2010 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

I CURRENTLY OWN A 2010 SUBARU OUTBACK. I STARTED EXPERIENCING THE CAR STALLING AND SHUTTING OFF WHENEVER YOU COME TO A SUDDEN STOP. IT HAPPEN WITH MY DAUGHTER ON THE MAIN ROAD AND SHE PANIC. AS TIME WHEN ON THE PROBLEM GOT WORSE. I BROUGHT IT TO MY MECHANIC AND THE PROBLEM WAS DIAGNOSED AS A BAD TORQUE CONVERTER. HE ADVISED IT WILL GET WORSE AS TIME GO ON. I WENT ON A FEW SUBARU THREADS ONLINE AND SAW THAT SEVERAL PEOPLE WERE EXPERIENCING THE SAME THING. A NEW TORQUE CONVERTER WAS ORDER FROM SUBARU WHICH HAD A DIFFERENT PART NUMBER FROM THE ORIGINAL. SUBARU ADVISED THAT UPGRADES WERE MADE DUE TO PREVIOUS FAILURE ISSUES WITH TORQUE CONVERTER. TOTAL COST OF PARTS AND LABOR WAS $1238.78 AND WAS DONE ON 06/20/2017. FEW WEEKS AFTER WORK WAS DONE I RECEIVED A NOTICE FROM SUBARU REGARDING EXTENDED WARRANTY ON TRANSMISSION WORK AND REIMBURSEMENT IF JOB ALREADY DONE. I SUBMITTED MY CLAIM AND WAS DENIED BECAUSE MY CAR HAS A PREVIOUS SALVAGE HISTORY. I FULLY UNDERSTAND THAT A SALVAGE HISTORY VOIDS THE WARRANTY BUT I FEEL THE TORQUE CONVERTER PROBLEM SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE THROUGH A SAFETY RECALL. A FAILURE OF A PART THAT CAN CAUSE A CAR TO STALL SHOULD BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE. NEW UPGRADED TORQUE CONVERTER BY THE MANUFACTURER PROVES THEIR ACKNOWLEDGMENT THAT THE PREVIOUS PART HAS A FAULT. I AM NOT DISPUTING THEIR WARRANTY POLICY BUT DISPUTING THAT TORQUE CONVERTER FAILURE POSES A SAFETY ISSUE AND I AM REQUESTING A REIMBURSEMENT OF MONEY SPENT IN WHICH SUBARU HAS DENIED. SO MANY OTHER OWNERS SALVAGE HISTORY OR NOT HAVE EXPERIENCED THE SAME ISSUE.

WHEN DRIVING ON INTERSTATE ROADS AND LOCAL ROADS: WITH BRAKING, CAR SHUTTERS AS IF NOT USING CLUTCH IN A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. MOST RECENTLY (TODAY 9/25/17), I WAS BRAKING TO TURN OFF LOCAL ROAD INTO PARKING LOT, CAR SHUTTERED AND STALLED. I WAS ABLE TO SHIFT TO "P" AND RESTART BEFORE CARE BEHIND ME HIT ME. BRAKING-SHUTTER-STALL NEXT TIME A SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD OCCUR.

VEHICLE HAS VIBRATIONS INCREASING WITH SPEED. MOST NOTICEABLE AT 60MPH AND ABOVE AND THEY HAVE BEEN GETTING WORSE. THE CAR WILL ALSO OCCASIONALLY VEER OFF TO THE RIGHT DURING BRAKING. TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR AN INSPECTION AND WAS TOLD THAT SUBARU HAD ISSUES WITH THE SUSPENSION THAT YEAR AND THAT THE SUSPENSION WAS UPGRADED IN SUBSEQUENT YEARS. I WAS TOLD THAT IT WOULD COST ME $2000 IF I WANTED TO UPGRADE THE SUSPENSION, BUT THAT IT WASN'T A SAFETY ISSUE IF I CONTINUED TO DRIVE THE CAR.

I WAS BACKING MY OUTBACK A SHORT DISTANCE (ABOUT 20 FT.) TO A PARKING SPACE ACROSS THE STREET WHEN IT SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. I RAN INTO A PARKED TRUCK WITH GREAT IMPACT. THE CAR FELT LIKE IT HAD A MIND OF ITS OWN. IT WAS TERRIFYING.

WHILE DRIVING AT LOW SPEED ON LOCAL ROADS THE PARKING BRAKE LIGHTS STARTS FLASHING, THE TRANSMISSION OIL TEMPERATURE LIGHT WENT ON AND THERE WAS A HIGH PITCHED SQUEALING SOUND. WE COULD NOT GET THE BRAKE LIGHT TO GO OFF BY PULLING THE BRAKE RELEASE LEVER. IT CLEARED ITSELF THE NEXT DAY. THE DEALER COULDN'T REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM BUT FOUND A BRAKE SWITCH FAILURE. THERE WERE ALSO 2 SOFTWARE UPDATES THAT WERE RELATED TO THE BRAKE AND TRANSMISSION SAFETY AND OPERATION. WE WERE CHARGED FOR ALL 3 EVEN THOUGH IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A SAFETY RECALL.

