I own a 2011 subaru outback with 93,000 miles. the car stalled out at red lights in the city. also, it stalled when i was on a hill and came to a stop. i was fortunate to restart engine and get out of the way of traffic. i took it to the dealer and they said i needed a torque converter costing $1,200. after reading the many complaints from other owners it is a dangerous situation. why hasn't subaru recalled the torque converters?
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. the contact stated that the vehicle failed to shift into the reverse position without warning. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the transmission needed to be replaced. the vehicle was repaired, but the failure recurred. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 40,000. ...updated 03/08/17 *bf *cn
Vehicle stalls after sudden stop requiring it to be restarted . i was told by subaru sales there is a tsb # 16-90-13 r (1/6/14 issued). this relates to the transmission ( cvt) looking up after a sudden stop due to a thrust washer inside the torque converter. this is a dangerous issue that needs to be addressed immediately with a full recall.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. while driving various speeds, the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact was able to restart the vehicle on the first attempt. the dealer diagnosed that the torque converter needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 93,000.
Subaru has a known technical service bulletin 16-90-13r that identifies an issue the the torque converter that is causing subaru vehicles to stall when breaking. this is a safety issue that must be fixed in order to avoid accidents while driving. despite being a known safety issue, subaru has not issued a recall. rather subaru owners are left to pay the $1500 cost of correcting the torque converter issue. my 2011 subaru outback is stalling out when braking at intersections and par.
Engine stalls when the car comes to a quick stop. similar to when you fail to push in the clutch on a standard transmission, but in this case, this is car has an automatic transmission.
My 2011 outback has recently started stalling out at stop signs. it will stall 5 times in 2 miles. it starts right back up but will stall again at the next light or stop sign (local streets). apparently subaru has a service bulletin 16-90-13r that indicates this problem is a poor design of the torque converter. i've read many similar accounts on line. subaru should issue a recall. it's an expense repair and a safety hazard.
Stalls when stopping or idling. stops in intersections and coming to stops.
Began noticing vehicle shuddering and quitting or almost quitting when coming to a stop. has continued to do this for months now and seems to be getting worse. took it to dealer and it was diagnosed at torque converter sticking after several tests. referenced to subaru tsb no. 16-101-16. dangerous design flaw as it can leave you without power after coming to an abrupt stop such as braking to avoid hitting a stopped vehicle leaving you unable to move away from other cars without restarting vehicle. my vehicle is in excellent condition aside from this issue but is out of powertrain warranty and the cost to repair are prohibitive. request to issue recall for safety issues primarily and to not ultimately cause damage to transmission in the long term.
While driving, if you have to stop quickly and step on the brakes hard the car engine stalls. this puts the car in jeopardy of being hit from behind and injury to the passengers. this has happened multiple times over the past couple of months at various speeds - both low speed and highway speed.
Car stalls to complete stop motor stops and car is dead leaving my wife and 3 year old in the middle of an intersection for cars to nearly hit till she puts it in park to restart car i have read, it is the tork converter it needs to be recalled as a safety concern !!!!!
Vehicle intermittently shudders and stalls when coming to full stop, requiring shift to park or neutral to restart. frequency of occurrence is rapidly increasing. dealer cited service bulletin 16-90-13r and replacement of the torque converter is necessary to correct the problem.
Vehicle stalled on inclines when brakes were applied creating a very dangers situation. dealer sighted service bulletin 16-90-13r for design change to the cvt torque converter but would not absorb total cost of repair since car has 107102 miles and out of warrantee. this situation should create a product recall before someone is seriously injured.
Vehicle unexpectedly stalls when coming to rapid stop such as at a traffic light resulting in a hazardous situation.
While driving to approach a stop the car studders, begins to loose engine power and stalls. it then requires that the car must be placed in 'park', the key turned to the 'off' position and then restarted.
