What 649 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Subaru Outback Wilderness

1. STALLING - CAR STALLS WHEN BRAKING QUICKLY - STALLS WHEN YOU COME TO A QUICK STOP. CAR IS IN MOTION AND WILL STALL AS YOU APPLY THE BRAKES QUICKLY AT AN INTERSECTION. 2. SHUDDERS - CAR SHUDDERS AS IT IS SLOWING DOWN FOR A RED LIGHT (IN THIS SCENARIO I AM NOT APPLYING THE BRAKES). FEELS LIKE IT WILL STALL.

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ENGINE SOMETIMES FALTERS AND DIES WHEN COMING TO A STOP; USUALLY ONLY IN THE FIRST FEW MILES OF DRIVING. SIMILAR TO WHAT A MANUAL TRANSMISSION WOULD DO IF YOU DON'T PUT THE CLUTCH IN, EXCEPT THIS IS AN AUTOMATIC. GIVING IT A LITTLE BIT OF GAS WHEN IT FALTERS CAN ABORT THE STUTTERING, BUT NOT ALWAYS, AND IT ISN'T ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO DO SO SAFELY WHEN YOU'RE TRYING TO COME TO A STOP. I'VE ONLY OWNED THE CAR FOR 3 MONTHS HAND IT'S HAPPENED 7-8 TIMES. TODAY, FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE ENGINE WOULD NOT IMMEDIATELY RESTART AFTER IT DIED. TURNED OVER BUT DIDN'T ENGAGE THROUGH A HALF DOZEN TRIES, THEN WOULDN'T TURN OVER AT ALL. I WAS AT A STOPLIGHT ON A HILL. A MINUTE OR SO LATER, IT FIRED UP AGAIN AND I WAS ABLE TO CONTINUE ON.

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THE VALVE GUIDES CAN PULL OUT OF THE CYLINDER HEAD CAUSING THE VALVES TO STAY OPEN.THIS WILL CAUSE A MISFIRE OR EVEN CAUSE THE VEHICLE TO STALL WHILE OPERATING. SIGNIFICANTLY INCREASING THE RISK OF CRASH.

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OUR OUTBACK HAS THE CVT TRANSMISSION AND CAN SWITCH BETWEEN MANUAL AND AUTOMATIC. WHEN IN AUTOMATIC IT WILL OFTEN SHUDDER WHILE STOPPED AND SOMETIMES STALL WHEN STARTING OFF (SIMILAR TO WHEN YOU YOU ARE IN 1ST GEAR IN A MANUAL AND YOU DON'T WORK THE CLUTCH CORRECTLY). WE TOOK IT TO THE DEALERSHIP AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST $2500 TO FIX. AFTER SEARCHING THE INTERNET, WE FOUND OUT THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM FOR CARS WITH THE CVT TRANSMISSION AND THUS FAR, SUBARU HAS REFUSED TO FIX IT AT THEIR COST. IN LIEU OF A RECALL (WHICH IS WHAT THEY SHOULD DO) THEY OFFERED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY, HOWEVER THAT DOESN'T HELP US SINCE THE EXTENSION EXPIRED AT THE END OF JULY 2018. THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT PROBLEM AND COULD CAUSE INJURY OR DEATH IS THE CAR STALLS AS THE DRIVER IS TRYING TO PULL OUT IN TRAFFIC. SUBARU IS AWARE OF THIS PROBLEM AND SHOULD FIX IT AT THEIR COST.

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MY DASH LIGHTS ALL STARTED BLINKING. THE CAR ALSO LOST SOME POWER. I WAS TOLD I HAD TO HAVE THE TRANSMISSION VALVE BODY ASSEMBLY REPLACED. THE EXTENDED WARRANTY ENDED IN JULY 2018, CONVENIENTLY FOR SUBARU. THE DEALER SHOULD HAVE NEVER SOLD ME THE CAR LAST YEAR.

