Occasionally the 2.5 L engine with cvt will appear to almost stall upon decelerating and coming to a stop (at a traffic light, stop sign, etc.). the engine will shudder, the rpms will drop below 700 and then quickly return to normal idle (about 800 or so). Have not yet experienced a stall but have come close. Our car has about 87000 miles and is otherwise in good condition. Our mechanic has been unable to diagnose the problem because this is an intermittent issue, it cannot be duplicated and there are no codes. Other similar posts have indicated that the torque convertor may be the culprit. Considering the quantity of posts, an investigation should be undertaken. Stalling can be a safety problem.

- New City, NY, USA

I currently own a 2010 Subaru Outback. I started experiencing the car stalling and shutting off whenever you come to a sudden stop. It happen with my daughter on the main road and she panic. As time when on the problem got worse. I brought it to my mechanic and the problem was diagnosed as a bad torque converter. He advised it will get worse as time go on. I went on a few Subaru threads online and saw that several people were experiencing the same thing. A new torque converter was order from Subaru which had a different part number from the original. Subaru advised that upgrades were made due to previous failure issues with torque converter. Total cost of parts and labor was $1238.78 and was done on 06/20/2017. Few weeks after work was done I received a notice from Subaru regarding extended warranty on transmission work and reimbursement if job already done. I submitted my claim and was denied because my car has a previous salvage history. I fully understand that a salvage history voids the warranty but I feel the torque converter problem should have been done through a safety recall. A failure of a part that can cause a car to stall should be considered a safety issue. New upgraded torque converter by the manufacturer proves their acknowledgment that the previous part has a fault. I am not disputing their warranty policy but disputing that torque converter failure poses a safety issue and I am requesting a reimbursement of money spent in which Subaru has denied. So many other owners salvage history or not have experienced the same issue.

- Rosedale, NY, USA

When driving on interstate roads and local roads: With braking, car shutters as if not using clutch in a manual transmission. Most recently (today 9/25/17), I was braking to turn off local road into parking lot, car shuttered and stalled. I was able to shift to "P" and restart before care behind me hit me. Braking-shutter-stall next time a serious accident could occur.

- Locust Grove, GA, USA

While driving at low speed on local roads the parking brake lights starts flashing, the transmission oil temperature light went on and there was a high pitched squealing sound. We could not get the brake light to go off by pulling the brake release lever. It cleared itself the next day. The dealer couldn't reproduce the problem but found a brake switch failure. There were also 2 software updates that were related to the brake and transmission safety and operation. We were charged for all 3 even though it should have been a safety recall.

- Bethesda, MD, USA

Car began to bog down and stall when breaking. Car will start to shake/shudder and then stall when stopping whether the engine is cold or hot. The car will stall like someone forgetting to push the clutch in on a manual car when stopping. This has happened numerous times and most times I am in heavy traffic. The car will stall and requires it to be shifted into park, the ignition turned off and then the car restarted before continuing on. I have began to keep a video log of all the times the vehicle will stall driving from my home to work and other trips. This is a serious issue that Subaru needs to address. It appears they were made aware of this issue in 2014 but did not do anything about it until 2017 and even then they are not doing a recall but a "extended coverage". they give absolutely no details as to why other than to say "for customer satisfaction and care". no admittance of any problems by Subaru. Dealers can't tell you why either and it's up to them to determine if it's related to the cvt or not.

- Gray, TN, USA

Noticed a slight increase in engine noise and increased time to accelerate, but driveable. No dashboard lights were on. 24 hours later car stalled out while driving steadily about 30 miles per hour down the road. Pulled car over and had car towed to Subaru dealer. Stated I needed a new transmission. I stated I drive conservatively and the car has low miles, not that old, and I don't have a tow hook up so it doesn't make sense.