Service bulletin # 16-90-13 car stalls when coming to a stop. this happens in traffic at stop lights anywhere i need to make a hard stop. this is very dangerous and it would appear this is a major issue for many owners. this should be a recall not just a service bullitin
Vehicle shudders and stalls out when coming to a stop and/or slowing down. the vehicle must be put back into park and restarted before it will move. this happened to me four times today. this poses an incredibly dangerous threat to anyone in this vehicle or around this vehicle while in traffic. anyone in this vehicle is a sitting duck for an accident because you never know when it will stall out. i am appalled at the fact that i have seen so many of these same issues be reported and not recalled yet. obviously this is a safety issue that must be addressed...really - does someone have to die or get seriously injured for someone to take action here??
Vehicle stalls when braking hard when coming to a stop.
My outback is stalling at red lights and sudden stops. took to dealership and they said the torque converter is failing. they said subaru is aware of the problem. this needs to be recalled due to a safety issue. there are many who are having this problem.
The car is stalling out when the brakes are applied as this happens every time i come to a stop. i have to put the car in park in the middle of traffic to restart it. this is extremely dangerous and creates a public hazard. this is a safety issue that needs to be addressed asap before someone gets killed. i brought the car to the dealer as soon as this happened and they told me the vehicle needs a new torque converter to the tune of $2600. upon researching this issue, i found subaru is well aware of their problematic torque converter since they issued a service bulletin regarding it. this is obviously faulty equipment that subaru is aware of and should make good on. this car has 80,000 miles on it and has been well maintained as i brought it brand new in late 2011.
Ascended steep hill and stopped at stop sign. processed to drive through intersection uphill. all lights on dash began to flicker on and off and car stalled out going down the road. after this occurred, i lost all electrical functions of car. i was not able to restart car, place car into park, apply emergency brake, turn on hazard lights, and the power brakes and steering were not present. i spent 5-7 minutes trying to restart the car and trying to figure out a way to stabilize the car since i was currently going down a steep hill without anyway of stabilizing it. after this time, smoke began coming out from under the hood. i had to coast car down hill into busy intersection and turn it onto next road in order to find a flat area to stabilize car so i could get out of it. when i got out, i began seeing flames drop down from front driver side of engine area. the car quickly caught on fire and most of the engine burnt out before flames were extinguished. the fire appeared to start in computer area. this car was bought new and have had no previous problems with the car, except we have had to change the low beam headlight bulbs several times while owning it. after i witnessed my car catch on fire and afterwards discovered subaru has a service bulletin for the torque converter, i believe the headlight issue and the torque converter issues are all connected. i believe what happened to my car is the torque converter failed that day causing an over voltage/over draw of power that was so bad it took out my computer unit, i then believe the battery continued to feed the computer unit, in its unresponsive state, until it caught on fire. the fire inspector told me sometimes bulbs will burnt out due to an over voltage situation. something is definitely overdrawing power and it needs to be looked into because it endangers every driver, passenger, and anyone around these cars.
Car has a continuously variable transmission. the torque converter will not disengage when car comes to a hard stop. this causes engine to die. this can be dangerous in heavy traffic. subaru is aware of problem. subaru issued technical service bulletin 16-90-13r to specifically address this issue. problem is, my car was well out of warranty before this issue could be identified. it is an expensive transmission repair. again, this is a safety issue. subaru should be required to recall these cars and fix the torque converter.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. while attempting to park, the contact forgot to shift the lever into the park position but was able to turn the vehicle off. as a result, the vehicle rolled away and crashed into a gate. the air bags failed to deploy. a police report was not filed and there were no injuries. the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. the dealer was notified of the issue and stated that the vehicle was designed to perform in that manner. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the failure mileage was 78,547.
Very low engine rpm when coming to a stop.it, once in a while with a/c running, killed the engine while at traffic light. it certainly is scary to almost having an accident because of it. performed recommended maintenance by the dealership (trans fluid replacement, new spark plugs, new air filter), however, it didn't fix this very low idle issue.
