2002 Subaru Outback Transmission Problems

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2002 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE DRIVING 65 MPH, THE CONTACT HEARD A GRINDING SOUND COMING FROM OUTSIDE THE VEHICLE. A LOCAL MECHANIC STATED THAT THE BEARINGS IN THE TRANSFER CASE FAILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DIAGNOSED BY THE MECHANIC; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED THREE MONTHS LATER. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED BY THE DEALER. THE VIN WAS UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 60,000 AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 55,000.

NHTSA ID

10234372

Incident

Sep 25, 2007

Mileage

55,000 mi

AFTER RETURNING FROM A OUT OF TOWN TRIP, WE GOT TO OUR CAR AND STARTED TO DRIVE AWAY AND THE ENGINE REVVED UP BUT DID NOT PROPORTIONATELY INCREASE IN SPEED. AFTER GAINING SOME SPEED THE SYMPTOMS DISAPPEARED. THREE DAYS LATER AFTER SHIFTING FROM FIFTH GEAR TO FOURTH GEAR WHILE DRIVING UP A HILL ON I-70 THE CLUTCH COMPLETELY SLIPPED OUT. THE CAR WAS UN-DRIVABLE BUT WE WERE IN THE LEFT LANE AND THERE WAS NO EMERGENCY PULL OFF ON THAT SIDE SO WE HAD TO MAKE OUR WAY ACROSS THREE LANES OF TRAFFIC TO GET TO THE RIGHT EMERGENCY LANE. WITH NO POWER WE COASTED THROUGH CARS FLYING BY HONKING AT 65 MPH. LUCKILY WE MADE IT TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD UNHARMED BUT QUITE A FEW CLOSE CALLS. WE SMELT THE SMELL OF A BURNT CLUTCH AND COULD NO LONGER ENGAGE THE TRANSMISSION OR MOVE THE VEHICLE, IT WOULD ONLY COAST BACKWARDS. WHILE WE WERE LUCKY SOME OTHER MAY NOT. SUBARU OF AMERICA HAS REFUSED TO ADMIT ANYTHING IS WRONG WITH THE CAR OTHER THAN A WEARABLE ITEM WEARING OUT. THIS CAR HAS 77,200 MILES ON IT AND HAS HAD THE CLUTCH REPLACED ONCE BEFORE AT 34,500 MILES UNDER TSB 03-51-02R. WE HAVE OWNED FIVE CARS WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS ALL OF WHICH WE DROVE FOR OVER 130,000 MILES AND NOT ONE HAS NEEDED OR HAD A CLUTCH REPLACED. AN EMPLOYEE AT THE DEALERSHIP IN THE PARTS DEPARTMENT STATED TO ANOTHER EMPLOYEE WHILE I WAS ON THE PHONE LINE THAT THE "FLYWHEEL IS MAKING THOSE GO OUT SO THEY WILL NEED TO REPLACE THAT TOO." *JB

NHTSA ID

10168282

Incident

Sep 9, 2006

Mileage

77,202 mi

5 DAYS AFTER HEAD GASKET WAS REPLACED I WAS DRIVING AND CAME TO A STOP LIGHT. AS THE LIGHT TURNED GREEN AND I PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR THE CAR DID NOT MOVE. THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN THE CAR STARTED TO MOVE BUT VERY SLUGGISHLY. AS I DROVE HOME I ALMOST HAD A COUPLE OF ACCIDENTS DUE TO THE NON RESPONSIVE CAR. CURRENTLY IT IS AT A SHOP, AND I AM BEING TOLD THAT THE TRANSMISSION HAS FAILED.*AK

NHTSA ID

10148918

Incident

Jan 23, 2006

Mileage

72,145 mi

I PURCHASED A 2002 SUBARU OUTBACK WAGON, MANUAL TRANSMISSION. I'M HAVING TERRIBLE CLUTCH CHATTER GOING INTO 1ST AND 2ND GEAR. THIS HAPPENS DAILY, USUALLY FOR THE FIRST 10 MINUTES OF DRIVING IT. THE PROBLEM IS ENHANCED WHEN IT IS WET OR COLD.

NHTSA ID

10128768

Incident

Mar 17, 2005

CAR SHUDDERS AND STALLS CONTINUALLY WHEN STARTING IN 1ST GEAR, MORE FREQUENTLY WHEN COLD. HAVE STALLED IN MIDDLE OF INTERECTION MULTIPLE TIMES. THIS IS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION. I HAVE DRIVEN MANUALS FOR 20 YEARS HAVE HAD NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM WITH OTHER VEHILCLES. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE I PURCHASED CAR 6 MONTHS AGO.

