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2018 Crosstrek Transmission Issue?

Model Years 2018 to 2023
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2018 crosstrek cvt transmission noise
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6.2K views 16 replies 7 participants last post by  Arthur  
G
#1 · (Edited)
Hello All,

I posted a video on youtube about a possible transmission issue I have capture.
I am just look for some opinion and advise.

at about 8th seconds

at about 24th seconds

The description of the video / my story is as follows:

I was informed of a transmission issue on my car by the dealership. The car is 2018 Subaru Crosstrek with 72000km on it. Just posting it for second opinion. The noise is capture near the end of the video. The dealership is covering it under warranty. A little geo-background, I am from Ontario, Canada.

According to the info from the service tech, my understanding is that the noise only comes about when the the car is in reverse, "R" and the accelerator is used (so during acceleration and deceleration of reversing). I never noticed it before, because I typically do not use the accelerator in reverse. I am currently a little hesitant to take the warranty (but the dealership already claimed it, so the replacement transmission is on its way to the dealership (approx. 1 week)). I assume it is that 10 years, 160000km CVT one.

There is a little back story, because I took the car to the dealership service last Monday and after they service the brakes (rotor and pads), I had issue reversing in the morning (first start of the day, can post a video of this as well, if interested.) Long story short, that issue was more related to the Parking braking, in my opining, because it comes from the rear. But when they were troubling shooting it, the techs were not aware of the actual issue I am having. I showed the other video to the service rep, but not the tech who work on the car (I did ask them to take a copy, but they did not.) Two hours later they call back telling me it is the transmission, but I was not convince, so I request to meet the tech and showed him the video and then he went to adjust the Parking brake, meanwhile, the dealership still went ahead with the warranty process.

I am a believer of "don't fix something that is not broken" and "keep the car as factory as possible", but I don't have the knowledge to know what is "broken" either. Because I was not aware of this issue before, I am seeking for advice and opinion. My understanding is that this is a job that could cost $8-10k if not in warranty, parts and labour.

Couple questions (to those who might have claim the warranty before):
1) Do you know if it will be replaced with a brand new unit or refraburished ones?
2) How does it impact the warranty after it is replaced? I am ok with the years being the remaining, but would the mileage count restart for that warranty?
3) If I do not take it, can they refuse me from claiming the warranty in the future?

Thank you for your time and any comment/advise is appreciated.
 
#3 ·
Gunvangelion said:
2) How does it impact the warranty after it is replaced? I am ok with the years being the remaining, but would the mileage count restart for that warranty?
Click to expand...
11. IF MY CVT IS REPLACED OR REPAIRED, WHAT ARE THE NEW TERMS OF THE WARRANTY?
Any repairs performed under the CVT Warranty Enhancement Program are warranted for a minimum of 1 year/20,000 km's or the remainder of the total 10 year/160,000km Enhanced Warranty, whichever is greater.

source: CVT Warranty Enhancement Program - Subaru Canada
 
#4 ·
My experience has been that many automatic transmissions make a "whine" noise when accelerating in reverse. That being said, I can't say whether or not our Crosstrek does so or not. Any such noise is going to be amplified in an enclosed parking garage like in your video.
 
G
#7 ·
Hello subyrubyroo,

Unfortunately, that is the thing, I do not know.
I rarely reverse and gas at the same time.
So, I was not aware of the issue until they told me.
In a sense, they told me the transmission have problem and now they are on the hook to replace it.
Meanwhile, the true issue was the parking brake needs to be adjusted all along.
They did adjust the parking brake at the end, based on testing yesterday morning, the orignal issue is gone.
But now I need to decide if I actually want them to replace the CVT, (hence my video in the post above, I am wondering if others hear the "clicking" when they reverse and gas.

Thank you for responding.
 
#8 ·
I haven't come across that specific sound in the past ... but if they're telling you that the transmission is starting to fail, and they're willing to replace it under warranty, I would absolutely go for it. I can't see Subaru authorizing an expensive process like that on a whim, but it would also be reasonable for you to ask them for the technical details on what they say is failing.

If they're right and something is starting to go wrong with the transmission, you run the real risk of a catastrophic failure when you're out on the road sometime in the future, and there's no reason to put yourself at that risk. The replacement process is pretty straightforward, and in the unlikely event there's an issue with the replacement, it'll show up early in the warranty period. Much more likely, though, that the replacement will end up just extending the overall life of your vehicle.
 
S
#9 ·
I would definitely ask about what they claim is wrong with the transmission. Every one has their own opinion but I am of the thought that if there is indeed no problem, you are just asking for some if you let the dealer work on it. I don't care if it's a new or rebuilt tranny, you are at the mercy of the tech which in a lot of cases these days I wouldn't trust to change my oil let alone something major mechanical.
 
G
#10 ·
Hello Montanan and Subyrubyroo,

Yes, that is the dilemma I am having, as I understand warranty are only claim-able when a dealer "approves" it.
However, having someone work on the car, there are prone to be possible error and mistake (yes, they will be on the hook for it, but still.)
On the flip side, it does sort of extend life in a sense that 72000 + 160000 km
I understand that it is quite possible that the CVT itself will last longer then 160000km, but some of the previous gen horror stories doesn't help.

I am actually a big friend of the CVT just because it is "quieter" depending on how you drives it, not to mention the better fuel eco.

I have uploaded a second video in the OP, if anyone one is interested to take a second look.

Thank you all so far
 
#12 ·
Hey...new tranny even if a reman...hopefully a new 160,000 warranty starts from that point forward.
 
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