2012 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 45 MPH AND REDUCING THE SPEED TO 20 MPH, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO SUBARU OF GLENDALE (1308 S. BRAND BLVD, GLENDALE, CA) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER WAS FAULTY AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND DID NOT ASSIST. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 162,000.

MY CAR OFTEN GETS STUCK WITH THE PARKING BRAKE ON AND I CANNOT MOVE THE CAR FORWARD OR BACKWARD. MOST TIMES I HAVE A CARLOAD OF GROCERIES AND NEED TO GET THEM TO THE FREEZER OR REFRIGERATOR. COMPUTER ENGINE ANALYSIS...... ABS C0054 BRAKE SWITCH ON MALFUNCTION C0057 ECM CONTROL...... EPB C0252 MOTOR MALFUNCTION DETAIL CODE 50A0 ..... C0234 VDC FAILURE DETAIL CODE C111..... C0242 POWER SUPPLY VOLTAGE FAILURE DETAIL CODE. I HAVE REPLACED BRAKES, REPLACED TIRES, CHECKED FLUID, CHECKED FUSES, ETC.

BRAKE LINE CORRODED. THIS IS A KNOWN SUBARU ISSUE, BUT RECALLS HAVE NOT AFFECTED THE 2012 OUTBACK AS OF YET; WANTED TO REPORT THIS AS A POSSIBLE SAFETY ISSUE. CAR IS IN A SNOWY REGION BUT ALL ROUTINE MAINTENANCE REGULARLY TAKEN CARE OF.

I'VE BEEN EXPERIENCING INTERMITTENT ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSION WHERE THE VEHICLE WOULD SHUDDER LIKE IT WAS ABOUT TO SHUT OFF WHEN BRAKING. I'VE ALSO EXPERIENCED ISSUES WHERE AFTER STARTING THE VEHICLE AND PLACING THE VEHICLE INTO GEAR, THE VEHICLE WOULD LOCK UP. I TOOK MY VEHICLE TO A CERTIFIED MECHANIC BACK IN SEPTEMBER 2018 WHO POINTED ME TO A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ADDRESSING THE SAME ISSUES I WAS HAVING: TSB 16-90-13R, AND RECOMMENDED I GO TO A SUBARU DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSTICS, AND REPAIR POTENTIALLY UNDER EXTENDED WARRANTY. I DID TAKE MY VEHICLE AND GET A TRANSMISSION FLUSH WHICH SEEMED TO ALLEVIATE THE ISSUE. HOWEVER, AFTER TAKING MY VEHICLE TO MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP, I WAS TOLD THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE, OR SEE ANY RELATED CODES; THERE DOESN'T APPEAR TO BE ANY RECORD OF THIS ISSUE RECORDED EXCEPT FOR A RELATED WARRANTY REQUEST FOR SEAT REPAIR. NOW THAT I AM EXPERIENCING THIS ISSUE AGAIN, I TOOK MY VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER. THEY GAVE ME THE SAME RESPONSE AND I ESCALATED TO SOA ASKING FOR HELP GETTING THIS TRANSMISSION REPAIRED. THEIR RESPONSE WAS THE SAME AS THE DEALERSHIP'S RESPONSE - THAT THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE ISSUE, AND THEY WILL NOT PERFORM THE REPAIR. I FEEL THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT COULD LEAD TO INJURY OR DEATH WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE. HOWEVER, I AM STILL EXPERIENCING THE ISSUE FROM TIME TO TIME, AND I DO NOT FEEL THAT THIS VEHICLE IS SAFE. MY WIFE PRIMARILY DRIVES THIS VEHICLE TO TAKE MY CHILDREN TO AND FROM SCHOOL AND OTHER ACTIVITIES. THE LAST TIME THIS ISSUE OCCURRED, THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START AT THE GYM, AND I HAD TO DROP EVERYTHING TO GO PICK UP MY CHILD FROM SCHOOL. MY WIFE WAS ABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE AFTER TURNING OFF THE VEHICLE, WAITING FOR A MINUTE, AND STARTING AGAIN. THIS ISSUE SEEMS TO OCCUR AT LOW RPMS REGARDLESS IF IT IS PARKED, OR ON CITY STREETS OR HIGHWAYS.

WHEN DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY MY TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY LOST POWER IT WOULD INTERMITTENTLY GO THEN STOP AGAIN. I HAD A SEMI RIGHT BEHIND ME THAT ALMOST RAN OVER THE TOP OF ME. AS I MADE IT TO MY EXIT IT BEGAN MAKING NOISE. I DROVE IT STRAIGHT INTO MY MECHANIC WHO THOROUGHLY INSPECTED IT AND SAID THE TRANSMISSION HAD FAILED.

