2017 Subaru Outback Powertrain & Transmission Problems

AT ABOUT 112,000 MILES, MY 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK'S TRANSMISSION SHOWED SIGNS OF FAILURE. THE "MANUAL SHIFT" GEAR LEVER POSITION WOULD NO LONGER INCREASE OR DECREASE THE TRANSMISSION RPM AND A WHIRRING AND CLICKING NOISE BECAME APPARENT AND INCREASED OR DECREASED WITH SPEED. THE SUBARU DEALER IN SALISBURY, MD DIAGNOSED A FAILING TRANSMISSION AND QUOTED $9,916 TO REPLACE IT.

Vehicle lost engine power twice while on the road between 8/12/23 and ~9/25/23. Took to Subaru Santa Monica service on 9/26, left it overnight, and was unable to replicate the problem. I cleaned the K&N drop in filter after 8/12 incident since I haven't cleaned it in a while. Subaru Santa Monica service said that there's oil contamination from the filter into throttle body and I need cleaning and new air box. I don't think that's the problem and this is a major safety issue. Although I have a 7 year warranty that's still active, I paid $219 for diagnostic. Not covered under warranty because can't replicate issue. My plan is to sell this car as it's a personal and public safety danger. Don't have time to keep going to the dealer and paying out of pocket.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Outback. The contact stated while driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated towards a truck in front. The contact used excessive force to depress the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the braking distance was extended due to the failure. Additionally, there was an abnormal thumping sound heard while the vehicle was coming to an abrupt stop. The contact pulled to the side of the road and inspected the vehicle but found no cause for the failure. After waiting momentarily, the contact proceeded to drive, and the vehicle operated as needed. The vehicle had been taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 32,000.

I purchased a used 2017 Subaru Outback in December 2020 from a friend whose mother had owned the car before her death in Nov. 2019. That owner purchased it used from dealer in Sevierville TN in 2019 and had to replace a battery at least once according to records. The battery has failed three times since Dec. 2020, totally drained and would not recharge so a replacement was needed. I replaced the first battery then took it to dealer for other two replacements. The previous owner had a garage under her mountain house. She was found dead in her den chair. After her burial the family later found the 2017 Subaru Outback parked in her garage underneath the house was totally empty of gas. I believe from reading issues other Subaru owners have had that this car did not turn off and this lady died from carbon monoxcide poisoning. This is an issue well documented over many years and it is way past due for a recall by the manufacturer. Since it continues even to 2020 models there should at least be a stop production order until this issue is corrected. It is not just an inconvenience but a very real danger for owners who park in a home garage. As the government agency trusted to oversight of manufacturing defects presenting a danger to the safety of the public it is way past time for you to act.

Unable to remove key from ignition when vehicle placed in ‘Park’ and vehicle easily changes to ‘Reverse’ when unable to remove key, potential safety hazard to driver and anyone standing behind vehicle. Started around 40,000 miles, repair facility thought replacing the key cylinder would fix the problem but it recurred in less than 1,000 additional miles. Subaru Forums cite many, many owners with the same issue on multiple vehicle types resulting in replacement of the shifter mechanism due to a malfunctioning ‘Park’ sensor.

My car had it's third transmission installed in October 2021 at 42,730 miles. The car currently has just under 52,000 miles. The current transmission is exhibiting symptoms of slipping and delayed gear engagement. The slipping is most concerning due to the unpredictable and non-linear acceleration when I press the accelerator. I don't know if a light accelerator application will give the expected acceleration or a 1-2 second delay followed by either weaker than expected acceleration or a surge in engine RPMs (up to 3,000 at times) with significantly more acceleration than expected. I also don't know if the acceleration will decrease or increase if I keep the accelerator position the same. This is especially problematic in stop and go city driving where light on/off pedal application is required. The more I'm on/off the accelerator, the less predictable the acceleration becomes. My fuel economy is also down from ~25.5 MPG lifetime average to less than 20 MPG the last few tanks. Subaru dealers have not been helpful or receptive to my concerns. All the loaners I've driven behaved as expected and had smooth, linear acceleration.

It was a few days ago, the vehicle suddenly have shuttering or sputtering type of noise when accelerating from a stop. During the drive, I also started to hear a creaking type of noise. This became worse when accelerating uphill. I took the car to a Subaru dealership, and the service technician reproduced these problems. He then detected an transmission related error code P0841. He replaced the sensor related to this error code, but found he couldn’t get rid of the initial problems. In fact, when he checked the error code, P0841 came back again. Check Engine light come out during his examination. Even he could get rid of the warning, Check Engine light came back when I drove the vehicle back home. The technician found internal transmission failure and recommended to replace transmission assembly. The cost quoted at $10996, so no further repairs was made. Subaru recalled transmission of its outback vehicle in the past for the same type of problems, and I am wondering if my vehicle has a similar faulty transmission. I reported the problem to Subaru US customer service online, but didn’t hear back from them.

