NHTSA Complaint #11564224 — 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK

POWER TRAIN issue reported to NHTSA

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Complaint Details

ODI Number 11564224
Vehicle 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK
Component POWER TRAIN
Date of Incident
Date Filed
Mileage N/A miles
Crash No
Fire No
Injuries 0
Deaths 0
Vehicle Towed No
State FL

Consumer Description

I was driving on a highway when my car started to suddenly stutter, hesitate, and jerk after about an hour on the road. I pulled over on the shoulder immediately and tried to better position the car further off the highway with the same vehicle behavior. Initially I thought a tire had blown so sudden was the impact but after exterior inspection I realized the tires were fine and the problem was probably under the hood. The CVT transmission and TCM malfunctioned, and electric parking brake engaged creating a noise. My ability to steer the vehicle in a predictable direction was gone creating a safety hazard on the highway or any road. The car had to be long-distance towed back to where I live; it could not be safely driven. The problem has been reproduced and confirmed by two independent service centers, one a general service center and the other a foreign car expert service center. The vehicle has not been inspected by anyone else. There were dashboard warning lights that came on at the time the vehicle started to shake. The lights were the vehicle dynamics control warning light and the check engine warning light. A " boat load" of transmission codes that lead to the vehicle being assessed at the foreign car service center. I am asking for Subaru’s assistance in resolving this matter. I purchased a Subaru based on recommendations from other family members and their experience of having multiple Subaru vehicles some of which lasted 300,00 miles. If this is a manufacturing problem I believe that Subaru has a responsibility to notify their owners of the potential problem (which didn’t happen in my case) and a responsibility to resolve the problem when it occurs. I took my vehicle into my nearest Subaru dealership for a warranty repair that I was notified of approx. three years ago. No one notified me of the potential CVT transmission problem at that time. My vehicle cannot be driven in its current state and it is dangerous to drive because of this problem.

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