2014 Subaru Outback Powertrain & Transmission Problems

I am just the mechanic and this is my customer's vehicle, but whilst doing some regular maintenance on the vehicle and also replacing part number 383485200 which Subaru calls "HOLDER, AXLE BRG" due to a crack which ran thru one of the 5 fastener holes. Upon normal cleaning of the threads in the rear differential casting where the "holder, axle brg" is bolted up to the left output shaft side I noticed a massive cavity in the casting which was drilled into and tapped for a bolt. This cavity is so large it presents a huge risk of catastrophic rear differential failure resulting in potential loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash. When I called the dealership to obtain the answers to the questions I know my customer is going to ask me, they shrugged it off as no big deal and couldn't even get me a price on a new rear diff housing or complete assembly. Using my brake rotor thickness calipers I was able to measure what I believe is the closest part of the cavity to the hole where the "holder, axle brg" is fastened in place. This "holder, axle brg" is the output shaft seal housing, plus, the outer race for the differential carrier is pressed into this component. Making it quite a critical component of the delicate innerworkings of a differential. Just a few ten-thousandths out of tolerance and the ring and pinion gears will destroy one another, the cavity in the casting right in a bolt hole creates potential for the differential carrier to not receive the proper bearing preload greatly reducing the life of the bearings, and in the worst case, the cavity could cause the rear differential to crack under heavy load which could cause a catastrophic failure, locking up the rear differential causing the vehicle to skid uncontrollably.

Valve body transmission module failed at 118k with no prior warning There are some subaru bulletins that say up 120k. Dealership i bought it from told me 100k. I was never notified this issue was a recall. It could have potentially caused an accident if the transmission failed on the highway.

The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the key was in the ignition with the transmission in park(P) with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle moved inadvertently. The failure occurred while the vehicle was on an incline. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 630,000.

The center differential or Viscous Coupling locks up after any extended highway driving. The car lurches when turning sharply. This is a 6-speed manual transmission. This started at around 70,000 miles and is getting progressively worse now at 80,000 miles. The tires have always been all the same, inflated according to spec. New tires at about 72,000 miles. From online research, the Viscous Coupling on Subarus fails very frequently. This is a defective design resulting in a safety hazard, and requires expensive replacement.

CAR MAKES EXCESSIVELY LOUD ROARING, WHINING NOISE IN ACCELERATION; IT'S RESPONSE IS UNPREDICTABLE. IT DOESN'T SHIFT AND THE DIFFERENTIAL IS THE LIKELY SOURCE OF PROBLEM. CAR HAS BEEN PROPERLY MAINTAINED ALL ALONG.TWO INDEPENDENT MECHANICS REPORTED THE CVT MUST BE REPLACED. SUBARU SERVICE INFORMED ME AFTER 120K MILE SERVICING. IT CAN STALL WITHOUT WARNING ANYWHERE ANYTIME CAUSING ACCIDENT, INJURY ETC. THOUGH I'M TOLD IT'S DANGEROUS TO DRIVE SUBARU IS UNWILLING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, EXCEPT PAYING HALF OF THEIR $8000 CHARGE FOR A RE-MANNED CVT...NO RECALL! WHAT'S IT GOING TO TAKE SUBARU? YOUR INTEGRITY IS COMPROMISED; YOUR CLAIM OF QUALITY IS FALSE. YOU WANT OWNERS TO PAY FOR YOUR TECHNOLOGY PROBLEM. THOUGH THE CVT HAS A LONG HISTORY OF FAILURE, SUBARU HASN'T SOLVED THE PROBLEM OR IMPROVED THE TECHNOLOGY. INSTEAD OWNERS PAY $4,000 FOR A NEW, FAULTY CVT AND SUBARU CONTINUES TO AVOID RECALL. BUYERS ARE THE LOSERS.

CVT TRANSMISSION STALLED ON FREEWAY, THEN LOCKED UP, PUTTING US INTO SKID. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURY ACCIDENT. WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND LIMP TO EMERGENCY LANE. SPEED WAS 65 MPH ZONE. VERY SCARY FOR US. HAD PREVIOUSLY COMPLAINED TO SUBARU OF PROBLEM, BUT THEY DIDN'T GIVE IT A FULL DIAGNOSTIC AND SAID TO DRIVE IT UNTIL IT BROKE. WE HAVE OPENED A CASE WITH SUBARU AMERICA.