Rear bearing/hub assembly failure. Appears to be a known problem per information readily available online. Failure occurred at 40,746 miles. Replaced at dealership at my personal cost, out of warranty period. Hubs and bearings should not be failing at such low mileage. Could have caused other driveline or suspension problems and poses a safety issue as wheels would be unable to spin freely.

while driving Transmission begins making a squeaking noise.. Rpms climb and car does not increase speed RPM climb with no movement. Until RPMs climb higher than normal. the car then launches forward. The hesitation caused by the transmission will lead to an accident very quickly, especially if turning into a business with on coming traffic.. Merging on the highway is severely dangerous. This car has 86,000 miles. There are no warning lights associated with this issue.

When I put the car into park, it does not recognize that the car is in park and will not release the key.

As I am slowing down by pushing the brake pedal, the vehicle will attempt to accelerate. It will increase speed by about 2 miles per hour and the RPM increases when this happens.

MY NEW BATTERY WAS DRAINED TO A POINT THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT START. I MESSAGED SOME BIBLE STUDY FRIENDS AND ONE WAS GOING TO COME OVER AND JUMP MY VEHICLE. WHILE WAITING I PUT THE CAR IN NEUTRAL AND PUSHED IT OUT OF MY GARAGE INTO THE DRIVEWAY. THE DRIVEWAY IS ON A STEEP SLOPE. ONCE IN THE DRIVEWAY I TRIED PUTTING THE CAR INTO PARK, IT WOULD NOT GO INTO PARK. IN FACT IT WOULD ONLY GO INTO DRIVE WHICH DID NOT STOP THE VEHICLE FROM ROLLING BACKWARDS. I TRIED THE EMERGENCY BRAKE BUT IT IS ELECTRICALLY OPERATED AND DID NOT WORK. THE BRAKES WERE VERY HARD TO HOLD SINCE THE HYDRAULICS WERE NOT KICKING IN, SAME WITH THE POWER STEERING. I AM A BIG STRONG GUY SO I WRESTLED THE CAR TO TURN IT DIAGONALLY IN THE DRIVEWAY AS IT ROLLED BACKWARDS, TRYING TO PREVENT IT FROM GOING INTO THE STREET AND FLYING INTO SOMEONE'S HOUSE OR VEHICLE. ONCE DIAGONAL IN THE DRIVEWAY I THREW A PADLOCK UNDER THE FRONT TIRE FROM THE DRIVERS SEAT WITH MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE TO PREVENT IT FROM ROLLING BACK. AT THIS POINT IT WAS BARELY HELD BUT STATIONARY SO I GOT OUT, CHALKED THE WHEELS WITH 2X4'S UNTIL BY BIBLE STUDY FRIENDS CAME OVER AND JUMPED MY CAR. I DID NOT HAVE MY CELL PHONE AND NO ONE ELSE WAS AROUND TO HELP ME. I LITTERALLY THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO HAVE TO JUST LET MY CAR ROLL DOWN INTO THE STREET AND LET IT GO BECAUSE I HAD NO OTHER OPTIONS. I CALLED SUBARU OF AMERICA AND THEY DIRECTED ME TO A YOUTUBE VIDEO THAT SHOWS ONCE THE BATTERY COMPLETELY DIES, THERE IS A SPECIAL TOOL YOU NEED IN ORDER TO GET THE CAR IN AND OUT OF PARK. BUT IT DOESN'T TELL YOU THAT IF THE CAR WON'T START AND THERE IS ENOUGH POWER TO GET IT INTO REVERSE, DON'T DO IT WITHOUT THE TOOL. WHAT IF THIS HAPPENED IN THE MOUNTAINS OR SAN FRANCISCO OR ANY HILLY OR MOUNTAINOUS LOCATION? I BELIEVE THIS IS A HIGH POTENTIAL FOR LIFE THREATING INJURY OR LOSS OF PROPERTY. E-BRAKES SHOULD NOT BE ELECTRIC IN MY OPINION.

NUMEROUS TIMES OVER PAST TWO MONTHS, WHEN AT SLOW SPEEDS, THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION STALLS CAUSING THE CAR TO STOP. AT LEAST ONCE, WHEN ENTERING TRAFFIC, A CAR BEHIND HAD TO DO AN EMERGENCY SLOWDOWN TO AVOID A REAR END COLLISION. TWO SUBARU DEALERS HAVE CHECKED THE VEHICLE BEING UNABLE TO FIND A PROBLEM. YET, ON SEARCHING THE WEB, THIS COMMON CONDITIONIS IS CLEARLY DESCRIBED IN NHTSA FILES.

