I brought the car to 2 reliable garages who concurred that the problem was failure of transmission's valve body. At start-up, car jerks/lurches terribly. I was warned by mechanics, car could freeze up any time, especially at long distances/and on highway. IT'S UNSAFE TO DRIVE! This car is my sole mode of transport in a rural part of Vermont. I live on a fixed income with almost no money to spare. To replace this defective part would cost a minimum of $1300 (most of which is a Subaru branded part) I contacted SOA (Subaru of America) & talked to Ms Sabon, Mgr of Customer Service to request Subaru pay all/or part of the costs since this problem seems to be common to the year/model. It definitely should have been recalled. She refused to offer ANY help.

Right now, I can not get around & must rely on kind neighbors. But winter is coming and this will not work.

Desperate. Subaru is not for the underdog as it proclaims in its current advertising. Subaru does not stand by its product or its business model (PROFITS PROFITS PROFITS) and to hell with its customers. Especially in places like Vermont where Subaru reigns as the 4-wheel King.

When coming to a rolling stop at a red light then accelerating the transmission snaps into low gear and the car lurches forward with such force it feels like your neck snapped. I have back pain and I get a jolt of pain whenever this happens. It also feels like one of these days, the transmission will just drop to the street. We have brought the vehicle back to the dealership numerous times under the warranty and they claim there is nothing thy can do to fix it. They're probably just waiting for the warranty to run out. This is the 6th Subaru we have purchased over the years and it will be the last.