A low pitched moan >might< be normal for the Subaru CVT but if you've had it for over a year and this is a new sound then definitely have the dealer look at it as soon as possible, If you're not sure if this sound was pre-existing but you never noticed it before, then a link to a video with audio would help us at least say if our cars sound like yours. A parking garage reflects and magnifies sounds that you might not normally hear.

There was one member who states that their car had an under-filled differential and that the dealer took care of it - but that was only one anecdotal report so I think it's still highly improbable but anything can happen. I can't recall exactly what his symptoms were but I don't think it was a low pitched moan. If I come across his post I'll link it in this thread.

 

Thanks for your quick response! I put together a video demonstrating the “moan” I described in my original post, as well as a “squeak” that the transmission makes when it’s shifted into drive.

 

I think I found it - it wasn't the differential it was the CVT. His transmission was a TR580 and yours is a TR690 but both operate essentially the same way.

2021 Subaru Outback Premium - transmission fluid...

We have a brand new (purchased ~4 weeks ago, ~400 miles) 2021 Subaru Outback Premium. A week ago, while driving in a city downtown, the car stopped responding and the engine began revving -- almost as if it had shifted into neutral. (It was in drive.) Luckily no other cars were nearby, but had...

www.subaruoutback.org

 

That momentary chirp is louder than normal, and the sound your transmission makes when you turn is definitely not normal. Thanks so much for the video because it will serve as a reference for future owners who have the same thing. Please update us on what Subaru says - definitely not normal sounds!

 

Thanks! I’ll give the dealer a call tomorrow and get it in for service. Will provide an update when I have one.

 

Our family has had about 7 Subarus over the years.... this 'groan' you describe sounds like a normal Subaru AWD sound.

You may notice that as you apply more torque... the sound gets more intense.

Short technical explanation:
When you are turning sharp, the outside tires are spinning faster than the inside tires. To the AWD system, this looks like tire-slip. Hence, the AWD system starts to react. This puts the driveline under stress. If you accelerate, the sound gets louder... again because the AWD system is kicking in even more to send the torque to various wheels.

I usually hear the 'groan' most loudly when vehicle is stopped pointing uphill and I have to accelerate away while turning. (like from a stop sign and accelerate turning left.)

In my mind, it tells me the AWD system is "at the ready" and working as expected.

On a related subject: We once owned "Full Time Four Wheel Drive" Honda Cvicc. If vehicle was coasting in a straight line in parking-lot. then turn the wheels sharply into parking-space... .the vehicle would SUDDENLY slow down as the AWD system kicked in and caused torque-bind within the driveline. It always felt as if someone hit the brakes as soon as the front wheels were turned sharply.
That Honda had a simple viscous-coupling in the center differential.

 

@brucep did you listen to the video? I've had 4 Subarus and none of them have ever sounded like that even in a full lock turn.

 

@brucep did you listen to the video?

Nope - Did not even know there was a video until you mentioned it.
I read the original append and posted my thoughts based on those comments.

 

No appointments available at the dealer for a month. (They have online scheduling.) I’m taking this vehicle on a pretty long road trip between now and my scheduled appointment. Should I try to get it in earlier?

 

I would call the dealer and explain the situation and insist on them seeing it earlier, or for them to take the car and give you a rental unless they insist that it's safe to drive (which would shock me if they do). Try to escalate it to Subaru of America if need be - the video is pretty convincing that it's not normal and problems like this can get worse quickly.

Also don't call it a low moan - those words could very well describe a normal sound - but yours doesn't sound normal.

edit: Also if you get in touch with them ask them if you should have it towed in or if it's safe to drive it in. If it were my car I would rather it be properly towed in.

 

I would be interested in what you find out. I started with a pretty smooth drive train. Then the chirp started. I was told it was normal even though it got louder with more miles, also now it chirps be hen I go into reverse. When the car first starts up and you make a turn the front end vibrates. It goes away when it warms up, but after warm up, on a hard turn it moans. Actually you should roll down the window and you can hear it better. I am also getting a shudder when cold that feels like the torque converter is slipping and it is finally getting bad enough they cannot explain it away. Been a hard road. It is frustrating because it has a whopping 25,000 miles. I would be interested in what they find on yours. I will try to get a video of my noise for comparison. Also it does not get better with time, at least not in my experience. Good luck!

