2011 SUBARU OUTBACK Complaints

AT ABOUT 40K MILES, MY DEALER MAINTAINED 2011 OUTBACK BEGAN TO HAVE AN ENGINE SHUDDER IMMEDIATELY AFTER MAKING A FULL STOP IN GEAR, E.G. AT A RED LIGHT. IT HAPPENS VERY INFREQUENTLY AND CANNOT BE REPLICATED ON COMMAND. THE NEAR-STALL IS SIMILAR TO NOT DEPRESSING A CLUTCH WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. THE SHUDDER IS VERY BRIEF. SOMETIMES DASH LIGHTS FLASH, BUT THE ENGINE HAS NEVER COMPLETELY STALLED. THE ONLY CONSISTENCY IS THAT IT ONLY OCCURS AT A FULL STOP IN GEAR. IT IS VERY UNSAFE WHEN THE NEAR-STALL OCCURS AT THE SAME TIME I'M TRYING TO PULL OUT INTO TRAFFIC. THE HESITATION IS LONG ENOUGH TO MAKE MY ACTION DANGEROUS. SUBARU HAS HAD MY VEHICLE MULTIPLE TIMES, SOMETIMES FOR WEEKS, BUT HAS BEEN UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE AND REPAIR. THE TRANSMISSION TESTED GOOD. TORQUE CONVERTER WAS REPLACED, AND IS A COMMON ISSUE FOR MANY OWNERS, BUT IT DID NOTHING FOR ME. THE ENGINE SHUDDER HAS BEEN OCCURRING FOR 45K MILES. THOUGH THE ISSUE STARTED WHILE UNDER FULL POWER TRAIN WARRANTY, SUBARU WILL NOT PERFORM ANY SERVICES AT THEIR COST. THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH 2010-12 OUTBACK OWNERS. A QUICK SEARCH ONLINE SUPPORTS THAT, INCLUDING A RELATED TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN ISSUED BY SUBARU. I DO NOT KNOW WHAT IS OCCURRING, NOR DOES SUBARU. IT IS FRUSTRATING TO HAVE A COMMON ISSUE WITH NO RESOLUTION.

THE VALVE GUIDES CAN PULL OUT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD CAUSING THE VALVES TO STAY OPEN.THIS WILL CAUSE A MISFIRE OR EVEN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STALL WHILE OPERATING. SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING THE RISK OF CRASH.

OUR OUTBACK HAS THE CVT TRANSMISSION AND CAN SWITCH BETWEEN MANUAL AND AUTOMATIC. WHEN IN AUTOMATIC IT WILL OFTEN SHUDDER WHILE STOPPED AND SOMETIMES STALL WHEN STARTING OFF (SIMILAR TO WHEN YOU YOU ARE IN 1ST GEAR IN A MANUAL AND YOU DON'T WORK THE CLUTCH CORRECTLY). WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST $2500 TO FIX. AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET, WE FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR CARS WITH THE CVT TRANSMISSION AND THUS FAR, SUBARU HAS REFUSED TO FIX IT AT THEIR COST. IN LIEU OF A RECALL (WHICH IS WHAT THEY SHOULD DO) THEY OFFERED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, HOWEVER THAT DOESN'T HELP US SINCE THE EXTENSION EXPIRED AT THE END OF JULY 2018. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM AND COULD CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH IS THE CAR STALLS AS THE DRIVER IS TRYING TO PULL OUT IN TRAFFIC. SUBARU IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND SHOULD FIX IT AT THEIR COST.

MY DASH LIGHTS ALL STARTED BLINKING. THE CAR ALSO LOST SOME POWER. I WAS TOLD I HAD TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY REPLACED. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY ENDED IN JULY 2018, CONVENIENTLY FOR SUBARU. THE DEALER SHOULD HAVE NEVER SOLD ME THE CAR LAST YEAR.

MY DASH LIGHTS CAME ON SUDDENLY.. AFTER RESEARCHING STATES TYPE TORQUE CONVERTER FOR TRANSMISSION NEEDS TO BE REPLACED.. SUBARU WANTS ME TO PURCHASE WHOLE NEW TRANSMISSION, LOSS OF POWER AND GAS MILEAGE. THE CAR WAS RUNNING WHEN THESE LIGHTS CAME ON.

