This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
Three warning lights (ABS; Incline start assist; Traction control system) illuminate, while the AT Oil Temp warning light flashes. This happens sporadically and not every time the car is driven. The Subaru dealership mentioned it was some type of module that was tripping the codes. I'm reporting this issue, because I didn't see a recall for it.
Was driving on I-70 in Colorado going 60-65 mph uphill when all indicator lights came on and AT (Automatic Transition) Oil Temp light began flashing. Check Engine, Hill Assist, ABS, and Traction Control lights all came on steady on. Had to pull over and had significant power loss during driving. Googled what AT Oil Temp light meant and called a tow truck to take to my mechanic. Mechanic initially indicated it could be valve body problem which in his words is a "known issue with Subaru CVT engines." Code pulled was p2764. They ended up pulling the pan and draining fluid and found excessive metal built up on magnet in pan. This pan and headgasket were repaired less than 6k miles ago (October 2020) and at that time they said everything was in good shape so something drastic happened to CVT in less than a year. Mechanic unable to say what caused the excessive buildup in that time. Safety compromised as left on side of very busy highway waiting for tow - we were also concerned with whether or not car would overheat/catch on fire due to AT oil being over 200 degrees. Problem confirmed by our mechanic and indicated that we need a full transmission replacement. No other warnings prior to this event. Maintenance is current and in 2018 performed recall service indicated by Subaru for valve spring issue.
Vehicle has known defect where the oil control valves on front of engine fail and leak oil onto main wiring harness. The defect manifests itself in electrical shorts, lighting failure, engine not being able to be started, engine function failing while in use, battery failure due to short circuit created among other issues impacting starting, running, safe useage and potential dangerous failure while operating vehicle. Previous complaint logged, no evidence that problem is being investigated - although manufacturer has acknowleged knowledge of issue by issuing a service bulletin.
My cars break lights are not working. My car will lose power on the road to where it will completely die and I have to turn the ignition off and turn it back on to keep going. My emergency brake light is on my tire sensor lights are on even though tire pressure is correct there are times when I cannot get my car into gear. It will make a very loud clunking noise and then a whizzing noise when you turn the air conditioner on and then you get no power at all to the car. I cannot go up a steep hill on the highway because it will only go up to 35 miles an hour. When it loses power on the highway and I have to the restart the car that's very dangerous.
- Idaho Falls, ID, USA
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Cvt failing which is a common issue with the A/T. I feel it can lead to a serious safety issue as I travel far and frequently. I will not allow my children to ride in the vehicle as this should be recalled and replaced or repaired.
The car broke down Nov. 2018 while my wife was driving on interstate highway. Dealer replaced valve body. Car was using a lot of oil between changes. When asked about it, dealer service dept said "just keep adding oil." Car started putting out blue cloud from exhaust when started. Asked dealer service dept, they said "Subaru do that. Just keep adding oil." Had recall work done March 2019: Valve spring replacement. Again asked about oil consumption. Service dept. Recommended adding oil between oil changes. Labor day 2019 car broke down again with same dash indicators flashing as in Nov. 2018. Car was in drive and moving forward at 35 miles per hour on a city street 150 miles from home. Dealer service dept said timing chain had jumped, engine failed. According to dealer service department, engine had excessive oil consumption, and said "engine is oil deprived." Car now needs a new engine.dealer had promised to fix if issue from 2018 returned. The dealer did not honor the promise.
While going 65 mph on the highway the continuous variable transmission locked up, gas pedal became unresponsive, and the car had to be towed to the dealership. I am thankful that a car was not tailing behind me and that I was not driving during commute hours. Traction assist, hill assist, and check engine at oil temp light came on. At 97,000 miles on the odometer, the dealership said it was transmission failure. Parts in the transmission were replaced; however, due to the nature of the failure and the potential for bodily harm and harm to property, these transmissions should be recalled and replaced as a unit. For a car that has had regular maintenance and that has not driven in severe conditions, it was surprising that a transmission failure should occur at this mileage. While the extended warranty from Subaru shows good faith, it does very little to protect the safety of Subaru drivers. It is reckless and abhorrent for Subaru to be aware of the safety problem and to do nothing to mitigate it.
There have been repeated and reoccurring issues related to oil consumption as well as a faulty cvt transmission. Subaru has issued an extended 100,000 mile warranty, but this information was not provided directly to me. I found out about the extended warranty when I took the car in to a mechanic and they had knowledge of the extended warranty. The mechanic recommended I take it to a Subaru service center to try and get it covered under warranty. The car had 94,000 miles at the time I was made aware of this on 6/22/18. Since 6/22/18-11/2/19, I have repeatedly had reoccurring issues with both oil consumption and the cvt transmission. The service department has claimed to have repaired issues, but I have never had resolve of any of them. Instead I feel as though I have been told each item has been repaired. If similar issues have occurred, like the oil light illuminating after the short block replacement, I been given the explanation that it is due to software issues that need updating. These excuses have been given repeatedly until the 12 month warranty of the parts in question has then passed. This same thing has occurred with the slipping cvt transmission that I reported on 6/22/18, and now I am being told the transmission needs to be replaced at a cost of $8,000 out of pocket. The car is not even valued at $8,000 anymore. I would strongly advise research into these faulty parts and the consumer deceit that has occurred to myself and millions of other Subaru owners. Deceiving consumers until extended warranty periods pass, and requiring consumers to pay out of pocket should be illegal. I see now why Subaru opted for this extended warranty for both of these issues rather than admitting fault and providing a recall. This allows the deceit and Subaru taking financial responsibility of repairs to occur by looping in the service department into this scam. Do not buysubaru
Diagnosing the check engine light reveals code P2764, which indicates the transmission control valve body needs to be replaced due to a faulty solenoid. This is a known issue with Subaru's cvt transmission, which is why Subaru extended the warranty for this issue. However, the warranty only covers vehicles with a demonstrable problem. My car just developed the problem, and is no longer covered by the warranty (23,000 miles over the limit). This is a potentially dangerous issue (affected cars may stall at any time), which affects many vehicles still on the road. Subaru should have to replace all of the parts before they fail! you should already have a number of other complaints about this issue.