KEY IS STUCK IN IGNITION AND WILL NOT COME OUT. VEHICLE HAS TO BE RE-STARTED, MOVED BACK AND FORTH 3-4 TIMES BEFORE KEY WILL COME OUT. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM WITH MANY SUBARUS, THERE ARE A VARIETY OF QUICK-FIX VIDEOS ONLINE AND COUNTLESS COMPLAINTS IN AUTOMOTIVE FORUMS. SUBARU IS DEFINITELY AWARE OF THE PROBLEM.

AFTER 7 YEARS OF DILIGENT CARE OF MY 2012 OUTBACK, MY TRANSMISSION IS FAILING. THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE IN MY MAKE AND MODEL. THIS WILL COST ME $7K OUT OF POCKET TO REPLACE. SUBARU CLAIMS TO HAVE 'QUALITY AS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY', BUT DID NOT ADDRESS THIS KNOWN ISSUE AND HAVE PUT THE BURDEN ON THEIR CUSTOMERS. THIS IS MY THIRD SUBARU, AND IT WOULD BE NICE IF THE COMPANY STOOD BEHIND THEIR WORK AND SUPPORTED THEIR CUSTOMERS

MY VEHICLE HAS BEEN STALLING WHEN COMING TO A STOP, IT STARTS TO SHUDDER WHEN SLOWING THEN STALLS AT STOP. SAFETY IS BECOMING AN ISSUE WHEN IN TRAFFIC, OR ON HIGHWAY IN STOP AND GO. THERE HAS NOT BEEN A RECALL FOR TORQUE CONVERTER ISSUES OR CVT TRANSMISSIONS JUST EXTENDED WARRANTY. UNFORTUNATELY THERE WERE NOT ISSUES WHEN THIS WAS EXTENDED. THIS IS ON A 2012 SUBARU OUTBACK, WITH 130,000 MILES

ACCELERATING FROM A STOPPED POSITION, OR FROM A LOW SPEED AS WHEN MAKING A TURN OR MERGING, THE VEHICLE JERKS AND BUCKS, COMES TO A NEAR STALL AT LEAST ONCE EACH TIME, MORE OFTEN 2 OR 3 TIMES IN QUICK SUCCESSION, UNTIL THE VEHICLE GAINS MORE SPEED, APPROXIMATELY 10 MPH, AND THE SYMPTOMS SUBSIDE. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN OUT OF NECESSITY A MAXIMUM 20 MILES ON A FEW DAYS SINCE SYMPTOMS BEGAN, CONSISTENTLY BUCKING AND NEAR STALLING IN THOSE CONDITIONS, CAUSING TRAFFIC DISTURBANCES AND ENDANGERING MY FAMILY, MYSELF, AND OTHER DRIVES ON THE ROAD. 4 DAYS LATER THE DASH LIGHTS CAME ON WHILE DRIVING-CHECK ENGINE, FLASHING EMERGENCY BRAKE, TRACTION CONTROL, FLASHING AT TEMP OIL-I IMMEDIATELY PULLED OFF THE ROAD, BUCKING AND NEAR STALLING ALL THE WAY. CAR WAS TOWED. ODB-II CODES WERE-TRANSMISSION CONTROL MALFUNCTION, AND TORQUE CONVERTER CLUTCH PRESSURE CONTROL SOLENOID CENTRAL CIRCUIT. MECHANIC SAYS CAN'T DRIVE THE CAR. BACKGROUND CHECKING SHOWS THAT INSTEAD OF A RECALL, A WARRANTY WAS PUT IN PLACE THEN DUE TO THE EXTENT OF THE COMPLAINTS ON THIS, WARRANTY WAS EXTENDED, AND SUBARU REFUSES TO TAKE APPROPRIATE ACTION TO RESOLVE THIS UNSAFE, EXPENSIVE, AND KNOWN ISSUE. THERE IS ADDITIONALLY A SULEV EMISSIONS WARRANTY WHICH COVERS THIS, BUT IT ONLY GOES TO 150,000 MILES AND IS NOT A SAFETY ISSUE.

WHILE TRAVELING STRAIGHT ON I70 , 10 MILES EAST OF COLBY, KS AT 75 MPH, THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE ENGAGED CAUSING THE CAR TO SLOW DOWN AND SWERVE. THE BRAKE LIGHT ON THE DASH STARTED FLASHING ON THE DASH ALONG WITH THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT AND SWERVE LIGHT. I STOPPED THE CAR AND CONSULTED THE MANUAL WHICH INDICATED NOT TO DRIVE THE CAR. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED TO A MECHANIC IN COLBY. THE MECHANIC WAS UNABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND THE CAR WAS TOWED TO DENVER SUBARU DEALER, WHERE IT IS NOW.