Clutch Pedal/linkage Problems of Subaru Outback

Very low engine rpm, or complete engine quit 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. Has happened many times and is more of an annoyance until it happens when I might need to accelerate suddenly again. Subaru service bulletin # 16-90-13 design change to lock-up type torque converter pertains, but Subaru has not issued a recall. Maybe they're waiting for someone to die first.

See all problems of the 2012 Subaru Outback 🔎.

I have experienced a driver safety concern that can easily cause a collision to occur. When coming to a stop the automatic transmission does not go to neutral and the engine halts. I have to restart the car. This is dangerous as it may cause a rear end collision and has almost done so on numerous occasions. This is related to bulletin number 16-90-13r that has already been opened with Subaru on 01/06/2014. The remedy is to replace torque converter thrust washer from a solid bushing-type to a needle bearing type. I strongly believe this should be a recall issue and not be passed onto to the customer. This can easily escalate to a class action law suit if a serious collision were to happen. Here is the complaint presented to Subaru bulletin number 16-90-13r; 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.

See all problems of the 2011 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Vehicle stalls when coming to a hard stop. Apparently this is a known issue to Subaru since they issued a service bulletin in 2012 - service bulletin # 16-90-13 design change to lock-up type torque converter bulletin description: 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. I'm not sure why this was not a recall since stalling should be considered a safety issue.

See all problems of the 2010 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Vehicle stalls when coming to a hard stop. The condition is similar to coming to a stop in a manual transmission equipped vehicle without depressing the clutch pedal. This seems like a safety issue to me.

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.

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 #69754, invoice sucs290648, 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.

Have a 1998 Subaru Outback. Bought it new in 1998. Has roughly 90000 miles. In the first year after purchase clutch went. Dealer replaced clutch free of charge (didn't want to, though). Read on the internet that there was a known clutch problem with the Outback and a lot of people had similar problems. Clutch was never, and has never been "right". The clutch has been looked at on several different occasions by different mechanics. None have been able to determine what the problem was. The clutch pedal will fade and drop to the floor (requies bare foot to grab the pedal w/toes to pull back up) sometimes eventually failing completely, other times, miraculously, returning to working order. We are out of warranty range, so we don't expect much from Subaru, however we would like to register a complaint. We would never buy another one. I am putting down the date of the most recent failure event, which was yesterday.

See all problems of the 1998 Subaru Outback 🔎.

Driving normal shifted the car and the clutch felt soft and the return to normal position was slow. I called the dealer repair and explained the situation. I was told that there was a service bulletin on this type of incident, however there was no recall. I took to dealer for repair. It cost me $216. 00 to repair something that the manufacturer knew was defective and it wasn't covered by my extended warranty.

See all problems of the 2000 Subaru Outback 🔎.

There currently has been several technical service bulletins regarding 2000-2002 manual transmission Subaru Outbacks. These bulletins refer to a defect in the clutch that causes a premature wear of the clutch and yoke due to an imbalance in causing the car to "judder" or shudder when engaging into gears. I have had an independent mechanic, glen owner of oakland auto works state that he could not warranty the repair of clutch because the recommended repair by Subaru does not reliably fix the problem and many people end up having to have the clutch replaced numerous times in a short time span. Subaru is aware of this problem because they have changed the clutch kit several times and the method of repair to address the problem yet have failed to perform a recall. I am currently unsure on how to proceed in the repair of my vehicle as the repair cost is $1350. 00 and if the unit fails outside of warranty I may be subject having to pay this amount again. Some other problems which errupt from this defect include the clutch catching fire. The clutch pedal sticking and not releasing due to the yoke being worn for the clutch "judder". Last, premature of the clutch with only having a lifespan of 30,000 miles or less.

The automatic transmission failed with just 61,000 easy miles. The failure was in the clutch assembly (it would not decelerate when taking pressure off the gas pedal). I took it to the dealer and the manager told me that the drive train was technically out of warranty and that I would be responsible for a new transmission. (before 60,000 I had the dealer check out the whole car and they could find nothing. When the transmission failed I took it in again and the mechanic told me "nothing is wrong". . . I am not kidding; they were not competent enough to know that the transmission was not performing properly!!). After that experience there was no way I was going to replace the transmission with another Subaru product. I took it to aamco for a rebuild. The mechanic there told me that the factory settings for the clutch assembly were set at 50 thousandths and should have been set at 15 thousandths or less. In other words, the factory built the transmission to self-destruct. When I approached takao saito, president of Subaru about this problem, he had linda fouch contact me by telephone. She promised to help out with the repair bill because the failure was so close to the warranty. When she discovered that I was not interested in litigaton, she promptly forgot her promise and failed to respond to any further correspondence! if Subaru is to keep its loyal customer base, it needs to aggressively address the problem of quality control and mend the bad experiences of its patronage.

Consumer had a difficult time depressing the clutch pedal when driving. Consumer stated clutch pedal was too close to the brake pedal, making it hard to engage.

See all problems of the 2003 Subaru Outback 🔎.

In hot weather, especially in slow-moving traffic, the clutch pedal will not return after being depressed. The first incident happened in may 2001, but the dealer could find nothing wrong. After the second incident a month later, they replaced the clutch master cylinder. The clutch recently started to feel "sticky" again, and failed on June 30 while in a traffic jam. After letting it cool for about an hour, the car was driveable again. The clutch fluid was replaced, but the problem returned about 30 minutes after I left the dealer. I returned to the dealer, where they informed me that the latest theory from Subaru of America is that there is a pocket in the casting of the master cylinder that traps air which can't be released by pressure bleeding the system and it must be "gravity bled". They did this and the problem has gone away (at least for now). No reason was given for the return of the failure after a year.