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CAR HAD BEEN HAVING TROUBLE STARTING LATELY SO BROUGHT CAR TO LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP. THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE OR FIX THE STARTING ISSUE SO I LEFT THE DEALERSHIP. ON THE WAY HOME I WAS ON A BUSY HIGHWAY AND HAD COME TO A GRADUAL STOP AT A STOP LIGHT, AND WAS JUST GOING TO TAKE OFF ON A GREEN LIGHT WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN MY CAR STALLED. ALL OF THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS WERE FLASHING AND I IMMEDIATELY PUT ON MY HAZARD LIGHTS AS A SEMI WAS COMING UP BEHIND ME. I PUT MY THE CAR IN PARK AND STARTED IT UP AGAIN AND WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED THE DEALERSHIP AND DROVE MY CAR BACK TO THEM TO BE CHECKED THEY KEPT MY CAR FOR A DAY AND TRIED TO RE-CREATE THE STALLING EPISODE WHICH WAS UNSUCCESSFUL.

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TAKATA RECALL" I WAS DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE HWY. THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME SLAMMED ON BRAKES, SO I STEPPED ON MY BRAKES, CAR TURKED TO A STOP WHILE ENGINE STALLED. DEAD STOP ON INTERSTATE. NOT A GOOD THING. I STARTED IT BACK UP, KEPT DRIVING, WHEN , I CAME TO A SAFER STOP SIGN. I TRIED TO STEP ON BRAKES LIKE I HAD DONE ON INTERSTATE AND IT TURKED TO A STOP AGAIN STALLING. IT DOESN'T SEEM SAFE TO ME. I AM GLAD NO ONE WAS BEHIND ME ON INTERSTATE OR I AM AFRAID IT WOULD NOT HAVE ENDED WELL.

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WHILE BRAKING AT INTERSECTIONS, ENGINE STALLS CAUSING DANGEROUS SITUATIONS FOR MY WIFE AND SELF. WE ARE BEGINNING TO FEAR DRIVING OUR SUBARU.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE PULLING IN THE DRIVEWAY, THE VEHICLE STALLED AND ALL THE WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT ALSO STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED DAILY FOR AT LEAST FIVE MONTHS, BUT WENT AWAY WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO THE DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 140,000.

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TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD BEEN AT GARAVEL SUBARU (10 TINDALL AVE, NORWALK, CT 06851, (203) 642-0620) FOR MONTHS DUE TO AN INTERNAL OIL LEAK THAT WAS IMPACTING THE ENGINE. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE OIL WARNING INDICATOR FAILED TO ILLUMINATE IN A TIMELY MANNER TO ALERT THAT THE OIL LEVEL WAS LOW. THE DEALER ALSO REPLACED THE WHEEL BEARINGS SEVERAL TIMES. THE RADIO, SPEAKER PHONE, AND GPS WERE ALSO SERVICED SEVERAL TIMES, BUT THE FAILURES RECURRED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER THAT THE WARRANTY HAD EXPIRED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 35,000.

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VEHICLE DIES WHEN STOPPED QUICKLY. TORQUE CONVERTER HAS BEEN AN ONGOING ISSUE FOR THIS YEAR/MODEL/MAKE

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ISSUE - STALLING WHILE BRAKING HARD OR STOPPING (AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION) WHAT HAPPENED - MY 2011 SUBARU HAS JUST UNDER 80K MILEAGE. IT HAS NOW HAPPENED TO ME 3X THIS WEEK AND ESPECIALLY WHEN THE CAR HASN'T BEEN DRIVEN IN HOURS (MORNING EARLY ON MY WAY TO WORK OR ON MY WAY HOME FROM WORK). IN THE MORNING, I WAS DRIVING DOWN A STREET TO DROP OFF MY KIDS AT SCHOOL. I NEEDED TO MAKE A LEFT, BUT SINCE THERE WAS ONCOMING TRAFFIC, I HAD TO BRAKE. IT WAS NOT A GRADUAL BRAKE, BUT WAS A BIT SUDDEN. THE CAR SHUDDERED AND STALLED. IT IS SIMILAR TO WHAT HAPPENS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS IF YOU ARE IN GEAR AND COME TO A STOP WITHOUT PRESSING THE CLUTCH. BUT MY CAR IS AN AUTOMATIC, SO I HAD TO PUT IT IN PARK AND RESTART IT. IF THE CAR STALLED WHILE I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF AN INTERSECTION OR IF I PANICKED, IT COULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT. CAUSE - UNKNOWN. IT AT THE DEALER FOR SERVICE AND THEY ARE TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT. SOME ONLINE SOURCES MENTIONED THE TORQUE CONVERTER OR SENSORS.