The problem I am about to describe has been intermittent for the past 3 years but recently has become consistent. The dealership has been unable to duplicate/locate the malfunction up until now. I would like to add that the concern was apparent while the vehicle was still under warranty. When driving the vehicle the transmission bucks and thumps with unreliable acceleration and a feeling of being pushed forward. After a mile or 2, the check engine light turn on, ABS, traction and hill stop assist lights all turn on at which time the vehicle's performance is noticeably reduced especially at highway speeds. The engine RPM seems much higher and fuel mileage becomes terribly reduced. A diagnostic trouble code of P2764 sets in the transmission and the safety braking/stability systems become disabled. If what I researched this is a horribly common problem. My vehicle is out of warranty (even the extended warranty Subaru offered). The dealership wants $1700 to repair this malfunction which has been diagnosed as a cvt transmission valve controller malfunction. It is my opinion that this malfunction should be recalled rather than a simple warranty extension especially considering the fact that the safety/stability systems become disabled and the vehicle's emissions/fuel mileage is dramatically effected.
To start off I have an extended warranty on my vehicle felt my clutch starting to shift they told me I needed a new clutch flywheel and throttle bearing. Took it to a independent repair shop. They replaced the throttle bearing which was completely warped clutch was good but replaced anyway because at that point why not the entire transmission was out. Called Subaru nothing was done. Also just got into an accident vehicle was totaled and my airbags did not inflate.
Takata recall: Please note shift level gear control locks when car is turned on, in park, foot on brake. The traction control sensors, emergency brake sensors, and hill sensors turn on when this happens. The gear locks and the car will not turn on or off completely when these sensors are on. It will only turn off when the brake has been applied for so long. This has happened on numerous occasions and places, parking lots, driveways, and in areas when changing gears needs to occur and simple will not
On August 14, 2017, while on the highway driving at 65 miles per hour, the engine began to swiftly shift down and completely seized, causing me to have to pull over on the left shoulder. This was about one week after our original transmission was replaced for free (they extended the warranty but didn't issue a recall - why? they told us that they were having problems with 2010 and 2013 Impreza transmissions but we had to ask them about a funny sound, no one notified us). The car is now waiting for another new transmission but it must be a big problem because 2 weeks later the transmissions are still on backorder.
Hello, it has come time where my loyal Subaru has had it's firewall spot welds snap off and my firewall moves about 3 inches everytime I engaged the clutch or brakes. I reached out to Subaru of America where they had me get an estimate of 1750 dollars. When I sent them the invoice the best they would cover is 750 dollars of it. This issue is a severe safety concern on behalf of my life and the company acted in bad faith towards it's customer. The car had never been beat on or abused and from just simply driving the car on a normal basis created this issue. At the time this happened I wasn't aware of the what was at stake. I researched the numerous people filing class action lawsuits since more than a third of the production third gen wrxs were probed to this faulty firewall welds. Subaru has been well aware of this and knew that this could happen or when I emailed they would have argued against it but just instantly offered a portion of it. In the best interest of my safety I feel it's necessary for Subaru to pay the entire portion of the bill to ensure my life will be safe in their car. If there's anything that you could do to help me that would be much appreciated. Thanks for your time, jeremy.
You can google the thousands of cases of people who have the same issue I'm describing. Seems to be all models of Impreza WRX 08+. I have a graduate poping from my clutch pedal that gradually got loader and louder and louder. Now I can hear squeaking or creeking outside the vehicle when the clutch is depressed and the pedal pops pretty good you can feel on your foot now. My clutch petal feels real spongy. After doing some research on the problem and it's broken spot welds in the firewall holding the clutch assembly in place noticeably effecting the vehicle since 20,000 miles!! at times my clutch cable has gotten so loose and spongy feeling it feels as if it has troubles going into gear at times making it a serious issue that could effect ones power train in the most severe cases by enabling the vehicle to be put into gear properly. This has been an issue by thousands of people I don't know how or why there is any question on a recall. Why should I half to pay for 3-4 hours of labor to fix this manufactures defect I mean it's snapped welds hidden within the inside of a firewall completely no question a manufactor deffect. Thank you.
Faint whirring noise noted, no other problems- no change to performance, no warning lights indicating problem but when brought to dealership for a check told transmission needed replacement $ $7902.88 never had any problems with this car previously, had routine oil changes (although one time within the first year oil light came on indicating oil was low but it was only 1500 miles from last oil change- brought in and had that taken care of), this car has never been in an accident either. I am perplexed by the need for a new transmission when it is a 2013 and has no issues other than what was stated here. I still own $9200 on it. It has just under 74,000 miles on it ( highway commute).
Was at a red light, stopped. Light turned green started to go, went to shift into 2nd gear and heard a loud pop and the car wouldn't go any more. Had it towed to gerald jones Subaru dealer, where I bought it. Was told it was driver error and the clutch went out. An independent mechanic said he's seen it plenty of times in the WRX going back to 2008 and that Subaru has defective welds on the vehicles' firewall, which results in clutch and/or brake failure.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Oakfield , TN, USA