Transmission failure. No specific event or activity lead to the failure. Transmission worsened over a period of weeks - rough shifts and eventually unable to get into all gears.
Subaru SVX transmission failure problems
55 of the 291 owner complaints about the Subaru SVX describe complete transmission failure, most of them for the 1992 model year.
- owner complaints
- 55
- worst model year
- 1992
- typical repair cost reported
- $4,000
- typical mileage
- 121,500
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
By model year
Often reported together
What owners say
Transmission failed with 64000 mi. Trans shop "rebuilt" it and added a trans cooler for 2200$ as soon as I fist drove it I noticed the car "binding up" during turns at slow speed. Shop owner said he couldn't replicate or feel anything wrong, with me in the car and it was clearly binding during slow turns, he refused to acknowledge any problem. Also there is a noise, like a bolt inside the torque converter that I hear when I am off the throttle. Also have replaced both rear wheel bearings. Cabin trunk release has failed and all of the hood/trunk struts have failed.
The transmission failed on my subaru svx 1992 year model. The vehicle only has 65k miles on it and has been maintained per the manufacturer's recommendations. The transmission failed prematurely.
Transmission failure.
I purchases a subaru svx 1992 model. I test drove it and it seemed fine. Took it to a mechanic to have it looked over and it came back clean except for some suggestions to change brake pads , fluids etc. This was all done. However a couple months later a major problem occurred. The gear would sometimes not shift, the car would make a loud thud sound in reverse and over rev on highway driving. I found out from various forums that this car has a flaw , the transmission is due to failure. Every car owner in this forum has experienced premature transmission failure. The cost to have this completely fixed costs over $4000. A problem that owners should not pay for because of faulty engineering. The later models have the same problem but not as prone to it. Why did subaru never have these cars recalled or parts recalled? Another problem occurred, while driving the car back from the purchase location, there was a humming sound from the trunk, it got louder and louder and at 500 miles later it was a grinding and loud sound. My mechanic listed it as a wheel bearing problem. On subaru forums as well as advice from mechanics the subaru is prone to sever wheel bearing problems. In some cases generating heat that they had recounted cars with molded bearings and broken axles. Another problem is the ABS system. I guess the brake pump is also a component that leaks. I need to have my braked refilled every other day and the fuel pump costs around 2000$ I wish for you to send this report to subaru to voice this concern for me and on behalf of the many subaru svx drivers that are faced with enduring these costly mistakes due to poor engineering. Subaru should have a program to fix these parts or allow a trade in for current blue book refunds or some way or letting individuals know that they are sorry. The car is a fine piece of art and these minor problems makes it a piece of junk.
1992 subaru svx transmission failure. Everything on the car works great but 3rd and 4th gear.. Subaru needs to help us out since the repairs would cost $4200, that's more then blue book.
I had transmission failure of the 3rd and 4th gears that started out as gears slipping, then the transmission stopped shifting to 3rd and 4th all together. I did not do anything to fix the problem because it is too expensive. I had to buy another car just to get to and from work since it was cheape, and I have been letting the car sit in my driveway.
While driving 100 MPH transmission failed. Engine revved at a high rate. Then, vehicle lost power, and the consumer hit a wall. Vehicle was towed. The dealership was notified, but did not resolve the problem.
My svx, although it is a 92' the front differential failed at about 98,000 miles. I expected the life of the transmission to last a lot longer. The car is in good condition, but it will cost me over $6000 to fix as reno subaru says I will need a complete new transmission to fix the problem. The car is probabley only worth about that much. My car is sitting in my drive way, I don't want to scrap it but don't want to spend the entire worth of the car to fix the problem.
Transmission failure due to design and construction flaws of the manufacturer.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the Subaru SVX transmission failure
Which Subaru SVX years have complete transmission failure problems?
The model years with the most reports are 1992 (44 complaints), 1994 (7 complaints) and 1995 (3 complaints).
How much does it cost to fix complete transmission failure on the Subaru SVX?
Owners who mentioned a price put the repair at about $4,000 (median of 5 complaints that include a dollar amount). Costs vary with mileage, warranty and where the work is done.
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