NHTSA ID

10119382

Incident

Apr 5, 2005

Mileage

45,000 mi

DANGEROUS HESITATION IN FIRST AND SECOND GEARS ESPECIALLY. AT STOP LIGHT, UPON ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE, CAR BOGGED DOWN, RPMS DIPPED AND NEARLY STALLED BEFORE CAR FINALLY ACCELERATED WITH A VIOLENT JERK FORWARD AND BACK. HAS HAPPENED ON NUMEROUS OCCASIONS. VERY DANGEROUS-NEARLY BEEN IN THREE ACCIDENTS ALREADY. SO FAR THE DEALER HAS BLED THE CLUTCH, ADJUSTED THE CLUTCH, REPLACED THE CLUTCH, REPLACED KNOCK SENSOR, REPLACED COOLANT TEMP SENSOR AND REPLACED FRONT OXYGEN SENSOR AND PROBLEM STILL AS BAD AS EVER IF NOT WORSE. *JB

NHTSA ID

10107604

Incident

Dec 3, 2004

Mileage

31,200 mi

THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR A CLUTCH ADJUSTMENT. THE TECHNICIAN INFORMED THAT CONSUMER THAT THE CLUTCH NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *NM *NM

NHTSA ID

10111018

Incident

Dec 1, 2004

Mileage

55,000 mi

THE TRANSMISSION FLUID LEAKS FROM THE ENGINE. AS A RESULT, THE VEHICLE STALLS WITHOUT WARNING. THE TRANSMISSION WAS REPLACED TWICE, HOWEVER THE PROBLEM RECURRED. *AK THE LEFT DOOR PANEL BY THE WINDOW REGULATOR DRIVER WINDOW WAS NOT WORKING, THERE WAS NOISE WHEN THE DRIVER PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL IN THE GEAR, AND A GAS SMELL WAS PRESENT WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS ACCELERATED. *SC

NHTSA ID

10076081

Incident

Jun 1, 2004

Mileage

55,000 mi

2002 SUBARU WAGON MANUAL TRANSMISSION CLUTCH SHUDDERS ON COLD START. SOMETIMES IT IS DIFFICULT TO GET THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. THE DEALER COULD NOT DUPLICATE THE PROBLEM SO IT WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE PROBLEM PERSISTS. *JB

NHTSA ID

10082203

Incident

Jun 1, 2004

THE CAR HESITATES ON ACCELERATION, MAINLY IN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR. CAN BE SEVERE ENOUGH THAT CAR PRACTICALLY STALLS IN INTERSECTIONS. *AK

NHTSA ID

10064357

Incident

Mar 31, 2004

I HAVE OWNED A 2002 SUBARU OUTBACK STATION WAGON SINCE AUGUST 2002, AND HAVE EXPERIENCED A VERY FREQUENT (DAILY TO WEEKLY) BUT INCONSISTENT HESITATION AND SHUDDER WHILE ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. IT OCCURS IN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR, AND IS PRONOUNCED IN COLD STARTS ONLY. THE HESITATION AND CLUTCH SHUDDER ALSO IS PRONOUNCED IN STOP AND GO TRAFFIC, IN FIRST OR SECOND GEAR - IN THIS SITUATION, THE CAR LUNGES OR LURCHES FORWARD UNTIL THE SPEED INCREASES TO OVER 10 OR 15 MPH. THIS CAUSES A SAFETY CONCERN AT LOW SPEEDS, AND THE START OF ACCELERATION FROM A STOP. HAVE TAKEN IT TO THE SUBARU DEALER ON SEVERAL OCCASIONS, BUT THEY HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM. THE PROBLEM APPEARS TO BE QUITE PROMINENT IN OTHER SUBARU OUBACKS AND OTHER MODELS (BASED ON OTHER NHTSA COMPLAINTS, AND POSTINGS ON THE WWW.UTLIMATESUBARU.NET (SEARCH FOR SHUDDER OR HESITATION AND YOU CAN FIND HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS). A TROUBLE FILE HAS BEEN SET UP WITH SUBARU AMERICA. HOWEVER, THE PROBLEM CONTINUES TO PERSIST.*AK

NHTSA ID

10062203

Incident

Mar 15, 2004

Mileage

5,000 mi

WHILE DRIVING AT LOWER SPEEDS THE CLUTCH INTERMITTENTLY SHUDDERED WHEN PULLING OUT FROM A STOP. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TO TWO DEALERS BUT NEITHER DEALER COULD RESOLVE THE PROBLEM. *AK *NM