Driving on highway at approx. 65 miles per hour. heard loud clicking and engine lost power. i was just able to get off the highway without being hit by others. there was no warning lights or anything before this happened. the car has received regular checkups/oil changes and was not due for another oil change yet.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. the contact stated that the vehicle stalled without warning. the contact had to make several attempts to restart the vehicle each time the failure recurred and it was getting progressively worse. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that there was an internal failure with the torque converter and that the part needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 137,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. while slowing down to make a turn, there was an abnormal noise coming from the front of the vehicle without warning. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to a dealer but was not diagnosed or repaired. the manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the vin was not included in nhtsa campaign number: 10v326000 (power train). the approximate failure mileage was 113,750.
My car stalls regularly when braking quickly, like when someone stops suddenly in front of me. it also stalls while applying the brake to stop at a light on a hill. this fault has placed me in several hazardous situations, including stalling on railroad tracks, and in busy intersections. when i first complained about it two years ago, subaru told me that it was an oxygen/fuel mixture issue and wanted to charge me $1200 to fix it. but when i searched on line, other subaru owners were complaining of the same issue and the oxygen/fuel fix didn't work for them after spending all the money to fix it. after living with this fault for nearly two years, i went to another repair shop who told me about this tsb: date: 01/06/14 revised: 05/07/14 applicability: 2010-12 my legacy and outback models equipped with cvt transmission subject: design change to lock-up type torque converter introduction this bulletin announces the availability of a countermeasure torque converter assembly to address a customer concern of very low engine rpm when coming to a stop. the condition is similar to coming to a stop in a manual transmission equipped vehicle without depressing the clutch pedal. thrust washer wear inside the torque converter can cause restriction of the oil passage used to bleed off lock-up clutch application pressure. the result is either a delayed (momentary low engine rpm) or no lock-up pressure release. the thrust washer has been changed from a solid bushing-type to a needle bearing type. subaru wants $1500 for this torque converter assembly to be replaced. if you search on line, you'll discover that this is a common issue. this needs to be upgraded to a vehicle recall, not just a tsb. this is a fault in subaru's cvt transmission design that is a danger to everyone driving one. please help us in enforcing this recall. thank you.
About 1 month ago my car began to stall when coming to a stop ie at an intersection or stop sign. the car just shudders and dies. it will start back up. the problem got worse, happening 1-2 times per day. after searching the internet, i found a subaru service bulletin #16-90-13 design change to lock-up type torque converter linked to a description of an issue like this. when i brought my car in for service i mentioned the service bulletin to the service coordinator and he knew all about it. they tested the car and this was confirmed to be the problem. my car however is out of warranty. it is less than 5 years old - not even paid off yet- but has >60,000 miles. the repair is not covered and will be close to $1800.00. this is a safety issue and should be a recall. i am a repeat subaru buyer and it shocks me that they will not stand behind their cars better than this and would let a potentially dangerous situation go on without putting mitigation in place. *tr
At a hard, fast brake to avoid traffic congestion on the freeway, the car stalled and died. it lost all power and had to be restarted. a faulty torque converter is the culprit. the torque converter failure in the subaru (not just outbacks) has been shown to result in a sudden loss of power / stalled engine, which can endanger the driver and other drivers. *tr
After braking moderate to hard when the vehicle comes to a stop the car stalls without fail. it occurred while my wife and 18 month old were slowing down/stopping on a busy road to yield oncoming traffic before taking a left turn onto another road. when we first brought the vehicle into the local subaru dealership they ran diagnostics and found nothing wrong and sent us on our way. a few weeks later on march 10, 2015 we brought the car back after it occurred several more times. the dealership didn't even need to do a road test, they knew the problem was a faulty torque converter. we were led to believe this is a common defect for this model. they also said the transmission (cvt) may need to be replaced. this same problem has happened to others we know who have the same car. our outback has 74k miles on it now. the warranty expired at 70k miles. we still owe payments on the car and now will need to spend thousands of dollars to fix it. this car is not safe to drive and we hope subaru recalls this model to have the torque converter and cvt replaced. at best people will need to spend thousands to fix the issue. at worst this problem could lead to severe or fatal injuries. *tr