- Burlington, MA, USA

Complaint -- when I go to brake the car stalls, I have to pump the brakes and then brake hard to prevent a stall, if I don't the car stops and I have to put it in park and restart. I cannot drive in backed up traffic. I cannot come to a soft stop or roll to a stop. This is a major safety hazard, I took it to the dealer and they said it was the torque converter at $1600 my expense, and possible the valve body that can be damaged by the converter from the metal shards that will be $1200, so a total of $2800, and my extra warranty has run out, of course. There is a tsb 16-90-13--01/06/14, on this issue and Subaru has changed out the part but is making the consumer fit the bill, even though they admit it is their fault. This needs to be a recall-----https://static.NHTSA.gov/ODI/tsbs/2014/sb-10067826-0699.pdf

- Knoxville, TN, USA

When coming to a stop at a traffic light or stop sign, my 2010 Outback sometimes stutters and then stalls. I must then put the car back in park and restart the engine before pulling out again. This creates dangerous situation as the car behind me is expecting me to pull out again without this added delay. I'm very concerned that this is going to result in an accident and I will be rear ended by the car behind me. I have taken the car to the dealership, but they weren't able to recreate the problem in the shop the one day they tried. I also contacted Subaru customer service, and they said the dealer needs to be able to recreate it to fix the problem. From what I read w/R/T other's experiences, this sounds like the torque converter problem that Subaru just recently extended the warranty on, yet they are still not going to fix the problem. I would hope that this could be elevated to a recall before more accidents occur.

- Longmont, CO, USA

While driving at high way speeds engine warning lights began to flash on the dash board. Power loss occured. Pulled over and checked vehicle, waited 10 minutes, restarted vehicle and continued at reduced speed. Vehicle continued to flash lights and lose power with no warning but particularly on hills. Subaru dealership in rapid city, South Dakota advised us to continue home to saskatoon. Total failure on cvt with replacement cost estimated at $6000+ tax and labor. Wondering if this is the beginning of many such experiences as our year is one of the earliest models with this sealed cvt. No way to check any parts or service it as the unit is sealed.

- Saskatoon, ND, USA

Vehicle started acting as though it was going to stall at stop signs and red lights. All dashboard lights then became lit up. Took to my place of dealership and upon checking transmission fluid, they described it as smelling very foul and was told I need a new transmission. Car is a 2010 Subaru Outback with 120,000 miles. The cheapest I could find for new transmission was $6000. Thought it was a joke at first, but was told the first call they made it was $7000. The transmission specialist called the cvt Subaru transmission "the throw away transmission' as no one ever replaces them at that cost. I have always owned Chevy vehicles until I fell in love with the Outback. Needless to say I am very disappointed in this vehicle.no more Subaru for me!!!

- Mill Hall, PA, USA

When coming to a stop the car stalls. This happens more frequently going up hills. It happens most often just as the car is nearing no motion or no longer in motion. A quick stop will make it happen more frequently than a slow gradual stop. It doesn't make a difference if the car is warmed up or if it has been running a free minutes. The car can be going straight or turning. A shudder can be felt then the car stalls. This happens several times a week. I think it may be the torque converter or something in the transmission. I don't think it is something with the fuel delivery.

- Hixson, TN, USA

Subaru tech service bulletin 16-90-13R - affects 2010 - 2012 continuously variable transmission equipped Outback and legacy models car exhibits symptoms listed in above tsb. Car stalls / severely hesitates when taking off from rest due to issue with poorly designed thrust washer in torque converter. Discovered issue as described after purchase from used dealership. Car would stall out when taking off from rest in intersections or pulling out into traffic. This could result in a serious collision if not properly addressed / repaired. Upon further investigation, car had had transmission flushed 2X according to carfax at mfg dealership by previous owner, issue unresolved. Contacted Subaru of America (soa) upon discovering issue. Subaru acknowledged the problem as a know issue but asserted that they would not financially cover what seems to be a serious safety issue. Technical service bulletin should be escalated to a safety recall and Subaru of America forced to make repairs to affected vehicles. Attached are copy of technical service bulletin and carfax history report for vehicle in question.

