Problems with 2010 Subaru Outback POWER TRAIN

As others have reported - when deaccelerating rapidly vehicle shakes and completely stalls. took to specialty shop and reported failed torque converter. repairs totaled $2200. car only with 80,000 miles.

Vehicle has 116,567 miles developed a squeaking noise at 40 / 60 mph. after bringing in to dealer was advised the cvt chain was slipping and only thing that could be done is purchase a new transmission or vehicle. the transmission replacement was at a cost of 7900 dollars and no other option was provided to improve safety in the vehicle. i made numerous attempts to have soa provide details on what maintenance could be done to to protect/extend the life cycle of the failing transmission or if the transmission could be rebuilt to improve safe operation. soa response continues to be they will discuss a loyalty program for a new lease or car but the only option is to replace the transmission entirely.

Major safety issue - vehicle has started stalling when coming to a stop or starting to turn. this has almost caused several accidents turning out onto the highway. subaru issued a recall, but my car is not covered due to mileage, which is problematic.

Cvt failed at 149,250 mileage. even though subaru extended warranty to 100,000 or 10 years this vehicle was beyond 100,000 on the odometer and didn't exhibit issues when the extension was issued. i expect subaru to warranty further as their cvt continues to be a problem with vehicles outside of their original and extended warranty. cost of repair is $7,335 plus cost of rental car.

My vehicle head lights have burnt out at least once a year since i have owned this car. the engine has began stalling when i come to a full stop. it is equipped with a cvt and it feels like coming to a stop in a manual transmission without depressing the clutch. if i let off the brake quickly it will continue idling but coming to a complete stop kills the engine. i guess subaru has issued an extended warranty but i never recieved the notification and my vehicle is past the mileage for the warranty anyway.

My 2010 subaru is stalling out when i come to stops and it is extremely unsafe and scary. it has happened several times in the last week, even when coming up to a stop sign. it happens as the car begins to slow down, then it completely stalls out. this must be addressed and subaru needs to issue a recall, as this is a serious and life threatening safety concern. i am beyond upset with subaru for not issuing a recall yet, as i am reading about this widespread issue online. lots of complaints have been filed by owners.

I have owned by 2010 subaru outback only 9 years and i learned that the cvt (transmission) has failed. searching articles and forums this seems to be a known problem with these models/years. my vehicle is now useless until i pay over $7000 to replace the whole unit. given that this is a known issue i do not understand why there was not a recall. the extended warranty that subaru offers is not useful given the age of most of these vehicles.

Extreme shimmy / vibration in front end cause steering wheel to shimmy aggressively. this experience started about 2 months ago, the car has aprpoximately 150k miles. when driving car over 40 miles an hour the entire front end shakes like a very out of balance tire or the feeling of a warped rotor when braking. the shimmy can be seen in the steering wheel bouncing, and felt through the floor and seats.tires and brakes have been inspected and there is no problem. upon searching the internet i see this is common problem. why is this no a recall? i am fearful of driving this vehicle.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. while driving approximately 25 mph and approaching a stop sign, the vehicle started to hesitate and made a clunking sound. the contact also mentioned that the vehicle stalled twice when attempting to stop. the contact had to depress the brake pedal with force to prevent the vehicle from stalling. the contact drove the vehicle to ganley subaru of bedford (123 broadway ave, bedford, oh 44146) where it was diagnosed that the torque converter failed. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 139,000.

I went to timmons subaru in long beach ca.i told them about the tsb-16-90-13r and that my vehicle is doing exactly what that bulletin is showing. i was informed over and over my vehicle was out of warranty. i knew that a wanted them to do the tsb. they refused because their mechanic said it needed a new cvt transmission and they could not do that work. the outback was shaking and vibrating and have low rpms like it was going to stall. i did not trust timmons mechanic so i took to mckenna subaru in huntington beach . they did the tsb and now it works great. it did not need a new cvt transmission and timmons mechanic lied to me and wanted to upsell a new cvt transmission and wheel bearing in his report. they refused to listen to me regarding the tsb.

