Subaru - Crosstrek :: 2014 - EV Does Not Engage When Front Windshield Defrost Is On
Feb 17, 2015
I was finally told today, after several bouts of no EV on my 2014 Crosstrek Hybrid, lasting,1 to 3 days, that running the front windshield defrost PROHIBITS the use of the fully electronic engine. I came to this conclusion serendipitous on my own, but was not offered this explanation until today.
What is the best method to try to contact other Crosstrek Hybrid owners to gauge the validity of the explanation I was given regarding the operation of my hybrid? I have already posted to the Subaru forum.
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At the beginning of this year I purchased the 2014 XV Crosstrek Hybrid. I have been trying to love it for 7 months now, and am failing. The way the hybrid engine functions creates a very jolting, inconsistent, and frustrating driving experience:
The acceleration is poor and inconsistent ... it never seems to know what gear it should be in. So much so that there have been times I have felt unsafe moving into traffic (and I am not one to push a car or "jump out" into traffic; friends who have driven it also have the same experience).
The start/stop of the engine when it goes to/from electric creates a resounding shudder that shakes the entire car every time it happens (and it happens ALOT).
The engine is like a PC instead of a MAC ... it's always doing something and you never know what it's up to.
When you use the defrost or the A/C it makes all these matters that much worse.
I'm very disappointed that Subaru would put a car that functions like this on the market. I'm a long time fan of Subaru's (I still drive my 1992 Legacy wagon manual transmission, which, quite honestly, drives a whole lot better than this new hybrid). And I counted on Subaru when, after 22 years, I went looking for a new car. This is not a vehicle that Subaru should have on the road. I get so many people asking me about it because I got it in the Plasma green and it is beautiful. And I give them the honest truth about it's performance; I have NOT sold at least 5 cars for Subaru.
I looked at so many cars from so many other makers, and this was the only one I truly wanted. It seemed to have everything and I trusted that Subaru's engine would be fabulous as always. Make it run smoothly, accelerate well in a trustworthy manner, not have such a jolting engine experience. You've got it on all other counts with this car ... just not the engine, and all the other factors do not make up for poor engine performance.
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2014 Subaru Crosstrek XV CPO purchased December 2015.
Last month I slid out on a heavy snow day (no snow tires, I know!) on a left turn and the front passenger wheel struck the curb forcefully enough for the wheel to be angled outwards about 15-20 degrees when steering wheel was straight. Lower control arm was wrecked, had it replaced and alignment done by the local subaru pro. He noted that the caster was now 0.5 degree off, which he noted to be "within specifications". He said it's not a big deal, but if I wanted it fixed, I could have the frame pulled at a frame shop to correct.
I'm just happy to be driving my rig again, but I notice a somewhat low-pitch, pulsating, vibration-like noise whenever I make a left turn at a certain angle. It seems to resonate when I hit a "sweet spot" of speed/turn.
I made a video : [URL] ....
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Passenger side front wheel won't engage
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Curious, how does the 4x4 engage in the new F-150's? When I put the truck in 4WD I can here the click sound coming from the front axle, where as it comes from the t-case on my Ranger. Just wondering how it's set-up.
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It's winter here in the northeast and for some reason all of the windows in the car including the windshield do not defrost. The rear window is fine but none of the windows defrost. I've tried everything and cannot find a solution except driving with the windows down. Is this a common issue or is there anything i can do to fix thiss?
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I recently purchased a 2003 Grnd Marquis that has EATC climate control. It was a cold day, snowing some and the heater was set to 72 degrees on floor/defrost mix. Several days later it warmed up to over 40 degrees so I decided to try the AC. When I switched over to Max AC, I still only got airflow through the defrost. Any airflow setting (floor, vent, AC, Max AC) only gets airflow through the defrost. Also, the AC clutch did not engage when I set it on Max AC or it is not engaged when set on defrost. Will replacing the EATC head unit fix it? Is this also why the AC compressor clutch does not engage?
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When I turn on windshield defogger no air coming to defrost windshield. Air is coming fine from other vents. Is there a fuse I need to check or some other issue?
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I have a 2008 Elantra Sedan Limited. The far right control knob for the direction of airflow does not work anymore. A few months back int would make a short strange noise when switching from the feet or head to defrost, etc. Then is stopped working last month and now it only blows air to the head area. Is there a cheap way to fix this? My brother who is a parts manager at a Ford dealer says it is most likely a faulty switch inside and a dealer only item.
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I have a 2002 Ex with the 7.3. Every time I put it into 4x4, the A/C automatically switches to the windshield defrost vents. After a couple minutes it switches back the the A/C vents. I'm assuming that isn't normal.
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I have a 2005 F350 6.0 with 4 wheel drive.
Late last winter, the 4WD stopped working. I diagnosed it to be a vacuum problem. Like a moron, I purchased a vacuum pump and threw it in there, I just figured that it was bad. It turns out the new pump I bought was bad, but the old pump was fine... Go figure. At any rate, when I switch to 4WD, my HVAC goes to full defrost and the 4WD does not engage.
I think I've narrowed the problem down to the 4WD actuator, since if I hook the vacuum pump output directly to the hubs, the 4WD works fine. If I switch it into 4WD, I can hear the vacuum releasing in the actuator, but it doesn't seem like any vacuum actually gets routed to the hubs. It just opens to atmosphere.
I've noticed that after switching to 4WD, the actuator only "Releases" the vacuum for a few seconds, and then seems to close itself. Is this normal? If I cycle the 4WD selector from 2WD to 4WD repeatedly, it will continue to cycle.
1. Is there any way to service this valve, or should I replace it?
2. Is the valve acting normally?
3. Am I on track with this repair?
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Just wanted to note a squeaky driver side window on roll down and a lagging defrost on the windshield.
