2011 SUBARU OUTBACK Power Train Problems
209 NHTSA complaints on file
All Power Train Complaints — Page 5
WHILE DRIVING AT 40 OR 50 MILES AN HOUR, MY HUSBAND TRIES TO SHIFT TO 4TH OR 5TH GEAR AND THE GEAR SLIPS INTO REVERSE. THEN THE CAR CAN'T GO IN REVERSE. WE BOUGHT THE CAR IN JUNE 2011. THIS FIRST HAPPENED WHEN THE CAR WAS ABOUT 8 MONTHS OLD. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED BUSHINGS. THE SAME THING HAPPENED AGAIN A FEW MONTHS LATER, ON THE HIGHWAY, WITH MY TWO KIDS IN THE CAR, WHEN MY HUSBAND WAS SHIFTING FROM 5TH TO 6TH. THE DEALERSHIP REPLACED BUSHINGS. THE SAME THING HAPPENED ON MAY 11, 2013, WHILE WE WERE ON THE HIGHWAY AND MY HUSBAND WAS SHIFTING FROM 4TH TO 5TH; THE GEAR SLIPPED INTO REVERSE. THE CAR THEN CAN'T GO IN REVERSE. *TR
THE ISSUE STARTED AT AROUND 25,000 MILES. MY 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK, UPON SHIFTING FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE OR FROM PARK TO DRIVE FROM A COLD START, THE TRANSMISSION WOULD PAUSE FOR A SECOND OR TWO THEN WOULD EXHIBIT A LOUD BANG/CLUNK AND THE CAR WOULD LURCH FORWARD. WARMING THE CAR FOR SEVERAL MINUTES (~5-10 MINUTES) DID NOT SOLVE THE ISSUE. I READ OTHERS WHO HAD THE SAME ISSUE SO AT 28,622 MILES (~1.5 MONTHS FROM THE FIRST INCIDENT) I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE SUBARU SERVICE/DEALER. UNFORTUNATELY THEY COULD NOT REPLICATE THE ISSUE, LIKELY DUE TO THE FACT THAT THEY DID A TRANSMISSION RELEARN BEFORE TRYING TO TEST THE TRANSMISSION. THE CAR WAS FINE FOR ABOUT 2 DAYS AFTER RECEIPT FROM SERVICE, BUT THEN THE BANG/CLUNK/LURCH BEGAN AGAIN, ON AND OFF, UNDER THE SAME CONDITIONS MENTIONED EARLIER (I.E., COLD START, SHIFTING INTO DRIVE, ETC.) UNTIL ITS FAILURE ON APRIL 22...
2011 SUBARU OUTBACK. CONSUMER STATES VEHICLE ROLLED DOWN THE STREET WITHOUT THE KEY IN IGNITION AND ENGINE OFF *TGW THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE FINALLY CAME TO REST IN HIS NEIGHBOR'S YARD. THE CONSUMER THEN NOTICED THE GEAR SHIFT WAS IN DRIVE. THE CONSUMER STATED ACCORDING TO THE MANUAL, THE KEY WAS NOT SUPPOSED TO COME OUT OF THE IGNITION, UNLESS THE GEAR SHIFT WAS IN PARK AND THE ENGINE WAS OFF. THE CONSUMER STATED ON AUGUST 6, 2011, WHEN HE RETURNED TO HIS VEHICLE, HE ATTEMPTED TO START THE VEHICLE, BUT THE ENGINE WOULD NOT TURN OVER. THE CONSUMER CONTACTED SUBARU. THE SUBARU EMPLOYEE STATED THERE MAY HAVE BEEN A PROBLEM THE KEY OR THE SECURITY SYSTEM. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED AND A COUPLE OF DAYS LATER, THE CONSUMER WAS INFORMED THE BATTERY HAD BEEN REPLACED AND THE VEHICLE WAS READY TO BE PICKED UP. ABOUT TWO MONTHS LATER,...