WHEN DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION WILL SLIP OUT OF GEAR NOT ALLOWING YOU TO ACCELERATE AND THEN IT WILL GO BACK INTO GEAR SHIFTING INTO GEAR EXTREMELY HARD. NOT SAFE FOR HIGHWAY DRIVING

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE REVERSING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY, THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE, SHIFTED INTO PARK, AND EXITED THE VEHICLE. SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD AND STRUCK AND DRAGGED THE CONTACT. THE VEHICLE DROVE OVER A BRUSH AND FINALLY CAME TO A STOP. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INJURED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY UP TO 120,000 MILES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,880.

ON FEB 28, 2019 I WAS DRIVING MY 2014 SUBARU OUTBACK ON INTERSTATE 64 ON A STRAIGHT STRETCH AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH GOING UPHILL WHEN ACCELERATOR BECAME SUDDENLY AND COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE. I WAS IN THE FAR LEFT LANE OF 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC ALSO TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND HAD TO TRY TO GET TO THE EMERGENCY LANE TO THE RIGHT OF THE 3 LANES. I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSE WHEN PUSHING ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND COULD HAVE BEEN HIT BY NUMEROUS SEMI TRAILER TRUCKS. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE RIGHT INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE WHICH WAS A MIRACLE BECAUSE I WAS ON A STEEP UPHILL INCLINE. WHEN I REACHED THE EMERGENCY LANE, I STOPPED THE CAR, SHIFTED INTO PARK, AND BACK INTO DRIVE MODE AND THE ACCELERATOR DID ENGAGE AT THAT POINT. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR TO A SUBARU DEALER BUT THEY HAVE NOT DIAGNOSED IT AS OF YET. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET TO SEE IF OTHER 2014 OUTBACK OWNERS HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT AND CAME ACROSS NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE WEBSITE WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM. THOSE COMPLAINING OF THE SAME PROBLEM HAVE NOT HAD ANY SUCCESS WITH A FIX FROM SUBARU. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED OR KILLED AS I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN TODAY.

CAR HESITATES/DOES NOT RESPOND, INTERMITTENTLY BUT OFTEN, WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS PUSHED TO THE FLOORBOARD FROM A STOP. LAG/NO RESPONSE TIME IS ABOUT ABOUT 1 1/2 SECONDS. THIS RESULTS IN NEAR ACCIDENTS WHEN PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC AT AN INTERSECTION. CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN TO DEALER TWICE TO HAVE THIS ISSUE RESOLVED WITH NO SUCCESS.

EXCESSIVE SHUDDER NOTICEABLE THROUGHOUT THE CAR AT VARIOUS SPEEDS INCLUDING ~35-40 MPH AND 78-83 MPH. I'VE TRIED NEW TIRES, REBALANCING WHEELS, ALL WHEEL ALIGNMENTS, ALL WITHOUT RELIED. THE DEALER HAS NOT BEEN HELPFUL. OCCURS IN MOTION. WE BOUGHT THE CAR IN SEPTEMBER 2015 WITH 31,000 MILES ON IT. I NOTICED THE SHUDDER ON A TEST DRIVE BUT THE DEALER PUT NEW TIRES ON IT AND IT SEEM TO GO AWAY. BUT I NOTICED IT AGAIN WITHIN A MONTH OF PURCHASING THE CAR AND IT'S ONLY GOTTEN WORSE

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU OUTBACK. AFTER PARKING THE VEHICLE AND EXITING, THE CONTACT RE-ENTERED THE VEHICLE AND THE GEAR ROLLED OUT OF PARK. THE EMERGENCY BRAKE WAS NOT ENGAGED. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE BACK OF THE CONTACT'S HOUSE. THE CONTACT SUSTAINED BRUISES TO THE LEGS AND KNEES. THE CONTACT HELD ONTO THE DRIVER'S DOOR, BUT WAS UNABLE TO APPLY THE EMERGENCY BRAKE AS THE VEHICLE GAINED SPEED. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. A POLICE REPORT WAS NOT FILED. SUBARU OF LITTLE ROCK (12121 COLONEL GLENN RD, LITTLE ROCK, AR 72210, (501) 503-5454) WAS UNABLE TO DUPLICATE AND DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 63,200.

