Transmission/Warranty Question

[BRH]

I have a 2001 Forester that has just gone over 60K miles within the past
3 weeks. Just before it reached that point, I brought it in to the
dealer for service because I was experiencing a problem with the
transmission as follows:

First thing in the morning -- the very first time that the car gets up
to speed (around 40mph), the automatic transmission "lurches" from 3rd
to 4th gear (or maybe it's 2nd to 3rd gear). In other words, the
transmission seems to be stuck in the lower gear a tad too long and
finally does a rough upshift late. After that the transmission works
fine -- nice and smooth.

As I said I brought it into Subaru who, of course, could not duplicate
the problem, but they suggested that I have a "power-flush" of
transmission fluid done. I agreed, and it was done. Nonetheless, this
behavior at the beginning of the day has persisted.

So, I have a few questions:

1. Is this a problem that I should be concerned about?
2. If so, any ideas on what the cause of this symptom might be?
3. Should I go back to Subaru about this? (I'm over 60K now, so the
"drivetrain" warranty has expired now.)
4. If it's something that would have been addressed under warranty had
it been correctly diagnosed, what's the best way to proceed to have
Subaru make good on it? (In other words, if they mis-diagnosed while I
was still under warranty, I feel that they should still cover the
correct repair.)

Any thoughts about this are appreciated.

Thanks!
Bert

 

[mulder]

I have a 2001 Forester that has just gone over 60K miles within the past
3 weeks. Just before it reached that point, I brought it in to the
dealer for service because I was experiencing a problem with the
transmission as follows:

First thing in the morning -- the very first time that the car gets up
to speed (around 40mph), the automatic transmission "lurches" from 3rd
to 4th gear (or maybe it's 2nd to 3rd gear). In other words, the
transmission seems to be stuck in the lower gear a tad too long and
finally does a rough upshift late. After that the transmission works
fine -- nice and smooth.

As I said I brought it into Subaru who, of course, could not duplicate
the problem, but they suggested that I have a "power-flush" of
transmission fluid done. I agreed, and it was done. Nonetheless, this
behavior at the beginning of the day has persisted.

So, I have a few questions:

1. Is this a problem that I should be concerned about?
2. If so, any ideas on what the cause of this symptom might be?
3. Should I go back to Subaru about this? (I'm over 60K now, so the
"drivetrain" warranty has expired now.)
4. If it's something that would have been addressed under warranty had
it been correctly diagnosed, what's the best way to proceed to have
Subaru make good on it? (In other words, if they mis-diagnosed while I
was still under warranty, I feel that they should still cover the
correct repair.)

Any thoughts about this are appreciated.

Thanks!
Bert

I would think that as long as you brought the car to a dealer and had
the problem documented before the warranty expired, that they should
continue with the troubleshooting and repair at no charge. Should they
refuse to do so you might want to contact SOA.

 

[Carl 1 Lucky Texan]

I have a 2001 Forester that has just gone over 60K miles within the past
3 weeks. Just before it reached that point, I brought it in to the
dealer for service because I was experiencing a problem with the
transmission as follows:

First thing in the morning -- the very first time that the car gets up
to speed (around 40mph), the automatic transmission "lurches" from 3rd
to 4th gear (or maybe it's 2nd to 3rd gear). In other words, the
transmission seems to be stuck in the lower gear a tad too long and
finally does a rough upshift late. After that the transmission works
fine -- nice and smooth.

As I said I brought it into Subaru who, of course, could not duplicate
the problem, but they suggested that I have a "power-flush" of
transmission fluid done. I agreed, and it was done. Nonetheless, this
behavior at the beginning of the day has persisted.

So, I have a few questions:

1. Is this a problem that I should be concerned about?
2. If so, any ideas on what the cause of this symptom might be?
3. Should I go back to Subaru about this? (I'm over 60K now, so the
"drivetrain" warranty has expired now.)
4. If it's something that would have been addressed under warranty had
it been correctly diagnosed, what's the best way to proceed to have
Subaru make good on it? (In other words, if they mis-diagnosed while I
was still under warranty, I feel that they should still cover the
correct repair.)

Any thoughts about this are appreciated.

