2001 Subaru Forester

"CLUTCH SHUDDER" OCCURS SHORTLY UPON STARTUP, FIRST APPLICATION OF 1ST GEAR OK  STOP ONCE AND APPLY 1ST GEAR AGAIN AND THE SHUDDER IS SEVERE, SHAKING AND COMPLETE LOSS OF ACCELERATION; THIS WILL CONTINUE FOR NEXT 2-3 MILES  WARMING THE CAR DOES NOT REMOVE THE PROBLEM. THIS IS AN EXTREME SAFETY HAZARD - THERE IS NO FORWARD ACCELERATION. TEMP IT FREQUENTLY OCCURS 56  62 DEGREES, HOWEVER ONCE IT BEGINS IT CAN RE-OCCUR AT HIGHER TEMPS LATER IN THE DAY. OCCURRENCE IS INTERMITTENT. I REPORTED PROBLEM TO SUBARU IN SAN JOSE, THEY SAID "NO PROBLEM FOUND" AFTER I LEFT THE CAR IN SERVICE FOR 3 DAYS - THEY SAID THEY COULD NOT REPEAT THE PROBLEM. THE CLUTCH SHUDDER HAPPENS TO ME FREQUENTLY DURING THE TEMPS RECORDED ABOVE - I LIVE IN CALIFORNIA  WE HAVE THOSE TEMPS OFTEN IN THE MORNING SPRING/FALL. THE # OF 600 FAILURES IS AN ESTIMATE - I COULD NOT ENTER "ESTIMATE" IN THIS FORM. I HAVE HAD THE CAR OVER 3 YEARS AND THE PROBLEM SEEMS WORSE. MY SISTERS SUBARU OUTBACK HAS SAME PROBLEM WITH SAME RESPONSE FROM SUBARU SERVICE. *AK

ON 3/31/2004 I WAS EXITING THE PARKING LOT OF A SUPERMARKET IN JACKSON, WHEN SUDDENLY, MY 2001 FORESTER LURCHED FORWARD AND CONTINUED TO ACCELERATE EVEN AS I WAS BREAKING. IT WENT OUT INTO COOPER STREET (A VERY BUSY STREET). FORTUNATELY THERE WERE NO ONCOMING CARS. IT CONTINUED OVER THE CURB AND HIT SEVERAL TREES BEFORE IT STOPPED. *NM

2001 SUBARU FORESTER (MANUAL TRANSMISSION) EXPERIENCES TERRIBLE "CLUTCH SHUDDER" (ALSO CALLED CLUTCH CHATTER AND CLUTCH JUDDER) STARTING FROM A STOP IN 1ST GEAR, AND OCCASIONALLY IN 2ND GEAR, MOST OFTEN WHEN CAR IS COLD (MORNING). THE SHUDDER IS EXTREMELY SEVERE, SHAKING THE WHOLE CAR AND RESULTS IN LOSS OF POWER. SINCE THIS HAPPENS STARTING FROM A STOP, THE PROBLEM CREATES A HAZARD WITH INTERSECTIONS; THERE IS ENOUGH POWER TO GET THE CAR INTO AN INTERSECTION, THEN THE CLUTCH SHUDDER REQUIRES COMPLETE REAPPLICATION OF THE CLUTCH, CAUSING THE CAR TO REMAIN IN THE INTERSECTION FOR AN INORDINATE AMOUNT OF TIME.*AK

MY 2001 SUBARU FORESTER HAS HAD A CLUTCH SHUDDER WHEN STARTING THE CAR COLD SHORTLY AFTER I LEASED THE VEHICLE. IT IS AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM WHICH I BROUGHT TO THE ATTENTION OF MY SUBARU TECHNICIAN IN JAN OF 2001. THEY SAID THEY CHECKED OUT THE CLUTCH AND EVERYTHING "LOOKS FINE". IT STILL HAS THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT IF I CAN'T REPRODUCE IT FOR THEM THEY CAN'T FIX IT. I HAVE READ OTHER COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER FORESTER OWNERS ABOUT THIS AND SUBARU HAS ISSUED A TSB # 03-51-02R. WHY DOES THE CONSUMER HAVE TO TELL THESE PEOPLE HOW TO FIX THE VEHICLES THEY SERVICE? *LA

ENGINE PINGING NOISE RESULTING FROM SHORT SKIRT VALVE DESIGN FAILURE. REQUESTED ADVICE FROM MANUFACTURE WAS TOLD TO TAKE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. DEALER REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE PROBLEM. ENGINE LIFE IS GREATLY REDUCED BY THIS PROBLEM. DEALER RECOGNITION HAS OCCURED REGARDING THIS FLAW. THIS IS THE SECOND SUBARU I HAVE PURCHASED. SIMILAR PROBLEM IN FIRST VEHICLE RESULTED IN DEALER REPLACEING SHORT BLOCK. ALTHOUGH DISAPPOINTED AT FLAW CUSTOMER SERVICE AT FIRST DEALER PROMPTED PURCHASE OF SECOND VEHICLE. *AK

ENGINE PINGING NOISE RESULTING FROM SHORT SKIRT VALVE DESIGN FAILURE. REQUESTED ADVICE FROM MANUFACTURE WAS TOLD TO TAKE VEHICLE TO A DEALER. DEALER REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE PROBLEM. ENGINE LIFE IS GREATLY REDUCED BY THIS PROBLEM. DEALER RECOGNITION HAS OCCURED REGARDING THIS FLAW. THIS IS THE SECOND SUBARU I HAVE PURCHASED. SIMILAR PROBLEM IN FIRST VEHICLE RESULTED IN DEALER REPLACEING SHORT BLOCK. ALTHOUGH DISAPPOINTED AT FLAW CUSTOMER SERVICE AT FIRST DEALER PROMPTED PURCHASE OF SECOND VEHICLE. *AK