filed Feb 4, 2022 · Transmission · OH

Since purchase, the transmission occasionally slipped and "clunked". Over the past few months, it has become worse, and now, with increasing frequency, grinds vibrates and shakes. It was taken into the dealership and nothing was done to fix the problem. We feel it represents a clear and present danger that could result in a severe accident.

Filed Oct 19, 2021 · Transmission · FL

3 months ago the 2020 Subaru outback required a rebuild of the transmission at about 50K miles. I was told it was due to uneven wear on the tires. They would not fix it until I replaced all 4 tires costing $600 which I did. They fixed the transmission and now it is not working again, the same problem slipping of the transmission.