Vehicle has begun to randomly stall when coming to a stop on city streets. has resulted in one near miss of being rear ended. in addition, has begun to stall on the highway at speeds above 50 mph. car will make wining sound and lose power for a few seconds, but has not complete stalled out.

Electric parking brake closed during repair of vehicle and would not respond to reprogramming or any attempt to repair. car was stationary, but unable to release brake resulted in necessary replacement of faulty component. subaru unwilling to reimburse for part.

When braking to a sudden stop, the car shudders and stalls. it is similar to the feeling of braking without depressing the clutch in a manual car, however this vehicle has an automatic cvt transmission. this happened in an intersection, and there were cars behind me honking as i attempted to restart the vehicle. after some basic research, this seems to happen to many vehicles like this, that have the new cvt style transmission. subaru did offer an extended warranty because of so many complaints, but this goes beyond that. a recall needs to be issued, it is a major safety issue.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. while driving 45 mph, the vehicle jerked back and forth. when the brake pedal was depressed, the engine revved, but the vehicle did not move. the vehicle was not taken to a dealer to be diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the failure mileage was approximately 114,000. the vin was not available.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. the contact stated that while driving at 10-15 mph, there was an abnormal burning odor in the vehicle. additionally, there was smoke emerging from the hood and into the vehicle. the gear shifter was stuck and failed to engage into first gear. the emergency brake warning light was illuminated. the vehicle was towed to the local dealer muller subaru (1350 park ave w, highland park, il 60035 (888) 285-8152) where diagnosed that the clutch needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the contact declined to pay for the $1800.00 fee. the manufacturer was contacted and provided case number: 1-373-484-69104 however no further assistance was provided. the contact stated that nhtsa campaign number: 18v626000 (parking brake) was not received. the failure mileage was 83,000.

Coming to a sudden stop the vehicle shutters and stalls. similar to driving a manual transmission and not depressing the clutch, but mine is an automatic. the rpm drops lower than 500. it is always when the car is in motion and trying to come to a stop. the last time it happened i almost ran into a school bus. this made me realize that is a serious safety issue. it has happened at least ten times in the last six months.

While i was on my way home, the car started bucking and all of the warning lights started to flicker on & of on the dash. i was driving on a major highway and thank goodness i was close to my subaru dealership where i immediately took the car. i was extremely scared! shaking! they took the car right away & told me that it was the transmission - my son researched this and found that there have been many others with the same issues. apparently my dealer was aware also since they knew right away what was wrong. cost of repair $1,70.86 + tax! we recently purchased a 2nd outback b'cause we love the subaru brand & our dealer. what happened to me is a shameful neglect on subaru's part since there appears to have been several incidents the same as mine. i thank god that i didn't break down on a major highway or bridge that was on my way home. but mostly, i am grateful that my 19 year old daughter wasn't driving the car when this problem arose! shame on subaru for not doing a recall on this! very disappointed in the brand. my dealer was exceptional and fixed the car in 1 day! replaced transmission valve body.

Slowing down to under 10mph the car will drop to around 500rpm and will shudder as though it is going to stall. on a few occasions it has actually stalled. i am aware there was an extended warranty to fix the torque converter since subaru has changed them, but i did not have a warranty on my vehicle and even if i did it is still over 100,000 miles.

When braking to a sudden stop, the car shudders and stalls similar to the feeling of stalling out in a car with a manual transmission. the local subaru dealer/service diagnosed the problem as related to the cvt transmission and estimated $2000 to fix. after some research, there was an extended warranty issued for up to 100k or 10 years through july 30, 2018. however, the issue did not start until august of 2018 and my car was well over 100k at that time. there are serious safety concerns in having a car die repeatedly.

