NHTSA Complaint #11229075 — 2014 SUBARU CROSSTREK

THIS LETTER IS TO DOCUMENT AN INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED ON 6/27/19 AT APPROX. 2 PM EST IN DANBURY, CT ON I84. I WAS PROCEEDING WEST ON I84 IN MY 2014 SUBARU CROSSTREK WHEN THE VEHICLE SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION (CVT) ASSEMBLY, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF WHEEL ROTATION (WHEELS LOCKING UP) WHICH LASTED FOR ALMOST 2 SECONDS. I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND, WHILE ALMOST STRUCK BY A TRACTOR-TRAILER THAT WAS FOLLOWING ME IN THE CENTER LANE, WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO COLONIAL SUBARU IN DANBURY, CT WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A COMPLETE INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION REQUIRING A REPLACEMENT. I THEN DISCOVERED THAT THE FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION ON THIS VEHICLE WAS A KNOWN ISSUE, THE SUBJECT OF A WARRANTY EXTENSION BY SUBARU OF AMERICA (HTTPS://TINYURL.COM/Y9BOZWGD) AND THAT MY VEHICLE WAS ONE OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. MY CONCERN IS THAT GIVEN THE SEVERE CONSEQUENCE WHEN THIS FAILURE OCCURS, THIS SHOULD BE THE SUBJECT OF A FACTORY RECALL, TO PREVENT A CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF WHEEL ROTATION AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. THIS IS WHAT OCCURRED IN MY EXPERIENCE. IF I WERE A LESS EXPERIENCED DRIVER IT A HIGH PROBABLE THAT A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. TRAVELING DOWN A MAJOR, CROWDED INTERSTATE WITH A CAR THAT SUFFERED A SEVERE ENGINEERING FAILURE COULD HAVE LED TO ROADWAY FATALITIES. I REQUEST THAT NHTSA OPEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO SUBARU OF AMERICA'S HANDLING OF THIS MATTER AND CONSIDER MANDATING THAT SOA REPLACE TRANSMISSIONS IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. THE MILEAGE ON MY VEHICLE WHEN THE EVENT OCCURRED WAS 114,000 WHICH DEMONSTRATES THAT THE WARRANTY EXTENSION TO 100,000 MILES IS INSUFFICIENT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE SINCE THE PROBLEM CAN OCCUR BEYOND THE 100,000 THRESHOLD. I BELIEVE THAT THE CONSEQUENCE OF A CVT FAILURE WARRANTS A RECALL NOTICE.