2014 Subaru Outback

I am just the mechanic and this is my customer's vehicle, but whilst doing some regular maintenance on the vehicle and also replacing part number 383485200 which Subaru calls "HOLDER, AXLE BRG" due to a crack which ran thru one of the 5 fastener holes. Upon normal cleaning of the threads in the rear differential casting where the "holder, axle brg" is bolted up to the left output shaft side I noticed a massive cavity in the casting which was drilled into and tapped for a bolt. This cavity is so large it presents a huge risk of catastrophic rear differential failure resulting in potential loss of control and increasing the risk of a crash. When I called the dealership to obtain the answers to the questions I know my customer is going to ask me, they shrugged it off as no big deal and couldn't even get me a price on a new rear diff housing or complete assembly. Using my brake rotor thickness calipers I was able to measure what I believe is the closest part of the cavity to the hole where the "holder, axle brg" is fastened in place. This "holder, axle brg" is the output shaft seal housing, plus, the outer race for the differential carrier is pressed into this component. Making it quite a critical component of the delicate innerworkings of a differential. Just a few ten-thousandths out of tolerance and the ring and pinion gears will destroy one another, the cavity in the casting right in a bolt hole creates potential for the differential carrier to not receive the proper bearing preload greatly reducing the life of the bearings, and in the worst case, the cavity could cause the rear differential to crack under heavy load which could cause a catastrophic failure, locking up the rear differential causing the vehicle to skid uncontrollably.

The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Outback. The contact stated that while the key was in the ignition with the transmission in park(P) with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle moved inadvertently. The failure occurred while the vehicle was on an incline. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 630,000.

The center differential or Viscous Coupling locks up after any extended highway driving. The car lurches when turning sharply. This is a 6-speed manual transmission. This started at around 70,000 miles and is getting progressively worse now at 80,000 miles. The tires have always been all the same, inflated according to spec. New tires at about 72,000 miles. From online research, the Viscous Coupling on Subarus fails very frequently. This is a defective design resulting in a safety hazard, and requires expensive replacement.

CAR MAKES EXCESSIVELY LOUD ROARING, WHINING NOISE IN ACCELERATION; IT'S RESPONSE IS UNPREDICTABLE. IT DOESN'T SHIFT AND THE DIFFERENTIAL IS THE LIKELY SOURCE OF PROBLEM. CAR HAS BEEN PROPERLY MAINTAINED ALL ALONG.TWO INDEPENDENT MECHANICS REPORTED THE CVT MUST BE REPLACED. SUBARU SERVICE INFORMED ME AFTER 120K MILE SERVICING. IT CAN STALL WITHOUT WARNING ANYWHERE ANYTIME CAUSING ACCIDENT, INJURY ETC. THOUGH I'M TOLD IT'S DANGEROUS TO DRIVE SUBARU IS UNWILLING TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY, EXCEPT PAYING HALF OF THEIR $8000 CHARGE FOR A RE-MANNED CVT...NO RECALL! WHAT'S IT GOING TO TAKE SUBARU? YOUR INTEGRITY IS COMPROMISED; YOUR CLAIM OF QUALITY IS FALSE. YOU WANT OWNERS TO PAY FOR YOUR TECHNOLOGY PROBLEM. THOUGH THE CVT HAS A LONG HISTORY OF FAILURE, SUBARU HASN'T SOLVED THE PROBLEM OR IMPROVED THE TECHNOLOGY. INSTEAD OWNERS PAY $4,000 FOR A NEW, FAULTY CVT AND SUBARU CONTINUES TO AVOID RECALL. BUYERS ARE THE LOSERS.

CVT TRANSMISSION STALLED ON FREEWAY, THEN LOCKED UP, PUTTING US INTO SKID. VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN SERIOUS INJURY ACCIDENT. WAS ABLE TO RESTART AND LIMP TO EMERGENCY LANE. SPEED WAS 65 MPH ZONE. VERY SCARY FOR US. HAD PREVIOUSLY COMPLAINED TO SUBARU OF PROBLEM, BUT THEY DIDN'T GIVE IT A FULL DIAGNOSTIC AND SAID TO DRIVE IT UNTIL IT BROKE. WE HAVE OPENED A CASE WITH SUBARU AMERICA.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU OUTBACK. WHILE REVERSING OUT OF A DRIVEWAY, THE CONTACT STOPPED THE VEHICLE, SHIFTED INTO PARK, AND EXITED THE VEHICLE. SUDDENLY, THE VEHICLE LURCHED FORWARD AND STRUCK AND DRAGGED THE CONTACT. THE VEHICLE DROVE OVER A BRUSH AND FINALLY CAME TO A STOP. THE CONTACT WAS NOT INJURED. THE DEALER AND MANUFACTURER WERE NOT CONTACTED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE HAD AN EXTENDED WARRANTY UP TO 120,000 MILES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 93,880.

ON FEB 28, 2019 I WAS DRIVING MY 2014 SUBARU OUTBACK ON INTERSTATE 64 ON A STRAIGHT STRETCH AT APPROXIMATELY 70 MPH GOING UPHILL WHEN ACCELERATOR BECAME SUDDENLY AND COMPLETELY UNRESPONSIVE. I WAS IN THE FAR LEFT LANE OF 3 LANES OF TRAFFIC ALSO TRAVELING AT A HIGH RATE OF SPEED AND HAD TO TRY TO GET TO THE EMERGENCY LANE TO THE RIGHT OF THE 3 LANES. I HAD ABSOLUTELY NO RESPONSE WHEN PUSHING ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND COULD HAVE BEEN HIT BY NUMEROUS SEMI TRAILER TRUCKS. I WAS ABLE TO COAST TO THE RIGHT INTO THE EMERGENCY LANE WHICH WAS A MIRACLE BECAUSE I WAS ON A STEEP UPHILL INCLINE. WHEN I REACHED THE EMERGENCY LANE, I STOPPED THE CAR, SHIFTED INTO PARK, AND BACK INTO DRIVE MODE AND THE ACCELERATOR DID ENGAGE AT THAT POINT. I IMMEDIATELY TOOK THE CAR TO A SUBARU DEALER BUT THEY HAVE NOT DIAGNOSED IT AS OF YET. I HAVE BEEN RESEARCHING ON THE INTERNET TO SEE IF OTHER 2014 OUTBACK OWNERS HAVE THE SAME COMPLAINT AND CAME ACROSS NUMEROUS OTHER COMPLAINTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM ON THE WEBSITE WWW.CARCOMPLAINTS.COM. THOSE COMPLAINING OF THE SAME PROBLEM HAVE NOT HAD ANY SUCCESS WITH A FIX FROM SUBARU. PLEASE LOOK INTO THIS BEFORE SOMEONE IS INJURED OR KILLED AS I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN TODAY.

CAR HESITATES/DOES NOT RESPOND, INTERMITTENTLY BUT OFTEN, WHEN ACCELERATOR PEDAL IS PUSHED TO THE FLOORBOARD FROM A STOP. LAG/NO RESPONSE TIME IS ABOUT ABOUT 1 1/2 SECONDS. THIS RESULTS IN NEAR ACCIDENTS WHEN PULLING OUT INTO TRAFFIC AT AN INTERSECTION. CAR HAS BEEN TAKEN TO DEALER TWICE TO HAVE THIS ISSUE RESOLVED WITH NO SUCCESS.