WHEN TURNING THE VEHICLE OFF, THE KEY IS INTERMITTENTLY NOT ABLE TO BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. REAR HATCH WILL ALSO NOT OPEN WHEN THIS OCCURS, AS THE SHIFT SELECT SOLENOID DOESN'T RECOGNIZE THAT THE TRANSMISSION IS SHIFTED INTO PARK.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE GEAR BOX FAILED TO RECOGNIZE WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS IN PARK WHICH CAUSED THE KEY TO NOT BE ABLE TO BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION. THERE WAS NO WARNING. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE SUBARU OF KENNESAW DEALER LOCATED AT 905 ERNEST W. BARRETT PKWY NW, KENNESAW, GA 30144, WHERE IT WAS STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS A KNOWN ISSUE AND SCHEDULED AN APPOINTMENT FOR THE CONTACT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THERE WERE MULTIPLE COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE FAILURE AND THAT THE DEALER WOULD BE CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 93,700.*DT*DT CONSUMER WAS REIMBURSED FOR THE REPAIR.*JB

WITH NO WARNING AND DRIVING 70 MPH ON THE INTERSTATE PRESSING THE GAS PEDAL RESULTED IN NOTHING. DASHBOARD LIGHTS STARTED INDICATING 'BRAKE' AND OTHER DISTRACTING MESSAGES. I WAS IN THE FAR LEFT LANE IN HEAVY TRAFFIC, BUT WAS SOMEHOW ABLE TO CROSS OVER TWO LANES WITHOUT A COLLISION AND MAKE IT PART WAY UP A RAMP. CAR WAS TOWED INTO A SUBARU DEALER WHO FOUND A 'BROKEN VARIATION CHAIN'. A NEW TRANSMISSION WAS INSTALLED FOUR DAYS LATER. I NO LONGER FEEL SAFE IN THIS VEHICLE OR ANY WITH THIS TRANSMISSION NOW THAT I HAVE READ ABOUT ALL IT'S ISSUES. WHY DID I NOT HAVE A WARNING SINCE IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM? IMPORTANTLY, WHY IN THE MIDST OF A POTENTIALLY LIFE ENDING EMERGENCY DID I NOT GET A MEANINGFUL DASHBOARD WARNING, E.G., 'PULL OFF ROAD', 'POWER LOST', 'TRANSMISSION FAIL'?

CVT TRANSMISSION AT 35326 MILES STARTED DISTRIBUTING POWER INDISCRIMINATELY TO ANY OF THE 4 WHEEL CAUSING INSTABILITY AND SHAKING WHEN DRIVING. VERY DIFFICULT TO CONTROL WHEN DRIVING. TRANSMISSION REQUIRES REPLACEMENT.

TRANSMISSION PERIODICALLY PUTS EXTRA POWER TO WHEELS DURING BRAKING RESULTING IN MANY NEAR MISSES.

WHEN THE VEHICLE IS PLACED IN PARK IT IS NOT POSSIBLE TO REMOVE THE KEY. THIS LEAVES ME STRANDED AS I CAN NOT LEAVE THE VEHICLE. I WAS LEFT STRANDED IN MEXICO. *TR

THE KEYS COULD NOT BE REMOVED FROM THE IGNITION AFTER SHIFTING THE CAR INTO PARK AND TURNING THE CAR OFF. THE PROBLEM FIRST APPEARED AROUND SEPTEMBER 2019 (APPROXIMATELY 42,000 MILES). OVER THE NEXT FEW WEEKS THE PROBLEM PROGRESSIVELY GOT WORSE, AND REQUIRED SHIFTING FROM NEUTRAL TO PARK MULTIPLE TIMES UNTIL THE KEYS COULD BE REMOVED. THE SELECT LEVER ASSEMBLY (PART 35111AL00B) WAS REPLACED WITH THE NEWER VERSION (PART 35111AL00C) WHICH FIXED THE ISSUE. THE ORIGINAL SELECT LEVER ASSEMBLY (35111AL00B) WAS TESTED AND IT HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE "P" RANGE SWITCH. RESISTANCE ACROSS SELECT LEVER ASSEMBLY PINS 1 AND 2 SHOWED A RESISTANCE OF 2-3 OHMS WHEN THE SELECT LEVER WAS IN THE PARK POSITION. THE SERVICE MANUAL STATES THAT THE "P" RANGE SWITCH RESISTANCE SHOULD BE LESS THAN 1 OHM WHEN IN THE PARK POSITION. THIS HIGH RESISTANCE LIKELY CAUSED THE IGNITION TO FAIL TO RECOGNIZE THAT THE CAR WAS IN PARK AND PREVENTED THE KEYS FROM BEING REMOVED.