Before you buy a 3.6R w/ 5 speed automatic...

[bmp875]

on the other hand ... imagine how annoyed these new car owners are.
Your brand new car hesitates and lurches. Yikes.
Sounds like a safety issue.
Seems someone at SOA should have experienced this before release.

[mchristsen]

Originally posted by nipper


Ok I am getting annoyed at some of these.

Do you think that software is just magically fixed overnight with a magic wand, no it is not. In a car which has to meet stringent emissions you cant just throw software fixes at a car, as they need to be tested. There are 100's of combinations of enviormental as well as driver inputs that have to be evaluated, along with actually FINDING where the glitch is in the software.

Since many cars not only subaru have this issue to some degree (Toyota etc) so thats telling me they may not know what is causing it. Look how long a recall action by the NHTSA takes, sopme of them can take well over a year, maybe 2. The first thing to do before fixing anything is to find the root cause of it. There are 1000's of lines of code, and 1000's of algorythms that need to be ruled out and disected. this is not going to happen over night. This may not even happen in a few months.


nipper

Nipper

By trade I am a systems integrator of micro and macro electronics, so I understand the process does not happen overnight. My annoyance was the attitude of the dealer. They were informed of the issue prior and were to investigate it with my input. I would be surprised if there is a fix within 12-24 months.

I like this car and am a willing participant in helping the manufacturer investigate a potential issue.

M

[bheinen74]

maybe this hesitation is similar to the problematic delay upon shifting from Park to Drive of the 1999 Outbacks.
A can of TransX slip stop fixed that issue for hundreds of people.

might be a seal thats not quite right on the pressure pumps.....

[darrelld]

I have only had this happen twice, both times it seems as if the transmission is trying to make a decision on which gear to select. Then it feels as if the torque converter goes into a higher rpm stall before engaging the proper gear.

Maybe they started using Toyota transmission shift algorithms as my Lexus has this to a degree.

[mchristsen]

Originally posted by darrelld
I have only had this happen twice, both times it seems as if the transmission is trying to make a decision on which gear to select. Then it feels as if the torque converter goes into a higher rpm stall before engaging the proper gear.

Maybe they started using Toyota transmission shift algorithms as my Lexus has this to a degree.

Exactly how it feels.

[tom.lanning]

Originally posted by nipper


Ok I am getting annoyed at some of these.

Do you think that software is just magically fixed overnight with a magic wand, no it is not. In a car which has to meet stringent emissions you cant just throw software fixes at a car, as they need to be tested. There are 100's of combinations of enviormental as well as driver inputs that have to be evaluated, along with actually FINDING where the glitch is in the software.

Since many cars not only subaru have this issue to some degree (Toyota etc) so thats telling me they may not know what is causing it. Look how long a recall action by the NHTSA takes, sopme of them can take well over a year, maybe 2. The first thing to do before fixing anything is to find the root cause of it. There are 1000's of lines of code, and 1000's of algorythms that need to be ruled out and disected. this is not going to happen over night. This may not even happen in a few months.


nipper

I agree with what you say, but a company that really cares about its customers would at least let the customers know (through their dealer network and website) that the company knows it is a problem and is looking for a solution. As a new-to-Subaru Outback owner, I was hoping they were a little more in tune with the times.

[mchristsen]

Originally posted by tom.lanning


I agree with what you say, but a company that really cares about its customers would at least let the customers know (through their dealer network and website) that the company knows it is a problem and is looking for a solution. As a new-to-Subaru Outback owner, I was hoping they were a little more in tune with the times.

I was very happy and surprised that a customer service agent from SOA contacted me concerning the hesitation issue. At this point, they are in reactive mode to truely determine the cause of the issue. Proactively going out and contact consumers may cause more harm then good; basically a "the sky is falling" affect. Dealerships will be inundated with customers and would flood the service channel with unnecessary requests.

At this point it is an annoyance. It has not injured anyone, nor caused a fatality. Although, if a consumer has raised this (or any other) issue with SOA directly, then a kindly worded letter to the consumer might be a nice jesture.

M

[davidpweis]

Originally posted by NSFW
After being very excited about a new Outback, this issue, and the many others I've been hearing about, are why I opted for the new 2010 4runner instead.

It is funny though that the only SUV in MotorTrend's "SUV of the Year" competition got beat by the Outback. They should have called it the "CUV/Wagon of the Year" competition instead.

NSFW: Wrong decision. This is a much better car

[davidpweis]

I'm noticing the hesitation also on my new 3.6 limited. symptons are the same, but the way it happens is pretty much different.

The general point is that you take your foot off the gas...SPeed, gear, don't matter.

The car idol's, then drops another 1-2rpm as it confirms no more go is needed.

Press your gas pedel down, say 1/4 to all the way, and you'll get a hesitation.

The further down it goes, the longer the hesitation.

Thats it.

D

[szeichdog]

I believe this is a programming issue related to the drive-by-wire. It also occurs on my '09. Very similar to the hesitation while the turbo comes up to speed on my volvo.

[o313]

My 2005 OBXT 5EAT and my 2007 OB 2.5 are the same. Smash the pedal or just 50-75% and the **** tranny has to wake up realize whats going on and then respond with a slow ass downshift.