2000 SUBARU LEGACY Power Trainautomatic Transmission Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SUBARU L WAGON. WHILE DRIVING THE ATF WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL AND THEN THE VEHICLE WOULD DOWN-SHIFT. THE COMPUTER, TRANSMISSION COMPUTER, SPARK PLUG, OXYGEN SENSOR, AND COIL PACK HAVE ALL BEEN REPLACED. NONE OF THE REPAIRS HAVE REMEDIED THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 171,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000. UPDATED 11/12/09 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON MOST OF THE TIME. A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP THAT WORKS ONLY ON SUBARU'S HAD NOT IDEA WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED A THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR WAS NEEDED. UPDATED 11/16/09

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER VEHICLE WAS IN THE REPAIR SHOP FOR TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE VEHICLE ALSO SHAKES SEVERELY WHEN APPROACHING A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE VEHICLE MUST BE SHIFTED INTO PARK WHEN THE SHAKING OCCURS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

2000 SUBARU LEGACY L TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT GO INTO DRIVE WHILE STOPPED FOR A LIGHT. CAR UNABLE TO BE MOVED AND STUCK IN TRAFFIC. THIS CAUSED A VERY UNSAFE PROBLEM AS TRAFFIC BACKED UP BEHIND THE CAR. TRANSMISSION INTERMITTENTLY REFUSES TO SHIFT. DEALER SAYS NEW TRNS. SUBARU AWARE OF DEFECT IN TRANS. *TR

SUMMARY THE TRANSMISSION FAILED WITH 45,926 MILES. IT WAS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE CAUSED BY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THE DIFFERENTIAL ASSEMBLY RACK AND PINION. THE GEARS HAVE MICROSCOPIC CRACKS AND THE TEETH BROKE OFF AT 30-35 MPH. THE CRACKS ARE VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP THAT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE, SAID IT WAS THE SECOND SUBARU THAT HAD A SIMILAR FAILURE. I HAVE ASKED SUBARU TO REVIEW THE CASE. SUBARU INDICATED THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE ISSUES NOT A PRODUCT DEFECT AND REFUSED TO ABSORB ANY OF THE REPAIR COSTS OF $1695. I HAVE THE PARTS THAT FAILED AND I WILL RE-CONTACT SUBARU, REQUEST THAT A ZONE REP LOOK AT THE FAILED COMPONENTS, AND REVIEW THE CASE AGAIN. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHEN APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THIS HAPPENED EVERY TIME THE PEDAL WAS APPLIED. THE VEHICLE WAS CALIBRATED TO FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS. OTHER VEHICLES ON THE LOT WERE DRIVEN AND THEY HAD THE SAME HESITATION. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. *AK UPDATED 01/19/06. *JB

NEW TRANSMISSION WAS PUT IN AT AROUND 40K MILES. NOW THE CAR IS AT 85K MILES. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AND GAVE MY CAR A LITTLE GAS. THE CAR REVED AND ACCELERATED FOR NO REASON, BUT I LOOKED AT MY GAUGES AND NOTHING LOOKED OUT OF THE ORDINARY, SO I KEPT DRIVING. ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER, I WAS PULLING INTO MY NEIGHBOR'S DRIVEWAY GOING ABOUT 2 MILES PER HOUR (HER CAR WAS ABOUT 7 FEET AWAY) WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED (LIKE I HAD FLOORED THE GAS PEDAL), AND I CRASHED INTO HER PARKED CAR. AFTER CAR IS FIXED (THERE IS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MY CAR), I WILL TAKE TO MY SUBARU DEALER. IT IS STILL UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY.*AK

AT ABOUT 76,000 MILES, VERY OCCASIONALLY, THE CAR HESITATED BEFORE ENGAGING IN DRIVE. THE PROBLEM STARTED OCCURRING MORE OFTEN RECENTLY, AND NOW AT 82,000, ACCORDING TO A SUBARU DEALER, THE TRANSMISSION APPARENTLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I AM TRYING A "FLUSH" BEFORE REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION. I BELIEVE SUBARU SHOULD WARRANTY THEIR TRANSMISSIONS FOR MORE THAN 60,000 MILES OR RECALL THE PART IN THE TRANSMISSION THAT FAILS.*JB

WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT THE GEAR SEEMED TO LOCK. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. CONSUMER PLACED THE VEHICLE INTO A LOWER GEAR, AND PLACED THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON, DROVE TO THE MECHANIC, WHO CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. . THE ENGINE RUNS. BUT TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO BE DEFECTIVE.*AK

TRANSMISSION FAILED AFTER 67,500 MILES, WITHIN THE WARRANTY TIME PERIOD BUT OUT OF THE MILAGE LIMIT. DEALER CANNOT FIND A REPLACEMENT.*AK