Subaru CVT reliability

[Thumbcocker]

At 235,000 miles our Forester is getting long in the tooth. Looking at replacements but all have CVT transmissions. Lots of CVT horror stories in my research. Subaru makes their own CVt units but I don't want to buy a new transmission at 60 to 100,000 miles. Does anyone have the facts or personal experience with Subaru CVT's?

[Gunor]

Got a 2012 Outback @ 75,000 miles - no issues. And l like the transmission - 4 banger engine.

[tim338]

I don't have experience with the Subaru CVT but my former work car was a Scion/Toyota that had a CVT and it went 200,000 very hard miles with no issues.

[Artful]

Well, I don't own one but know several that do. Mike has a Forrester that he's dropped a bunch of parts and money on and at the track it's slipping when he stages and brings the boost up positive (about 2400 rpm) - so he's had the tranny shipped to a place in New Jersey that will rebuild it to take up to 600 hp (he currently at about 300 at the rear wheels) so I don't think they a week tranny for the stock engine.

[rancher1913]

got a cvt in our dodge caliber and it has scared me for awhile but it keeps ticking along, no way to check fluid. at 180k its having all kinds of sensor problems but so far knock on wood the transmission is holding. at 8k for a new transmission when it goes the car is totaled.

[merlin101]

at 8k for a new transmission when it goes the car is totaled.
That would definitely be a deal killer for me!

[30Carbine]

Thumbcocker get a new subby it will serve you well. don't worry about the tranny. maintain it normally to the book and it will out last you. oh yea rancher 1913 there is a way to check and service the tranny but not for the do it your selfer. it takes a few special tools to check it.

[Ehaver]

I have one. I'm not worried about the transmission. I just don't really care for the quality that they have been putting out, in regards to the interior quality. I would still buy another one because I know how they work.

Also, we have about 70k on ours. Only issue has been a window motor and an alignment issue from the factory.

[tinsnips]

I also have one. It only has 5600 miles on it but it seems to be a really nice car. I keep my cars for 10 years then give them away. I bought the 7 year warranty so they can pay to repair it if something happens.

[Sasquatch-1]

Two of my kids have Impresa's. A 2013 and a 2014. As of this time neither have had transmission problems. Now my son's old SVX is another story all together.

[Tackleberry41]

Wont be long and you wont have much of a choice, everything is going over to CVT. What I read says it has the edge on economy. Most of us might remember replacing the belts in the Polaris 4 wheelers.

A Nissan Rogue was the first car I even had with a CVT. I was not impressed with it. My civic before that still had a conventional auto, you put the pedal to the floor, it would down shift and go until you let off the pedal. The Nissan it sort of ran its guts out and eventually the car caught up. Flooring it really didn't do much, it just revved more. Might have damaged it trying to get it to get it to drive decent. The fuel economy started dropping, and it seemed like it revved even more for less acceleration.

Went to get rid of it, and well there was not a whole lot of choice. I was hoping Toyota still used conventional autos. No my corolla has a CVT, but apparently it was just that Nissan is still the same junk they have always been. The corolla feels like driving a regular trans. It has shift points, you can feel it jump between 'gears'. You put the pedal to the floor, it down shifts and takes off, just like its supposed to. Has the paddle shifters, not that I really use em.

Longevity, no idea, but with this shift to CVT, I doubt companies like Honda or Toyota would allow their reputation for ultra reliable cars to be trashed by transmissions that drop out to fast. I would imagine they tested them quite a bit.

You dont really find a cheap auto trans in anything. Could be worse, I remember taking apart a Porsche auto, when they first came out in the 911. A one way trip, we could take it apart, but there were no dealer tools to put it back together, had to be done at the factory. We took it apart for some guys lemon law suit. It was $12,000 for the trans, plus a $6000 core charge. He had to pay the core charge as the court kept parts of the trans for evidence.

[Mr Peabody]

Our Outback has a 6 banger in it, you get a 5 speed automatic with the 6.

[Kraschenbirn]

The wife's Outback (w/CVT) only has about 15K on the clock but no problems to date. Pulled our 10-foot pop-up from here to Mt. Rushmore and back last fall; tach never went over 3600 rpm, even on the grade climbing out of Hell's Canyon in Custer State Park (SD) on the way home. Averaged a little over 21 mpg for the entire trip.


Bill

[snuffy]

WTH is CVT??¿

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuously_variable_transmission (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Continuously_variable_transmission)

OIC never knew about it, call me ignorant.

[KAF]

This is the same kind of trans that is in Clausing lathes. Seems very simple and reliable. I had no clue they were going to this application, not many parts to go bad, I'd think.

[Tackleberry41]

The CVT polaris used the weak link was the belt it used. They were kevlar, but didn't take much to mess one up. If you got one stuck you had to pull it out, if the wheels would not move, the engine would spin the belt and they wouldn't last long. Fortunately not hard to replace that belt. I knew some people who had a pile of them, one was always being towed back, but that belt being easy to replace also meant it was easy to get garbage in it, the plastic housing was not water tight.

They are are much simpler than a standard auto trans, so yes less to go wrong with them. And they use something better than a rubber belt, sealed inside a case where nothing can get at it. It will be sensors and such that go bad, or the chains stretch eventually. But having worked on alot of different cars, autos just do not last like a stick. Mercedes it wasnt the trans went out, they just started leaking. Most auto trans will last a long time, if not abused. Thats usually what does them in, lack of maintenance, and the drivers. Well some brands were pretty bad at it, the big 3 US brands use to have alot of trans issues. Ford at one time kept stacks of trans housings for the old bronco 2. And the Dodge minivans were known to go out pretty quick.

