2017 Subaru Forester Power Train

After traveling for unknown number of miles on repeated occasions, arriving at the destinations to the smell of burning oil. Smell was evident while driving as well. Subaru was able to diagnose this issue to a leaking CVT pump seal causing CVT fluid to leak and run down on top of the transmission pan onto the hot exhaust system. Subaru has acknowledge this is an issue back in 2016 due to the sealant us from the factory. Customer was quoted $1400 for the repair this known issue. Vehicle had 90,000 miles at the time of occurrence.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 60 MPH, the contact stated that all four wheels seized. The contact stated that the transmission had seized. The contact stated that the failure occurred while driving on a busy highway. The contact stated that the driver of a big truck assisted by stopping the oncoming traffic. The contact stated that a tow truck and the Police arrived on the scene. The contact stated that the tow truck driver was unable to load the vehicle onto the tow truck. The tow truck driver had to drag the vehicle onto the tow truck. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic; however, the vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 117,000.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while operating the vehicle and depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle wound not properly accelerate. The failure also occurred while accelerating from a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who determined that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, but no assistance was provided. The failure mileage was 150,000.

automatic transmission shifting sluggish

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle made an abnormally loud sound. The oil temperature, ABS, and traction control warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the AWD failed to operate, and only the FWD was operable. The vehicle had previously been at the dealer for an air conditioner repair, and the dealer reset the warning lights; however, the failure recurred. Additionally, the rear wheel bearings, and valve body solenoid were previously replaced. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 154,095.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the transmission clutch was replaced. However, the failure reoccurred while driving approximately 30 MPH, and the vehicle had 95,000 miles. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch, the ball bearings, and the flywheel needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

I have a 2017 Subaru Forrester that has 60,000 miles. At least twice a week the past month my key gets stuck in the ignition. I put the vehicle in park and turn it off and the key wont come out. I have to turn the vehicle on and off a few times in order to get the key to release.

On July 12, 2021, I had an appointment for service at Subaru because 2017 Forester AC was blowing hot air. Was assured condenser would be replaced at no charge. While checking the car in, I mentioned the key sticks and cannot be removed without re-starting engine moving the car back and forth and trying again to remove key as many as 3-4 x. They were aware of the problem, but no recall on it. Shifter plate, etc., was replaced at approx. cost of $370. The Service Bulletin # is 16-112-18R dated 03/15/18 and revised 11/06/18. The mileage on this vehicle is 12,717.

Once vehicle is stopped, transmission shifted to Park, and ignition key turned to off, ignition key will not come out of ignition. This has happened 8-19 times. Driver must start car, put in drive then back in park, turn off then key can be removed. I understand TSB 16-112-18R addresses this issue known to Subaru. It has not been inspected by a mechanic.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while attempting to shift gear into reverse, the vehicle made a strange noise, then lunged forward inadvertently. The vehicle's front driver-side tire ran over the contact's daughter's upper legs. The contact's daughter received medical attention on the scene for injuries sustained to her legs and was now receiving physical therapy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was appraised by the insurance company for front-end damage and was repaired by an auto collision center. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN was not available.

Making a sharp turn going slightly uphill from a full stop, the car moves forward enough to enter the intersection and then there is no throttle response. The car does not respond at all to the accelerator peddle. The engine does not stall but rpm drop to idle speed. After a few seconds, throttle response returns. Very dangerous as you move onto a highway because the car lingers in the intersection while the car behaves as if it has totally lost power. This has happened repeatedly but at random times.

AFTER 20K MILES, TRANSMISSION HESITATES MORE AND MORE. BE CAREFUL AND TRY TO AVOID SITUATIONS WHERE YOU HAVE TO ACCELERATE QUICKLY. THE CAR DOES NOT MOVE OR ACCELERATE WHEN YOU HIT THE GAS PEDAL QUICKLY. CVT SLIPS, ESPECIALLY FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE. AT SLOW SPEEDS, IT JERKS THE CAR TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT GEAR. THE PROBLEM BEGAN UNDER 10K MILES, AND I TOOK IT TO A LOCAL DEALERSHIP, THEY TOLD ME THAT IS HOW THE CAR DRIVES AND TOLD ME IT IS NORMAL. THIS IS NOT MY FIRST FORESTER, BUT DEFINITELY THE WORST. I CALLED SUBARU AMERICA, AND THEY SAID THERE IS NO KNOWN PROBLEM WHIT THEIR TRANSMISSION. I ALMOST GOT KILLED IN A HIGHWAY STOP AND GO SITUATION, WHERE I HAD TO ACCELERATE AFTER A SLOWDOWN, AND THE CAR DECIDED NOT TO. IF YOU OWN ONE, BE CAREFUL.

REFERENCE SUBARU TSB # 16-103-16R, REVISION 08/29/19. I PULLED SCREENSHOTS, BUT I HAVE A FULL VIDEO CLIP OF THE LEAK DESCRIBED IN THIS BULLETIN AND SUBARU IS DENYING COVERAGE BECAUSE THEIR DEALERSHIPS ARE NOT EQUIPPED WITH THE PROPER TOOLS OR DO NOT EMPLOY TRAINED TECHNICIANS IN ORDER TO PROPERLY DIAGNOSE THE ISSUE.

CVT TRANSMISSION FAILED AFTER 24000 MILES.