 

For reference, @Robert.Mauro made a thread about the normal chirp, but the chirp I heard in the video seemed quite a bit louder than what I would consider normal - so simply saying you hear a chirp doesn't mean there's a problem, but that doesn't necessarily mean that every chirp is normal. All Ascents have a TR690, the same transmission in the 2020+ Outback XT but the non-turbo has the TR580 and I don't know if it also chirps.

Let's talk about the CVT chirp...

Let's talk about the chirp... Here's why your Subaru Ascent chirps when shifting out of park. "...the CVT (filling) up both primary and secondary pulleys (causes) this chirping noise and at times a surging until pressure equalizes. Noise is considered normal." That's from a 2016 post...

www.ascentforums.com

 

That all sound like something is loose. Hopefully they can figure it out and get it fixed for you.

 

This came up quite a bit in the early days of Gen 5 - a deep moan/groan when accelerating from a stop, with the wheels turned sharply, is normal. Coming from a 2006 Impreza, this noise was new to me, maybe it's just louder in the Outback and I never really noticed before.

But the "moan" while turning in the video sounds a lot higher pitched to me. It's also not from a stop, and not when accelerating, just when the wheel reaches a certain point. I've never experienced anything like that. If it were my car, I'd assume something was wrong and get it to a dealer. The chirp when shifting into drive, while it sounds unusually loud in the video (could just be the garage acoustics), is normal and a result of the high idle on a cold engine. It generally should not happen when restarting a warm engine.

 

The car has electric power steering so it's not a power steering pump - do electric racks make weird noises?

 

Definitely not power steering. I don’t leave the wheel “cranked hard” all the way to either side.

Update from my phone call with dealer: They’re getting me in first thing Monday morning and giving me a rental until they can do a diagnosis. I’ll provide an update when I hear more.

 

UPDATE: Subaru is replacing my transmission. Thank you to all who commented!

 

So, they determined that moaning noise was the transmission?

 

If the noise was just a one time thing and you can't reproduce it then it's hard for them to do anything with it. Intermittent noises could be anything. Once the noise becomes consistent then they can take action. If you can reproduce the noise could you to capture a video and put a link to it here we can at least give a better armchair opinion? Also try to be as detailed as possible about what you're experiencing - "weirdness" and "quirks" lack specificity. Those words could describe normal operation or a severe malfunction.

 

Videos

Here are the videos of the noises I am hearing. When I meant quirks, I did not mean to be dismissive or diminish the brand. I have had a lot of cars and trucks including a VW diesel sport wagon with the first DSG transmission. I have been always wary of weirdness in the transmission and engine area. I guess I am a little disappointed that a transmission develops a squeak after 12,000 miles and got louder from there on (was not disclosed by Subaru at purchase). It really heightens the awareness. I guess I will see when I take it back since the problem is repeatable (not the squeak but the moaning). I did notice that the front end vibration happens more when it is sitting in a parking lot and not as much sitting in the garage. I am hoping that it is something simple because I really like the wagon format. I hope I am the exception.

 

The first video sounds like CVT chain slipping and the second video I'm not so sure because the tachometer is obscured but if your tachometer is sorta moving up and down while it's making those noises it seems to be CVT chain slip.

 

Thanks for the feedback. The sound when turning is getting worst along with vibration. I am also starting to think it may be something with the torque converter. I have had it feel like the CVT is slipping but do not see the rpm jump. The other weird occurrence is when I am turning going up a an incline. The turning sound becomes much louder and is more noticeable in the back of the car( wife verified), I was wondering if power was being distributed differently. Since the sound is now consistent, I will take it back to the dealership. It is consistently getting worse, but I am glad I am at 27k so well within the warranty. I will update the forum once I get it checked out.

 

Just went to the dealership again. Started to get grinding when turning and when I went up a hill and turned it felt like loose gravel but the rpm did not change. Felt like something slipping. Either way I am getting a loaner and they are tearing apart the transmission to see if it is clutch plates or the whole thing. I hope it is the whole thing. I will post once they tear it apart. I hope I am just unlucky, but if you have any of the symptoms that I described, get it checked out. I appreciate everybody’s help in potential causes.

 

Unlikely they will attempt to repair it (or even disassemble it). Based on everything you'll find posted in these forums, dealers don't make such repairs on CVTs.

