2014 Subaru Crosstrek Powertrain & Transmission Problems

THIS LETTER IS TO DOCUMENT AN INCIDENT THAT OCCURRED ON 6/27/19 AT APPROX. 2 PM EST IN DANBURY, CT ON I84. I WAS PROCEEDING WEST ON I84 IN MY 2014 SUBARU CROSSTREK WHEN THE VEHICLE SUFFERED A CATASTROPHIC INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANSMISSION (CVT) ASSEMBLY, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF WHEEL ROTATION (WHEELS LOCKING UP) WHICH LASTED FOR ALMOST 2 SECONDS. I WAS ABLE TO MAINTAIN CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND, WHILE ALMOST STRUCK BY A TRACTOR-TRAILER THAT WAS FOLLOWING ME IN THE CENTER LANE, WAS ABLE TO EXIT THE HIGHWAY. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO COLONIAL SUBARU IN DANBURY, CT WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED WITH A COMPLETE INTERNAL FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION REQUIRING A REPLACEMENT. I THEN DISCOVERED THAT THE FAILURE OF THE TRANSMISSION ON THIS VEHICLE WAS A KNOWN ISSUE, THE SUBJECT OF A WARRANTY EXTENSION BY SUBARU OF AMERICA (HTTPS://TINYURL.COM/Y9BOZWGD) AND THAT MY VEHICLE WAS ONE OF THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. MY CONCERN IS THAT GIVEN THE SEVERE CONSEQUENCE WHEN THIS FAILURE OCCURS, THIS SHOULD BE THE SUBJECT OF A FACTORY RECALL, TO PREVENT A CATASTROPHIC LOSS OF WHEEL ROTATION AND SUBSEQUENT LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL. THIS IS WHAT OCCURRED IN MY EXPERIENCE. IF I WERE A LESS EXPERIENCED DRIVER IT A HIGH PROBABLE THAT A LOSS OF VEHICLE CONTROL WOULD HAVE OCCURRED. TRAVELING DOWN A MAJOR, CROWDED INTERSTATE WITH A CAR THAT SUFFERED A SEVERE ENGINEERING FAILURE COULD HAVE LED TO ROADWAY FATALITIES. I REQUEST THAT NHTSA OPEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO SUBARU OF AMERICA'S HANDLING OF THIS MATTER AND CONSIDER MANDATING THAT SOA REPLACE TRANSMISSIONS IN THE AFFECTED VEHICLES. THE MILEAGE ON MY VEHICLE WHEN THE EVENT OCCURRED WAS 114,000 WHICH DEMONSTRATES THAT THE WARRANTY EXTENSION TO 100,000 MILES IS INSUFFICIENT TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE SINCE THE PROBLEM CAN OCCUR BEYOND THE 100,000 THRESHOLD. I BELIEVE THAT THE CONSEQUENCE OF A CVT FAILURE WARRANTS A RECALL NOTICE.

ALL DASH LIGHTS CAME ON AT AROUND 99980 MILEAGE, INCLUDING BLINKING OIL AT TEMPERATURE DASH LIGHT, ABS LIGHT, HILL LIGHT, TRACTION CONTROL AND CHECK ENGINE LINE. IT IS ALSO SLUGGISH UPON ACCELERATION WHEN I FIRST START. AT FIRST START ONLY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMES ON THEN AFTER SLUGGISH ACCELERATION ALL THE LIGHTS ABOVE COME ON. CRUISE LIGHT FLASHES AND CRUISE DOESNT WORK AND SHIFTING PADDLES DONT WORK. ALL LIGHTS CAME ON WHEN I TURNED ON CAR TO MOVE IT.

TROUBLE CODE- P0700 END P0730

MY VEHICLE WAS PURCHASED BY ME AT 24K MILES I HAVE DRIVEN NOW TO 70K MILES AND NEED 2 NEW FRONT AXELS. I HAVE BEEN SITTING AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR 3 HOURS AND THEY HAVE GONE THROUGH 3 DIFFERENT REPLACEMENT AXELS ON THE LEFT SIDE. THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THIS CAR HAS GIVEN ME ISSUES BUT BEING LESS THAN 100K MILES AND NEEDING 2 NEW AXLES?? THAT IS INSANE. THE CAR CLICKS WHEN I TURN AND MAKES A CLUNKING NOISE

AUTOMOBILE WAS TAKEN TO HAVE AN OIL CHANGE AND WHEN CAR WAS ATTEMPTED TO DRIVE OUT THERE WAS A SLIPPAGE OF THE DRIVE TRAIN. I STOPPED AND HAD THE CAR CARRIED TO A MECHANIC THAT I TRUSTED. I EXPLAINED TO HIM WHAT I HAD OBSERVED AT THE CHANGING OF THE OIL AND AS A PRECAUTION HE DRAINED BOTH THE OIL AND THE TRANSMISSION AS I TOLD HIM THAT IT WAS POSSIBLE THAT THEY MAY HAVE DRAINED THE TRANSMISSION OIL. HE REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION OIL WITH THE PROPER TRANSMISSION FLUID AS CALLED FOR BY SUBARU. THE CAR STILL WOULD NOT RUN PROPERLY. I THEN HAD THE CAR TRANSPORTED TO THE SUBARU DEALER HERE IN ATLANTA, GEORGIA, CLASSIC CADILLAC. THE SUBARU DEALER SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT TELL ME WAS WRONG, HOWEVER I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD HAVE TO REPLACE THE TRANSMISSION. WE THEN CALLED THE SUBARU NATIONAL OFFICE AND WAS TOLD THAT THE WARRANTY WAS VOIDED BECAUSE OF THE FACT THAT MAINTENANCE HAD BEEN PERFORMED BY AN UNAUTHORIZED COMPANY AND NOT BY SUBARU. THE PERSON SPOKEN TO WAS A MS. S. BROWN WHO IDENTIFIED HERSELF AS THE PERSON AT SUBARU THAT WAS RESPONSIBLE FOR WARRANTIES. MS. BROWN INSISTED THAT THE OIL CHANGE AND THE REPLACEMENT OF THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. THE REPLACEMENT TRANSMISSION S TRANSMISSION WAS QUOTED AS $7,800.00. THIS IS SO EVEN THOUGH NO ONE FROM SUBARU COULD TELL US WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE TRANSMISSION THAT REQUIRED THAT IT BE REPLACED. I WOULD APPEAR THAT WE ARE THE VICTIMS OF THE REFUSAL OF SUBARU NOT TO ISSUE A RECALL ON THE TRANSMISSION EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE THOUSANDS OF CASES OF TRANSMISSIONS PROBLEMS, THIS IS SO EVEN THOUGH WE JUST RECEIVED A LETTER FROM SUBARU EXTENDING THE WARRANTY ON THE POWER TRAIN. THE CAR WAS NOT DRIVEN AT ANY TIME DURING EACH TIME THAT THE CAR WAS LOOKED BY ANY MECHANICS.

NORMAL ACCELERRATION VEHICLE MAKES WINDING NOISE. DOES NOT ACCELERATE, ENGINE RPM INCREASES. PROLONG TIME TO ACCELERATE TO NORMAL SPEED AT THE TIME.(I.E. 50MPH).