NHTSA ID

10053390

Incident

Jan 3, 2004

Mileage

25,000 mi

SINCE NEW, THE CLUTCH ON THIS VEHICLE HAS SLIPPED WHEN STARTING FROM A STOP. IT ALSO OCCASIONALLY SLIPS WHEN SHIFTING BETWEEN 1ST AND 2ND GEAR. THIS PROBLEM CAUSES THE VEHICLE TO BE DIFFICULT TO START SLOWLY IN TRAFFIC AND WILL EVENTUALLY WEAR DOWN PARTS UNTIL THE CLUTCH AND TRANSMISSION NEED TO BE REPLACED. THIS IS A KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THIS VEHICLE BUT SUBARU OF AMERICA HAS NOT MADE ANY STEPS TO RECTIFY THE PROBLEM. MY LOCAL DEALER CLAIMS THEY CANNOT REPRODUCE THE CLUTCH SLIP AND REFUSE TO FIX THE PROBLEM.*AK

NHTSA ID

10054533

Incident

Jan 9, 2004

Mileage

57 mi

KEY STUCK IN THE IGNITION SWITCH COMPARTMENT. ALSO, HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE SHIFT GEAR POSITION INDICATOR. DEALER URGED CONSUMER TO PUT A TOWEL AT THE WHEEL TO HIDE THE KEYS HOLDER. *AK

NHTSA ID

10042485

Incident

Oct 7, 2003

I PURCHASED A 2002 SUBARU OUTBACK FROM OLDHAM'S SUBARU OF NICHOLASVILLE, KY IN FEBURARY 2003. ON SAT. MARCH 22, 2003, I NOTICED THE CAR HESITATING DURING INITIAL ACCELERATION AFTER A STOP AND THEN WITH ACCELERATION AFTER SHIFTING INTO SECOND GEAR (MANUAL TRANSMISSION). ON SUN., MARCH 23, 2003 THE PROBLEM BECAME MUCH MORE SEVERE. THE CAR WOULD LURCH INTO INTERSECTIONS AFTER A STOP, AND THEN HESITATE. THE CAR WOULD NOT MOVE AT ALL, THEN WOULD LURCH OUT OF THE INTERSECTION. THIS NEARLY CAUSED A VERY SERIOUS ACCIDENT, AND I HAD MY 2 YEAR OLD SON IN THE CAR. I FINALLY DECIDED TO PULL TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND CALL ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE. THE CAR WAS TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHO DROVE THE CAR THE NEXT TWO DAYS FOR 7 MILES, THEN 6 MILES, AND SAID THAT THEY FOUND NO PROBLEMS. I PICKED UP THE CAR AND DID NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM FOR A WEEK, BUT I AM NOW HAVING THE SAME HESITATION PROBLEMS WITH THE CAR. IT IS CLEARLY UNSAFE TO DRIVE, AND I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT. MY OWN INVESTIGATION INTO THE PROBLEM (WEB RESEARCH) REVEALS THAT MANY OTHER OWNERS OF SUBARU'S MADE IN THE LATE 90'S TO THE PRESENT HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS, WITH NO HELP FROM THEIR LOCAL DEALERSHIPS. I HOPE THAT THIS PROBLEM CAN BE INVESTIGATED AND ADDRESSED BEFORE PEOPLE ARE INJURED OR KILLED. *JB

NHTSA ID

10014275

Incident

Mar 23, 2003

NHTSA#02-V-282-000. PLEASE PROVIDE FURTHER INFORMATION. PH

NHTSA ID

10006708

Incident

Feb 6, 2003

THE MANUAL TRANSMISSION ON THIS VEHICLE SKIPS OR SHUDDERS IN 1ST GEAR MAKING IT DIFFICULT TO PULL FORWARD OR INTO TRAFFIC AT SLOW SPEEDS WITHOUT STALLING THE CAR. THE ONLY OPTION IS TO REV THE ENGINE HIGHER THAN NORMALLY TO INSURE CLUTCH ENGAGEMENT WHICH THEN CAUSE THE CLUTCH TO BURN. SOMETIMES EVEN THIS DOESN'T WORK. IT HAPPENS MORE OFTEN WHEN THE CAR IS COLD. DEALER SAID IT COULD NOT BE DUPLICATED SO IT MUST BE OUR DRIVING, HOWEVER I HAVE BEEN DRIVING MANUALS FOR 20 YEARS AND THIS HAS NEVER BEEN A PROBLEM. THIS IS A SCARY CAR TO PULL OUT INTO HEAVY OR FAST MOVING TRAFFIC.*AK

NHTSA ID

758617

Incident

Oct 30, 2001

VEHICLE WAS IN PARK WITH ENGINE RUNNING, EMERGENCY BRAKE NOT ENGAGED. AND IT SUDDENLY WENT FORWARD, ACROSS A FIELD, INTO TREES/ FLIPPED OVER ON ITS SIDE. DAMAGE TO VEHICLE WAS $8500.00 NO INJURIES.*AK

NHTSA ID

895555

Incident

Aug 20, 2001