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transmission issues
prndldriver
Member Posts: 21
Our usually reliable Forester has had a few issues recently. Currently, the car occasionally lurches forward while I'm driving. It feels like the car is figuring out that it needs to move into the next gear. It feels a little bit like it's on a rubber band and the car is pulled back and then pushed faster There's also a slight grinding sound sometimes while just driving.
The car has 134,000 miles. We took it to our good mechanic who said it was a transmission problem and thought it would be something with the computer. He sent us to the transmission repair shop that he trusts. The transmission guys seem to want to put in a new transmission because they say the problem is internal. It's going to cost about $3400.
I'm looking through this forum and realize that transmission problems are common with Foresters, maybe? How many transmission problems do Foresters have? Does the cost seem reasonable? Should we get a second opinion from another transmission group? How long should we keep this car?
Thanks!
The car has 134,000 miles. We took it to our good mechanic who said it was a transmission problem and thought it would be something with the computer. He sent us to the transmission repair shop that he trusts. The transmission guys seem to want to put in a new transmission because they say the problem is internal. It's going to cost about $3400.
I'm looking through this forum and realize that transmission problems are common with Foresters, maybe? How many transmission problems do Foresters have? Does the cost seem reasonable? Should we get a second opinion from another transmission group? How long should we keep this car?
Thanks!
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Comments
https://forums.edmunds.com/discussion/19874/subaru/forester/2015-subaru-forester-transmission-issues#latest
Yours is an automatic, correct? Don't think the CVT was available in the 2009. Possible it's a computer issue, but if there is an internal mechanical issue, replacement may be a more practical option than rebuild/repair.
Assuming the car is generally sound otherwise, it's then down to the question of how much life do I expect to get out of the vehicle, assuming the tranny fix gets things back to normal. If $3,400 gets me another 5 years (assuming nothing else major seems likely to happen), maybe I go that way. If there are other things starting to happen that are going to be relatively pricey to fix, I might decide it's time to move on.
Knock on wood, I haven't had a tranny issue like this forcing my hand, but there does come a time when the cost of repairs start to point me towards a new ride.
I like the new Foresters and still think it's a great SUV. But we had a Subaru Impreza last 23 years without too many problems. So it's sad that this Forester doesn't seem to have the same longevity.
The other approach might be to put that $3,400 towards a new vehicle that you get now, reducing your new payment.
$1,000 on a repair followed by the transmission would have me thinking that it might be time.
On the other hand, if you don't want to buy new or near/new, then that same $3,500 you "saved" isn't going to buy you very much in a used car--just someone else's headache.
I don't think Subarus of your "era" deserve a reputation for longevity as the older ones might. I think they're pretty much spent at 150K--175K. So you might count on another 2-3 years of use but I wouldn't count on much more than that.
Maybe it would be a good idea to have the entire car assessed before installing a new transmission. How are the tires? The brakes? The catalytic? Cooling system and AC? The point being--are there other major expenses just down the road that you could anticipate? If your tires are at 4/32 and your brakes at 4mm, there's another easy $1,000 bucks in 5000 miles.
I had a 2014 WRX Hatchback before and besides me driving it like a sports car that it is...blown engine at 30,000, 3 clutches within 200 miles because the technicians didnt replace all clutch and throw out bearing and pressure plate at once...i saved conversation where they said, ooopss you took to long to reply to us(which was 30sec) so we just put it back the wayit was!, cv boots out, suspension blowing out and power steering out all between 30k-40k...so i got rid of it!!!!! I ate 7k in upside down cash to get out of a helll hole and got a 2012 2.5x premium forester!!! Automatic and nice. 1 month after getting it...oil leak on top heads and loss of power...told and showed dealer they didnt fix....luckily i took pics and sent to subaru of america and said i will f**kin sue..they joyfully ask me to come back for “Oil Consumption Test” then 3 weeks of having my car again they said you are only a 8 and it needs to be a 10...what a f**kin joke they are!!!! So i paid the 500 bucks. It ran smooth than i hit 50k finally and i dont race, no mods and regular, regular services...my transmission lunges into gear, sounds like knocks in lock rpms cruising, ac pump/clutch went out, terrible acceleration and like someone else said...even in sport mode i step on gas...i watch gas gauge drop fast and my car goes nowhere...Subarus response to me over these past years is that there is NOTHING WRONG, THIS IS HOW ITS SUPPOSE TO RUN!!!
The worst cars ever nowadays, another company that made great products, then got big, sold out to mass produce and now its about the american dream...Greed!!!
my opinion....buy a Toyota!!!