[ol skool]

Might look at a Mazda CX-5 instead...

[waarp8nt]

Thumbcocker you know my opinion so this is not for your benefit, but for the benefit of others here on the forum. Long before the economy took a dump (even though the Democrats say otherwise) I was a Chrysler / Dodge / Jeep Master Technician, then Daimler / Chrysler Gold Technician, then the next investing company from Canada equivalent to a Master/Gold Tech. All while maintaining ASE Master Technician Status and being an advisor at a local college. I have worked with engineering from Detroit on a few occasions while in the field to resolve both electrical and transmission issues on the before mentioned products.

The CVT transmission in automotive uses a metal belt between two variable clutches similar to a mini bike, go cart, snowmobile, ATV or UTV vehicle. They are a wet design using automatic transmission fluid as a bath. At the time fluid was considered to be good for the life of the vehicle and not to be serviced by an individual.

1st generation of CVT was junk and not typically found in the USA. 2nd generation was better and found in use in the USA by various manufactures. We, as technicians, were not allowed to do any repairs on failures on CVT, that was left for engineering so the could determine failure points. Even though they have had multiple failures, the techs I worked with say they are still not allowed to repair CVT, only replace them at a cost of $2400.00 on up. I stopped furthering my education in the automotive industry in 2007 and left working in the field in 2009 after nearly 21 years of service, giving up my advisory position at the college and all certifications.

A bit of history as I see it, Jeep had put CVT transmission in their vehicles and currently they are offering a 6 speed automatic transmission with traditional hydro/clutch internals as an alternative to CVT. CVT transmissions were being used as I was leaving, many manufactures have been phasing them in as a cost cutting alternative to traditional transmissions without dropping the overall cost of the vehicle. Making things cheaper and putting the cost of repairs on the consumer has a term...it called "added value" by some manufactures. The added value only applies to the manufacture and not to the consumer.

In my opinion CVT has another definition besides continuously variable transmission it can be summed up with two words; Planned Obsolescence or built-in obsolescence in industrial design and economics is a policy of planning or designing a product with an artificially limited useful life, so it will become obsolete, that is, unfashionable or no longer functional after a certain period of time.

[Ehaver]

I might also add, I have driven a few CVT cars, and the Subaru is different. There are shift points set, so it almost feels like a five or six speed. You can also chose "Manual" mode, and use the paddle's on the steering wheel.
Also, It will not rev into infinity like the earlier CVT.

If you really do not want a CVT get the 6 cyl engine. No CVT just a five speed auto.

[HangFireW8]

Toyota get their CVT from Subaru.

[funnyjim014]

Old honda cvt, was put in saturn vue... what a pile of junk. Had one that 3 used tranys put in it till we found one that was ok enough to make it out the door

[richbug]

13 Impreza. 95,000 and change on it, no issues with transmission. Virtually all miles are country 2 lane roads. Trans takes some getting used to though, the engine is always running in its sweet spot for the load you have on it. Bought from a dealer who gives a $250 deductable powertrain warranty on all new cars(got a decent discount off sticker too). With a set of studded snow tires that thing is a snowmobile, right up till it runs out of ground clearance. If something happened to it, it would be replaced with another, no question about it.

[dubber123]

Girlfriend has a 2013 Outback with about 115,000 miles on it. I changed the fluid once, it takes a large star drive wrench to drain, and the same for the fill plug. On hers you are instructed to fill until it runs out the fill hole, and put the plug in, just like an old transfer case. I used a funnel and hose to fill from the top. Fluid is about $10 a qt. I change trans fluid regularly, it's just good policy in my book. My 2001 Subaru, (non CVT) is at almost 300,000 miles, and still shifts right at 6,200 rpm. at full throttle. I have serviced that one a few times.

[Lloyd Smale]

my dad bought one 3 years ago but hes 84 and in 3 years has put 5000 miles on it so I doubt he will ever find out. I know one thing. I drove it a few times in the snow and it even puts a 4x4 pickup to shame on slippery roads.

[MT Gianni]

2015 Forester with 22K on it. The new auto transmission does not shift in a conventional sense, you never feel or hear anything but a constant acceleration. I can crest any of our continental divide passes near me whoever fast I want to go. Only problem we had was with the factory add on fog lights being installed upside down and a vent hole in the wrong place means a wet bulb and a very short life.

[armexman]

13 Impreza with 2.0 and CVT. Pick-up trucks fear me at stop lights and I HAVE to go to work when it snows, best car so far. I do use the paddle shifters a lot and mechanic brother said my brakes look like new. If and when SWMBO authorizes a newer car it will be another Subaru.

[richbug]

I do use the paddle shifters a lot and mechanic brother said my brakes look like new.

I had to do rear brakes at 40K and fronts at 75K. Not because they worn out, but because rust built up between the forging that holds the pads and the stainless shims. They weren't able to release and got hot. Now every tire rotation I take them apart to clean it up.

Salt may not be as much an issue where you are, but I would watch for it.

[popper]

Ford first tried them in the Contour - a revamped Capri. Only with low HP engines. Basically a flat metal chain running between 2 conical pulleys. Younger bro had a Sentra with CVT - got rid of it fast. I think Ford uses a 2 clutch 'dog' transmission now for their low power A/T. Sounds like the Subaru uses stepped pulleys for a real 'shift'.