2011 Subaru Outback

MY VEHICLE ACCUMULATES A LOT OF HIGHWAY MILES. THESE ARE EASY AND UNSTRENUOUS TO AND FROM WORK. OVER THE PAST 3 MONTHS I HAD MY VEHICLE MISDIAGNOSED THREE TIMES WHEN I WAS COMPLAINING OF TRANSMISSION PROBLEMS. AS I HAVE JUST BROKEN 125,000 MILES MY VEHICLE GETS DIAGNOSED WITH NEEDING A NEW HEAD GASKET AND A NEW TRANSMISSION. COSTING EASILY MORE THAN THE VEHICLE IS WORTH. SUBARU IT NOT WILLING TO BACK THEIR VEHICLES. THE VEHICLE SHOULD BE LASTING WELL PAST 125,000 WITHOUT MAJOR MECHANICAL PROBLEMS LIKE THESE THAT COULD HAVE ENDED IN SERIOUS INJURY. AT THIS POINT NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE TO RECTIFY WHAT COULD HAVE BEEN AN UNSAFE SITUATION HAD I NOT CONTINUALLY PROMPTED THEM TO PROPERLY DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. AT THIS TIME MY VEHICLE IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE AND HAS BEEN OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS DUE TO THESE ISSUES.

I WAS 40 MILES FROM HOME AFTER COMING DOWN A STEEP CURVY MOUNTAIN ROAD IN MANUAL WHEN SUBARU BEGAN SHIFTING WITH BIG JERKS AND SHUDDERS IN EARLY SEPT 2019, HAD TROUBLE SHIFTING FROM ONE GEAR TO NEXT. HANLEE'S SUBARU EVALUATED, REPLACED VALVE BODY AND SERPENTINE BELT. A FEW DAYS LATER IN RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC AT A RR CROSSING IT SHUDDERED TO A STOP AND DIED DURING WHICH THERE WAS A LOUD CLANKING SOUND UNDER AND BEHIND ME. I STARTED IT UP AGAIN BUT WAS TERRIFIED OF CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. RETURNED TO HANLEE'S WHERE THEY HAD IT FOR A WEEK AND COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE SYMPTOMS.SINCE I PICKED IT UP IT STILL HAS A "BUMP" WHEN I SLOW DOWN. THEN 0N 11/4/19 IT DID THE SAME SHUDDERING STOP WHEN I BRAKED IN TRAFFIC(GOING 35 MPH) FIVE MILES FROM MY HOUSE, DYING COMPLETELY. I RESTARTED IT AND TOOK IT TO SUBARU. THEY SAY IT MIGHT BE A TORQUE CONVERTER. I'M WORRIED FOR MY SAFETY. I ALSO SEE THAT BOTH THE CVT AND TORQUE CONVERTER HAD EXTENDED WARRANTIES ISSUED FOR THESE REASONS. WHEN THESE PROBLEMS BEGAN THE CAR HAD 110K MILES. THIS IS MY THIRD SUBARU AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED SUCH POOR , DANGEROUS PERFORMANCE ON A CAR THAT SHOULD RUN WELL FOR AT LEAST 200K MILES WITH GOOD SERVICE. I AM WAITING TO HEAR FROM HANLEE'S ON THE SECOND DAY THEY HAVE HAD MY CAR.

MY 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK HAS STALLED OUT SEVERAL TIMES THIS SUMMER, BUT THE EVENT THAT I CAN RECALL MOST OBJECTIVELY FOR REPORTING PURPOSES OCCURRED ON AUGUST 17, 2019 WHEN MY VEHICLE STALLED COMPLETELY AFTER APPLYING THE BRAKES SUDDENLY TO STOP DUE TO BEING FLAGGED BY AN ONCOMING DRIVER ON MY NEIGHBORHOOD ROAD WHILE TRAVELING ABOUT 40 MPH. I HAD TO TURN OVER IGNITION SWITCH TO GET THE VEHICLE GOING AGAIN. WHEN I REACHED HOME, I RESEARCHED ONLINE FOR CAUSES OF STALLING IN 2011 SUBARU OUTBACKS, AND I FOUND NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS BY OTHER OWNERS OF THE SAME ISSUE. ACCORDING TO PEOPLE WHO HAVE HAD THEIR VEHICLES REPAIRED IT IS THE TORQUE CONVERTER. SUBARU ISSUED AN EXTENSION TO THE VEHICLE WARRANTY TO COVER THE COST OF REPAIR UP TO 100,000 MILES WHICH DOES ME NO GOOD BECAUSE AT THE TIME OF THE INCIDENT, I WAS WELL OVER THE 100,000 MILES. COST OF THE REPAIRS ON AVERAGE IS $2200.00. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT IF THERE IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH A VEHICLE WHERE DRIVER/OCCUPANT SAFETY IS AT RISK, THE CAR MANUFACTURER HAS TO RECALL THE PRODUCT. I WOULD THINK A CAR STALLING COMPLETELY WHILE IN OPERATION/MOTION IN TRAFFIC/ ROAD TRAVEL WOULD QUALIFY AS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD.

