2014 Subaru Impreza Powertrain (other) Problems

I am filing a complaint regarding a known issue with the CVT transmission in my 2014 Subaru Impreza, currently at approximately 80,000 miles. The CVT has started making a loud whining noise while driving. A licensed, independent repair shop diagnosed this as a likely early sign of internal CVT failure, advising that failure is imminent without repair or replacement. After researching the issue, I discovered that Subaru issued an extended warranty (WQA-86) specifically covering this known CVT defect. However, I was never notified of this extension or any service campaign. I learned about it only after experiencing symptoms and conducting my own research. By that time, the extended warranty had expired in February 2024 , only a few months before I began experiencing problems, despite my vehicle being well under the mileage limit for coverage. I maintain a service history with full documentation from licensed repair facilities. I submitted a goodwill assistance request to Subaru to cover the inspection and repair or replacement of the CVT based on this known defect and the professional assessment from my mechanic. Subaru denied the request solely because the extended warranty had expired by time, despite the fact that: I was never notified of the warranty extension or technical service bulletin (TSB). The issue is well documented and acknowledged by Subaru. My vehicle is still under the mileage limit. A qualified mechanic has confirmed early signs of failure. This is a serious safety concern, as CVT failure can lead to sudden loss of power or acceleration while driving. Subaru should be held accountable for notifying all affected owners about extended coverage related to known defects. I am requesting that Subaru be required to provide goodwill coverage or cost assistance for this repair, as the failure is directly related to a known manufacturer defect and the lack of notification prevented me from taking timely action.

NHTSA ID

11694910

Incident

Oct 7, 2025

To whom this may concern, My name is [XXX] . I purchased my 2014 Subaru on December 13th, 2013. My car has 57,000 miles on it. It has loss of acceleration when entering a freeway. I push on the gas pedal harder and harder to try to get my car to obtain 60 mph. The car does not respond until minutes go by. The CVT transmission was replaced in June 2022. The car has not performed any better after the transmission replacement. I am the original owner of my car. Initially, my car performed very well, quick response to acceleration for the first 35-40 thousand miles. Then, it began to have lack of acceleration. The transmission was replaced by Subaru of America in June 2022 at around 48,000 miles. I brought my car to Elk Grove Subaru approximately 4 times since the transmission was replaced, each time I paid for their hourly diagnostic fee; between $165.00 to $195.00. Each time the service advisor said they found nothing wrong with my car. I took my car to two independent mechanics (One of them is a transmission repair shop) they each stated in writing that my transmission is slipping and has loss of power. I feel unsafe driving my car on the street as if shakes, shudders and jerks. I do not want to be a statistic in an accident on the freeway due to the lack of power trying to obtain speed while entering freeway and trying to keep my vehicle speed at a speed of barely 60 mph. My vehicle is still within the extended CVT warranty. I feel that the Subaru dealership is purposely avoiding acknowledgement of the failing transmission. Subaru is a big corporation. Many Subaru owners believe there needs to be an actual recall on their Subaru CVT transmissions. I do not feel safe driving my car. With 57,000 miles on a vehicle that's a potential safety hazard, Subaru needs to take more responsibility for their vehicles as people's lives are much more precious than their profit margins. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11549940

Incident

Aug 10, 2023

The transmission on my 2014 Subaru Impreza failed suddenly while I was driving about 70 mph in the middle lane of the interstate. My car began to decelerate rapidly, and I lost all ability to accelerate or even put my car in park. I was able to navigate to the side of the interstate and use the car's emergency brake to come to a stop. The event was extremely traumatic, and I have nightmares about losing control of my vehicle on that interstate with cars whizzing past me. I was stranded in a very remote area, barely making it onto the shoulder of the interstate, over an hour from my home and in a different state. During the three hours I waited for a tow on the side of I-5N, I discovered the many NHTSA bulletins issued regarding CVT transmission issues with the 2014 Impreza and the consequent extended warranty. Thus, I paid out of pocket to have my 2014 Impreza towed the thirty miles to the closest Subaru dealership, expecting the repair to be covered by the warranty. My car’s mileage is 71,612, and it is under 10 years old, falling within both requirements of the extended warranty. There had never been any indication of transmission trouble, and Subaru never contacted me to inform me of the known CVT transmission issues. No warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms ever appeared regarding the transmission. After inspecting my vehicle, the Subaru dealership verified a transmission issue, and claimed that the car was roughly 3 quarts low on CVT fluid. Despite NHTSA safety bulletins about known transmission fluid seepage issues in the 2014 Impreza, Subaru is trying to skirt responsibility for the known defect, and instead, they are claiming that it is the fault of a reputable independent mechanic stating that they *suspect* that since it was 3 quarts low because the independent shop did something wrong. However, records show otherwise. Subaru is not standing by its extended warranty and attempting to shirk responsibility for known CVT defects. Permission to inspect.

NHTSA ID

11538910

Incident

Jun 26, 2023

While driving on the highway in Denver, the engine stalled - I later learned that a valve spring broke and went through the engine, destroying it. I lost all power - lost braking - but was able to steer the vehicle off to the side of the road. I subsequently learned that about 160,000 Subarus - the same vehicle year, the same model car, the same exact engine - have been recalled by Subaru. However, this car, which suffered the same exact problem was considering "outside the window" of the recall. If I had been on the freeway at a normal rate of speed this could have been a very dangerous accident. My concern is hundreds if not thousands of these cars are still on the road and Subaru is well aware of the problem.

