2018 Subaru Crosstrek Power Train

Vehicle was maintained by dealer and out of the blue, started bucking intermittently while driving resulting in an unsafe driving experience. took it to the dealer to evaluate, told us, "They could change the transmission fluid and filter to see if that fixes the problem." they were not sure that would fix the issue. After researching issue, saw there were numerous complaints about the transmission in the 2018 crosstreks. Call a professional transmission shop and will be making an appointment with them in the near future. They told me (and I found out through my own research) if is was the transmission filter and fluid, it would act up all the time, not just intermittently. And... the dealer wanted to charge me $665 to change the filter/fluid and not sure it would fix the problem, seriously? so now I have to wait and see what the transmission shop says. I have also seen post about the ignition box also gives issues, so who knows, maybe it is the ignition cutting out causing it to "buck" every here and there. Either way, the vehicle is unsafe to drive and could potentially cause a major accident if the transmission locks up or the ignition totally cuts out. Should be a recall either way and Subaru should be responsible for it. This is nothing we have done that could've prevented this issue.

I am writing to formally raise a significant safety concern regarding my 2018 Subaru Crosstrek. I recently discovered a malfunction in the transfer case (pictures attached), specifically involving the center differential gear set, which necessitated immediate replacement. This issue first became apparent while driving at low speeds when I heard a loud, distinctive "clunking" noise, indicating a possible malfunction within the transmission. As a precaution, I took the vehicle to my service mechanic for further diagnosis. After thorough inspection, my mechanic at Roberts Auto Shop (invoice attached) promptly identified the transfer case as the source of the problem. Subsequently, I contacted my local Subaru dealership, North Tampa, where I have previously serviced my vehicle, to inquire whether this issue is known to affect earlier models of the Crosstrek. The service manager expressed surprise that this problem occurred in my manual transmission vehicle, noting that it is typically documented in vehicles with CVT transmissions but rarely in manual models. I further inquired about the availability of any extended warranties or safety recalls related to this known issue. The manager informed me that the vehicle's powertrain warranty covers only up to 60,000 miles or five years, both of which I have exceeded, as my vehicle currently has just over 70,000 miles. My primary safety concern arises from the discovery of metal shavings inside the defective transfer case during its replacement. While the amount is currently minimal, there is a significant risk that this could quickly escalate into a complete transmission failure, posing a considerable safety hazard. I am planning to report this issue to Subaru of America for further investigation and would appreciate your assistance in investigating this matter. I also request that Subaru be held accountable for this known defect, particularly given its potential to jeopardize vehicle safety. Thank you for your support.

under light throttle, car jerks at approximately 25 mph.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU CROSSTREK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN THE GEAR WAS SHIFTED INTO REVERSE, THE VEHICLE WOULD MOVE FORWARD. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC, BUT WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,500. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

THIS CAR IS A LEMON!! I ORDERED MY 2018 CROSSTREK JUNE 2017, TOOK DELIVERY AUG. 7TH. CAR RAN GREAT, LOVED IT! NOV. 2017, 5600 MILES ON IT, IT STARTS INTERMITTENTLY BUCKING/SHUDDERING UNDER ACCELERATION. TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALER, THEY HAD IT 3 DAY, COULDN'T FIND ANYTHING WRONG. SOME TIME PASSES, AND WE'RE INTO WINTER, THIS IS MY ONLY VEHICLE, AND I CAN'T GO WITHOUT IT ESPECIALLY WITH THE SNOW. CAR STILL ACTS UP FOR MONTHS, PROGRESSIVELY GETTING WORSE AND MORE FREQUENT. APRIL 2018 TAKE IT BACK TO THE DEALER, THEY HAVE IT 13 DAYS, CAN'T FIND AN ISSUE. I PICK THE CAR UP ON A FRIDAY, THE SERVICE MANAGER AND A MASTER TECH RIDE WITH ME SO I CAN DUPLICATE THE CONDITION, THEY EXPERIENCE IT LIKE I DESCRIBED. THAT MONDAY, I RETURN IT TO THE DEALER. SUBARU TECH CASE #63 DAYS LATER, AND COUNTLESS CALLS TO SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE, THEY TELL ME THERE'S NOTHING THEY CAN DO FOR ME ON IT! SO, NOW I'VE RESOLVED TO DIAGNOSE MY OWN "BRAND NEW CAR". I SPENT 3 DAYS WITH MY PERSONAL SCAN TOOL HOOKED UP, AND I FIND THE REASON FOR THE BUCKING/ SHUDDER. I'VE CONSULTED THE DEALER, THEY ARE DISCUSSING WITH SUBARU TECH ON WHY I SEE WHAT I'M SEEING ON THE LIVE DATA. SO, TO SUM UP 80+ DAYS AT THE DEALER, THEY CAN'T FIND ANYTHING, I HAVE IT 3 DAYS, AND I FIND THE REASON FOR THE SYMPTOM! NEEDLESS TO SAY, I WON'T BUY ANOTHER SUBARU, AND THIS ONE WILL BE GOING BYE BYE! I DON'T BLAME THE DEALER, THEY CAN ONLY DO WHAT SUBARU ALLOWS. THIS IS SUBARU CORPORATE'S FAULT, AND THEY DON'T WANT TO COME TO THE TABLE ON MAKING IT RIGHT WITH THE CUSTOMER.

THE CVT TRANSMISSION IN THIS CAR IS JERKY, WILL OFTEN ACT AS IF APPLYING THE BRAKES WITH STOPPING, WILL HAVE TROUBLE SHIFTING DURING STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, RESULTING IN JERKING OF THE CAR. WILL OCCASIONALLY VIBRATE AS IF TRAVELING OVER ROUGH PAVEMENT. THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION WHEN THIS HAPPENS. CAN BE IN URBAN OR HIGHWAY TRAFFIC.