2000 Subaru Legacy Transmission Problems

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SUBARU L WAGON. WHILE DRIVING THE ATF WARNING LIGHT WOULD ILLUMINATE ON THE INSTRUMENT CONTROL PANEL AND THEN THE VEHICLE WOULD DOWN-SHIFT. THE COMPUTER, TRANSMISSION COMPUTER, SPARK PLUG, OXYGEN SENSOR, AND COIL PACK HAVE ALL BEEN REPLACED. NONE OF THE REPAIRS HAVE REMEDIED THE FAILURE. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 171,000. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 103,000. UPDATED 11/12/09 *CN THE CONSUMER STATED THE ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON MOST OF THE TIME. A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP THAT WORKS ONLY ON SUBARU'S HAD NOT IDEA WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. THE DEALER STATED A THROTTLE POSITION SENSOR WAS NEEDED. UPDATED 11/16/09

NHTSA ID

10289405

Incident

Jan 1, 2006

Mileage

103,000 mi

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2000 SUBARU LEGACY. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HER VEHICLE WAS IN THE REPAIR SHOP FOR TRANSMISSION FAILURE. THE VEHICLE ALSO SHAKES SEVERELY WHEN APPROACHING A STOP SIGN OR TRAFFIC LIGHT. THE VEHICLE MUST BE SHIFTED INTO PARK WHEN THE SHAKING OCCURS. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, BUT THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000.

NHTSA ID

10250828

Incident

Sep 5, 2005

Mileage

120,000 mi

2000 SUBARU LEGACY L TRANSMISSION WOULD NOT GO INTO DRIVE WHILE STOPPED FOR A LIGHT. CAR UNABLE TO BE MOVED AND STUCK IN TRAFFIC. THIS CAUSED A VERY UNSAFE PROBLEM AS TRAFFIC BACKED UP BEHIND THE CAR. TRANSMISSION INTERMITTENTLY REFUSES TO SHIFT. DEALER SAYS NEW TRNS. SUBARU AWARE OF DEFECT IN TRANS. *TR

NHTSA ID

10220035

Incident

Feb 9, 2008

Mileage

77,600 mi

SUMMARY THE TRANSMISSION FAILED WITH 45,926 MILES. IT WAS A CATASTROPHIC FAILURE CAUSED BY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN THE DIFFERENTIAL ASSEMBLY RACK AND PINION. THE GEARS HAVE MICROSCOPIC CRACKS AND THE TEETH BROKE OFF AT 30-35 MPH. THE CRACKS ARE VISIBLE TO THE NAKED EYE. THE TRANSMISSION SHOP THAT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE, SAID IT WAS THE SECOND SUBARU THAT HAD A SIMILAR FAILURE. I HAVE ASKED SUBARU TO REVIEW THE CASE. SUBARU INDICATED THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO PREVENTIVE MAINTENANCE ISSUES NOT A PRODUCT DEFECT AND REFUSED TO ABSORB ANY OF THE REPAIR COSTS OF $1695. I HAVE THE PARTS THAT FAILED AND I WILL RE-CONTACT SUBARU, REQUEST THAT A ZONE REP LOOK AT THE FAILED COMPONENTS, AND REVIEW THE CASE AGAIN. *NM

NHTSA ID

10174817

Incident

Nov 1, 2006

Mileage

45,926 mi

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED THE VEHICLE HESITATED WHEN APPLYING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THIS HAPPENED EVERY TIME THE PEDAL WAS APPLIED. THE VEHICLE WAS CALIBRATED TO FACTORY SPECIFICATIONS. OTHER VEHICLES ON THE LOT WERE DRIVEN AND THEY HAD THE SAME HESITATION. THE MANUFACTURER STATED THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE. NO REPAIRS HAVE BEEN MADE. *AK UPDATED 01/19/06. *JB

NHTSA ID

10146235

Incident

Oct 11, 2005

NEW TRANSMISSION WAS PUT IN AT AROUND 40K MILES. NOW THE CAR IS AT 85K MILES. I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET AND GAVE MY CAR A LITTLE GAS. THE CAR REVED AND ACCELERATED FOR NO REASON, BUT I LOOKED AT MY GAUGES AND NOTHING LOOKED OUT OF THE ORDINARY, SO I KEPT DRIVING. ABOUT 5 MINUTES LATER, I WAS PULLING INTO MY NEIGHBOR'S DRIVEWAY GOING ABOUT 2 MILES PER HOUR (HER CAR WAS ABOUT 7 FEET AWAY) WHEN THE CAR ACCELERATED (LIKE I HAD FLOORED THE GAS PEDAL), AND I CRASHED INTO HER PARKED CAR. AFTER CAR IS FIXED (THERE IS EXTENSIVE DAMAGE TO MY CAR), I WILL TAKE TO MY SUBARU DEALER. IT IS STILL UNDER AN EXTENDED WARRANTY.*AK

NHTSA ID

10112652

Incident

Feb 28, 2005

Mileage

85,000 mi

AT ABOUT 76,000 MILES, VERY OCCASIONALLY, THE CAR HESITATED BEFORE ENGAGING IN DRIVE. THE PROBLEM STARTED OCCURRING MORE OFTEN RECENTLY, AND NOW AT 82,000, ACCORDING TO A SUBARU DEALER, THE TRANSMISSION APPARENTLY NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. I AM TRYING A "FLUSH" BEFORE REPLACING THE TRANSMISSION. I BELIEVE SUBARU SHOULD WARRANTY THEIR TRANSMISSIONS FOR MORE THAN 60,000 MILES OR RECALL THE PART IN THE TRANSMISSION THAT FAILS.*JB

