Automatic Transmission Problems of Subaru Legacy

My 2010 Subaru Legacy automatic. . . While accelerating on an incline lost all acceleration, car acted as if it was in neutral, no response from the throttle. Lights were still on, no warning light indicators. Pulled over, turned off the engine and restarted. Problem has not occurred since. Dealer says he can't recreate the problem and the diagnostics reveal no error codes. Afraid to drive my new Subaru.

See all problems of the 2010 Subaru Legacy 🔎.

The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Legacy. While in reverse and attempting to park, the vehicle rolled down a hill and crashed into an embankment. The brakes had not engaged when applied. The failure was the second occurrence of the brakes not working. The vehicle was taken to an authorized dealership but the dealer could not diagnose the failure. The VIN was unavailable at the time of the complaint. The current and failure mileages were approximately 2,000.

The car experiences a 2-3 second intermittent hesitation followed by the car jetting forward. In addition, the vehicle has experienced occasional stalling. It has been taken to the dealership some 22 times for the same issue and upon recreating the problem I was told it is a “function of the transmission. €� the car is unsafe and has nearly resulted in several accidents. It appears that there is some electrical issue rather than the transmission however, the car tends to experience issues generally between 15-20mph, 30-35mph, and 55-60mph.

I got off the highway on a secondary road on my way home, when after the second stop sign trying to cross the intersection the car stalled ,losing its gears with the engine running, but no acceleration. The check engine light went on,the mode driving light and the cruise lights blinking. I turned the engine off ,then on and I proceeded with the only gear left to a safe location. Luckily I was on a secondary road or I could have been rear ended and hurt or worse. The car was towed to the dealer who is telling me that it has to be reprogrammed due to a slippage(time gap between the 2nd & 3rd gear) ; he also tells me that the brakes are vibrating should I worry about damage to my gear box? at this point I am worried about driving the car even when it's fixed.

See all problems of the 2008 Subaru Legacy 🔎.

My 2010 Subaru Legacy 3. 6r has a very noticeable delay when attempting to accelerate the vehicle after a rolling stop. This is very common in everyday traffic, heading towards a red light that turns green, as well as with speed bumps. There is almost a full 2 second delay and the car then thrusts itself when the accelerator actually responds.

2010 Subaru Legacy 3. 6r has a long delay when attempting to accelerate the vehicle after a rolling stop, going over a speed bump, etc. . . . Very dangerous in everyday driving especially when heading towards a red light that turns green. After the delay, the car lurches forward. Have spoken with the dealer and told there is no correction.

2000 Subaru Legacy l transmission would not go into drive while stopped for a light. Car unable to be moved and stuck in traffic. This caused a very unsafe problem as traffic backed up behind the car. Transmission intermittently refuses to shift. Dealer says new trns. Subaru aware of defect in trans.

See all problems of the 2000 Subaru Legacy 🔎.

The contact owns a 1999 Subaru Legacy. The contact stated that the transmission will shift into neutral without warning. There is a 15-20 second delay when shifting the vehicle from park to drive. The vehicle was diagnosed as needing a new transmission. The purchase date was unknown. The current mileage is 86,000 and failure mileage was 83,000. The consumer stated lou thomas suburu informed him the transmission could be repaired for $3400 close to the value of the car, but the consumer never had the car fixed at that repair shop. The consumer shopped at other transmission shops one informed could rebuild the transmission but would results may not be good. The consumer purchased a transmission from the salvage yard had it installed and found that it was infact defective. The consumer stated the vehicle has not been fixed to satisfaction and been parked ever since. Updated 07/06/07.

See all problems of the 1999 Subaru Legacy 🔎.

The speedometer on my 1999 Subaru Legacy l sedan stops working at random intervals. My mechanic tells me that this is connected to the also faulty transmission and is not just a minor speed sensor problem. Subaru denies any knowledge of these problems but I have researched and found many, many 1999 Subaru owners with the exact same problems. The 1999's had a new transmission that is very flawed and was changed again before the 2000 release because of so many problems. This is the second 1999 Subaru Legacy I have bought in the past 3 months with this very same problem (I assumed the first was a fluke and the dealer took the car back). The car has 96,000 miles and should not need a complete transmission overhaul at this point. I believe that Subaru is very aware of these faults but doesn't want to face the repercussions of a campaign or recall. I implore you to look into this. These faulty transmissions and their associated failures(speedometer, etc) are a danger to all owners. It is irresponsible of Subaru to release an entire model year that has so many expensive problems to fix.