CAR BEGAN TO BOG DOWN AND STALL WHEN BREAKING. CAR WILL START TO SHAKE/SHUDDER AND THEN STALL WHEN STOPPING WHETHER THE ENGINE IS COLD OR HOT. THE CAR WILL STALL LIKE SOMEONE FORGETTING TO PUSH THE CLUTCH IN ON A MANUAL CAR WHEN STOPPING. THIS HAS HAPPENED NUMEROUS TIMES AND MOST TIMES I AM IN HEAVY TRAFFIC. THE CAR WILL STALL AND REQUIRES IT TO BE SHIFTED INTO PARK, THE IGNITION TURNED OFF AND THEN THE CAR RESTARTED BEFORE CONTINUING ON. I HAVE BEGAN TO KEEP A VIDEO LOG OF ALL THE TIMES THE VEHICLE WILL STALL DRIVING FROM MY HOME TO WORK AND OTHER TRIPS. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT SUBARU NEEDS TO ADDRESS. IT APPEARS THEY WERE MADE AWARE OF THIS ISSUE IN 2014 BUT DID NOT DO ANYTHING ABOUT IT UNTIL 2017 AND EVEN THEN THEY ARE NOT DOING A RECALL BUT A "EXTENDED COVERAGE". THEY GIVE ABSOLUTELY NO DETAILS AS TO WHY OTHER THAN TO SAY "FOR CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND CARE". NO ADMITTANCE OF ANY PROBLEMS BY SUBARU. DEALERS CAN'T TELL YOU WHY EITHER AND IT'S UP TO THEM TO DETERMINE IF IT'S RELATED TO THE CVT OR NOT.

NOTICED A SLIGHT INCREASE IN ENGINE NOISE AND INCREASED TIME TO ACCELERATE, BUT DRIVEABLE. NO DASHBOARD LIGHTS WERE ON. 24 HOURS LATER CAR STALLED OUT WHILE DRIVING STEADILY ABOUT 30 MILES PER HOUR DOWN THE ROAD. PULLED CAR OVER AND HAD CAR TOWED TO SUBARU DEALER. STATED I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION. I STATED I DRIVE CONSERVATIVELY AND THE CAR HAS LOW MILES, NOT THAT OLD, AND I DON'T HAVE A TOW HOOK UP SO IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

COMPLAINT -- WHEN I GO TO BRAKE THE CAR STALLS, I HAVE TO PUMP THE BRAKES AND THEN BRAKE HARD TO PREVENT A STALL, IF I DON'T THE CAR STOPS AND I HAVE TO PUT IT IN PARK AND RESTART. I CANNOT DRIVE IN BACKED UP TRAFFIC. I CANNOT COME TO A SOFT STOP OR ROLL TO A STOP. THIS IS A MAJOR SAFETY HAZARD, I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID IT WAS THE TORQUE CONVERTER AT $1600 MY EXPENSE, AND POSSIBLE THE VALVE BODY THAT CAN BE DAMAGED BY THE CONVERTER FROM THE METAL SHARDS THAT WILL BE $1200, SO A TOTAL OF $2800, AND MY EXTRA WARRANTY HAS RUN OUT, OF COURSE. THERE IS A TSB 16-90-13--01/06/14, ON THIS ISSUE AND SUBARU HAS CHANGED OUT THE PART BUT IS MAKING THE CONSUMER FIT THE BILL, EVEN THOUGH THEY ADMIT IT IS THEIR FAULT. THIS NEEDS TO BE A RECALL-----HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/TSBS/2014/SB-10067826-0699.PDF

WHEN COMING TO A STOP AT A TRAFFIC LIGHT OR STOP SIGN, MY 2010 OUTBACK SOMETIMES STUTTERS AND THEN STALLS. I MUST THEN PUT THE CAR BACK IN PARK AND RESTART THE ENGINE BEFORE PULLING OUT AGAIN. THIS CREATES DANGEROUS SITUATION AS THE CAR BEHIND ME IS EXPECTING ME TO PULL OUT AGAIN WITHOUT THIS ADDED DELAY. I'M VERY CONCERNED THAT THIS IS GOING TO RESULT IN AN ACCIDENT AND I WILL BE REAR ENDED BY THE CAR BEHIND ME. I HAVE TAKEN THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, BUT THEY WEREN'T ABLE TO RECREATE THE PROBLEM IN THE SHOP THE ONE DAY THEY TRIED. I ALSO CONTACTED SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE, AND THEY SAID THE DEALER NEEDS TO BE ABLE TO RECREATE IT TO FIX THE PROBLEM. FROM WHAT I READ W/R/T OTHER'S EXPERIENCES, THIS SOUNDS LIKE THE TORQUE CONVERTER PROBLEM THAT SUBARU JUST RECENTLY EXTENDED THE WARRANTY ON, YET THEY ARE STILL NOT GOING TO FIX THE PROBLEM. I WOULD HOPE THAT THIS COULD BE ELEVATED TO A RECALL BEFORE MORE ACCIDENTS OCCUR.

WHILE DRIVING AT HIGH WAY SPEEDS ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS BEGAN TO FLASH ON THE DASH BOARD. POWER LOSS OCCURED. PULLED OVER AND CHECKED VEHICLE, WAITED 10 MINUTES, RESTARTED VEHICLE AND CONTINUED AT REDUCED SPEED. VEHICLE CONTINUED TO FLASH LIGHTS AND LOSE POWER WITH NO WARNING BUT PARTICULARLY ON HILLS. SUBARU DELERSHIP IN RAPID CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA ADVISED US TO CONTINUE HOME TO SASKATOON. TOTAL FAILURE ON CVT WITH REPLACEMENT COST ESTIMATED AT $6000+ TAX AND LABOR. WONDERING IF THIS IS THE BEGINNING OF MANY SUCH EXPERIENCES AS OUR YEAR IS ONE OF THE EARLIEST MODELS WITH THIS SEALED CVT. NO WAY TO CHECK ANY PARTS OR SERVICE IT AS THE UNIT IS SEALED.