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WHEN HAVING TO COME TO A HARD STOP THE ENGINE WILL DIE. IT HAS HAPPENED 3 TIMES NOW. OUR SHOP RAN A DIAGNOSTIC AND IT SHOWED A PROBLEM WITH THE TORQUE CONVERTER.

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CAR STALLED OUT WHEN I CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP ON THE HIGHWAY DURING HEAVY TRAFFIC. IT SPUTTERED AND THEN THE CAR SHUT OFF. HAD TO BE PUT IN PARK AND RESTART CAR.

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CAR STALLED OUT WHEN I CAME TO AN ABRUPT STOP. CAR HAD TO BE PUT IN PARK TO RESTART CAR. WAS TRAVELING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN THIS HAPPENED

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FOR THE LAST FEW WEEKS, CAR HAS DROPPED RPMS AT HARD STOPS. IT WOULD JERK LIKE COMING TO A FULL STOP IN A MANUAL TRANSMISSION CAR WITHOUT PRESSING THE CLUTCH. MY CAR IS AN AUTOMATIC WITH A CVT. THEN IT STARTED JUST STALLING OUT AT HARD STOPS OR TURNS WITH SIGNIFICANT DECREASED SPEED. THAT IS NOT SAFE. IT HAS BEEN VERY SCARY. MY MECHANIC CONNECTED MY CAR TO THE COMPUTER AND NO CODES MATCHED THE PROBLEM. THEN I STARTED DOING RESEARCH ONLINE AND SAW SO MANY OTHERS HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM. THAT TOOK ME TO A SERVICE BULLETIN PUT OUT BY SUBARU IN JULY 2017 FOR THIS VERY CVT PROBLEM CAUSED BY A FAULTY TORQUE CONVERTER. I HAVE THAT SERVICE BULLETIN BUT NOWHERE ON THERE DOES IT DESCRIBE THESE SYMPTOMS SO I NEVER WOULD HAVE KNOWN THIS WAS THE SAME ISSUE. I TOOK MY CAR TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT WOULD BE COVERED BY THE EXTENDED WARRANTY ON THE SERVICE BULLETIN. HOURS LATER I WAS TOLD IT WOULD COST ME $1500 IN A PARTS AND $1060 IN LABOR (PLUS TAX). SUBARU IS NOT COVERING THIS CLEARLY DANGEROUS PROBLEM. I CAN'T DRIVE MY CAR WITHOUT FEAR. I MAINTAIN MY CAR AND AM VERY CAREFUL WITH IT. SUBARU PROFESSES TO BE ABOUT SAFETY AND TAKING CARE OF CUSTOMERS. THIS IS NOT RIGHT.

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I HAVE BEEN COMPLAINING ABOUT MY CAR'S SYMPTOMS TO DEALERS AND SERVICE MECHANICS SINCE AUGUST 2014 (90,000+MILES) WITH NO DIAGNOSIS OR REPAIR. SYMPTOMS COULD NOT BE REPLICATED OR WHEN LOW RPMS WERE NOTED, IT WAS JUST THAT - NOTED. MY VEHICLE SHUDDERS, HEADLIGHTS DIM, AND DIPS TO LOW RPMS WHEN APPROACHING A STOP OR WHEN IN REVERSE AT LOW SPEEDS. IT HAS STALLED 4 TIMES SINCE I HAVE BROUGHT IT UP. THE FIRST FEW WERE IN A PARKING LOT AND AT TRAFFIC LIGHTS. THIS MORNING WAS SCARY (143,000MILES)- I WAS IN HEAVY TRAFFIC AND COULD NOT PLACE THE VEHICLE IN PARK, REMOVE MY KEY OR RESTART MY CAR. I HAD TO RUN OUT OF MY CAR AND LEAVE IT THERE MOMENTARILY TO GET HELP. FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, SUBARU HAS AN EXTENDED CVT WARRANTY TSB 16-107-17. IN IT, TSB 16-90-13R - DESIGN CHANGE TO LOCK-UP TYPE TORQUE CONVERTER IS REFERRED TO. I BELIEVE THIS IS MY PROBLEM. BUT I'M GETTING THE RUNAROUND FROM DIFFERENT SUBARU DEALERS AND SUBARU OF AMERICAS HOTLINE ON HOW THIS IS ADDRESSED SINCE I HAVE OVER 100K MILES AND WHETHER OR NOT THE TORQUE CONVERTER IS COVERED IN THIS WARRANTY. SINCE IT IS "NOT A RECALL, AS IT DOES NOT IMPACT THE SAFETY OF YOUR VEHICLE", I CANNOT GET IT LOOKED AT RIGHT AWAY NOR AM I OFFERED A RENTAL WHILE WAITING TO DO SO. PLEASE - STALLING IN TRAFFIC RANDOMLY IS A SAFETY HAZARD! I HAVE TO WAIT A WEEK BEFORE I CAN GET AN APPOINTMENT TO JUST CHECK THIS AND HOPE THIS TIME THEY DISCOVER THE SAME THINGS I HAVE - MEANWHILE I'M NOT OFFERED A RENTAL AND HAVE TO DRIVE THIS ONE THAT MAY STALL AT ANY TIME. PLEASE CONSIDER HAVING THE FAULTY TORQUE CONVERTER ASSEMBLY RECALLED. THOSE WHO HAVE SYMPTOMS OF RANDOMLY STALLING IN TRAFFIC - OUR LIVES ARE IN DANGER AND IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE TRAGEDY OCCURS.PERHAPS UNRELATED - MY VEHICLE HAS ALSO STALLED ON THE FREEWAY GOING 65MPH... LOST ACCELERATION AND I HAD ENOUGH MOMENTUM TO PULL TO THE SHOULDER.

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CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ILLUMINATED. OXYGEN SENSOR PROBLEM.

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PURCHASED MY 2011 SUBARU NEW AND HAVE ALWAYS KEEP THE UPKEEP. ABOUT A YEAR AGO MY TIEROD IN THE FRONT WENT BAD AND RUINED MY TIRES SO HAD TO GET NEW TIRES. THEN IT STARTED STALLING ALL THE TIME, AND NO ONE SEEMED TO WHY. ONCE AT AN INTERSECTION WHICH I WAS ALMOST HIT. THEN HAD TO CHANGE THE TIMING BELT, BUT KNEW THIS WHEN I BOUGHT IT. THEN THE MUFFLER RUSTED AND NOW I WILL HAVE TO CHANGE THE HEAD GASKETS. I PURCHASED THIS CAR BECAUSE EVERYONE SAID IT WOULD LAST FOREVER. WELL I GUESS IT WILL IF YOU KEEP FIXING EVERYTHING THAT IS WRONG WITH IT. THIS IS MY FIRST AND LAST SUBARU I WILL EVER BUY. HAD BETTER LUCK WITH MY OLD DODGE CARAVAN.

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2011 SUBARU OUTBACK WORN TORQUE CONVERTER THRUST WASHER TECH SERVICES BULLETIN #16-90-13R. ENGINE SHUDDERS AND STALLS ON QUICK STOPS LIKE AT STOP LIGHT OR AT STOP AT TOP OF AN INCLINE LIKE EXITING A PARKING GARAGE. ISSUE WAS DIAGNOSED AT MY AUTHORIZED SUBARU SERVICES DEPT YESTERDAY THAT IT WAS TORQUE CONVERTER AND I'D BE RESPONSIBLE FOR REPAIR COST. SERVICE TECH AND SERVICE DEPT MANAGER CONFIRMED THAT THEY DID AGREE WITH MY INPUT WHEN PRESENTING THE CAR. I WAS THE ONE WHO DIAGNOSED THE PROBLEM -- WHICH THEY CONFIRMED. BULLETIN STATES THE AVAILABILITY OF A COUNTERMEASURE TORQUE CONVERTER ASSEMBLY THRUST WASHER CHANGED FROM SOLID BRUSHING TYPE TO NEEDLE BEARING TYPE. I HAVE READ EXTENSIVE COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS EXPERIENCING THIS PROBLEM. THIS IS A VERY SERIOUS ISSUE THAT IF NOT RESOLVED CAN RESULT IN INJURY OR DEATH. I WAS ALMOST IN AN ACCIDENT BECAUSE OF THIS DEFECT LAST WEEK. SUBARU ACKNOWLEDGES THE DEFECT...BUT HAS DONE NOTHING ABOUT IT. THIS NEEDS TO BE A SAFETY RECALL BEFORE SOMEONE GETS KILLED!!! IN SOME CASES THIS DEFECT HAS CAUSED A FIRE IN THE ENGINE. CONSUMERS HAVE DOCUMENTED THIS SERIOUS DEFECT ON NHTSA, CAR TALK, CARS.COM. SUBARU NEEDS TO RECALL THESE VEHICLES!!!!