See all problems of the 1998 Subaru Legacy 🔎.

The contact owns a 2000 Subaru l wagon. While driving the atf warning light would illuminate on the instrument control panel and then the vehicle would down-shift. The computer, transmission computer, spark plug, oxygen sensor, and coil pack have all been replaced. None of the repairs have remedied the failure. The current mileage was 171,000. The failure mileage was 103,000. Updated 11/12/09 the consumer stated the engine light was on most of the time. A local repair shop that works only on Subaru's had not idea what was wrong with the vehicle. The dealer stated a throttle position sensor was needed. Updated 11/16/09.

Car hesitates for 1 second before moving.

See all problems of the 2006 Subaru Legacy 🔎.

: the contact stated the vehicle hesitated when applying the accelerator pedal. This happened every time the pedal was applied. The vehicle was calibrated to factory specifications. Other vehicles on the lot were driven and they had the same hesitation. The manufacturer stated this was a common problem with this vehicle. No repairs have been made. Updated 01/19/06.

Consumer has a 1999 Subaru Legacy and complained about a transmission problem. When the consumer started the vehicle and put into drive it idled and then went into drive. When coming to a complete stop, the vehicle went into a mode. The consumer had to rev the engine and it would kick in. The consumer took the vehicle to the dealership and was told there was a problem with the seal and the transmission had to be replaced. Consumer felt it was too soon to replace the transmission at 61,000. The consumer noticed the problem approximately three months ago.

New transmission was put in at around 40k miles. Now the car is at 85k miles. I was driving down the street and gave my car a little gas. The car reved and accelerated for no reason, but I looked at my gauges and nothing looked out of the ordinary, so I kept driving. About 5 minutes later, I was pulling into my neighbor's driveway going about 2 miles per hour (her car was about 7 feet away) when the car accelerated (like I had floored the gas pedal), and I crashed into her parked car. After car is fixed (there is extensive damage to my car), I will take to my Subaru dealer. It is still under an extended warranty.

While at a stop light the gear seemed to lock. The vehicle would not move. Consumer placed the vehicle into a lower gear, and placed the emergency lights on, drove to the mechanic, who changed the transmission fluid. . The engine runs. But transmission seems to be defective.

When accelerating at any speed hesitates for a couple of seconds. The manufacturer indicated that the problem could not be fixed because it was a characteristic of the vehicle. The consumer feels that this problem will cause damage to the engine and transmission over time.

See all problems of the 2003 Subaru Legacy 🔎.

While driving vehicle at low speeds engine idles , causing the driver to put the vehicle in neutral. Sudden random engine surge while going from park to drive. Engine surge happened 6 times already, 4 of which happened in a week.

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1996 Subaru Legacy - auto trans. Car binds on slow turns. Subaru tech. States that vehicle needs about $1000 in repair to the awd system, this includes transfer clutches, housing, etc. Only 44,000 miles on vehicle! tech stated that he has never seen this problem on a vehicle with such low mileage. Called Subaru of America and they stated that they will not assist in repairs. I purchasd the vehicle to have awd and this is the system that is failing! since awd is the benchmark of Subaru, I would have thought they would stand behind their product. Please advise.

See all problems of the 1996 Subaru Legacy 🔎.

Downshifting on inclines: purchased a 1999 Subaru outback Legacy wagon new on Nov. 11/11/98, at fucillo imports, watertown, NY. The downshifting problems occur when going down large hills around 60 mph, gently applying the brakes to slow the vehicle, letting off the brakes, and the downshift jerks you forward. When the automobile was brand new, the abrupt jerk would put my head into the windshield. The salesperson told me that it was the way I drove the car. Odometer failure during August, 2002, the vehicle started intermittent odometer failures. The odometer would drop from ?? to 0 for a few seconds, and then gradually resume. After 6 mo. The dealership did replicate the problem and I had to have the odometer replaced for approximately $200. Transmission hesitation and abrupt engagement in August 2002 (about the same time as the intermittent odometer failure, and the crank seal leak / replacement) the car developed problems with a hesitation when putting the car into drive. On a cold incline start, the vehicle will roll backwards several feet before engaging in drive. After reversing, the hesitation will leave me without any drive power, before jerking into gear. The dealership saw the car in December 2002 (at 65,179 miles) and documented (but not duplicated) the problem. Transmission conditioner treatments haved eased the jerking. Now, 2 years later, a service manager finally duplicated the hesitation and roll back. And suggested transmission replacement for $2,500. Today, the car is over the 60,000 mile warranty at 93,418 miles. I can't help but feel that these problems are related, and are definitely a safety concern.