Car stopped dead on the freeway while attempting to exit, and again in a major intersection. car was diagnosed as needing an entirely new transmission at a subaru dealer and the quoted cost was more than the value of the car. there was an extended warranty attempting to cover up this situation but, as a new owner, i was never notified. the transmission failed within two weeks of the end date of the extended warranty. they should have been forced to issue a recall....none of my family will ever drive this vehicle again because there are no guarantees it will not happen again.

When coming to a gradual or sudden stop, the torque converter locks up and stalls the engine. this happens quite frequently and has almost caused me to be rear-ended several times due to the sudden stopping of the vehicle several feet before the limit line. this known failure goes beyond a mechanical issue, but should be considered a safety issue.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. while driving approximately 60 mph, the vehicle failed to engage into sixth gear. there were no warning indicators illuminated. the vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic for diagnostic testing. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the vehicle was not repaired. the approximate failure mileage was 90,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. the contact stated that every time the vehicle came to a complete stop, the ignition turned off and immediately restarted. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and it was diagnosed that the torque converter and transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle had not been repaired. the dealer and manufacturer were not contacted. the approximate failure mileage was 153,000.

When driving and in motion and while applying the brakes, the car makes a shuddering noise and has stalled on numerous occasions at junctions, traffic lights etc., and have had to take diversion tactics to get out of the way of other cars. i have seen this is a common fault with subaru and apparently has to do with the torque convertor.

Complaint: subaru powertrain extended warranty is meaningless because my southern california dealer will not even look at my car to determine whether or not my frequent engine stall problem upon braking is due to a defective torque converter. or some other cause. my 2010 subaru outback has had all recommended services and has only 53k miles. no check engine or other warning lights have turned on. yesterday, the engine stalled at ten stops in a row and then every other stop til i got home. so far it has restarted but because the problem began only one week ago and is rapidly worsening, i am afraid the engine will soon fail to restart or will die while moving in traffic. my local mechanic will not look at the car because of the subaru extended warranty since they cannot fix it if it is the powertrain. i don't want to be the first fatality that eventually leads to a recall. is there any way to have subaru recall for inspection cars experiencing frequent engine stall problems or other symptoms of bad torque converters to at least confirm or rule out a powertrain defect as the cause?

Car has stalled unexpectedly while driving straight at slow speeds, 4 times over the past year. it shudders, then stalls completely. restarting immediately has caused another stall when shifting from park to drive. waiting several minutes has allowed a normal start, although twice this has happened in dangerous, high-traffic spots without an easy shoulder to pull on to.

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru outback. while driving 25 mph, the engine stalled while approaching a stop light. the contact applied the brakes and the vehicle stopped. the contact was able to restart the vehicle and reverse out of traffic. the contact drove the vehicle to the dealer (john howard subaru, 1730 mileground rd, morgantown, wv 26505) where it was diagnosed that the transmission failed. the dealer stated that the vehicle could be repaired under the warranty extension. the next day, the dealer called and stated that since the vehicle had a new title, it no longer could be repaired under the warranty extension. the manufacturer was notified at 1-800-782-2783 and did not assist. the failure mileage was unknown. *tt updated 8/22/18*jb

Cvt transmission shudders & stalls after braking while in motion due to torque converter failure. upon stopping at stop sign, slowing down to make turn, or starting from a stopped position the vehicle shudders then drifts into intersection and stalls while facing oncoming traffic. failure of torque converter while at intersections is dangerous and frightening. subaru refuses to assist in cost of significant repair as it was diagnosed 3 weeks out of warranty despite their pledge to customer satisfaction. this issue should be strongly considered for a recall as a known safety issue to subaru.

Occasionally the 2.5 l engine with cvt will appear to almost stall upon decelerating and coming to a stop (at a traffic light, stop sign, etc.). the engine will shudder, the rpms will drop below 700 and then quickly return to normal idle (about 800 or so). have not yet experienced a stall but have come close. our car has about 87000 miles and is otherwise in good condition. our mechanic has been unable to diagnose the problem because this is an intermittent issue, it cannot be duplicated and there are no codes. other similar posts have indicated that the torque convertor may be the culprit. considering the quantity of posts, an investigation should be undertaken. stalling can be a safety problem.