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MY CAR STALLS OCCASIONALLY WHEN I COME TO A FULL STOP. THIS ISSUE HAS BEEN EVIDENT SINCE ABOUT 80,000 MILES. THE DEALERSHIP REVILED IT WAS DUE TO A FAULTY TORQUE CONVERTER. I FOUND THE INFORMATION BELOW ON LINE AND SEEMS TO RESONATE. VEHICLE STALLS AFTER SUDDEN STOP REQUIRING IT TO BE RESTARTED. I WAS TOLD BY SUBARU SALES THERE IS A TSB # 16-90-13 R (1/6/14 ISSUED). THIS RELATES TO THE TRANSMISSION ( CVT) LOOKING UP AFTER A SUDDEN STOP DUE TO A THRUST WASHER INSIDE THE TORQUE CONVERTER.

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AT 72,000 MILES, THE 3.6 LITRE ENGINE HAS BEGUN TO PUSH OIL OUT OF THE ENGINE. MY MECHANIC SAID IT IS A KNOWN FACT THAT THEIR ENGINES DO THIS. I SEE WHERE NEWER MODEL OWNERS WON A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST SUBARU WHO KNEW THEIR ENGINES ARE FAULTY AND PUSH OR BURN OIL. I BELIEVE MORE MODEL YEARS SHOULD BE COVERED IN A COMPLAINT. AT 72,000 MILES, THE ENGINE IS BARELY BROKEN IN. DECEMBER.

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I OWN A 2011 SUBARU OUTBACK WITH 93,000 MILES. THE CAR STALLED OUT AT RED LIGHTS IN THE CITY. ALSO, IT STALLED WHEN I WAS ON A HILL AND CAME TO A STOP. I WAS FORTUNATE TO RESTART ENGINE AND GET OUT OF THE WAY OF TRAFFIC. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SAID I NEEDED A TORQUE CONVERTER COSTING $1,200. AFTER READING THE MANY COMPLAINTS FROM OTHER OWNERS IT IS A DANGEROUS SITUATION. WHY HASN'T SUBARU RECALLED THE TORQUE CONVERTERS?

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STALLING WHEN COMES TO A STOP. TORQUE CONVERTER IS BAD

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BEGAN NOTICING VEHICLE SHUDDERING AND QUITTING OR ALMOST QUITTING WHEN COMING TO A STOP. HAS CONTINUED TO DO THIS FOR MONTHS NOW AND SEEMS TO BE GETTING WORSE. TOOK IT TO DEALER AND IT WAS DIAGNOSED AT TORQUE CONVERTER STICKING AFTER SEVERAL TESTS. REFERENCED TO SUBARU TSB NO. 16-101-16. DANGEROUS DESIGN FLAW AS IT CAN LEAVE YOU WITHOUT POWER AFTER COMING TO AN ABRUPT STOP SUCH AS BRAKING TO AVOID HITTING A STOPPED VEHICLE LEAVING YOU UNABLE TO MOVE AWAY FROM OTHER CARS WITHOUT RESTARTING VEHICLE. MY VEHICLE IS IN EXCELLENT CONDITION ASIDE FROM THIS ISSUE BUT IS OUT OF POWERTRAIN WARRANTY AND THE COST TO REPAIR ARE PROHIBITIVE. REQUEST TO ISSUE RECALL FOR SAFETY ISSUES PRIMARILY AND TO NOT ULTIMATELY CAUSE DAMAGE TO TRANSMISSION IN THE LONG TERM.

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