The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact noticed a loud whining sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with transmission failure. The contact was informed that the transmission needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle had been taken to the dealer several times since November 2020 for transmission related issues. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact was informed that the repair was not covered under extended warranty or recall. The manufacturer offered to pay a portion of the cost for the repair. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000.

- Concord, CA, USA

After running 86,000 miles (Plus or minus), we had to bring the car to Livermore Subaru because of the noise o the middle section of the car WITH OUT any warning lights. In turns out, after extensive diagnostics testing, -??the noise is coming from the inside of the CVT transmission assembly-?? with the estimate of $11,784.38 for a new transmission. We requested to extend the transmission warranty as NOTED Service Bulletin Number 16-107-17R dated 06/21/17 and revised on 11/09/17 for our Subaru Forester 2014. Our records show recurring CVT transmission issues, which we have consistently reported: - March 3, 2020: At 58,543 miles, Diablo Subaru noted issues with high RPM and improper shifting. Diagnostic tech notes indicated transmission problems. - November 20, 2020: At 61,023 miles, Diablo Subaru addressed a transmission valve body replacement and identified a fault in the pressure control circuit. - October 5, 2022: At 72,593 miles, Diablo Subaru found transmission fluid seepage. The oil leaks from front timing cover, leading to repairs and reseal costing $2,468.51. - August 22, 2024: At approximately 84,000 miles, Livermore Subaru confirmed the need for a CVT transmission replacement. Given our history of reported issues and diligent maintenance, The initial CVT transmission problems noted on March 3, 2020, should have been addressed under the warranty and extended warranty provisions. We have always adhered to recommended maintenance schedules and promptly addressed any issues. Unfortunately Subaru of America, insisted that because of the age will not extend the warranty for the transmission.

- Concord, CA, USA

Basically, as I was driving on the freeway with my son and his brother, I got 5 lights flashing on dashboard. Abs at temp check engine cruise control hill assist vss etc.. the code were for cut but before I could check them everything shut down. Car went dark, no brakes and burning smell as well as burns oil. Front end damage on car with passenger side damage. Car started back up next day called Subaru and because it-??s 2014 forester, may not qualify but it only has 126k on the dash. Well maintained and had no issues besides the oil consumption.

- Benicia, CA, USA

Car was well maintained and serviced by dealer at regular interval. It suddenly had -??check engine-?? light on, within a few minutes the car died while driving and stopped in the middle of road. Then unable to restart. Fortunately I was just off highway with less traffic, otherwise could have been crashed and killed by other vehicles. Dealer confirmed malfunction of crankshaft sensor.

- Devon, PA, USA

My wife, [XXX], shifted into reverse to back up a steep driveway. It was difficult to put the transmission lever into reverse. After backing up several feet, the car made a strange noise and ran forward over a steep bank, resulting in a compression fracture in her spine. I have photo and text documents to provide, but I haven't been able to upload them in this web page. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Soulsbyville, CA, USA

2014 Forester @ 150k miles, CVT Failure. Check Engine Lights, AT Oil Temp Warning, Diagnostic Trouble Codes P0700 (Transmission Control Module) & P2764 - (Torque Converter Clutch Pressure Control Solenoid Control Circuit Low) Sect 11-16 of Owners Manual states: "It is not necessary to check the transmission fluid level." But Subaru Warranty & Maintenance guide recommends inspection of CVT fluid @ 30/60/90/120k miles. Mine was never low or bad. There is no owner serviceable parts to the CVT. No dipstick to check fluid level. Page 37 of Warr & Maint guide Notes 4 & 9 state: "4. When the vehicle is frequently operated under severe driving conditions**...CVT fluid replacement should be performed every 24,855 miles." and "9. The ATF filter is a maintenance free part." Under "Examples of severe driving conditions" only item "g. Repeated trailer towing." applies to Note #4. I do not even have a trailer hitch, therefore, no extreme driving conditions. I noticed hesitation, slipping, lull in forward movement, shaking at idle, lurching. Because of this, I requested CVT fluid change at 138k miles even though service technician had previously said fluid was ok. No noticeable improvement after this fluid service. At 150k miles, dashboard warning lights came on for Check Engine, AT Oil Temp, Traction Control Light, Hill Assist, Cruise Control, AntiLock Brake System. Took vehicle to Subaru dealership service immediately. First they recommended CVT fluid change, which I agreed to. Upon completion, all warning lights came back on. They now recommend replacing CVT valve body unit for $2200. SoA has issued a recall (Dec 2019) only on Subaru Ascent vehicles for faulty CVT transmissions, but not for other vehicles with the same problems. CVT failure can lead to safety issues such as vehicle stalling, lurching forward, going in reverse, and shifting unexpectedly while driving. Subaru of America should issue a recall for all vehicles with faulty CVT transmissions.

