That is a bit surprising, I don't recall reading about any limitations, but I also don't recall ever coming across this issue on a Gen 5. Guess you're just past the powertrain warranty, which I'd expect would have covered it (6 years IIRC). Anyway, $300 wouldn't bother me too much considering you'll likely be getting most of the fluid changed out along with a reseal. Hard to imagine the SoA rep would be wrong but I guess it never hurts to confirm.

 

My 2016 outback has 5 years 60k powertrain warranty. I was referring to the CVT warranty extension of 10 years. Leak on the cvt pan is not included in that extension as per Subaru.

 

I had a similar issue with a Dodge Durango and it was covered by the extended warranty the original owner transferred to me. Perhaps Subaru has different terms but it wouldn't hurt to shop around and hopefully have the whole thing covered.

I'm not an extended warranty fan, you pay for it and never use it or when you actually need it the fine print comes out and you're not covered....

 

Doesn't sound like the OP purchased a Subaru extended warranty (IMO, not worth it on a Subaru, wouldn't have paid off on either of mine at least). There are different types and plan options, so it may or may not have covered this, but it's certainly possible. Gotta place your bet and live with it.

 

Was the CVT pan used to jack up the vehicle or damaged off road? Having a CVT pan leak seems to be fairly rare. Is your extended warranty direct from Subaru? If so it seems to indicate transaxle case, seals and gaskets are covered in the transmission?

 

The cvt pan was never used to jack up the vehicle. The tech inspected it and cvt pan has no damage at all. But the oil is seeping out of one of the bolts. I was gonna do my own cvt fluid drain and fill and noticed the seepage. Thank goodness i have not bought my cvt fluid yet.

 

I think you're getting a generous deal from SOA. New seal/gasket and full CVT fluid refill for $300? I don't see the problem.

 

You might try SOA again and ask about the specifics of the original power train warranty.

The warranty extension had this verbiage:

"In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is extending the New Car
Limited Powertrain Warranty coverage for the Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) on the
above listed models and model years from the original five (5) years or sixty thousand (60,000) miles
(whichever comes first) to ten (10) years or one-hundred thousand (100,000) miles (whichever comes
first). This change is not in response to any specific condition, rather it is to provide customers with
added assurance regarding the function and overall performance of their CVT. "

ok, great - it extends the New Car Limited Powertrain Warranty. Looking that up for a 2016, this is what it shows:

yes, I suppose the SOA offer is generous... but then they need to explain and clarify what constitutes "seals and gaskets" for the transmission because that is what is covered under the extended warranty.

Attached are the 2016 warranty and maintenance booklet, and the TSB for the extended warranty of the 2016 models.

 

Figured someone resourceful would dig that up eventually.

 

There's also this TSB that explicitly says this CVT leak is covered under an extended warranty:

Transmission Fluid Seepage - 2012-2020 Subaru

NHTSA ID Number: 10202815

subaru.oemdtc.com

WARRANTY / CLAIM INFORMATION:

For vehicles within the Basic New Car Limited or Powertrain Limited Warranty period or covered by an active Subaru Added Security Powertrain, Classic or Gold plan, this repair may be submitted using the following claim information:

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10185062-0001.pdf

 

There's also this TSB that explicitly says this CVT leak is covered under an extended warranty:

Transmission Fluid Seepage - 2012-2020 Subaru

NHTSA ID Number: 10202815

subaru.oemdtc.com

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2020/MC-10185062-0001.pdf

so does it include the cvt pan leak? I may have to call subaru again to reimburse me.

 

So i got the car back. They only put 8 quarts. I dont think they did the full fluid flush like they said they would. Attached is the image of the invoice.

 

Reading all the posts I suspect that this repair should be covered by the 60,000 mile 5 year Powertrain warranty (the CVT is part of the Powertrain) BUT if it is not covered you have just paid $300 for a CVT fluid change (8 Quarts is the normal fill and you DO NOT want a flush done) and CVT pan reseal.

Some forum members have been quoted $450 or more just to have the CVT fluid change done.

Seagrass

 

Seems there was a free year-specific transmission warranty for gen 5. This may be what the OP was referring to. This was not the "added security" warranty.

 

Finally got a reply from SOA. Here’s the verbatim reply.

“Thank you for contacting Subaru of America Inc. I am sorry to learn that you are experiencing a concern with your Subaru.

The CVT warranty extension is to protect the customer in the event there is an internal failure to the transmission, valve body and or torque converter. It does not cover repairs to due to leaks.

Should you require any further assistance, please feel free to contact us again. Thank you for the opportunity to be of assistance.”

Sincerely,

Martina Brown
Subaru of America, Inc.
Customer Advocacy Department

 

well, you could reply with the owner notification letter at the end of the TSB, and forward a copy of the 2016 warranty. Nowhere in the notification letter does it say it's limited to those three components, it says it extends the powertrain warranty "with respect to the CVT", and under the transmission/differential section, it states "seals and gaskets".

They may still say "no", but you could the question just because. Give them feedback that, if it's only three major components, or a subset of components out of what the powertrain warranty lists, then that should have been made clear in the extension notification.

Or, as @AvidHiker pointed out - if you were going to pay for a CVT fluid drain and fill anyway around this mileage, this way you get it resealed and a CVT drain and fill for the price of a simple drain and fill. That's not a bad way to look at it too - you have to pay for the drain and fill part (labor and materials), and they're covering the materials and labor of the resealing part of the job.

Depends on how you look at the situation I guess.

attached last two pages (the notification letter) in case you want to ask them about it. The powertrain limited warranty page is here as a single page too.

 

i emailed again and here’s the reply:


“The CVT warranty extension extends the coverage of what would have been covered under the Powertrain Warranty.(Per the first page and 4th bullet point.)

CVT leaking is not covered under the Powertrain Warranty. It is covered under the New Car Basic Warranty.

Therefore in order for the CVT repair to be completed under the Warranty Extension it would have been initially covered under the Powertrain.”

Confusing response. Am done arguing with them. Just lucky to get a $350 coupon.lol

 

I'd be pissed. My pan leaked under warranty and was repaired, no questions asked. They admitted to me that the issue was caused by the breakdown of the seal due to the compatibility issue between the sealant and the fluid. I had read that this compatibility issue is what prompted the extended warranty in the first place, so in my opinion, that leak should be covered. However, SOA did absolutely nothing for me on a head unit display issue, so I'm not surprised you didn't get very far with them.

 

I had read that this compatibility issue is what prompted the extended warranty in the first place, so in my opinion, that leak should be covered

No. Torque converters and valve bodies were failing.

 

AvidHiker, thanks for clarifying. I didn't know about the gen 4.

A

 

I was under the impression the CVT warranty extension arose from the Gen 4 issues.

 

Yeah, guess the confusion was that they continued the extensions through 2018, well after the torque converter issues had supposedly been fixed.

 

you have to use the same RTV that you use to seal oil pans and timing covers. down side is long cure time

 

Doesn't appear to be anything unusual in the TSB about working with Three Bond 1215 - just apply, assemble and test - but the datasheet indicates 24 hours for full cure.

 

Is there any difference on what they used to seal mine? They used Three Bond 1216J on mine. So far it’s holding up. I drove it up for an hour after i got the card back from dealership.

 

As far as the sealing mentioned. They did need to keep mine overnight so the sealer would cure. They didn't want it driven.

A

 

I dropped off my outback midday and took it back in the afternoon. They did not need to keep mine overnight. No instruction either to not drive it right away.

 

if the dealer will not do it and SOA is unable to assist you can do this job yourself. I will be doing this job on my 5EAT soon enough as the pan is severely rusted and needs replacement