At about 40k miles, my dealer maintained 2011 outback began to have an engine shudder immediately after making a full stop in gear, e.g. at a red light. it happens very infrequently and cannot be replicated on command. the near-stall is similar to not depressing a clutch with a manual transmission. the shudder is very brief. sometimes dash lights flash, but the engine has never completely stalled. the only consistency is that it only occurs at a full stop in gear. it is very unsafe when the near-stall occurs at the same time i'm trying to pull out into traffic. the hesitation is long enough to make my action dangerous. subaru has had my vehicle multiple times, sometimes for weeks, but has been unable to diagnose and repair. the transmission tested good. torque converter was replaced, and is a common issue for many owners, but it did nothing for me. the engine shudder has been occurring for 45k miles. though the issue started while under full power train warranty, subaru will not perform any services at their cost. this is a common issue with 2010-12 outback owners. a quick search online supports that, including a related technical service bulletin issued by subaru. i do not know what is occurring, nor does subaru. it is frustrating to have a common issue with no resolution.
Service bulletin # 16-90-13 design change to lock-up type torque converter when i have to come to a stop or if i go up a hill slow, or if i have to stop quick my vehicle will stall. this is dangerous, especially in traffic. i have checked every other possible problem and they all check out fine. i do not feel that the consumer should have to pay for a defective part. if i had to stop quick in traffic it would be very dangerous. i have already had this problem where the vehicle stalled with traffic behind me. i feel this is a "recall" and not a routine maintenance problem. *tr
I backed out of a parking spot, stopped and, with my foot on the brake, shifted to drive to pull forward. the car surged forward rapidly. i stood on the brakes, the surge continued very briefly and then the car finally stopped. this was the first incident of this kind in the three years i have owned the car. *tr
Engine stalled at low rpms. similar to manual transmission without engaging clutch. occurred when approaching stop at intersections or slowing for heavy traffic.
The engine shuts down whenever you brake suddenly or use any pressure to brake (not coast to a stop). the car shakes and then dies and you have to restart the car. this happens almost daily and after taking it to several shops it was determined that the torque converter is bad and needs to be replaced. there is a service bulletin out about fixing this so it appears to be a common problem. even a quick search online produces hundreds of similar complaints for this make & model. given that this can stall out at any speed with any pressure in applying the brakes with the torque converter, this should be an immediate recall for safety concerns!!! it's a faulty part on the car, not a wear & tear item. *tr
I would like to report an abnormal behavior in my car on january 13, 2014 as this is a safety matter. the road condition was dry and the outside temperature was about 40 degrees. first i backed out of my garage onto the road, then shifted to the d position and drove about half a mile forward. i noticed that the car did not slow down as usual when i applied the brakes as i was approaching the first intersection. i had to press the brake pedal much further than usual. i did not slow down to a complete stop, made a right turn and continued to drive. i decided to pay closer attention to the behavior of the car during the next braking period. i drove another quarter mile and i had to apply the brakes again as i was approaching a stop sign. the car did not slow down as usual again, so i had to press the brake pedal to the floor to make a complete stop. when the car finally stopped moving i heard a loud squeaking noise and the tachometer arrow was moving back and forth between 2000 and 5000 rpm. it seemed as though the clutch was still engaged even though the brakes were applied and the car was not moving. this continued for 5-10 seconds until i shifted into the n position as i continued to hold my foot on the brake pedal. the squeaking sound disappeared and the tachometer arrow went down immediately. i shifted back into the d position again with my foot still on the brake and the car behaved