- St. Charles, IL, USA

CVT transmission has very noticeable whining noise while the car is moving; car stutters and does not drive smoothly. Unsteady drive train motion almost resulted in an accident and has put my family's safety at risk. Car was taken to the Subaru dealer and diagnosed with complete transmission failure. Dealer has stated that the car should not be driven in its current condition. I asked the dealer's service representative if the car was unsafe to drive and he would not answer my question. Car has 131,041 miles. Estimated cost provided by the dealer to replace the transmission is $8,971.63. Subaru provided an extended transmission warranty; however, my car is beyond the 100,000 mile limit.

- Worley, ID, USA

While driving our 2014 Subaru Forester Inclined Assist, ABS, and maintenance lights and worded warnings came on. I scheduled a repair for asap which was completed on 10/13/2022. The independent shop told me the repair was a known problem and this shop has done 4 of these repairs. Subaru actually sells a kit with the parts and fluid (?) for the repair. My understanding is inclined assist (when car is on a certain slope0 can apply the breaks to prevent roll back. I do not know how common this failure is, but failure could cause an accident. One report I read on line claimed while driving the car started applying the brakes without the driver doing anything. Is this possible, I do not know.

- Annapolis, MD, USA

The parking sensor has failed, there's a TSB (16-112-18R) related and numerous other complaints on forums and websites.

- Abita Springs, LA, USA

On Friday, 12-3-21 I was in an accident in my local Costco parking lot while backing out of my spot. While backing out of the spot slowly with the wheel turned, my 2014 Subaru Forester had a sudden and extreme acceleration in reverse doing a reverse u-turn into a parked car causing considerable damage to the rear end of both cars. I am certain that I did not to press the gas pedal as this is a busy parking lot and I always back out very slowly just covering the brake. There is some kind of mechanical issue with my car that caused this malfunction. I was evaluated by paramedics and taken to the local emergency room with a significant bump on the back right side of my head. My car is currently available for inspection. I am in the process of reporting this to Subaru of America to see if they can inspect/evaluate the car.

- Manchester , NJ, USA

Went through automated car wash. Proceeded to lane for towel drying. Car suddenly unintentionally accelerated. Hit rear passenger side of parked car and also collided with the fence that ultimately stopped my forward motion. The car passed across two side walks and one side street during this event. No pedestrians or cross traffic was present or this would have been catastrophic. There were no previous warning signs of this event. My insurance company was notified and inspected the vehicle. A formal complaint was filed with Subaru of America and we are still waiting for them to inspect the vehicle. They have authorized repair of the vehicle prior to them seeing it.

- Jersey City, NJ, USA

Car revved too much and was not moving. Was able to pull over on the shoulder from the fast lane due to the momentum of the car. Avoided a fatal injury for sure. Apart from this, 1. Car sometimes speeds up way more than it should. 2. Subaru changed the short block due to excessive oil consumption but intermittently it still is out of oil way too soon.

- Hooksett , NH, USA

Failure of the continuous variable transmission (cvt) is a known and dangerous defect for certain models of Subaru. Subaru of America issued an extended warranty in 2018 which partially addressed cvt problems, but fell short of a recall, which is what customers deserve and are owed. Additionally, this extended warranty only recognized problems with specific cvt components, but omitted other cvt components that are known to fail. In December 2020, the cvt on my 2014 Subaru Forester failed in motion and the vehicle became undrivable. The dealership (casey Subaru of newport news va) made the necessary repairs, which Subaru deemed not covered by warranty, at the cost of $1931.36. The receipt is attached. Subaru of America has demonstrated negligence on this defect, and disregard for its customer's safety and satisfaction. I am asking NHTSA to address this problem on behalf of all affected Subaru owners by issuing an immediate recall.

