NHTSA Complaint #10108188 — 1999 SUBARU OUTBACK

APPROXIMATELY 6 MONTHS AGO AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION STARTED HAVING TROUBLE SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. CAR WOULD HESITATE AND FINALLY LURCH FORWARD. TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS AT FIRST TOLD THEY COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING, THEN WAS TOLD I NEEDED A NEW $3400 TRANSMISSION. I WAS TOLD TO BABY THE CAR FOR AS LONG AS I COULD. 4 MONTHS LATER CAR BECAME STUCK IN REVERSE AND WOULD NOT SHIFT TO DRIVE. TOOK IT TO ANOTHER SERVICE CENTER (NOT THE DEALER) THAT SPECIALIZES IN SUBARU'S AND WAS TOLD THIS WAS A COMMON SUBARU PROBLEM WITH AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSIONS. I WAS ALSO TOLD THAT I COULD HAVE GOTTEN AT LEAST 15 - 20,000 MORE MILES OUT OF THE TRANSMISSION IS THE TRANSMISSION FILTER HAD EVER BEEN REPLACED AND THE FLUID FLUSHED. (UP UNTIL THIS TIME I HAD ALWAYS HAD THE CAR SERVICED UNDER WARRANTY AT THE DEALER). I AM BEING TOLD NOW THAT I WILL HAVE TO GET A NEW TRANSMISSION. THIS SEEMS RIDICULOUS BEING THAT THE CAR IS ONLY 5 YEARS OLD. *AK