NHTSA Complaint #10509231 — 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK

THE ISSUE STARTED AT AROUND 25,000 MILES. MY 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK, UPON SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE OR FROM PARK TO DRIVE FROM A COLD START, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD PAUSE FOR A SECOND OR TWO THEN WOULD EXHIBIT A LOUD BANG/CLUNK AND THE CAR WOULD LURCH FORWARD. WARMING THE CAR FOR SEVERAL MINUTES (~5-10 MINUTES) DID NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE. I READ OTHERS WHO HAD THE SAME ISSUE SO AT 28,622 MILES (~1.5 MONTHS FROM THE FIRST INCIDENT) I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE SUBARU SERVICE/DEALER. UNFORTUNATELY THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE ISSUE, LIKELY DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY DID A TRANSMISSION RELEARN BEFORE TRYING TO TEST THE TRANSMISSION. THE CAR WAS FINE FOR ABOUT 2 DAYS AFTER RECEIPT FROM SERVICE, BUT THEN THE BANG/CLUNK/LURCH BEGAN AGAIN, ON AND OFF, UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS MENTIONED EARLIER (I.E., COLD START, SHIFTING INTO DRIVE, ETC.) UNTIL ITS FAILURE ON APRIL 22 (MILEAGE ~33,400, ~3 MONTHS AFTER BRINGING THE CAR TO THE SUBARU SERVICE/DEALER NOTED ABOVE). THE TRANSMISSION FAILED WHILE I WAS DRIVING 45 MPH, AFTER I HEARD A BANG FROM UNDER THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS STILL CONTROLLABLE, BUT ONLY FIRST GEAR WORKED. THE CAR TODAY (APRIL 23) IS AT THE SERVICE STATION TO DETERMINE IF IT IS A TRANSMISSION ISSUE OR A COMPUTER ISSUE. *TR