I HAVE OWNED MANY SUBARU`S AND HAVE NOT HAD ANY ISSUES WITH THE TRANSMISSIONS. MY NEW 2017 FORESTER HAS AN ISSUE SHIFTING GEARS. ALTHOUGH IT HAS ONLY HAPPENED ONCE, THE TIME IT HAPPENED WAS PRETTY SCARY. AS I WAS SLOWING DOWN AT A RED LIGHT THE LIGHT CHANGED TO GREEN BEFORE I MADE A COMPLETE STOP. AT THIS POINT I THEN ACCELERATED THE CAR BUT THE TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT SWITCH GEAR. I THEN THOUGHT I HAD THE CAR IN MANUAL MODE BUT IT WASN'T. I HAD TO SLOW ALL THE WAY DOWN TO GET THE TRANSMISSION TO SHIFT AGAIN. THIS ALL HAPPENED WHILE TURNING. THE DRIVER BEHIND US HAD TO SWERVE AROUND OUR CAR TO AVOID HITTING US BECAUSE I WAS GOING TO SLOW WHEN THE LIGHT WAS GREEN. THIS ISSUE PUT MY FAMILY AND MYSELF IN DANGER WHEN DRIVING ON THE ROAD. I SPOKE WITH SUBARU BUT THEY SAID GIVEN THAT THE CAR WAS NO LONGER EXPERIENCING IT, THEY COULDN'T DO ANYTHING. I WAS WONDERING IF SUBARU WILL BE ISSUING A RECALL ON THEIR CVT TRANSMISSIONS. I DON`T WANT THIS TO HAPPEN TO ME AGAIN AND NEXT TIME IT DOES TURN INTO A CRASH. PLEASE LET ME KNOW WHAT CAN BE DONE. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).'- *PM

VEHICLE OFTEN SHUDDERS VIOLENTLY AT LOW SPEEDS COMING TO A STOP - STALLING ITSELF ONCE. WHEN MERGING ONTO FREEWAY OR OVERTAKING ON THE HIGHWAY THE VEHICLE OCCASIONALLY MAKES LOUD CLICKING NOISE AND AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION ACTS AS IF IT IS DISENGAGED (LIKE A FULLY DEPRESSED CLUTCH PEDAL IN A MANUAL, AND ENGINE STILL REVS). TOOK TO SUBARU DEALER MULTIPLE TIMES AND RECEIVED THE "WE CAN'T REPLICATE IT SO THERE IS NO PROBLEM" FEEDBACK - DEALER ALSO CLAIMS THERE ARE NO ERROR CODES. CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA (SOA) DIRECTLY AND WAS INSTRUCTED BY SOA TO TRUST DEALER'S DIAGNOSIS. ONLINE FORUMS AND INDEPENDENT MECHANICS BELIEVE MY ISSUE IS A BAD TORQUE CONVERTER OR SOME ISSUE WITH THE AUTOMATIC CVT TRANSMISSION - A SIMILAR ISSUE CONSUMER GROUPS HAVE ACCUSED SUBARU FOR ON PREVIOUS GENERATIONS OF MY VEHICLE. (SEE FORBES ARTICLE DESCRIBING SIMILAR ISSUE: HTTPS://WWW.FORBES.COM/SITES/JENSEN/2017/09/07/CONSUMER-GROUPS-SUBARU-SHOULD-RECALL-TRANSMISSIONS-NOT-JUST-EXTEND-WARRANTY/#352E23E0AB27)

ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION: WHEN SHIFTING GEARS, ENGINE SPEED INCREASES TO 4000-4500 RPM WHILE CLUTCH IS DEPRESSED, DESPITE HAVING FOOT ENTIRELY OFF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. RPM REMAINS ELEVATED FOR 5 TO 10 SECONDS BEFORE SLOWLY RETURNING TO NORMAL IDLE. ON OTHER OCCASIONS, ENGINE SPEED WILL INCREASE TO APPROXIMATELY 2500 RPM WHILE SITTING WITH THE CLUTCH DEPRESSED AND FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR (FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE WAITING FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT). DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A "RUNAWAY" CONDITION: THE ENGINE SPEED NEVER APPROACHES REDLINE, BUT INCREASES SMOOTHLY TO THE "TARGET" RPM, STAYS CONSTANT FOR AWHILE, THEN SMOOTHLY RETURNS TO IDLE. NOTE: OTHER 2017 FORESTER OWNERS HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR BEHAVIOR. SUBARU IS INVESTIGATING, BUT AT PRESENT IS SAYING, "IT'S NOT A BUG, IT'S A FEATURE." AFTER 50 YEARS OF DRIVING SCORES OF VEHICLES WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS, I DISAGREE.

11/23/16 - AS I WAS SLOWLY ROLLING INTO A FRONT PARKING SPOT THE CAR ACCELERATED ON IT'S OWN - I TURNED THE WHEEL TO THE LEFT SO I WOULDN'T CRASH FULL ON INTO THE BUILDING - TRYING TO CONTROL THE CAR - I WENT OVER A CURB THAT WAS JETTING OUT - DEFINING THE PARKING SPACES - MY RIGHT FRONT AND BACK TIRES WENT OVER THE CURB - JUST MISSING A TREE - FINALLY COMING TO A STOP - IF THERE WAS ANYONE THERE - I WOULD HAVE HIT THEM - THAT DAY I TOOK THE CAR TO THE SUBARU DEALER AND TOLD THEM WHAT HAPPENED - AND ON MY PAPERWORK IT STATED "CUSTOMER STATES SUBARU SEEMS TO ACCELERATE ON ITS OWN - TECH FOUND NO CODES. TECH DROVE VEHICLE AND COULD NOT DUPLICATE"