EVEN AFTER ALL THE SOA (SUBARU OF AMERICA) "FIXES" / SERVICE BULLETINS I STILL HAVE A VIBRATION ISSUES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, FEEL IT IN THE SEAT AND IN STEERING WHEEL. IT GETS WORSE AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IF YOUR GOING AROUND A CURVE ON IT TENDS TO GET WORSE. EVEN AFTER THROUGH THE CURVE.. ALSO NOTED IT DOESN'T MATTER WEATHER CONDITIONS HOT, COLD RAINING OR DRY. *TR
I PULLED INTO MY DRIVEWAY (RELATIVELY LEVEL) AND PARKED MY CAR. AS I EXITED THE VEHICLE I NOTICE THAT MY CAR WAS ROLLING FORWARD (I HAVE A MANUAL TRANSMISSION) AND ATTEMPTED TO SET THE ELECTRIC PARKING BRAKE BY PUSHING REPEATEDLY ON THE BUTTON TO THE LEFT OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THE PARKING BRAKE DID NOT SET AND MY CAR GAINED SPEED AND CONTINUED DOWNHILL INTO THE WOODS BEHIND MY HOME. I AM NOT SURE IF I WAS DRAGGED OR PARTIALLY IN THE CAR, BUT WAS ABLE TO CLEAR THE VEHICLE BEFORE IT HIT A FENCE, A TREE AND EVENTUALLY COME TO A STOP. THIS HAS HAPPENED IN MY GARAGE ONCE AND AT A GAS STATION, BUT I WAS ABLE TO GAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE BY HITTING THE PARKING BRAKE BUTTON. I DO NOT KNOW IF I AM NOT SETTING THE BRAKE BEFORE EXITING OR AM NOT DEPRESSING IT FULLY...
CAR WAS BRAND NEW AND THE TRANSMISSION WAS JERKING WHEN I SLOWED DOWN FOR A RED LIGHT AND THEN HAD TO START AGAIN BEFORE THE CAR CAME TO A FULL STOP. THIS WAS A CONSTANT ISSUE AND ALSO DID THE SAME THING WHEN CAR WAS DOWNSHIFTING DURING TRAFFIC. *TR
I HAVE A SUBARU BECAUSE I LIVE OFF THE PAVED ROAD AND IT IS AN OFF-ROAD CAR. TWO PROBLEMS: 1) IF DRIVING IN SNOW, SNOW PACKS INTO THE WHEEL WELL AND PREVENTS FRONT WHEELS TURNING PROPERLY. I CARRY A WEEDOUT, OTHER PEOPLE I HAVE TALKED TO CARRY ICE PICKS AND TROWELS FOR GETTING THE SNOW OUT. THIS HAS HAPPENED TO ME SINCE DEC 2010, WHENEVER DRIVING IN WET SNOW. I HEARD IT DISCUSSED ON CAR TALK, SO I KNOW IT IS A COMMON COMPLAINT. 2) MANUAL TRANSMISSION LINKAGE IS NOW EXPOSED ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE 2011. THE CAR GETS STUCK IN ONE GEAR AND WILL NOT SHIFT. HAPPENED IN 2ND AND 4TH. I GOT IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY REMOVED STICKS AND GRAVEL FROM THE LINKAGE. THEY SAID THEY HAD MANY 2011 MANUAL TRANSMISSION SUBIES IN THAT WEEK WITH STICKS AND GRAVEL IN THE LINKAGE DUE TO THE...