Thanks!
Bert

If you complained about it before the warranty period was up I would
expect Subaru would still warranty any work done related to it IF they
determined there was a problem. I'd say, try reseting the ECU
(disconnect the ground terminal from the battery, hit the brake pedal,
wait 15-30 minutes, reconnect everything) and monitor the car for a
coupla days. If it persists, take it back and tell them it's still bad.
When they say it's normal (point out they shouldn't have done the power
flush), ask for the keys to another Forester that hasn't been driven and
invite the service guy for a ride. If they still are uninterested in
pursuing the problem as a warranty - ask for the regional manager's
involvement.

Carl

 

[Edward Hayes]

My 2000 Forester AT does the same thing when cold. I'm told the trans
will not shift till the fluid tempter gets above a specific
temperature unless you force it. Mine has been doing this since new.
If yours is extremely pronounced then you should be covered since you
have had it documented I hope at the dealer.

 

[BRH]

Thanks for your thoughts on this.

What do you mean by "unless you force it"? I don't think this is
something that's been happening as long as I've had the car. I would
have noticed it earlier if it was, I think.

I doubt that it's a temperature issue because a) I live in Richmond VA
and the morning temps in the summer can be pretty darn high., and b) it
always affects only one upshift between specific gears, and only once.
With temperature variances from day to day, I would think that the
number of "shifts" affected would vary as well.

I don't normally let the engine warm up before pulling away. However, I
drive very slowly (15-20 mph) out of my subdivision (1/4/mile) before
accelerating onto the street, so the engine is at least a little warm by
that time. That's where the problem shows itself -- on that first
acceleration when I get onto the main street -- and yes, I do accelerate
slowly.

That said, I'll try warming up the car until the temp gauge moves
tomorrow morning and see if that makes any difference.

 

[MN]

That said, I'll try warming up the car until the temp gauge moves tomorrow
morning and see if that makes any difference.

I think you need to warm up the transmission more so than
the engine. Try driving it a bit longer than your customary
1/4 mile before accelerating, and see if that makes any difference.

MN

 

[Edward Hayes]

By forcing it I mean I usually shift when rpm is about 2400 and my AT
will stay in 2nd for an additional 15? seconds UNLESS I gibe it more
gas. I live in Florida and my AT does it so cold transmission fluid
may be anything less than 130 degrees? ed

 

[JohnO]

By forcing it I mean I usually shift when rpm is about 2400 and my AT will

stay in 2nd for an additional 15? seconds UNLESS I gibe it more gas. I
live in Florida and my AT does it so cold transmission fluid may be
anything less than 130 degrees? ed

Mine does this from first to second, same conditions. Even after it sits on
black asphalt on a 95-degree day, (my OBW is all black) it still wants to
bang/lurch into 2nd if I accelerate modestly. If I idle into 2nd at 1500
rpm, it's smooth. If I push hard from a stop at irt shifts at 3100, it's
fine. Takes about a mile before the tranny starts working perfectly.

Makes me nuts, I hate it, and hope it doesn't get worse for a couple more
years.

-John O

 

[BRH]

I think you need to warm up the transmission more so than
the engine. Try driving it a bit longer than your customary
1/4 mile before accelerating, and see if that makes any difference.

MN

Well, this morning I didn't pull out until the temp gauge needle moved.
(Idling about 3-4 minutes) ......and the problem went away. The
transmission shifted smoothly from the get-go, so what was said about
temps may well be correct.

I'll try this again over the next few days.

 

[ed]

Have an Eagle Summit Wagon that won't shift into 3rd until the engine has
been running for 4 minutes when started from cold, the time controlled by
the ECU. It's always exactly 4 minutes before the shift, and it does lurch a
bit the 1st time it shifts. If you rev the engine over 3000 rpm, however, it
will shift before the 4 minute mark. I read that some manufacturers do this
to ensure the catalytic warms up quickly to reduce emmissions.
The transmission will also not go into torque converter lock up until it is
fully warmed up, several kilometres in the summer, and about 10 in winter.
I found Lucas Trans additive to be very good for smoothing the shifting,
although if the shift is delayed by the ECU, no additive will help.
Ed B