[matthewb]

Long time Subaru owner (just sold my 18-year old Impreza Outback Sport), 7 other late model Subarus currently in my extended family (don't know how that happened).

Last week, at 327 miles on my new Crosstrek Limited 2022 the check engine light came on (along with RAB off and Eye Sight off, of course). Subaru towed it back to the dealership. Here are my notes from what the dealership said they found:

The error code was for "transmission fluid pressure." They found that the wiring harness for this sensor had been incorrectly routed when installed at the factory. It was pulled too tight and was causing an intermittent connection. (And that there were no actual mechanical difficulties with the transmission.) The assistant service manager said that "out of an abundance of caution" she had ordered a replacement harness to install.

My questions:

• Has anyone heard of this mistake occurring before?
• Does this make sense (anyone know how the wiring to the sensor on the transmission runs and how it might be routed incorrectly)?

Then it gets better. They said they re-routed the wiring to the sensor: all fixed for now. They told me it was fine while they waited for the harness. "Even for my upcoming trip to the U.P. of Michigan and on to Northern Minnesota where I'll be far away from Subaru dealerships at times?" "Certainly," they said.

As I drove away from the dealership the Christmas tree lights lit back up. I turned around. I was sent home with a loaner (2021 Crosstrek Premium, nice to have almost the same car).

The next morning they told me the "master tech." did not work on Friday's and so it would wait for him until Monday. They would not even pull the new codes until then. But the assistant service manager was sure that the wire to the sensor must have been more stressed/damaged than they assumed and that they will find the same error code on Monday and that the wiring harness needs to be replaced.

They say it will be a two-day job, taking over 10 hours. What? One of the service representatives said that the wiring to sensors may not be a single wire, but come as a harness leading to various sensors, so lots of work. I asked if the transmission would be dropped for the service. Yes, they said.

And now the icing on the cake, this is all from a dealership in my town recently under new ownership that lied to me repeatedly during the purchase process (I couldn't find the same model elsewhere so I suffered through their four-hour routine, refusing their various "required" extra charges and services). Clearly this has become a dealership to avoid. I had no intention of further interaction with them (not knowing if the values of the new owners would effect the hiring and behavior in service as it had in sales, but assuming it might). But this is the only local dealership so it is where Subaru had the car towed when it failed nearby. I knew the prior service manager and had learned I could trust him. I don't know the new crowd in the service department now (yes, they all seem to have changed, at least out front).

Any thoughts on how concerned I should be about this upcoming operation to "replace the wiring harness" that includes the wiring to the transmission sensor represented to me as a 10 hour plus job?

Of course, this is all happening under warranty.

I will be reaching out to the SOA customer representatives to explain the situation. (As well as submitting to the Web page they have where they solicit feedback on dealerships to describe the dishonesty we encountered during the purchase.) But for now my first concern is about the work that may begin on the car tomorrow and whether I'll be able to trust the car fresh off this repair when we head north later in the week.

Any thoughts?

 

[erader]

Any thoughts?

unfortunately your new car has a problem. it happens. glad to see you got a comparable loaner car. good luck!

 

[matthewb]

I certainly hope I'm naive about this. But, as I pointed out, I'm (almost accidentally) dealing with a dealership with questionable ethics that is not keeping me in the loop very well.

(And who would be pleased to see this sort of problem on a 300-mile new car just before they drove up into the woods with it?)

That said, sorry about the long original post.

My central questions are:

• whether anyone has encountered a mis-routed wiring harness from the factory in a similar fashion,
• if anyone is familiar with the harness that runs to the transmission sensor involved (that would be involved in a, as reported to me "transmission fluid pressure" warning),
• what issues I might expect or be on the look out for as they replace it,
• and if 10 hours plus (they actually originally said "2 to 3 days") is a reasonable ballpark for this (again, implying that they are going to have to disassemble a lot to remove and reinstall this harness).

Not having much trust in this dealership, I'm hoping to know the right questions and be on the look out for where I should be aware as I work through this. If anyone can help, much appreciated. And, again, sorry for the long original post.

Thanks.

 

[erader]

I certainly hope I'm naive about this. But, as I pointed out, I'm (almost accidentally) dealing with a dealership with questionable ethics that is not keeping me in the loop very well.

(And who would be pleased to see this sort of problem on a 300-mile new car just before they drove up into the woods with it?)