- Gloucester, VA, USA

A few weeks ago the vehicle began to have difficulties shifting/accelerating from a stop it would feel like it was slipping and not responding to the accelerator. It has been evaluated as a transmission failure at a cost of $10,000. I purchased the vehicle new and purchased an extended warranty that would cover the power train up to 100,000 miles. The vehicle has had all scheduled maintenance performed and all of it at the same dealer service center with documentation. This includes a 90,000 mile service where the transmission was included in the preventive maintenance check and indicated as no issues. The vehicle has only been used for normal driving. No hauling or towing and no heavy cargo. The transmission should not fail only 12,000 miles outside of the warranty that I purchased and having been serviced appropriately and inspected within 20,000 of the current issue. Subaru of America is not covering the replacement under warranty for what appears to be a known safety issue that required them to extend this same 100,000 warranty coverage to all vehicles from this model year under what I understand to be a class action lawsuit settlement. The loss of acceleration and slipping in the shifting when powering away from a stop is dangerous if the vehicle stalls or suddenly slows due to loss of power and this is due to a known cvt issue. Subaru should be held accountable for all the vehicles they produced with this defect and not be able to hide behind a a lawsuit settlement that allowed them to leave vehicles like mine on the road as ticking time bombs all because the symptoms of the issue didn't show up before 2018 or a only 12,000 miles outside of their own warranty that they sold.

- Glastonbury, CT, USA

Stopped for red light, when I tried to acceleration heard a loud thump and the car would not move. ABS, transmission light came on. I thought I lost my transmission. Had to be pushed off busy highway and then called triple a to have car towed. Was on route 113. After researching internet found that Subaru extended warranty.

- Lincoln University, PA, USA

While driving on the freeway under excellent conditions, the engine 'revved' and then stalled. I was able to pull off onto the shoulder and put the car in "park" and turn off the engine. Before I did so, the insrument panel indicators were (almost?) all lit. I tried to restart = unsuccessful. After waiting about 5 minutes, I tried again and was able to proceed normally. This is the second time this has occured; previous episode about three months ago (unreported) under similar conditions. The only "common" element I can surmise is that the gas level was < 1/4 tank in both instances. I was not concerned about the gas as the gauge and "miles to empty" were more than sufficient to get me home. I did refuel within ten miles of the temporary breakdown and was able to drive without further incident.

- Clute, TX, USA

At/about 1230 central time on 31 Oct 2019, my wife [xxx] experienced an uncommanded acceleration event in our 2014 Subaru Forester and narrowly escaped being killed. Context: My wife was taking the car through an automated carwash at the caseys gas station at 9911 S. 71st St in papillion ne. When she reached the end of the conveyor belt and when signalled by the attendant to move forward, she stepped on the brake and attempted to move the automatic transmission from N (neutral) to D (drive). She encountered resistance moving the gear lever but was able to move it to D. upon doing so, the car abruptly accelerated and lurched forward despite her foot remaining on the brake. The car rapidly accelerated and tore through the closed garage door at the end of the carwash and continued outside, across an access road and up a small hill, before losing power and rolling backwards down the hill to stop in the access road. No other vehicles or persons were involved or injured. My wife was uninjured other than being sprayed by glass fragments from the windshield as it was punctured by the garage door as the car tore through it. Our insurance company (usaa) declared the car a total loss. Neither my wife nor I had ever experienced anything like this incident before; we both have excellent driving records. Weather at the time of this incident was clear, dry and sunny. The car to the best of our knowledge was in excellent mechanical condition. The papillion ne police dept responded and filed a report, and we filed a drivers motor vehicle accident report. Both are on file with the papillion ne police dept. There were also several witnesses to this incident per the police report. Information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Papillion, NE, USA

Valve body solenoid inside the cvt transmission failed and fully locked up. Subaru states that their cvt transmission never needs to be serviced but covers the cvt to 100,000 miles. Shorty after a hundred thousand miles, the valve body solenoid failed and Subaru of America denied coverage. Had a third party mechanic replace the cvt and upon inspection, the cvt fluid in the old cvt transmission was dark, dirty and thick. Chunky or gooey what describe it. Subaru states the cvt transmission never needs to be maintained, yet no motor oil or transmission oil can go on forever.

- Rosemead, CA, USA

Driving 65 mph on highway. Car suddenly no longer responsive to accelerator and speed drops. Recovered in a few seconds. Dealer examined and states it was due to defective condition in brake light switch that was installed 6 months earlier due to recall. Dealer states car went into "limp" mode. Switch condition resolved without replacement according to dealer.

- Santa Clarita, CA, USA

Cvt transmission failure of my 2014 Subaru Forester touring 2.0 turbo model. When I put the car into park and turned off the car after driving, it did not turn off the dashboard lights, the belts were still spinning and I had to remove the battery to shut it off. 1 week later the battery was dead. I jump started and the engine light and other alerts were all lit. When I brought the car to my mechanic, he ran diagnostics and said the transmission will need to be replaced. The car is only 5 years old. Top of the line Subaru and I only have 56,860 miles on the car.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA