NHTSA Complaint #11144179 — 2015 SUBARU IMPREZA WRX

A CVT DEFECT IS CAUSING ERRATIC, UNCONTROLLABLE, AND VIOLENT CHANGES IN ENGINE RPM, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO: RAPID VIOLENT OSCILLATIONS IN RPM, NON-SHIFTING, SUSTAINED HOLDING OF RPM NEAR ENGINE RED-LINE, ABRUPT DECREASES OF RPM AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF POWER DESPITE THE ACCELERATOR IS STILL BEING APPLIED. THESE DEFECTS HAVE OCCURRED UNDER AN ARRAY OF DRIVING CONDITIONS, SPEEDS, THROTTLE POSITIONS, ROAD GRADIENTS, AMBIENT TEMPERATURES, ALTITUDES, AND ENGINE TEMPERATURES. SUBARU WAS PROVIDED WITH VIDEOS OF THE DASHBOARD GAUGES TAKEN DURING MALFUNCTIONS, AND THE VEHICLE WAS RETURNED TO THEM TO HAVE THE ISSUES ASSESSED AT LEAST 3 TIMES. SUBARU COMPLETED TCM "RE-FLASHING", ECM UPDATES, AND SOFTWARE UPDATES TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS WITH NO EFFECT. CVT MALFUNCTIONS HAVE GRADUALLY INCREASED IN SEVERITY AND FREQUENCY OVER THE PAST 20,000 MILES. THE REPEATED, SUDDEN, AND VIOLENT MALFUNCTIONS OF THE CVT HAVE PUT THE OCCUPANTS AT RISK OF COLLISION ON MULTIPLE OCCASIONS AND IN ONE INSTANCE AN ABRUPT DOWNSHIFT CAUSED A MINOR NECK INJURY TO A DISABLED PASSENGER.