MY 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK SOMETIMES SHUDDERS WHILE SLOWING DOWN AND HAS STARTED STALLING OUT AT STOPS. I FEEL THIS IS QUITE UNSAFE. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME IT NEEDS A TORQUE CONVERTER. THEY QUOTED $1459.45 FOR THE REPAIR. THE MAN AT SUBARU TOLD ME IT IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE, AS IT MAY FAIL WHILE DRIVING AND CAUSE AN ACCIDENT.

I PURCHASED MY 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK AT 75,000 MILES FROM HANSEL SUBARU IN SANTA ROSA,CA IN APRIL OF 2017 FROM A SALESMAN NAMED ANDRE. A COUPLE WEEKS AFTER PURCHASING IT I TOOK IT BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP TO GET THE TRANSMISSION INSPECTED BECAUSE IT WAS NOT DRIVING PROPERLY (COMPLAINING OF HARD SHIFTING). AFTER THEY INSPECTED IT THEY ASKED ME IF THIS WAS MY FIRST CVT AND I SAID YES, THEY TOLD ME THAT THE CAR NEEDED TO LEARN MY DRIVING HABITS SO THEY DID A 'RE-LEARN' ON THE CVT WHICH I HAD TO PAY FOR OUT OF POCKET. AT THIS TIME I HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THE EXTENDED WARRANTY OR THE CVT TRANSMISSION THE SUBARU RELEASED IN 2014. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCLOSED WHEN I PURCHASED THE CAR. WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR THE INSPECTION THEY SHOULD HAVE REPLACED THE CVT ACCORDING TO THEY SERVICE BULLETIN WITH THE EXTENDED WARRANTY. A COUPLE WEEKS AGO I'M DRIVING HOME FROM VENTURA AT NIGHT, TRAVELING 70MPH IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND OUT OF NOWHERE ALL THE DASHBOARD LIGHTS START FLASHING AND THE CAR SUDDENLY LOOSES POWER, ALMOST CAUSING THE VEHICLE BEHIND ME TO REAR-END ME. THE VEHICLE IS AT 125,000 MILES (JUST OUTSIDE THE 100,000 MILE EXTENDED WARRANTY) AND SUBARU IS REFUSING TO PROVIDE ANY ASSISTANCE WITH A NEW TRANSMISSION. NOW I'M STUCK WITH A REPAIR BILL OF $8000 ON A VEHICLE I STILL OWE $10,000 ON. THIS SHOULD BE A RECALL, THE PASSENGER AND I COULD HAVE BEEN INJURED OR KILLED IN A FREEWAY PILEUP.

