Subaru Forester transmission problems

FIRST, DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY THE AIR CONDITIONER STOPPED WORKING. SECOND, THE VERY NEXT DAY, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO MAKE NOISES (SQUEALING) WHEN DRIVING IT ANYWHERE. STREETS, TURNS, HILLS ETC. THEN IT BEGAN RACE AND IT FELT AS IF THE BACK TIRES WERE RACING TO CATCH UP TO THE FRONT TIRES. THERE WAS LURCHING FORWARD. SHUDDERING. NO DASHBOARD WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON. I CALLED THE DEALERSHIP, THEN TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP. IT WAS SCARY TO DRIVE IT THERE. I FELT LIKE THE TRANSMISSION WAS GOING UP. THIRD, THE TAILGATE, ( IN OR OUT) RELEASE BUTTONS WERE NOT WORKING CONSISTENTLY (REPEAT COMPLAINT). I LEFT THE VEHICLE AT THE DEALERSHIP AND TELEPHONED SUBARU OF AMERICA. THIS 2018; I HAD OWNED FOR EXACTLY TWO MONTHS. I HAD ONLY DRIVEN THE CAR APPROX 1200 MILES TOTAL. MILEAGE 47,000. THE DEALER HAS REPAIRED THE AC AND CVT TRANSMISSION. THE AC IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND IT WAS THE CONDENSER THAT WAS LEAKING AND NEEDED REPLACED. THE CVT IS ALSO A KNOWN PROBLEM. THE SERVICE TECH TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND ABLE TO DUPLICATE CONCERN. HE FOUND THE RPM INCREASED AND THE SQUEALING COULD BE HEARD. VEHICLE WOULD SHUDDER. WHEN HE REMOVED THE PAN HE FOUND METAL IN THE OIL. CONFIRMING THE CVT (TRANSMISSION) NEEDED REPLACED. REPAIRS WERE MADE UNDER THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. GIVEN THE INFORMATION FOUND ON THE WEB REGARDING THESE PROBLEMS IT WAS IMPORTANT TO REPORT THAT THESE PROBLEMS CONTINUE. SAFETY IS CONCERN.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE KEY WAS STUCK IN THE IGNITION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT SEVERAL ATTEMPTS WERE MADE BEFORE THE KEY RELEASED AND WAS REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. COLONIAL SUBARU (761 E CHESTER ST, KINGSTON, NY 12401, (845) 339-3330) ACKNOWLEDGED THE THAT FAILURE HAD OCCURRED IN OTHER VEHICLES. THE MECHANIC ATTEMPTED TO TAP THE SHIFT COLUMN TO DISLODGE THE KEY HOWEVER, THE KEY REMAINED STUCK IN THE IGNITION. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE NHTSA FOR ASSISTANCE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.*DT THE CONSUMER STATED THE REPAIRS WERE MADE AT THE OWNERS EXPENSE BUT CONSUMER COMPLAINED TO SUBARU ABOUT HAVING TO COVER THE COSTS AND SUBARU REIMBURSE THE CONSUMER FOR THE REPAIRS. *TR

2012 FORESTER 2.5X, 4-SPD AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION: WHEN TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, 50+ MPH, ANY ATTEMPT TO QUICKLY ACCELERATE CAUSES THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO DOWNSHIFT ALL THE WAY TO SECOND GEAR. THIS RESULTS IN VERY HIGH RPMS, BUT A LOSS IN VELOCITY AS THE DOWNSHIFT TO SECOND GEAR IS NOT APPROPRIATE AT THE HIGH END OF THE ALLOWABLE RPMS FOR THE ENGINE. THE LOSS IN SPEED WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE IS VERY UNSAFE AND HAS CAUSED ME TO HAVE TO UNEXPECTEDLY RETURN TO MY LANE WHEN ATTEMPTING TO PASS ANOTHER VEHICLE. LIKEWISE, ATTEMPTING TO MERGE INTO TRAFFIC TRAVELING FASTER IN ANOTHER LANE IS ALSO UNSAFE AS I LOSE SPEED WHILE EMERGING INTO THE LANE WITH FASTER TRAFFIC. THIS DOWNSHIFT INTO SECOND GEAR RATHER THAN THIRD GEAR AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS OCCASIONALLY CAUSES THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT TO TURN ON AND THE TRACTION CONTROL WARNING LIGHT TO TURN ON. THIS IS AN ONGOING PROBLEM AND CAN BE REPLICATED AT ANY TIME. THIS OCCURS AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS, AND CAN BE REPLICATED BY DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL QUICKLY, OR JUST TAPPING ON THE ACCELERATOR. THE VEHICLE SHOULD NOT BE ABLE TO DOWNSHIFT TO SECOND GEAR AT HIGH SPEEDS USING AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION. I HAVE RETURNED IT TO THE DEALER TWICE AND THE DEALERS MECHANICS ARE EASILY ABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. AFTER NUMEROUS ATTEMPTS TO FIX THE PROBLEM, THE DEALERSHIP CONTACTED THE SUBARU HEADQUARTERS AND WERE TOLD THIS IS NORMAL OPERATION. IT IS ANYTHING BUT NORMAL FOR AN AUTOMOBILE AND IS VERY DANGEROUS. THERE APPEAR TO BE A NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS ON VARIOUS INTERNET SITES ON FORESTERS WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE REVERSING AT 5 MPH, THE VEHICLE SURGED BACKWARD AND CRASHED INTO A HOUSE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT REPAIR SHOP, BUT THE FAILURE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED FOR THE BODY DAMAGES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 104,000. UPDATED 10/21/11 *BF THE CONSUMER STATED THE TRANSMISSION FAILED AS WELL. UPDATED EVOQ 10/26/11