When driving on interstate roads and local roads: with braking, car shutters as if not using clutch in a manual transmission. most recently (today 9/25/17), i was braking to turn off local road into parking lot, car shuttered and stalled. i was able to shift to "p" and restart before care behind me hit me. braking-shutter-stall next time a serious accident could occur.

Car began to bog down and stall when breaking. car will start to shake/shudder and then stall when stopping whether the engine is cold or hot. the car will stall like someone forgetting to push the clutch in on a manual car when stopping. this has happened numerous times and most times i am in heavy traffic. the car will stall and requires it to be shifted into park, the ignition turned off and then the car restarted before continuing on. i have began to keep a video log of all the times the vehicle will stall driving from my home to work and other trips. this is a serious issue that subaru needs to address. it appears they were made aware of this issue in 2014 but did not do anything about it until 2017 and even then they are not doing a recall but a "extended coverage". they give absolutely no details as to why other than to say "for customer satisfaction and care". no admittance of any problems by subaru. dealers can't tell you why either and it's up to them to determine if it's related to the cvt or not.

While driving at low speed on local roads the parking brake lights starts flashing, the transmission oil temperature light went on and there was a high pitched squealing sound. we could not get the brake light to go off by pulling the brake release lever. it cleared itself the next day. the dealer couldn't reproduce the problem but found a brake switch failure. there were also 2 software updates that were related to the brake and transmission safety and operation. we were charged for all 3 even though it should have been a safety recall.

Complaint -- when i go to brake the car stalls, i have to pump the brakes and then brake hard to prevent a stall, if i don't the car stops and i have to put it in park and restart. i cannot drive in backed up traffic. i cannot come to a soft stop or roll to a stop. this is a major safety hazard, i took it to the dealer and they said it was the torque converter at $1600 my expense, and possible the valve body that can be damaged by the converter from the metal shards that will be $1200, so a total of $2800, and my extra warranty has run out, of course. there is a tsb 16-90-13--01/06/14, on this issue and subaru has changed out the part but is making the consumer fit the bill, even though they admit it is their fault. this needs to be a recall-----https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2014/sb-10067826-0699.pdf

When coming to a stop at a traffic light or stop sign, my 2010 outback sometimes stutters and then stalls. i must then put the car back in park and restart the engine before pulling out again. this creates dangerous situation as the car behind me is expecting me to pull out again without this added delay. i'm very concerned that this is going to result in an accident and i will be rear ended by the car behind me. i have taken the car to the dealership, but they weren't able to recreate the problem in the shop the one day they tried. i also contacted subaru customer service, and they said the dealer needs to be able to recreate it to fix the problem. from what i read w/r/t other's experiences, this sounds like the torque converter problem that subaru just recently extended the warranty on, yet they are still not going to fix the problem. i would hope that this could be elevated to a recall before more accidents occur.

I currently own a 2010 subaru outback. i started experiencing the car stalling and shutting off whenever you come to a sudden stop. it happen with my daughter on the main road and she panic. as time when on the problem got worse. i brought it to my mechanic and the problem was diagnosed as a bad torque converter. he advised it will get worse as time go on. i went on a few subaru threads online and saw that several people were experiencing the same thing. a new torque converter was order from subaru which had a different part number from the original. subaru advised that upgrades were made due to previous failure issues with torque converter. total cost of parts and labor was $1238.78 and was done on 06/20/2017. few weeks after work was done i received a notice from subaru regarding extended warranty on transmission work and reimbursement if job already done. i submitted my claim and was denied because my car has a previous salvage history. i fully understand that a salvage history voids the warranty but i feel the torque converter problem should have been done through a safety recall. a failure of a part that can cause a car to stall should be considered a safety issue. new upgraded torque converter by the manufacturer proves their acknowledgment that the previous part has a fault. i am not disputing their warranty policy but disputing that torque converter failure poses a safety issue and i am requesting a reimbursement of money spent in which subaru has denied. so many other owners salvage history or not have experienced the same issue.