NHTSA ID

10110349

Incident

Feb 5, 2005

Mileage

76,000 mi

WHILE AT A STOP LIGHT THE GEAR SEEMED TO LOCK. THE VEHICLE WOULD NOT MOVE. CONSUMER PLACED THE VEHICLE INTO A LOWER GEAR, AND PLACED THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS ON, DROVE TO THE MECHANIC, WHO CHANGED THE TRANSMISSION FLUID. . THE ENGINE RUNS. BUT TRANSMISSION SEEMS TO BE DEFECTIVE.*AK

NHTSA ID

10107264

Incident

Jan 4, 2005

Mileage

70,000 mi

WHILE SUBARU DOES NOT REGARD THEIR DEFECTIVE CLUTCH MECHANISM AS A SAFETY PROBLEM, I HAVE HAD TWO INCIDENTS IN WHICH IN FACT MY SAFETY HAS BEEN ON THE LINE. I AM ANNOYED AT THE CASUAL ATTITUDE SUBARU HAS DEMONSTRATED ON THIS ISSUE, AND I HAVE GOTTEN EXCUSES OR SHRUGS OVER THE PROBLEM. THIS IS THE STUTTERING CLUTCH PROBLEM THAT IS APPARENTLY WELL KNOW TO SUBARU AND CLUTCH OPERATORS OF THEIR CARS SINCE THE LATE 90'S. I AM A VETERAN CLUTCH USER, THIS IS NOT OPERATOR ERROR. IN MY CONVERSATION WITH SUBARU, THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS AN INCIDENCE OF THIS PROBLEM, AND THAT IT WAS COVERED BY A SERVICE BULLETIN. RELEVANT INTERNET FORUMS CONTAIN MANY COMPLAINTS AND QUESTIONS ON THIS PROBLEM. THE TWO INCIDENTS I HAVE HAD THAT QUALIFY THIS AS A SAFETY ISSUE INVOLVE THE CAR BEING UNEXPECTEDLY UNABLE TO MOVE THROUGH TRAFFIC AS CARS APPROACHED ME. IF ANOTHER CAR HAD PROCEEDED NORMALLY FROM MY STOPPING PLACE, THERE WOULD HAVE BEEN NO PROBLEM WITH ONCOMING TRAFFIC, BUT MY CAR WILL, WITH INCREASING REGULARITY, NOT MOVE PROPERLY WHEN IT IS ASKED TO DO SO. IN THE CASES I AM REPORTING, AS I MOVED AWAY FROM A STOP, THE CLUTCH HAD BEGUN TO ENGAGE, MOVED ME INTO THE INTERSECTION, BUT THEN IT HAS GONE INTO ITS LURCHING ROUTINE THAT STOPS ME IN FRONT OF APPROACHING TRAFFIC. ONLY WHEN I STOP AND RE-ENGAGE THE CLUTCH SEVERAL TIMES IN SUCCESSION CAN I GET OUT OF TRAFFIC. SUBARU WILL NOT ROUTINELY REPAIR THIS PROBLEM. I HAVE TALKED TO DEALERS THREE TIMES, AND HAVE RECEIVED DISMISSIVE EXPLANATIONS. ONE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE MY PROBLEM TO THEIR SATISFACTION. I DO BELIEVE THAT THIS IS A SAFETY PROBLEM, NOT A MERE TECHNICAL ISSUE. THE CLUTCH PROBLEMS ARE APPARENTLY WIDESPREAD, AND IT WOULD NOT SURPRISE ME IF ACCIDENTS HAVE OCCURRED AS A RESULT OF THIS PROBLEM. *JB

NHTSA ID

10082454

Incident

Feb 17, 2004

Mileage

30,000 mi

TRANSMISSION FAILED AFTER 67,500 MILES, WITHIN THE WARRANTY TIME PERIOD BUT OUT OF THE MILAGE LIMIT. DEALER CANNOT FIND A REPLACEMENT.*AK

NHTSA ID

10049470

Incident

Dec 1, 2003

CLUTCH FAILED AFTER ONLY 30K MILES OF NORMAL DRIVING. THIS WAS PRECEDED BY FOUL BURNING ODOR, WHICH STARTED SIX MONTHS AFTER PURCHASE OF CAR NEW FROM THE DEALER. *NLM

NHTSA ID

10023471

Incident

Jun 18, 2003

Mileage

30,000 mi

TRANSMISSION IS LEAKING, DRIPPING FLUID ON EXHAUST SYSTEM WHICH IS CREATING BURNING SMELL AND AT TIMES SOME SMOKE. FIRE HAZZARD? THE ORIGINAL TRANSMISSION FAILED AT 29738 MILES AND WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY WITH A 'USED' UNIT (MFG TERM IS REMANUFACTURED, WHICH EQUALS A UNIT THAT ALREADY FAILED FOR SOMEONE ELSE AND WAS REBUILT). THE REPLACEMENT UNIT HAS ONLY 10,000 MILES AND IS LEAKING IN TWO PLACES.*AK

NHTSA ID

766462

Incident

Aug 28, 2002

TRANSMISSION FAILED, DEALER IS REPLACING IT. *SLC

NHTSA ID

785131

Incident

Dec 18, 2000

RIGHT REAR SEAT BELT BUCKLE CRACKED. NLM

NHTSA ID

552016