CAR HAS BEEN EXHIBITING INTERMITTENT LOW IDLING WHILE PARKED OR WHILE STOPPED AT RED LIGHT AND STOP SIGNS. ABOUT 3 DAYS AGO, ON THREE SEPARATE TRIPS MY OUTBACK SHUDDERED AND SHAKED QUITE VIOLENTLY WHEN STOPPING FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC AS I WAS ATTEMPTING TO TURN. WHEN I DEPRESSED THE GAS PEDAL TO MAKE THE TURN, THE CAR CONTINUED TO SHUDDER AND STALLED AMIDST THE THREE LANE ONCOMING TRAFFIC. I RESTARTED THE CAR AND GENTLY DEPRESSED THE GAS PEDAL TO HOBBLE MY WAY INTO A PARKING LOT. I MADE MY WAY BACK HOME FULLY AWARE OF HOW THE CAR BEHAVED TO AVOID INCIDENT, BUT ALSO LEAVING ME AFRAID FOR MY FAMILY'S SAFETY. I IMMEDIATELY SCHEDULED A SERVICE APPT AT THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP. THE CAR DIDN'T EXHIBIT ANY OF THE PREVIOUS ISSUES ON MY DRIVE TO THE DEALERSHIP. AFTER AGREEING TO PAY FOR THE DIAGNOSIS FEE, THE SERVICE REP EXPLAINED TO ME THAT I NEEDED TO REPLACE THE TORQUE CONVERTER, WHICH WOULD COST ME OVER $2000. I FELT LIKE I HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO AUTHORIZE THE REPAIR, SO I DID. AFTER LEAVING MY CAR AT THE SHOP TO RETURN HOME I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONDUCT SOME QUICK RESEARCH ABOUT THE TORQUE CONVERTER AS IT PERTAINS TO MY MODEL YEAR CAR. THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS FILED TO NHTSA AND SUBARU OF AMERICA ABOUT THIS ISSUE. I RECENTLY PURCHASED MY OUTBACK USED (SECOND OWNER) AT 145,000 MILES IN LATE MAY 2019. EXTENDED WARRANTY EXPIRED 8 MONTHS PRIOR TO MY PURCHASE. I TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP TO CHECK FOR ANY OUTSTANDING RECALLS UPON MY PURCHASE. BUT SINCE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY (AS A RESULT OF TECHNICAL BULLETIN 16-90-13R) ISN'T AN ACTUAL RECALL, NOTHING WAS FLAGGED. THERE WAS ABSOLUTELY NO WAY FOR ME TO BE AWARE OF THIS UNTIL THE PROBLEM REVEALED ITSELF, NOW LEAVING ME WITH A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS (IF NOT DEADLY) SITUATION IF NOT ADEQUATELY REMEDIED BY THE DEALERSHIP. I'M CURRENTLY WORKING WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA TO SEE IF THEY'LL COVER THE EXPENSE.

AROUND 12PM ON 8/28/19, MY 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK STALLED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION AS I WAS COMING TO A FAST STOP TO ALLOW AN APPROACHING AMBULANCE TO TURN. I COULD NOT RESTART MY CAR BEFORE THE LIGHT CHANGED, LEAVING ME STRANDED IN THE FLOW OF THE INTERSECTION, UNSURE WHETHER TO CONTINUE THROUGH AGAINST THE RED LIGHT OR STAY PUT AS CARS DROVE BY FROM BOTH SIDES, A FRIGHTENING AND DANGEROUS EXPERIENCE THAT LEFT ME SHAKEN. AS MY SAFETY WAS THREATENED BY THIS INCIDENT, I NOTIFIED SUBARU OF AMERICA BY PHONE ON 9/6/19. I WAS CONTACTED BY ANTOINE LAVAL (CUSTOMER/RETAILER SERVICES DEPT.) AND WILL HAVE AN APPOINTMENT WITH MY SUBARU DEALERSHIP AT 1PM ON 9/13/19 TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION EVALUATED. MY CAR HAS BEEN SHUDDERING/STALLING INTERMITTENTLY FOR MONTHS, AND IT IS NOW CLEAR THAT THIS IS DUE TO THE FAULTY CVT ISSUE REFERENCED IN THE LETTER SENT TO ME JUNE 2017. ALTHOUGH THE LETTER STATES THAT "FOR VEHICLES THAT ARE MORE THAN TEN (10) YEARS OLD OR HAVE MORE THAN ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND (100,000) MILES, INSPECTIONS OR REPAIRS UNDER THIS ONE YEAR COVERAGE PERIOD MUST BE COMPLETED ON OR BEFORE JULY 31, 2018," I AM PETITIONING SUBARU OF AMERICA TO FULLY COVER THE COST OF REPAIR/REPLACEMENT OF THE FAULTY TRANSMISSION IN MY SUBARU AS COMPENSATION FOR BEING PLACED IN THE DANGEROUS SITUATION OF BEING STRANDED IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION IN CROSS TRAFFIC.