NHTSA Complaint #11014818 — 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK

OUR SUBARU OUTBACK (2011) HAS BEEN SHUDDERING AND DYING WHEN COMING TO STOPS. IT BEGAN DOING THIS APPROXIMATELY MARCH/APRIL OF 2016, AND THE ISSUE IS STILL NOT RESOLVED. WE TOOK IT TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE CENTER IN MADISON, WISCONSIN, VERY CONCERNED, IN MAY OF 2016, BUT THEY TOLD US THEY COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM. (HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE, SINCE IT DOES IT SO OFTEN?) WE TOOK IT IN AGAIN IN WINTER/SPRING 2016, AND THEY FINALLY ACKNOWLEDGED WE HAD AN ISSUE AND TOLD US THAT THE TORQUE CONVERTER NEEDED TO BE REPLACED TO THE TUNE OF $1500-$1800! WE WERE CONCERNED, ESPECIALLY, BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY ISSUE, AND, FURTHER, BECAUSE OF THE COST TO US TO FIX IT. IF SUBARU HAD IDENTIFIED AND DEALT WITH THE ISSUE WHEN IT FIRST STARTED, WE MIGHT HAVE BEEN UNDER SOME KIND OF WARRANTY. WE TOOK THE CAR HOME, DID SOME RESEARCH AND DISCOVERED THAT LOTS AND LOTS OF OTHER OWNERS OF THIS MAKE AND MODEL HAVE BEEN HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM WE DESCRIBED TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP OVER A YEAR AGO. HOW COULD SUBARU NOT KNOW THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE? THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF COMPLAINTS OUT THERE! WE HAVE SINCE BEEN BORROWING MY PARENTS' CAR FOR LONGER DRIVES AND HAVE BEEN TRYING TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO COVER THE COST OF THE REPAIR. TODAY WE RECEIVED A LETTER FROM SUBARU INDICATING THEY WERE GIVING US A WARRANTY EXTENSION FOR THE CAR'S CVT. GUESS WHAT? IT COVERS THE OUTBACK 2010-2015, THEY WROTE. HOW LONG HAS SUBARU KNOWN THIS WAS AN ISSUE WHILE FAMILIES LIKE MINE WERE DRIVING A CAR WITH A MAJOR SAFETY FLAW? I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DESK IMMEDIATELY AND TALKED WITH A REP WHO WANTED TO BE CLEAR THAT THIS ISN'T A RECALL, (REALLY?) AND THAT I'D HAVE TO CALL BACK TO FIND OUT IF IT'LL BE COVERED BY THIS WARRANTY EXTENSION SINCE, APPARENTLY, THE TORQUE CONVERTER, THOUGH RELATED, ISN'T "TECHNICALLY" THE CVT. HE SAID THEY HAD DONE A SIMILAR REPAIR, THOUGH, AND THE WARRANTY HAD COVERED IT.