Intermittent failures: car does not shift into second gear and keeps accelerating with rpm increasing. Have to take foot off accelerator and pulse to get car to shift into second gear.

Vehicle experiencing hard shift and accelerates at higher speeds when going around a corner / when applying the brake's causing failure.

The transmission has a design defect which causes it to abruptly and without warning shift down while descending a long grade. This has resulted in two instances of momentary loss of control of the vehicle in icy/slippery conditions. In addition, it will materially and significantly shorten the life of the transmission. Furthermore, it has scared passengers on numerous occaions due to the jerking of the car which results from this design defect. I have contacted the manufacturer which sent me to the dealer. No relief. I asked for the zone representative to call me and it has not taken place. The manufacturer has indicated on the phone that this is 'normal behavior' . I am told that this design defect has been removed from year 2000 Legacy outbacks. If true, that would be tacit admission that the design was flawed as it was not implented in any year but 1999. I have asked the manufacturer to install a new transmissioncontrolunit which eliminates this design flaw, since it would be a relatively simple software modification. They have indicated their reluctance to do so. While the aspect of the jerkiness of the car and the shortened lifespan of the transmission could be chalked up to 'tough kaka', the loss of control (albiet of a very temporary nature so far) resulting from an abrupt gear change down in icy conditions is a safety concern. The manufacturer said that a shift would be of no concern, to which I suggested they ask miki haakinnen, a race driver who lost a race due to the wrong gear being selected. . . . One below the one he expected, which spun him out of the race. I have experienced a similar yaw from the abrupt gear change. Thankfully for the safety of my passengers and myself, I, too, have experience with racecars. . . . . If not for practiced reflexes during the icy-condition downshifts referenced, I am quite confident that the car would have ended up off the road.

My dealer has been working on the problem and did the throttle body recall check which turned up negative.

See all problems of the 1997 Subaru Legacy 🔎.

Transmission surges at 250-500 rpm when cold.

Transmission downshifts and vehicle on snow packed highways causing vehicle to jerk and swerve resulting in loss of control. Yh.

When I'm going down a decline at around 40mph and the transm. Is in 4th gear and I am coasting and begin to apply the brake the care will shift into 3rd gear and rev the engine to around 3500-4000 rpm. I feel this sudden unexpected transmission shift could cause a loss of traction on slippery roads which is the purpose of my buying an all wheel drive vehicle.

While slowing vehicle on hills, there is a jerking motion which can not be rectified, it is engaging into gear. Mjs.

Failure occurs when stopped and then attempting to proceed. Car behaves as though it is in neutral when it is still in drive. This has occurred many times although intermittent. After a few minutes the transmission has caught. Taken to dealer 2 times (roberts Subaru, downingtown, PA) and although they kept car and drove for a few days they could find nothing wrong. This failure has almost caused car to be rear ended 2 times.

When driving down hill 6% + grade and I lightly touch the brake pedal to slow, our 1999 Legacy outback downshifts one or two gears. I have to put the car in neutral then back into drive because it sticks in whatever gear it shifts into at a very high rpm. It does this from 40 to 70 mph, but only on a steep grade. It does this with or without the cruse control turned on. The frequency of the problem is increasing. It is my opinion as a retired accident reconstruction specialist from the washington state patrol that this has tremendous accident potential on surfaces with a reduced coefficient of friction (ice, snow or rain). The transmission functions properly at all other times. Camelback Subaru in phoenix, az. , indicates they can not duplicate the problem, yet there is a history of the problem at NHTSA with the very same symptoms.