I TURNED RIGHT INTO A DRIVEWAY WITH A STEEP UPWARD INCLINE AND HAD TO STOP MY CAR BRIEFLY TO SPEAK TO A PERSON HELPING WITH PARKING FOR AN EVENT. MY CAR HAS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, SO I ENGAGED THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE TO HOLD THE CAR SO I COULD GET MOVING AGAIN WITHOUT ROLLING BACKWARDS. HOWEVER, THE PARKING BRAKE ON MY CAR AUTOMATICALLY DISENGAGES AS SOON AS THE GAS PEDAL IS DEPRESSED (OR EVEN, ACTUALLY, TOUCHED AT ALL). BECAUSE OF THE VERY STEEP INCLINE, BY THE TIME I HAD ENOUGH REVS TO ENGAGE THE CLUTCH, MY CAR HAD ROLLED BACK INTO THE STREET BEHIND ME. FORTUNATELY NO VEHICLE WAS PASSING AT THE TIME, THOUGH A SERIOUS ACCIDENT COULD HAVE OCCURRED. I HAVE NOTICED THAT THE ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE NEEDS TO BE MANUALLY DISENGAGED IF THE DRIVER SEATBELT IS UNFASTENED, PRESUMABLY AS A REMINDER TO FASTEN THE SEATBELT. IN THE FUTURE...
WHEN COMING TO A ROLLING STOP AND THEN STEPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR AS OUR 2011 OUTBACK WAS TURNING, THE NEW VEHICLE, WITH 9 MILES ON THE ODOMETER, EXPERIENCED A BRIEF HESITATION FOLLOWED BY A HARD TRANSMISSION CLUNK AND THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD A FEW FEET BEFORE DRIVING NORMALLY. THIS OCCURRED SEVERAL TIMES DURING ROLLING STOPS BOTH WHEN GOING FORWARD AND WHEN TURNING A CORNER. WE FEEL THIS IS EXTREMELY UNSAFE AND COULD LEAD TO LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. WE RETURNED THE VEHICLE TO THE DEALERSHIP'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT WITHIN 17 HOURS OF PURCHASE AND, AFTER THEY HAD THE CAR FOR 10 DAYS, WE WERE INFORMED THAT, WHILE THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THE PROBLEM, THERE IS NO CURRENT FIX FOR THE ISSUE AND HAVE NO ESTIMATE AS TO WHEN THERE MIGHT BE ONE. IN RESEARCHING ONLINE, WE DISCOVERED THAT A VERY SIMILAR, IF NOT IDENTICAL, PROBLEM WAS REPORTED BY OWNERS OF THE...
Other 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK Problem Areas
Exterior Lighting
115 complaints
Engine
83 complaints
Service Brakes
67 complaints
Electrical System
66 complaints
Air Bags
65 complaints
Unknown Or Other
38 complaints
Steering
35 complaints
Vehicle Speed Control
25 complaints
Suspension
18 complaints
Visibilitywiper
18 complaints
Fuelpropulsion System
12 complaints
Structurebody
10 complaints
Wheels
10 complaints
Air Bagsfrontal
8 complaints
Service Brakes Hydraulic
8 complaints
Electronic Stability Control Esc
7 complaints
Power Trainautomatic Transmissiontorque Converter
7 complaints
Tires
7 complaints
Engine And Engine Cooling
6 complaints
Visibility
5 complaints
Fuel System Gasoline
4 complaints
Seat Belts
4 complaints
Seats
4 complaints
Exterior Lightingheadlights
2 complaints
Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control
2 complaints
Parking Brake
2 complaints
Air Bagsfrontalsensorcontrol Module
1 complaint
Engine And Engine Coolingengine
1 complaint
Engine And Engine Coolingexhaust Systemmanifoldheadermufflertail Pipe
1 complaint
Equipment
1 complaint
Equipment Adaptivemobility
1 complaint
Equipmentelectricalradiotape Deckcd Etc
1 complaint
Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking
1 complaint
Service Brakes Hydraulicpedals And Linkages
1 complaint
Steeringcolumn
1 complaint
Steeringhydraulic Power Assist System
1 complaint
Structure
1 complaint
Suspensionfront
1 complaint
Suspensionfrontwheel Bearing
1 complaint
Suspensionsubframemounting Bracket
1 complaint
Tirespressure Monitoring And Regulating Systems
1 complaint
Tiressidewall
1 complaint