That said, sorry about the long original post.

My central questions are:

• whether anyone has encountered a mis-routed wiring harness from the factory in a similar fashion,
• if anyone is familiar with the harness that runs to the transmission sensor involved (that would be involved in a, as reported to me "transmission fluid pressure" warning),
• what issues I might expect or be on the look out for as they replace it,
• and if 10 hours plus (they actually originally said "2 to 3 days") is a reasonable ballpark for this (again, implying that they are going to have to disassemble a lot to remove and reinstall this harness).

Not having much trust in this dealership, I'm hoping to know the right questions and be on the look out for where I should be aware as I work through this. If anyone can help, much appreciated. And, again, sorry for the long original post.

Thanks.

dealerships are a case of the 90% giving the 10% a bad name. the only time i go to a dealership is for warranty issues and i expect BS and the runaround, and occasionally i am pleasantly surprised.

i recently took my 2004 tundra reluctantly to a dealership for two recalls. air bags and ball joints. had to wait a couple months for the parts. dropped the truck off in the morning and i was supposed to get in back that evening. took five days to get my truck back. recently noticed a shaking on the free way at 70 mph. so i had the front tires balanced. the problem persists and i'll bet it has something to do with the ball joints or alignment.

in five years and 110k miles my 2016 crosstrek never saw a dealership. i hope that's the case with my 2021 sport!

 

[sas-XV]

2020 Limited here, and I have never heard of this particular issue arise before.

 

[matthewb]

Just spoke with the service rep., the code is P0842 "Transmission Control Module (TCM) failure, Transmission fluid level is low, Transmission fluid pressure sensor failure, Wiring issue." And yes, this second time it was the same code. They say they've never seen a car come from the factory with a mistake in the harness like this. Lucky me. (It was a good interaction just now on the phone. Here's hoping this goes well with them. It might.) The new harness is now due to arrive tomorrow.

 

[JoeKerr]

What the dealer service department has told you seems reasonable. That they have given you a loaner is a a good sign -- I am fairly certain my local dealer would not have done that. Still, I think it is a good practice to avoid dealer service departments whenever possible.

Are you missing that 18-year old Impreza Outback Sport yet? My '01 that was replaced by the '18 Crosstrek was a lot more fun to drive, got better gas mileage, and was generally more reliable and more solidly built.

 

[JustOneMoreSmurf]

Now would be a good time to familiarize yourself with your states “lemon law”. Depending on the state, the manufacturer may have a maximum number of attempts or a maximum number of days to fix your vehicle stemming from the same problem. You certainly meet the time and mileage requirements for such a law, but some states have more consumer friendly laws. In my state, if they exceed the max number of repair attempts or days in possession for a vehicle for the first several years or 60k miles, then they have to replace the vehicle. There are lots of lawyers that specialize in lemon law cases.

 

[orndog]

Personally, once repaired I would ask for an extended warranty. Ask the dealership (who will say no), then call SOA and ask again.

 

[GSBruce]

As JustOneMoreSmurf said above, learn your state's Lemon Law, and figure out when the clock started on your car.

 

[DockingPilot]

Not much you can do, but personally I wouldn’t like it one bit.
Dropping the trans on my brand new car?
Yea, no I wouldn’t be happy about that. You cause for concern is warranted

 

[Macgyver452]

You may burn up some cash retaining a lawyer, but eventually Subaru will buy back the car if repairs and time build up. In Michigan for example, the max is 30 days in the shop and 4 repairs. If either of these happen within 1 year of ownership - some paperwork needs to be filed, but Subaru cuts you a check for the total cost of the vehicle.

Sounds like assembly was just due to incompetence or negligence.

 

[matthewb]

Another update: They received the replacement wiring harness last night and installed it today. They were pushing me to pick up the car late this afternoon and trust it for my trip that begins early tomorrow morning. They said they would give the car two long test drives to be sure it was fixed. The assistant manager has said from the beginning that I could take the loaner on the trip if necessary and suddenly today the service manager (someone new since the dealership ownership change, not the fellow I knew before and trusted) said "their loaners cannot go out of state." At this point, with this dealership, I assume this was made up to get them out of having offered it for the trip previously when now it might not be absolutely necessary. For whatever reason, that had not been the rule just a day ago (and wait for it, it will change again in a moment).