DANGEROUS! INTERMITTENT DELAY OF 4 TO 6 SECONDS TYPICALLY PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC FROM A COMPLETE STOP. OTHER CARS SLAMMING ON BRAKES TO PREVENT WRECK, SWERVING TO MISS MY STALLED CAR. MY WIFE AND GRAND-KIDS HAVE BEEN ON PASSENGER SIDE WHEN THIS OCCURS WHERE THEY ARE MOST VULNERABLE SINCE MOST INCIDENCES OCCUR WHEN TURNING LEFT. THIS CAR IS LIKELY TO KILL OR MANGLE SOMEONE IF THIS IS NOT RESOLVED. THE OL 'WE CAN'T CREATE IT' IS GETTING REALLY STALE FROM THE DEALER WHEN LIVES ARE AT RISK. I'M ASSUMING IT'S GOING TO TAKE A FEW DEATHS BEFORE A RECALL OCCURS. I WOULD LOVE TO RAISE THE MONEY TO PUT A FULL PAGE IN USA TODAY TO GET THIS DANGEROUS CONDITION SOME ATTENTION IF NOBODY ELSE IS GOING TO.

ON JANUARY 1ST AND AGAIN ON JANUARY 3RD AFTER VEHICLE WAS PARKED AT LEAST 5 HOURS, I CAME OUT OF BUILDING AND VEHICLE HAD ROLLED 2 FEET FORWARD FROM WHERE I ORIGINALLY PARKED IT. WENT AND TALKED WITH PATRICK MOTORS WHERE I HAD PURCHASED THE CAR NEW. SERVICE FOREMAN SAID NEVER HEARD OF THAT. HE SAID MAKE APPT. AND THEY WILL SEE IF IT ROLLS. I THEN TALKED WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA AND WAS TOLD THE SAME THING. I LEFT THE CAR FOR 2 DAYS AND IT DID NOT ROLL. NOW HAVE BEEN TOLD NOTHING CAN BE DONE UNTIL IT ROLLS THERE. A FRIEND WAS WITH ME THE FIRST TIME THIS HAPPENED WHO IS AN ENGINEER. HER IMMEDIATELY SAID IT WAS SOMETHING TO DO WITH MY PARKING PIN. WHEN I LOOKED THIS UP WITH NHTSA , I FOUND THERE WAS A RECALL ON SOME OF THESE CARS FOR THAT PROBLEM. I DON'T KNOW HOW THEY NARROW IT DOWN TO ONLY CERTAIN CARS BUT MY CAR HAS ROLLED 2 TIMES AND HAS GOT TO HAVE SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE PARKING PIN.

I HAD PUT THE PARKING BREAK ON IT GOT STUCK THE LIGHT FINALLY WENT OFF AND THE AT OIL TEMP LIGHT CAME ON I TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP THEY INFORMED ME THAT THE CAR HAD NO TRANSMISSION FLUID AND THEY BELIEVED THAT THE PLACE THAT CHANGED MY OIL HAD ACCIDENTALLY DRAINED TRANSMISSION FLUID THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE I NEVER HAD ANY ISSUES OR LIGHTS ON UNTIL THE NIGHT I PUT PARKING BREAK ON THE CAR ALREADY HAD A TRANSMISSION PROBLEM

PULLING CAR INTO PARKING SPACE AT SLOW SPEED WHEN CAR, WITHOUT DRIVER INPUT, SUDDENLY ACCELERATED. HEAVY PRESSURE ON BRAKES, DRIVER FELT THE ABS CYCLING, DID NT STOP VEHICLE. FINALLY, AFTER COLLIDING WITH A PARKED CAR, NOSE TO NOSE AND PUSHING OTHER CAR OUT OF ITS PARKING SPOT, DRIVER WAS ABLE TO STOP THE CAR MY MOVING TRANSMISSION GEAR SELECTOR TO PARK

FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS, MY VEHICLE MANY TIMES HESITATES FOR AT LEAST 3-5 SECONDS WHEN TRYING TO ACCELERATE FROM A STOP/REST AT A STOP LIGHT, ALMOST CAUSE ACCIDENT WHEN TRYING TO ENTER INTO AN INTERSECTION. IT SEEMS TO HAPPEN AROUND 2000 - 3000/RPM. THE CAR EVEN EXHIBITED SLIGHT JERKY WHEN AT THE START OF ACCELERATING UP A SLIGHT SLOPPY HILL. THIS IS SERIOUS ISSUE AS ACCIDENT IS IMMINENT WHEN THE CAR HAS NO ACCELERATION WHEN TRYING TO GET GOING IN TRAFFIC. THIS ISSUE IS COMMONLY EXPERIENCED BY OTHER DRIVERS (ONLINE FORUM) : HTTP://WWW.SUBARUOUTBACK.ORG/FORUMS/66-PROBLEMS-MAINTENANCE/98450-2014-OUTBACK-ACCELERATION-HESITATION.HTML

SUBARU OUTBACK WAS STARTED IN A PARKING LOT IN ORDER TO COOL INTERIOR DOWN. DRIVER EXITED VEHICLE AND WALKED BEHIND AND AROUND TO OTHER SIDE. DRIVE OPENED FRONT PASSENGER DOOR RETRIEVED AN ITEM AND CLOSED DOOR. DRIVER THEN WALKED AWAY A FEW YARDS IN ORDER TO PROVIDE WATER FOR A DOG. DRIVER HEARD A LOUD CRASH AND TURNED AROUND TO FIND CAR HAD ROLLED BACKWARDS OUT OF PARKING SPOT AND HIT A VEHICLE PARKED BEHIND IT. CAR WAS STILL RUNNING AND FOUND TO BE IN REVERSE. NO ONE WAS IN EITHER CAR AND NO INJURIES. BOTH CARS WERE DAMAGED. SUBARU OUTBACK COULD NOT BE DRIVEN. CAR WAS PARKED ON A VERY SLIGHT INCLINE. *TR

SAME ISSUE AS LISTED IN COMPLAINT 10715452. WHILE MAKING A LEFT TURN ON RETURN FROM VEHICLE PURCHASE, THE VEHICLE STOPPED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE INTERSECTION FOR SEVERAL SECONDS WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING. I WAS NEARLY T-BONED WHILE WAITING FOR THE DRIVE SYSTEM TO RE-ENGAGE. TO DATE, 2JUL15, THIS STALLING SITUATION HAS OCCURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. I HAD THE DEALER INSPECT THE VEHICLE, BUT NO OUT OF SPECIFICATION CONDITIONS WERE FOUND. I THINK THE PROBLEM RESTS WITH THE CVT TRANSMISSION TRYING TO SHIFT DURING ACCELERATION. I RECENTLY LEARNED BY EXPERIMENTATION THAT I MIGHT BE ABLE TO MINIMIZE THE PROBLEM BY PLACING THE TRANSMISSION IN MANUAL MODE AND FORCING IT TO REMAIN IN 1ST DURING ACCELERATION. I DO NOT BELIEVE THAT ONE SHOULD BE FORCED TO MANIPULATE AN AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION TO AVOID A VERY DANGEROUS STALL DURING ACCELERATION. SOMEONE IS GOING TO BE SERIOUSLY INJURED OR KILLED BECAUSE OF THIS PROBLEM. A VEHICLE RECALL IS REQUIRED....UPDATED 09/22/15 *BF UPDATED 10/13/2015*JS

NEW CAR. OK FIRST 200 MILES. THEN; STOPPED FOR RED LIGHT, ON GREEN PRESSED ACCELERATOR ( CONFIRMED BY VISUAL OBSERVATION, FOOT AND ACCEL. TO FLOOR ). HELD FOR 10 TO 15 SECONDS, WITH MUCH HONKING, THEN POWER RESUMED, AND I FINISHED LEFT TURN. NO WARNING LIGHTS ON DURING EPISODE, STEERING, BRAKES, AND AIR BAGS OK. SIX MORE EPISODES DURING NEXT THREE DAYS. HAD CAR DELIVERED TO MILLER SUBARU, BOISE. ELECTRONIC CHECK, TEST DRIVE, AND MY SUBSEQUENT DRIVING, COULD DETECT NO PROBLEM. DRIVE WITH CAUTION, READY TO FLIP EMERGENCY FLASHERS AND PULL OVER WITH RECURRENCE, WHICH I EXPECT AT SOME TIME. HAPPENS IN DRIVE OR MANUAL MODES. PADDLE SHIFT MAKES NO DIFFERENCE. *TR