- Fort Ashby, WV, USA

On several occasions when I have come to a quick stop at a light, the engine has cut out. The Subaru dealership found the the "torque converter is not working properly." The car has 93,414 on the clock.

- Irvington, NY, USA

2010 Subaru Outback 2.5L cvt automatic 126,000 miles. Car will unexpectedly shudder then engine will quit at low rpms either coming to a stop or upon initial acceleration from a stop. Symptoms mimic a manual transmission clutch slipping/stalling. Engine operating temperature has no effect, nor vehicle turning, or varying electrical loads. This is an extremely dangerous situation as it can happen when pulling out into traffic or in heavy traffic (for example) and it happens repeatedly, unexpectedly and randomly. I urge the NHTSA in the strongest possible terms to issue mandatory recall and repair order as soon as possible to prevent loss of life and serious injury. I am aware of multiple complaints of this problem. Subaru has issued tsb 16-90-13 which addresses faulty part replacement in transmission torque converter with a newly redesigned part. However, to my knowledge, owners are not being notified of this serious safety situation, nor is suburu replacing the part free of charge if the drivetrain warranty has expired.I have been quoted $1200-$ 2000 dollars for repairs by Subaru. It is my concern that since the problem is intermittent and expensive to repair, even if the owners are notified by a voluntary tsb, they may not go to the expense to have it repaired, resulting in potential loss of life and injuries. This needs to be a mandatory recall. As an aside, I am an airline captain and a faa certified maintenance technician with over 40 years of experience in maintenance related safety issues, and it is my opinion that this situation requires urgent action on behalf of NHTSA and Subaru. Thank you

- Cameron Park, CA, USA

Our 2010 model Subaru Outback with 121,000 miles began stalling while braking at stop lights and behind others vehicles also braking hard. While I am able to start it back up immediately, this has become a consistent problem and I feel a very dangerous issue. I have been left stalled in the middle of rush hour traffic because the car in front of me braked hard. After speaking with our dealership the response was that we need a new torque converter and that this is a known problem with the 2010-2012 Outbacks. After a second opinion to be sure, we are having the torque converter replace to the tune of $2000!! I am asking for a recall for these models from Subaru to prevent anyone from getting injured from this consistently-identified danger.

- Rhoadesville, VA, USA

Car parked on slight uphill incline of house driveway.. started engine, moved automatic transmission selector to D(rive). Transmission went to reverse. Moved transmission lever to N(eutral) and back to D. transmission again went to reverse. Moved selector (shifter) to P(ark) and then to D. this time the transmission responded correctly. Care was stationary during the event.

- Carlsbad, CA, USA

Driving on highway or city streets and car stalls and engine turns off during hard braking. Must come to a complete stop and shift to neutral or park to restart engine. 120,000 miles. Subaru dealer said I needed to replace torque converter and would cost me $1750 dollars. This problem has happened many times.

- Dauphin, PA, USA

Car shudders and sounds like engine will die when coming to complete stop. If this were a manual transmission, feels as if clutch should be pushed in. Problem occurs intermittently. Cold or hot engine. Problem became noticeable around 58,000-60,000 mile.

- Mays Landing, NJ, USA

Car started stalling after coming to a full stop, at 88,000 miles. Was fine at first start up, and fine when backing out of a parking place or garage, but after driving and coming to a stop at a light or stop sign, or when trying to make a left turn when there was oncoming traffic (this was the really dangerous part), it would stall, requiring me to put it in park to restart the car. First check at service station found nothing wrong in the computer. Took to Subaru dealer on 11/1/2016 and was told I needed a $1,600 repair to the torque converter.

- Exeter, RI, USA

Car has been stalling when I come to a stop. Ususally a quick stop. We thought it might be bad gas, clogged fuel injectors which we have addressed. Still stalling. Afraid someone is going to hit me. This has been going on for a couple months now. Also stalls on inclines when I come to stop not going down hill.

- Waterbury, CT, USA