CAR HAD BEEN HAVING TROUBLE STARTING LATELY SO BROUGHT CAR TO LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP. THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR FIX THE STARTING ISSUE SO I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP. ON THE WAY HOME I WAS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY AND HAD COME TO A GRADUAL STOP AT A STOP LIGHT, AND WAS JUST GOING TO TAKE OFF ON A GREEN LIGHT WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR STALLED. ALL OF THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS WERE FLASHING AND I IMMEDIATELY PUT ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS AS A SEMI WAS COMING UP BEHIND ME. I PUT MY THE CAR IN PARK AND STARTED IT UP AGAIN AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND DROVE MY CAR BACK TO THEM TO BE CHECKED THEY KEPT MY CAR FOR A DAY AND TRIED TO RE-CREATE THE STALLING EPISODE WHICH WAS UNSUCCESSFUL.

BRAKES FADE AND FAIL TO STOP VEHICLE. ON MORE THAN ONE OCCASION CAUSING NEAR COLLISIONS WITH OTHER VEHICLES.

RECENTLY WHILE BRAKING HARD, MY CAR SHUDDERS AND STALLS. IT HAS HAPPENED ON THE HIGHWAY AND ON SIDE STREETS. IT CAN ALSO HAPPEN WITH REGULAR TO LIGHT BRAKING ESPECIALLY IF IT IS COLD. AFTER DIAGNOSING MY ISSUE, MY MECHANIC PRODUCED THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN 16-90-13R WHICH DETAILS THE PROBLEM OCCURRING. HE AND SUBARU CONFIRMED THE REPAIR IS AT LEAST $6100. WHEN I CALLED SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE THEY TOLD ME THAT LETTERS WENT OUT TO ALL OWNERS LAST YEAR, BUT I NEVER RECEIVED THE LETTER, AND OF COURSE I AM PAST THE JULY 31, 2018 DEADLINE,SO THEY SAY I AM OUT OF WARRANTY. I HAVE SPOKEN TO CUSTOMER SERVICE SEVERAL TIMES AND AM NOW CONSULTING WITH MY DEALER TO SEE WHAT THEY CAN DO FOR ME. I FEEL THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL AND NOT A TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN TO DEALERS AND A NOTICE TO OWNERS. I AM ALSO MAILING A CERTIFIED LETTER TO THOMAS J. DOLL, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC. DETAILING MY SITUATION AND MY CONCERNS. I AM ATTACHING A COPY OF THE NOTICE TO OWNERS AND THE TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN MY MECHANIC PRINTED FOR ME. *JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AND COMING TO A STOP, EXCESSIVE FORCE HAD TO BE APPLIED TO THE BRAKE PEDAL, IN ORDER TO BRING THE VEHICLE TO A COMPLETE STOP. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE INTERMITTENTLY OCCURRED. THE CRUISE CONTROL, OVERHEAT, BRAKE AND CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED. IN ADDITION, THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN AT A STOP SIGN IF THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS NOT STEADILY BEING DEPRESSED THE BRAKE WOULD DISENGAGE AND THE VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATE INDEPENDENTLY. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE ELECTRONIC EMERGENCY BRAKE FAILED TO OPERATE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER AND VALVE BODY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE CONTACT CALLED CONTINENTAL SUBARU DEALER (907) 562-2722, 4900 OLD SEWARD HWY, ANCHORAGE, AK 99503) WHERE IT WAS RECOMMENDED TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION AND TO SCHEDULE AN APPOINTMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 150,000.

THE GREEN LIGHT ILLUMINATED AND WOULD NOT UNLOCK . I WAS DRIVING ON A CITY STREET AND THE RED BRAKE LIGHT CAME ON. AFTER AN ATTEMPT TO RELEASE THE GREEN LIGHT IT CAME OFF ON ITS OW. THE SAME THING HAS OCCURRED, BOTH THE RED AND GREEN LIGHT ARE ON AND NOT GOING OFF.