While driving at high way speeds engine warning lights began to flash on the dash board. power loss occured. pulled over and checked vehicle, waited 10 minutes, restarted vehicle and continued at reduced speed. vehicle continued to flash lights and lose power with no warning but particularly on hills. subaru delership in rapid city, south dakota advised us to continue home to saskatoon. total failure on cvt with replacement cost estimated at $6000+ tax and labor. wondering if this is the beginning of many such experiences as our year is one of the earliest models with this sealed cvt. no way to check any parts or service it as the unit is sealed.

Vehicle started acting as though it was going to stall at stop signs and red lights. all dashboard lights then became lit up. took to my place of dealership and upon checking transmission fluid, they described it as smelling very foul and was told i need a new transmission. car is a 2010 subaru outback with 120,000 miles. the cheapest i could find for new transmission was 6000.00. thought it was a joke at first, but was told the first call they made it was 7000.00. the transmission specialist called the cvt subaru transmission "the throw away transmission' as no one ever replaces them at that cost. i have always owned chevy vehicles until i fell in love with the outback. needless to say i am very disappointed in this vehicle.no more subarus for me!!!

Subaru tech service bulletin 16-90-13r - affects 2010 - 2012 continuously variable transmission equipped outback and legacy models car exhibits symptoms listed in above tsb. car stalls / severely hesitates when taking off from rest due to issue with poorly designed thrust washer in torque converter. discovered issue as described after purchase from used dealership. car would stall out when taking off from rest in intersections or pulling out into traffic. this could result in a serious collision if not properly addressed / repaired. upon further investigation, car had had transmission flushed 2x according to carfax at mfg dealership by previous owner, issue unresolved. contacted subaru of america (soa) upon discovering issue. subaru acknowledged the problem as a know issue but asserted that they would not financially cover what seems to be a serious safety issue. technical service bulletin should be escalated to a safety recall and subaru of america forced to make repairs to affected vehicles. attached are copy of technical service bulletin and carfax history report for vehicle in question.

On several occasions when i have come to a quick stop at a light, the engine has cut out. the subaru dealership found the the "torque converter is not working properly." the car has 93,414 on the clock.

When coming to a stop the car stalls. this happens more frequently going up hills. it happens most often just as the car is nearing no motion or no longer in motion. a quick stop will make it happen more frequently than a slow gradual stop. it doesn't make a difference if the car is warmed up or if it has been running a free minutes. the car can be going straight or turning. a shudder can be felt then the car stalls. this happens several times a week. i think it may be the torque converter or something in the transmission. i don't think it is something with the fuel delivery.

Our 2010 model subaru outback with 121,000 miles began stalling while braking at stop lights and behind others vehicles also braking hard. while i am able to start it back up immediately, this has become a consistent problem and i feel a very dangerous issue. i have been left stalled in the middle of rush hour traffic because the car in front of me braked hard. after speaking with our dealership the response was that we need a new torque converter and that this is a known problem with the 2010-2012 outbacks. after a second opinion to be sure, we are having the torque converter replace to the tune of $2000!! i am asking for a recall for these models from subaru to prevent anyone from getting injured from this consistently-identified danger. *tr

After shifting from p to r or d or from d to r or r to d, the car hesitates 2-3 seconds when pulling away. the engine shudders and usually pulls away with no problem. occasionally, the engine stalls. it will start up again immediately. the torque converter was replaced dec. 2016, but this problem is actually worse since the repair.

Car parked on slight uphill incline of house driveway.. started engine, moved automatic transmission selector to d(rive). transmission went to reverse. moved transmission lever to n(eutral) and back to d. transmission again went to reverse. moved selector (shifter) to p(ark) and then to d. this time the transmission responded correctly. care was stationary during the event.

