NHTSA Complaint #11208473 — 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK

IN TWO SEPARATE EVENTS THE CAR LOST POWER WHILE ACCELLORATING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC FROM A STAND STILL. THE GAS PEDAL BECAME UNRESPONSIVE AND THE TRANMISSION STOPPED SHIFTING. IN THE FIRST INCIDENT THE ENGINE STALLED, AND IN THE SECOND IT SPUTTERED AND ALMOST DIED DURING A HEAVY MERGE ON AN ON RAMP. NO DIAGNOSTIC CODES WERE THROWN, SO THE MANUFACTURER CLAIMS THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE CAR. IN THE FIRST INCIDENT THE CAR WAS LEAVING THE TOLL PLAZE ON THE DULLES GREENWAY HEAD TOWARD LEESBURG, VA. UNDER FULL ACELLERATION LEAVING THE TOLL PLAZA AND EFFECTIVELY DRIVING STRAIGHT, THE CAR STARTED SHUFTING ERRATICALLY, AND EVENTUALLY LOST POWER AND STALLED. IN THE SECOND INCIDENT, ABOUT TWO MONTHS LATER, THE CAR WAS ON A DECLINE ON-RAMP MERGING INTO HEAVY TRAFFIC ON RT-270N HEADING TOWARD FREDERICK, MD. THE CAR AGAIN STARTED TO SHIFT ERRATICALLY, THEN BEGAN TO STALL, BUT I WAS ABKE TO USE THE PADDLE SHIFTERS TO SHIFT THE 'GEAR' OF THE CVT AND PREVENT STALLING. AFGER ABOUT 30 SECONDS THE CAR WAS OPERATING AS NORMAL. AGAIN, THE DEALER HAS NOT FOUND ANY DIAGNOSTIC CODES, AND INDICATES THERE IS NITHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE.