There are 1 owner-reported powertrain & transmission complaints for the 2010 Subaru Tribecain NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
THE CVT TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO BE A PROBLEM ITEM. MY TRANSMISSIONS SEEMS TO BE SLIPPING SINCE AROUND 143,000 MILES. HAD A NEW OEM TORQUE CONVERTOR INSTALLED. WHEN DRIVING THE TRANSMISSION/TORQUE CONVERTER BANGS AT AROUND 20MPH AT SLOW ACCELERATION/DECELERATION. MOST ANY SPEED AT A CRUISING DRIVE THE TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO HAVE THE ENGINE LUGGING HARD. I'VE ALREADY BEEN ABLE TO PRESS THE GAS PEDAL AS THE RPMS INCREASE TO NEAR 2,000 RPMS BEFORE THE CAR WILL START MOVING. THERE'S A VIBRATION THAT FEELS LIKE ITS COMING FROM THE TRANSMISSION AS WELL. AT TIMES I HAVE TO USE THE PADDLE SHIFTER TO DOWNSHIFT OR UPSHIFT TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION ADJUST AS NEEDED TO MAKE IT UP HILLS OR TO ACCELERATE AND TO DROP FROM HIGH RPMS A CRUISING TO PROPER RPMS. THIS 2010 CVT IS A DISASTER AND SHOULD BE RECALLED AT THE LEAST. SUBARU SAYS THERE'S NO FIX BUT IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE BEING WIDESPREAD. REALLY? ONGOING SINCE 143,000 MILES AND CURRENTLY AT 157,300 MILES.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on May 4, 2026