normally. this problem has not appeared since that time. i have taken the car to a subaru service dealer at norwood, ma 02062 on jan. 27, 2014, but they did not find anything wrong (customer #[xxx], invoice [xxx], miles 31340). i would like to get to the bottom of the problem since this could be a serious safety issue. i have filed a complaint to subaru website on january 28, 2014 but did not hear a word from them since that. information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6). *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2011 subaru outback. while coming to a complete stop with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle stalled without warning and the rpms decreased to less than 500. the contact placed the gear shifter into park and restarted the vehicle. the failure recurred numerous times. the vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic (chipp auto in fairmont, wv) where it was diagnosed that the torque convertor failed and needed to be replaced. the vehicle was not repaired. the manufacturer was not notified of the failure. the approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
The issue started at around 25,000 miles. my 2011 subaru outback, upon shifting from reverse to drive or from park to drive from a cold start, the transmission would pause for a second or two then would exhibit a loud bang/clunk and the car would lurch forward. warming the car for several minutes (~5-10 minutes) did not solve the issue. i read others who had the same issue so at 28,622 miles (~1.5 months from the first incident) i brought the car to the subaru service/dealer. unfortunately they could not replicate the issue, likely due to the fact that they did a transmission relearn before trying to test the transmission. the car was fine for about 2 days after receipt from service, but then the bang/clunk/lurch began again, on and off, under the same conditions mentioned earlier (i.e., cold start, shifting into drive, etc.) until its failure on april 22 (mileage ~33,400, ~3 months after bringing the car to the subaru service/dealer noted above). the transmission failed while i was driving 45 mph, after i heard a bang from under the vehicle. the vehicle was still controllable, but only first gear worked. the car today (april 23) is at the service station to determine if it is a transmission issue or a computer issue. *tr
This vehicle is hesitating from a start, posing a high risk of causing a serious accident when entering traffic. the hesitation occurs, on average, once every 300 miles under differing conditions. i have taken the vehicle to subaru service four times because of this problem. they state they can?t solve the issue because they can?t ?duplicate? it. i have informed them over and over again that it is an intermittent problem but they refused to keep the car long enough to duplicate the problem. i have asked subaru for a replacement but all they will offer is yet another appointment ?to attempt to duplicate the concerns?. in the meantime, i am forced to drive a vehicle with a serious safety problem, which occurs randomly without warning. this hesitation defect appears to be a common issue with this power train, placing numerous drivers at risk. please see the following associated complaints: 10290805 10297490 10307668 10343600 10346037 10346648 10347133 10351374 10354541 10355908 10355908 10356951 10358243 10411748 10413779 10448621 10505368 10515376 thank you for your time. *tr
Safety concerns with hesitation issue with transmission at slow speeds when applying /giving more gas. *tr
I pulled into my driveway (relatively level) and parked my car. as i exited the vehicle i notice that my car was rolling forward (i have a manual transmission) and attempted to set the electric parking brake by pushing repeatedly on the button to the left of the steering wheel. the parking brake did not set and my car gained speed and continued downhill into the woods behind my home. i am not sure if i was dragged or partially in the car, but was able to clear the vehicle before it hit a fence, a tree and eventually come to a stop. this has happened in my garage once and at a gas station, but i was able to gain control of the vehicle by hitting the parking brake button. i do not know if i am not setting the brake before exiting or am not depressing it fully before exiting or why it did not stop when i hit it repeatedly. i typically set the car in gear, but obviously did not do this on these occasions. *tr
While coming to at stop vehicle will shutter and stall! at the beginning of our ownership of this vehicle it would shudder and the idle would go very low, almost stalling. now when we come to a stop it will stall! this has become very dangerious. there is a tsb from subaru tsb 16-90-13, tsb 16-90-13r change design of torque converter from solid bushing type to needle bearing type. thrust washer wear inside the torque converter causes restriction of oil passage used to bleed off lock-up clutch application pressure.