2012 Passat TDI SE 4k miles.
Other than that really like the car so far.
They say they are ordering a new window guide or something to fix it.
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Whether in heat or AC mode and any dial position, I'm not getting nearly enough air blowing out of the vents to cool or heat the cabin in a timely manner. The fan switch is working in all positions but I have to use high speed all the time to get enough air to defrost the windshield. I've also noticed that when defrost is selected, air only comes out on the inside part of the vents, not the outside. Is there a cabin filter on this truck, I've checked auto parts stores and they don't list anything for it.
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No matter what I do with the settings for my heater in my lariat air only blows out of the dash vents. Defrost and floor vents don't work it still blows hot air out of the dash vents. I'm not sure what the deal is maybe the vacuum system? I did a search and all I could find was people having trouble with air ONLY blowing out of the defroster and my case is just the opposite.
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I have a 2003 Jeep Grand Cherokee with about 240000 miles on the clock. Words cannot describe how impressed I am by this car. However, yesterday I noticed that the selector switch where one chooses to direct the air output has failed me. It seems to be stuck in the windshield defrost setting, unable to redirect the airflow to anywhere else. I am however still able to control the temperature as well as A/C settings. The switch felt strangely 'limp' almost as though it is no longer connected to whatever engineering or witchcraft it is attached to behind the control panel. What are your thoughts on this? Could it be as simple as some mechanical linkage that has snapped off? Just to recap: blower motor, heat and A/C are not affected by this.
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160K miles. Sometimes starter doesn't seem to engage with the engine and the engine won't start unless i put it in neutral and floor the gas pedal. Then it shakes, rattles, sputters and smokes comes out but it starts like the car in Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (for the oldsters here). Happens about every third start. Once i had a 67 Plymouth where every once in a while i would have to hold the butterfly open (with a stick) on the carburetor. I have to take it and get it fixed. So odd that it is not every start. Happening with more frequency.
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My daughter has a 1993 Subaru Impreza with 5 speed manual transmission. I have been driving it because of problems getting it to go in 1st gear. Most of the time the car goes from a stop just fine, but whenever it is on any kind of uphill grade the car seems to be stuck like the brake is still engaged. I hear a "grinding noise" I think is coming from the right rear wheel. This happens only in 1st gear, then the car is fine after that, I tried starting from 2nd but the same thing happens. This car is front wheel drive.I think the brake may be sticking in the rear wheel. The car has a new clutch and I put in new brakes all the way around. Is there a way that I can temporarily disable the right rear brake (drums)? Maybe then I could isolate the problem.
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I have a 2010 Subaru Forester and lately - it has on occasion had moisture on the inside of windshield - at the center and about 6 in. up and about 10 in wide. At first it was just moisture, but now has become something hard to wipe off with just my hand. The dealer has no clue. I had a bad heater core in a car years ago, could this be a similar problem.
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Replaced original clutch on Subaru Forester at approx. 130,000 miles because of slipping. Drove car for a few days and clutch would judder once warmed-up when trying to engage 1st gear. Took car back to repair shop, they said pressure plate was defective/set too stiff and replaced that. Whole car now shudders when trying to engage in 1st gear once the car has warmed-up and particularly on (even a slight) hill. What's not working correctly? Seen some discussion on throw-out bearings, master/slave cylinders and oil on clutch. Unsure.
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I have a brand new (2 months old) 2011 Subaru Forester 2.5x that has a 4 cyl engine and a 5 speed manual transmission. This past week it's been cold here in New Hampshire and in the morning when I first drive the car, I have trouble shifting from 1st to second gear. When I shift from 1st to 2nd, I hear/feel some grinding noise as I try to engage 2nd gear. This only seems to happen when the car has been sitting around in the cold for a long period of time. Our garage has been cold (34 deg this AM) for the past week and when I drive out of our driveway and on our street I encounter this problem.
Normally, this problem only happens the first time you shift out of first and into 2nd. However, the other day, when it was very cold (5 degrees out) it happened several times as I drove down the street. After it happened the first time that morning, I stopped the car and drove from a dead stop, shifting from 1st to 2nd. I had problems 3 or 4 times trying to shift to 2nd. I ended up double clutching the car to avoid making the grinding sound. I took the car to the dealer. The couldn't repeat it but I didn't expect it to, because the car was warmed up and it was warmer during the day (low 30's by the time I got to the dealer that afternoon). The mechanic changed the transmission oil and checked the magnet in the pan to see if there were any metal pieces. He did not find any metal pieces. That was two days ago.
Unfortunately, every morning since then the car has had the same problem. Once the transmission has been warmed up it runs flawlessly and I have no problems shifting. I've made sure I am fully depressing the clutch for each shift. The past few days I've been taking the car out on an early morning test run and like clockwork, it has problems on the first shift into second, and it usually works fine after that. I have an appointment next week to leave the car with the dealer overnight. They will test drive it to see if they can reproduce the problem. What might be wrong? I have a workaround solution to avoid grinding the gears. I simply double clutch shift into 2nd for the first few times that I shift after the car has been sitting in the cold for a while. However, this is less than ideal for a brand new car.
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Last week, the brake, traction control, cruise, and check engine lights all came on my dash. All but check engine were flashing. The car seemed to be driving fine but cruise would not engage. I drove it to a local mechanic who checked the battery and alternator and reset the computer. He said there was nothing wrong with the car. The next day the lights started flashing again so I made an appt to take it to another garage. This place said my gas cap needed to be replaced (hence the check engine light) and that my vehicle dynamic module was busted. My dilemma is that since picking the car up 4 days ago, and driving roughly 200 miles since, the lights haven't come back on. My current plan is to wait a bit and see if they do but I'm wondering if there's a chance that the VDM is ok.
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