IN 2007 I BOUGHT A NEW SUBARU FORESTER. THE TRANSMISSION JUMPS & SNAPS WHILE CHANGING GEARS. SOMETIMES THE WHOLE CAR IS JOLTED BY THE TRANSMISSION SNAPPING INTO GEAR. THIS PROBLEM JUST DOESN'T HAPPEN WHEN THE CAR IS COLD, BUT ALSO HAPPENS WHILE HIGHWAY DRIVING & CHANGING SPEEDS. IT OFTEN TAKES TOO LONG FOR MY VEHICLE TO CHANGE GEARS. I HAVE REPORTED THIS PROBLEM TO THE SERVICE DEPT. AT TWO DIFFERENT SUBARU DEALERSHIPS. THEY CLAIM THEY CHECKED MY TRANSMISSION & FOUND NO PROBLEMS. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE I AM CONCERNED ABOUT. I FEAR MY TRANSMISSION MAY FAIL AT A CRUCIAL TIME. *TR

A FEW TIMES A YEAR, MY 2005 SUBARU FORESTER WITH STICK SHIFT WILL NOT START AFTER PARKING. HOWEVER, AFTER SHIFTING THE GEARS A FEW TIMES, IT WILL START. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THE SENSOR SENSED INCORRECTLY THAT THE CAR WAS IN GEAR OTHER THAN NEUTRAL AND HENCE IT WOULD NOT START DESPITE THE GEAR WAS IN PHYSICALLY IN NEUTRAL AND THE CLUTCH WAS FULLY DEPRESSED. AFTER SHIFTING THE GEARS A FEW TIMES, THE ELECTRONIC MIGHT HAVE CORRECTED ITSELF. I AM CONCERNED IF OTHER ELECTRONICS PROBLEMS MAY HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING, AS WHAT HAPPENED TO TOYOTA. TOO BAD THAT THERE MAY NOT ENOUGH DATA WITH STICK SHIFT. *TR

2005 SUBARU FORESTER AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION THE CAR LURCHES UPON STARTING OUT ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING. YOU PRESS ON THE ACCELERATOR--CAR DOES NOT MOVE, THEN SUDDENLY LURCHES AS THE TRANSMISSION SLAMS INTO GEAR, SO THERE IS LITTLE CONTROL ON THE PART OF THE DRIVER--YOU DO NOT KNOW WHEN THE CAR WILL MOVE AND/OR HOW.. WHEN TAKE FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR CAR LURCHES FORWARD AGAIN--WITH NO DRIVER CONTROL. THE CAR SLAMS INTO GEAR WITHOUT WARNING. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING NOW REGULARLY FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS. BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE DEALER ON JAN 14--THEY SAID THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM, "REPROGRAMMED" IT AND SAID ALL WAS FINE. IT WASN'T--BROUGHT THE CAR BACK YESTERDAY--THEY KEPT IT OVERNIGHT AND THEY SAID EVERYTHING IS OK--IT IS NOT. CAR IS STILL OUT OF CONTROL. I HAVE BEEN READING SIMILAR STORIES ON EDMUNDS. COM SUBARU FORUM FOR THIS YEAR AND EVEN OLDER MODEL SUBARU FORESTERS. SUBARU DENIES THERE IS AN ISSUE--I CALLED THEM THIS AFTERNOON AND WROTE TO THEM A FEW WEEKS BACK, TOO. THANKS. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING BETWEEN 35-55 MPH THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION SLIPPED OUT OF GEAR. HE WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE VEHICLE OPERATION. THE FAILURE OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INSPECTED AT THIS TIME. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 95,000. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 101,000. UPDATED 1/14/10 *CN UPDATED 01/15/10.*JB