NHTSA ID

11529164

Incident

May 12, 2023

My check engine light and other lights simultaneously lit up while driving 50 mph down the highway. The car started to “buck” slightly. I pulled over, let it cool a bit, checked the oil. Oil level and quality was fine. Took to a mechanic where I found the problem was with the CVT. This car has only 100,283 miles on it! It should not be having transmission problems. This is a defective system. Repairs are more than the car is worth. (Even though I’ve kept it in good shape).

NHTSA ID

11522675

Incident

Apr 24, 2023

MY SON OWNS A 2014 SUBARU WRX WITH A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. ON 25 NOV 2019 HE WAS DRIVING ON 501 TOWARDS LITITZ/LANCASTER PA WHEN HIS THIRD GEAR DECIDED TO DESTROY ITSELF WHILE DRIVING @ 45MPH. I HAVE READ ABOUT SO MA Y OF THESE MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS DESTROYING THEMSELVES UNDER NORMAL DRIVING CONDITIONS. THAT CAR IS HIS PRIDE & JOY UNTIL THIS HAPPENED. HE PURCHASED THE CAR IN MARYLAND. WATCHING A REBUILD ON YOUTUBE AFTER HIS PHONE CALL IT SEEMS THAT THIS IS A COMMON PROBLEM IN ANY HELICUT GEARS. LOUSY MATERIALS USED. BEING AROUND CARS, STREET & HI PERFORMANCE RIDES ALL MY LIFE I HAVE NEVER HEARD OF A MANUAL TRANSMISSION DESTROY ITSELF WHILE DRIVING AT NORMAL/HIGHWAY SPEEDS. EITHER SUBARU MANUFACTURES IT'S VEHICLES TO HAVE ISSUES SUCH A LOUSY GEAR BOX'S OR THEY ARE BUYING TRASH FROM LOUSY VENDORS. HIGH PERFORMANCE AMERICAN, GERMAN, FRENCH, ITALIAN & OTHER JAPANESE CARS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS DO NOT HAVE THIS ISSUE. IT SHOULD BE A RECALL ISSUE. SUBMIT A QUESTION TO ALL SUBARU OWNERS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS TO SEE HOW MA Y OF THEM LOST GEARS IN THEM. NO ACCIDENT HAD HAPPENED ONLY BECAUSE MY SON IS A LEVEL HEADED PERSON WITH GOOD COMMON SENSE FOR A 24 YEAR OLD THIS 3 DEC.

NHTSA ID

11282483

Incident

Nov 25, 2019

Mileage

73,450 mi

WAS TOLD THAT MY CAR MIGHT HAVE A RECALL ON THE VALVE SPRING, TOOK IT IN THEY SAID THE VALVE SPRING WAS BAD BUT THAT MY CAR WAS NOT INCLUDED IN THE RECALL AND I HAD TO PAY 2200. NOT SURE WHY MY CAR WHICH IS THE EXACT YEAR FOR THE RECALL AND WAS ACTUALLY HAVING THE ISSUES CAUSED BY THE BAD VALVE WOULD NOT BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL.

NHTSA ID

11230482

Incident

Jun 7, 2019

Mileage

90,000 mi

I AM FILING A COMPLAINT FOR MY SUBARU AS THE TRANSMISSION IS FAILING. I WAS UNAWARE OF THIS AND NEVER EVEN NOTIFIED OF AN ISSUE OR AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. MY SAFETY IS AT RISK AS THE VEHICLE IS NOT OPERATING AS IT SHOULD AND I WAS TOLD BY SUBARU THAT THEY ONLY HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH I AM OUT OF AND BASICALLY TOO BAD OUR KNOWN ISSUE IS NOT SUBARUS RESPONSIBILITY ONCE YOU HIT A 100,000 MILES. HOW IS A KNOWN STALLING ISSUE DUE TO A TRANSMISION FAILURE IN A VEHICLE NOT A SAFETY ISSUE AND A RECALL????? WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THERE NOT BEING A RECALL? I NEED TO KNOW SO THAT IF AND WHEN MY SAFETY OR ANY OTHERS IS COMPROMISED GOD FORBID ANYONE IS HURT OR CRITICALLY INJURED, DUE TO THIS KNOWN PROBLEM, WHICH HAS NOT BEEN RECALLED, WHO I WILL SUE.

NHTSA ID

11172083

Incident

Jan 17, 2019

I PARKED THE CAR ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD ON A LARGE PULL OUT AREA. I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE, TURNED THE OFF AND TOOK THE KEYS OUT OF THE IGNITION AND GOT OUT OF THE CAR TO TAKE SOME PICTURES OF THE FALL COLORS. I WAS OUT OF THE CAR FOR ABOUT 3 TO 5 MINUTES AND I LOOK BACK TO SEE THE CAR ROLLING DOWN THE SLOPE IN TO A TRUCK THAT WAS PARKED IN THE SAME AREA. WHEN I GOT BACK INTO THE CAR THE TRANSMISSION WAS IN NEUTRAL. THE HOOD AND FRONT BUMPER WAS DAMAGED. *TR

NHTSA ID

10639778

Incident

Sep 26, 2014

Mileage

16,500 mi