2010 subaru outback 2.5l cvt automatic 126,000 miles. car will unexpectedly shudder then engine will quit at low rpms either coming to a stop or upon initial acceleration from a stop. symptoms mimic a manual transmission clutch slipping/stalling. engine operating temperature has no effect, nor vehicle turning, or varying electrical loads. this is an extremely dangerous situation as it can happen when pulling out into traffic or in heavy traffic (for example) and it happens repeatedly, unexpectedly and randomly. i urge the nhtsa in the strongest possible terms to issue mandatory recall and repair order as soon as possible to prevent loss of life and serious injury. i am aware of multiple complaints of this problem. subaru has issued tsb 16-90-13 which addresses faulty part replacement in transmission torque converter with a newly redesigned part. however, to my knowledge, owners are not being notified of this serious safety situation, nor is suburu replacing the part free of charge if the drivetrain warranty has expired.i have been quoted $1200-$ 2000 dollars for repairs by subaru. it is my concern that since the problem is intermittent and expensive to repair, even if the owners are notified by a voluntary tsb, they may not go to the expense to have it repaired, resulting in potential loss of life and injuries. this needs to be a mandatory recall. as an aside, i am an airline captain and a faa certified maintenance technician with over 40 years of experience in maintenance related safety issues, and it is my opinion that this situation requires urgent action on behalf of nhtsa and subaru. thank you *tr

Noticed a slight increase in engine noise and increased time to accelerate, but driveable. no dashboard lights were on. 24 hours later car stalled out while driving steadily about 30 miles per hour down the road. pulled car over and had car towed to subaru dealer. stated i needed a new transmission. i stated i drive conservatively and the car has low miles, not that old, and i don't have a tow hook up so it doesn't make sense.

Driving on highway or city streets and car stalls and engine turns off during hard braking. must come to a complete stop and shift to neutral or park to restart engine. 120,000 miles. subaru dealer said i needed to replace torque converter and would cost me $1750.00 dollars. this problem has happened many times. *tr

My car has only 108,650 miles on it and i was told on 9/19/16 that i need a new transmission torque converter. i got a second a opinion which was the same as the first. my car shudders, hesitates and stalls when coming to a stop which creates a safety hazard. it creates great potential for a rear end collision. it started out just doing this rarely and is happening more frequently. this has been happening for about two months. the cost to repair is $1521.24. with this low of mileage, i'm told i should not be having this type of problem. subaru is aware of the problem as they have issued a service bulletin (16-90-13r). i received no notification from subaru and only found out about this when it started happening. i googled the term "transmission torque converter" for 2010 subaru outback and found this to be a common complaint. i feel this subaru should be recalling vehicles with this problem and fixing it. i bought my car when it was two years old and it only had 57,000 miles on it. i have since driven it just over 50,000 miles and don't feel i should be dealing with a problem of this severity.

Car started stalling after coming to a full stop, at 88,000 miles. was fine at first start up, and fine when backing out of a parking place or garage, but after driving and coming to a stop at a light or stop sign, or when trying to make a left turn when there was oncoming traffic (this was the really dangerous part), it would stall, requiring me to put it in park to restart the car. first check at service station found nothing wrong in the computer. took to subaru dealer on 11/1/2016 and was told i needed a $1,600 repair to the torque converter. *tr

My 2010 subaru outback with about 93,000 miles has stalled several times when making a hard stop. it only happens sporadically, but has happened 4 times in the last week. i called the dealership and made an appointment and they said that they have another car in the shop right now with the same issue.

Car has been stalling when i come to a stop. ususally a quick stop. we thought it might be bad gas, clogged fuel injectors which we have addressed. still stalling. afraid someone is going to hit me. this has been going on for a couple months now. also stalls on inclines when i come to stop not going down hill.