I just got a call. They finished the work 20 minutes ago and the car then threw the same error code. So they are back to telling me to drive the loaner on our trip (no mention at all of the brief rule that loaners could not go out of state, I didn't press her on the discrepency). The assistant service manager says that they now have to review their work to see if they made an error anywhere, and if not, look for an alternative cause.

Thanks for the reminders about reviewing the lemon laws here (Michigan). I went to the State of Michigan AG page a few days ago to make sure I was up to speed on the law and I'm keeping copious notes on each interaction. I'm also keeping my communication with the SOA Customer Advocacy Department up-to-date, though they have not replied yet.

Thanks for your comments. Wish I were here in the forum for happier reasons. Perhaps we'll get there in a week or two.

What the dealer service department has told you seems reasonable. That they have given you a loaner is a a good sign -- I am fairly certain my local dealer would not have done that. Still, I think it is a good practice to avoid dealer service departments whenever possible.

Are you missing that 18-year old Impreza Outback Sport yet? My '01 that was replaced by the '18 Crosstrek was a lot more fun to drive, got better gas mileage, and was generally more reliable and more solidly built.

Yes! (But hope/expect I'll get beyond that before too long. Certainly things that were slightly more solid on the 2004 are a bit less so in the build of this car.)

 

[orndog]

If a harness was pulled so badly it was damaged, I'd assume it would damage the what it plugs into as well. Just a thought. Enjoy putting miles on the loaner, let them work, and take the issue one day at a time. Good job on keeping notes, that's what will do the most in the future.

 

[bikenski]

Wow, what a terrible experience with a brand new car. Just goes to show that no matter how reliable a car is based on statistics and predictions, there is always a chance of a faulty part or installation error.

Out of curiosity, which month was your car produced?

No issues with mine yet (knock on wood,) but I do have some concerns since it was built in February, during the timeframe when the production line kept shutting down and restarting.

 

[matthewb]

If a harness was pulled so badly it was damaged, I'd assume it would damage the what it plugs into as well. Just a thought. Enjoy putting miles on the loaner, let them work, and take the issue one day at a time. Good job on keeping notes, that's what will do the most in the future.

Good point about possible damage to the connector where the harness plugs into the transmission (I assume). At this point I'm out of the direct trouble shooting loop so will just have to wait and see.

And you're exactly right, putting the miles on their car rather than mine is the silver lining. When we get back from our trip there are 1,600 miles that won't be on the new car. Here's hoping that is the only permanent legacy of all this.

 

[matthewb]

Out of curiosity, which month was your car produced?

No issues with mine yet (knock on wood,) but I do have some concerns since it was built in February, during the timeframe when the production line kept shutting down and restarting.

Interesting. I don't know when it was assembled. I assume this would be on a badge in the engine compartment or on the door frame? I'll have to look when I can.

 

[matthewb]

If a harness was pulled so badly it was damaged, I'd assume it would damage the what it plugs into as well. Just a thought. Enjoy putting miles on the loaner, let them work, and take the issue one day at a time. Good job on keeping notes, that's what will do the most in the future.

They've just called me again to say that the technician has finished his next round of trouble shooting and has put in an order for a "transmission pressure switch." (I may not have heard that exactly as spoken, but something close to that.) I've tried to search on this part to see an image (no luck so far), but I wonder if it does receive a connection from the harness and therefore reinforce this theory of the tight harness damaging "what what it plugs into as well."

The part is, of course, not in stock. So there will be another few days wait before they finish the next guess-replace-and-test cycle.

 

[Macgyver452]

Thanks for the reminders about reviewing the lemon laws here (Michigan). I went to the State of Michigan AG page a few days ago to make sure I was up to speed on the law and I'm keeping copious notes on each interaction. I'm also keeping my communication with the SOA Customer Advocacy Department up-to-date, though they have not replied yet.

I'd actually pickup the car when you can knowing full well they didn't test anything. An incompetent dealer speeds along this process. You'll get new service paperwork and get the 4 repairs logged in no time. Also, the dealer won't care about you filing for a lemon. It's SOA that buys the car back. The dealer will gladly sell you another car.

 

[bikenski]

Interesting. I don't know when it was assembled. I assume this would be on a badge in the engine compartment or on the door frame? I'll have to look when I can.

Driver's side door frame, on the same sticker that has the tire size & pressure information. Mine says "MFD IN 02/22."