 

I hope they replace it all. Information from the service rep is always spotty. From what I know and found out about the Outback AWD, it sounds like the clutch pack in the center that distributes power to the front and back differentials is a what they suspect is failing. From what I have seen from the forum, the CVT and the clutch pack are all together and it is not easily serviceable. I am a little worried they want to pull it apart to inspect and see what needs to be done. It has been a long journey and from 10,000 to 28,000 miles, it continued to get worse. I guess you would not have expected it to get better. By the way if you are looking for a good overview of the different Subaru AWD systems, try this video.

It is one of the better ones.

 

I hope they replace it all. Information from the service rep is always spotty. From what I know and found out about the Outback AWD, it sounds like the clutch pack in the center that distributes power to the front and back differentials is a what they suspect is failing. From what I have seen from the forum, the CVT and the clutch pack are all together and it is not easily serviceable. I am a little worried they want to pull it apart to inspect and see what needs to be done...

Yep, it's called the MPT clutch, and is part of the CVT assembly. I have yet to find a report of a dealer performing any CVT disassembly for diagnosis - particularly unlikely for a vehicle under warranty.

 

i currently have a bit over 27k miles on mine and the vibration/slipping on hard, low speed turns in the morning has been happening for quite a while.



guess i need to make an appointment soonish. we've been driving with the same issue for months, hopefully no catastrophic issues arise.

 

What year and model is your outback? Mine is a 2020 XT. I hope it gets corrected for you. I really only doubled down on taking it to the dealer when my wife drove it and asked what was the grinding noise and vibration. I got so use to it, that I only noticed the major symptoms. She drives a Lincoln Corsair, so I have to balance some of her impressions on my car. I will post the report once they get through the repair. I am worried with the current supply change problems, it may be a while. I am enjoying the loaner though, Subaru’s do drive nice.

 

mine is also a 2020. picked up june 2020, i don't have the production date but it should be may or june.

 

Well just got of the phone with the service rep. They are going to replace the clutch stack. I guess it is a kit and a common replacement on the Ascents. I will have to look on their forum. I am a little worried I am getting a dealer rebuild, but I guess it is common in the Ascents? Trying to stay positive and hope that is the only problem. Not feeling good I am not getting the typical transmission change. The rebuild kit is out a week, but they said that was good because it use to be 2 months. I will let you know how it goes in a week or so.

 

Interesting, seems this is a rare (but apparently now Subaru-authorized) repair to the CVT assembly. The moderator had the same impression as of 8 months ago - that dealers only swap out complete units:

Transfer Clutch, Transmission Gears, Transmission Oil Leak

Greetings everyone! I have 32,000 miles on my 2019 Ascent Limited (manufacture date of March 2019). About 5,000 miles back, I took it in to the dealer to find out why my engine would suddenly lose power/stutter at highway speeds and why I was getting a loud pulsing/groaning sound from the rear...

www.ascentforums.com

 

I appreciate the information. The transmission teardown was informative. I am hoping the clutch stack comes in one piece and it is not a rebuild kit with clutch plates. I did not have all the symptoms of the Ascent owner, but their repair still ended with a transmission replacement and continued problems. I just hope that this failure did not cause damage to other transmission/drivetrain components. This is my first Subaru and transmission problem, so I am apprehensive. From on the forum this seems to be out of the norm and there is usually very good reliability, so I am hopeful.

 

Just got my car back and here is the warranty work done. A little more than the transfer clutches. I am glad they found damage and got it fixed. It looks like it failed prematurely. Hope this helps anybody with similar problems. I will post again if I have any other problems.

 

My car is in for service now and they are also replacing parts in lieu of replacing the whole transmission.

I'm not 100% confident in what the tech said but he did say the words, "center differential" being replaced. I suspect he meant the clutch discs like Phenescm's car.

He said parts should arrive in about 4 days(as of yesterday) and then install time. Hopefully the car will be done by late next week.

He also said this is the first of this type of repair they will be doing. In the past, they just replaced entire transmissions apparently.

 

I got the same reply from the tech also. It does not feel good to be the first, but I am guessing the costs got to be too much and they wanted to save some money on warranty work. With the damage they described and the parts they replaced something must have failed pretty bad. I have a friend that is a mechanic and he said the total transmission is normal in early released cars and as they get the transmission back to corporate and complete tear downs, they learn where the problems are and start rebuilding instead of replacing. Guess we are the first ones starting to get rebuilds instead of new transmissions or more likely rebuilt transmissions ( I doubt they are dumping new transmissions in for warranty work). So far the grinding and shuddering is gone but that is to be expected. The true test is how long it will last. I hope it goes well for you.