While driving at 40 or 50 miles an hour, my husband tries to shift to 4th or 5th gear and the gear slips into reverse. then the car can't go in reverse. we bought the car in june 2011. this first happened when the car was about 8 months old. the dealership replaced bushings. the same thing happened again a few months later, on the highway, with my two kids in the car, when my husband was shifting from 5th to 6th. the dealership replaced bushings. the same thing happened on may 11, 2013, while we were on the highway and my husband was shifting from 4th to 5th; the gear slipped into reverse. the car then can't go in reverse. *tr
I have a subaru because i live off the paved road and it is an off-road car. two problems: 1) if driving in snow, snow packs into the wheel well and prevents front wheels turning properly. i carry a weedout, other people i have talked to carry ice picks and trowels for getting the snow out. this has happened to me since dec 2010, whenever driving in wet snow. i heard it discussed on car talk, so i know it is a common complaint. 2) manual transmission linkage is now exposed on the underside of the 2011. the car gets stuck in one gear and will not shift. happened in 2nd and 4th. i got it to the dealer and they removed sticks and gravel from the linkage. they said they had many 2011 manual transmission subies in that week with sticks and gravel in the linkage due to the bad weather. i could not go up hills or start from a stop when it was stuck in 4th. i could not drive over 20mph when stuck in 2nd. i could not reverse either way. this is not safe, especially when driving in snow and traffic in the mountains. i asked the dealer if they could put on something to cover and protect the linkage and they said no, ever since subaru went to 6 forward gears the linkage is exposed and they cannot add anything to cover it. i think the 6 forward gear manual transmission outbacks should be recalled, and they should go back to 5 gears forward and properly cover up the linkage. *tr
2011 subaru outback. consumer states vehicle rolled down the street without the key in ignition and engine off *tgw the consumer stated the vehicle finally came to rest in his neighbor's yard. the consumer then noticed the gear shift was in drive. the consumer stated according to the manual, the key was not supposed to come out of the ignition, unless the gear shift was in park and the engine was off. the consumer stated on august 6, 2011, when he returned to his vehicle, he attempted to start the vehicle, but the engine would not turn over. the consumer contacted subaru. the subaru employee stated there may have been a problem the key or the security system. the vehicle was towed and a couple of days later, the consumer was informed the battery had been replaced and the vehicle was ready to be picked up. about two months later, the consumer experienced a similar problem, but after three attempts, the vehicle started. the consumer also stated the headlights would not go out, unless the key was removed from the ignition.
Even after all the soa (subaru of america) "fixes" / service bulletins i still have a vibration issues at highway speeds, feel it in the seat and in steering wheel. it gets worse at highway speeds if your going around a curve on it tends to get worse. even after through the curve.. also noted it doesn't matter weather conditions hot, cold raining or dry. *tr
Car was brand new and the transmission was jerking when i slowed down for a red light and then had to start again before the car came to a full stop. this was a constant issue and also did the same thing when car was downshifting during traffic. *tr
I turned right into a driveway with a steep upward incline and had to stop my car briefly to speak to a person helping with parking for an event. my car has a manual transmission, so i engaged the electronic parking brake to hold the car so i could get moving again without rolling backwards. however, the parking brake on my car automatically disengages as soon as the gas pedal is depressed (or even, actually, touched at all). because of the very steep incline, by the time i had enough revs to engage the clutch, my car had rolled back into the street behind me. fortunately no vehicle was passing at the time, though a serious accident could have occurred. i have noticed that the electronic parking brake needs to be manually disengaged if the driver seatbelt is unfastened, presumably as a reminder to fasten the seatbelt. in the future in a similar driving situation i would be tempted to unfasten my seatbelt before attempting the steep hill start, which would be the less dangerous of two dangerous options. i emailed subaru to point out the problem and ask whether it would be possible to modify these vehicles such that the parking brake is always controllable by the driver. my concern was dismissed, seemingly without much consideration. i live in an area where steep hills are the norm, and have always driven a manual transmission car without incident, but the electronic parking brake on my new car presents a serious hazard. i would like to have this addressed before someone is injured or killed. *tr
It seems to me that this is a faulty torque converter. my car when making an abrupt stops seems to stall out and die