2023 Subaru Legacy CVT Transmission reliability and/or problems

[Catanzaro]

This week I purchased a Subaru Legacy with the CVT. The factory warranty covers up to a certain point. However, the dealership is offering an extended warranty, either 7 years/70,000 miles or 7 years/100,000 miles. I am still in the negotiation process, as I still have time. Picking up the vehicle tomorrow. 

Questions:

Does anyone like the CVT? Any problems with the CVT? From what I have researched, Subaru and the CVT's have gone a long way and they have done a pretty good job at it. I will be diligent in exchanging the fluid at the recommended intervals, because I believe highly in clean fluid. 

Did anyone purchase the extended warranty for this reason? 

Have you had CVT transmission problems, and what do you look for when driving the vehicle? The Legacy will be for one of my children, but I will drive it on a weekly basis to make sure everything is in order. 

What I like most is the safety features, and unfortunately we are paying MSRP these days for cars, not like the old days. Thank you. 

[silverton]

I enjoy the CVT in my '17 3.6.  I have owned two 4EAT powered Subaru's, I still own my third gen legacy, the other was a first gen 2.5RS.  I drove the third gen recently and i hated the fact that it was noticeably shifting, which was rebuilt about 10,000 miles ago.  my '17 just glides down the road buttery smooth and I like it!  I will note that it had a shudder when I first took possession of the car but it has learned through that and doesn't happen any more.

Change the oil every 3750 miles, and do the 30/60k major services on time and the car will last you a very long time.

[Catanzaro]

When you say the "Third Generation" and it was noticeably shifting, and then it was rebuilt 10,000 miles ago, how many miles did it have and what went wrong? What year was it, 2017 3.6R as in your signature?   And did you ever drain/fill the transmission at the 30K service intervals. 

[silverton]

my third gen is a 2001 Legacy GT with a 4EAT.  Between 200-220k it had very soft shifts going forward and then it lost reverse, it's at 232 now.  My 2001 Impreza with the 4EAT never had problems, even after putting 15 pounds of boost in front of it for ~40k miles.

My 2017 3.6R is a few hundred miles short of 60,000.  It did come with a service history and the 30k service was performed on time.  Looking through the maintenance table it never calls for CVT fluid replacement, only inspection on the 60k intervals, but I think most people do it around 100k.  Mine has a seep from the shift selector seal, any leaks/seeps will cause the fluid to get dirty so I'll be replacing that seal and putting new fluid in at some point in the near future.

[Catanzaro]

Thank you Silverton:

I really do not understand why dealers and manufacturers do not recommend drain/fills. Fluid gets dirty.  Given I will have years to research and convince the dealers, I would want this vehicle done at 30,000 miles with no exceptions.  Now the real question is will the dealership come down to my price on an extended warranty? I want the 7 years with 100,000 miles. I doubt they will go over 70,000 miles, but for an extra $300-$400 it may be worth the extra mileage. This way, their problem.  

I remember speaking to Honda and they had recommended service intervals at the 30,000 mark, and why Subaru does not is beyond me. Hopefully the 2023 is a little more advanced in terms of technology. And quite honestly to get better gas mileage for the CVT does not fly with me. It is less expensive to produce, and this is probably the reason. 

Most Americans, if they cut back on all the garbage take out food, could easily afford an extra $100 per month in car payment, making life easy, meaning old style transmissions.  For now, the car has been purchased. Given the times we are in, I am even lucky to find a car and not have to wait 6 months for delivery. Only bad part is the MSRP sticker price. Some dealers are charging $2K-$6K + over.  I guess the stigma of the Nissan CVT from so many people I know if why we have a bad taste over CVT transmissions, plus the technology is still fairly new. 

When I leased/purchased the 2019 Mazda 3, I paid 18% less than MSRP out the door, a huge difference and that has been a great little car, for now at least. What I like about the Subaru is that it is roomy, has a lot of safety features, and will hold its value compared to most other cars.  The dark Grey with black accents blends really well.  It does not look tacky like the other styles and years. And the interior is black cloth so it can be cleaned easily.  is a nice color. 

Edited December 24, 2022 by Catanzaro

[silverton]

Subaru was actually the first production vehicle to have a CVT, the 1989 Justy.  The technology is certainly not new.  Dealers want your car to fail, why would you ever buy a new one if it didn't? When I was a dealer tech there were many things glanced over because the vehicles were still in their warranty period. The 6000 mile service interval they recommend, makes me cringe as that's far too long, even on a full synthetic.

I recommend finding a highly rated subaru independent shop to give your car a look over every now and then because the dealer will do you dirty while it's still under warranty. I myself have seen the new Ascent, 2022 and 2023's leaking oil from the back of the engine, one didn't even have 6000 miles on it yet.

[bigboy292000]

FWIW: our 2011 Legacy just got totaled 4 weeks ago (with about 124K on the clock) but - I will just say that having extended warranty on it was totally worth it. I had variety of issues taken care on the Legacy under the warranty and I saw issues with CVT in my future (CVT issues on that generation were not uncommon). During summer months when AC is running, the Legacy would many times threaten to die when idling at stop lights or switching gear from P to D etc. (and yes, I got the software update for idling issues when AC is running about 2 years ago which made it a little better). Additionally, I know my AC compressor was having issues as it was quite loud making strange noises at times.

My wife really wants to get the Outback now. I am not so hot on the idea but it is her car so ultimately, she will get what she wants. But if we do get the Outback, I am absolutely getting extended warranty for it (and will resist the finance guy pressure tactics but will get it from a different dealer after the fact). Our two other cars are Hondas and I will say I am very unimpressed with Subaru long-term reliability.

Edited June 16, 2023 by bigboy292000