NHTSA Complaint #11016534 — 2014 SUBARU FORESTER

CVT 2.5I 70K MILEAGE. ON 8/12/17, WHILE DRIVING ON INTERSTATE HIGHWAY NONSTOP FOR 310 MILES, WITH CRUISE ON 76 MPH, TRANSMISSION SUDDENLY AND WITHOUT WARNING WENT "OUT OF GEAR." ENGINE RPMS RACED TO OVER 5,000 BUT CAR WAS OUT OF GEAR. NO PROPULSION WHATSOEVER. IT FELT EXACTLY LIKE WHEN A MANUAL TRANSMISSION POPS OUT OF GEAR OR IS SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL BY ACCIDENT AY SPEED, BUT THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. SHIFT LEVER HAD NOT BEEN TOUCHED. TRANSMISSION JUST FELT LIKE IT "GAVE WAY." I SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL AND COASTED TO THE SHOULDER AND ENGINE DIED. "CHECK ENGINE," "VEHICLE DYNAMICS CONTROL," AND BATTERY CHARGE WARNING" LIGHTS LIT ... MAYBE OTHERS. ENGINE DIED. PUT IN PARK. WAITED A COUPLE OF MINUTES AND THEN RESTARTED ENGINE. IT RAN ROUGH FOR A FEW SECONDS THEN SMOOTHED OUT AND WE DROVE 2 MILES TO FILL UP GAS AND PROCEEDED ANOTHER 100 MILES OR SO WITHOUT DIFFICULTY. 2 DEALERS NEVER RESPONDED TO MY INQUIRY. DROVE AROUND TOWN FOR A FEW DAYS WITHOUT INCIDENT. THEN, ON 8/20/17 WHILE AGAIN DRIVING NON-STOP FOR OVER 300 MILES AND AGAIN WITH CRUISE CONTROL SET ON 74, THE EXACT SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN. NO WARNING. SUDDENLY "OUT OF GEAR." ENGINE REVS SPIKED. WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. COASTED TO SHOULDER. SHUT DOWN ENGINE FOR MAYBE 20 SECONDS THEN RESTARTED ENGINE AND PROCEEDED ON WITHOUT INCIDENT TO REFUEL AND RESUME TRIP. WAS ALMOST REAR-ENDED BY A TAILGATER THIS TIME SINCE HE WAS DRIVING SO CLOSE TO ME WHEN I SUDDENLY LOST PROPULSION. BOUGHT CAR NEW OVER 70K MILES AGO AND HAD NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE 8/12/17 AND NOW IT HAS HAPPENED TWICE WITHIN 8 DAYS AND UNDER VERY SIMILAR CONDITIONS. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION.