NHTSA Complaint #11497377 — 2016 SUBARU LEGACY

I had a transmission failure on my 2016 Subaru Legacy and there were no warning signs before this incident occurred. I was on a road trip driving at highway speeds and suddenly without warning I heard a loud bang. Then the "at oil temp" light came on, then the "check engine light", smelled something burning and also felt some slipping in the transmission. I pulled over as soon as I could. I towed it to the nearest dealer and they diagnosed the problem as being a bad valve body based on the code "P0712: Transmission Temperature Sensor Circuit Low" without test driving the vehicle. The valve body was replaced. Since my car's mileage was outside the extended warranty for this issue, Subaru only contributed half the cost of the repair. After the completion of the repair, the dealer told me they heard loud transmission noises and they recommended that my transmission may have to be replaced I test drove the vehicle with the service manager, except for the noise, the car had no warning lights and the car was shifting smoothly and was reassured that the car would not stall. After leaving the dealership, I drove 25 miles before the car started jerking and violently shaking. Then at a stop light on a highway, the car stalled. When I press the accelerator, the engine would rev but the car would not move. The vehicle was towed home, my car still would not move when I pressed the accelerator and the check engine light came on. I towed it to my local dealer, they checked the vehicle and said the transmission had an internal failure and replaced the transmission. The bad transmission was sent back to Subaru per their policy. Subaru did a goodwill warranty repair that covered a significant portion of the cost. This sudden transmission failure was a huge safety risk to myself and others. I could have rear-ended both times my car stalled.