Subaru - Legacy :: 2012 - Hard Shift From R To D On Cold Days?
Jan 18, 2013
I've noticed now that it's winter that my Legacy with 14k on it will shift somewhat hard into drive from reverse if I don't let it idle and warm up for 2-5 minutes before setting off. After that one shift, the car is fine the rest of the day. I checked the transmission fluid and it appears full, I had a more mechanically inclined person check also and it looked full to them as well. It seems more pronounced if I parked on my hill with the front of the car facing up the hill - but i use the parking break to hold the car, and release it before starting out.
The issue is if I just go - sometimes it will jerk into drive - one time even though I've learned to back up, come to a complete stop, wait a second, hold the break down all the way and then shift into drive, it jerked forward some distance over the breaks, but then stopped. This only happened once - but it happened with my father in the car, so it was a bit disconcerting... It happens before I even touch the gas...
This is the 5 speed automatic with a manual mode and paddle shifters - I'm just using the fully automatic R and D.
Now, my family likes Subarus and has owned a number, and my last one, an 07 impreza with automatic sometimes jerked into drive also, and my relatives have sometimes had that happen with Autos. Is this just a Subaru traditional Automatic thing? I spent many hours with my 07 in the dealer for this, only to be told it was normal, so I'd rather not waste everyones time again with the 2012 Legacy if it's just "a subaru thing". I can certainly live with warming the car up when it's cold, though that seems to not usually be a best practice with modern cars.
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Hitting a diagnostic dead end here - car wants to overheat/drink coolant on hot days when inevitably the A/C is on. A/C fan never comes on. Car was in a front-ender accident about 18 months ago, could be related, unclear. The A/C condenser was damaged then, but I replaced it, recharged the system, and the A/C now blows nice and cold. I've swapped the fans and the same fan works fine when plugged into the other side. I've swapped the fuses.
I've taken a working relay (as the other fan stops when I pull the relay out) and rotated that relay thru the other 3 sockets with the engine and A/C on. Still no movement. So I'm a bit stumped puzzled as to what to consider next, and then a part of me started to wonder if the fan is the red herring, and might I have a radiator issue which is the real culprit. I don't see any leaks. I had the thermostat fail about 1-2 months after the accident but a shop replaced it and this overheating issue really only flared this summer. This is a 99 Subaru Legacy SUS Sedan, the 30th Anniversary edition, with 189K+ miles, so minimal expenditure is the game plan.
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When it gets hot outside and the car warms up (15 mins or so of highway driving), the stick gets extremely hard to move and it doesn't go back to center when it's out of gear. So I could push it all the way left or right without putting it in a gear, and it would stay there, it wouldn't pop back to the center like it should. It becomes really annoying and difficult to drive because it gets so stiff and hard to move, what could be causing the problem? I've already adjusted the shift linkage and that didn't work.
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I have a 1999 GMC Suburban(5.7) with 173k miles. When the outside temperature is above 80 degrees F and I have been driving for about 30 minutes, I get a hard/firm shift from 1st to 2nd. It shifts to the other gears normally. When the temp is below 80 degrees, I can drive all day without any problems. Any clues for what may cause the hard shifting on hot days?
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I am currently on vacation, and will be here for another 2 weeks (3 total). I live in the midwest, and my car is currently parked at O'Hare Airport. I have a 2012 Subaru Legacy 2.5i with 42k miles, full synthetic oil, and a 3 year old battery. Will I have any issues when I go to start it upon my return home?
The car always seems to fire right up, and with these warmer temps, I am thinking I'll be ok, but thought I would ask. I just kind of want to know if I should be looking for someone to jump me when I get back to my car.
Last, in warmer temps, in the garage, with a good battery, how long can a car usually sit for without being started? Also, if I start the car and just let it idle for 5-10 minutes, will that recharge the battery, or do I need to actually drive the car and get my speeds above 60mph?
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So, my dealer insists the oil be changed every 2500-3000 miles. That can't be right, right? Can change it less frequently. It is important to note I have put nearly 12,000 miles on the car in 8 months.
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I have an issue for the last couple of years. I drive a 2006 hyundai santa fe with 168,000 km's on it. the problem I am having only happens on any cold day and never above zero celcius and when I start the vehicle on a cold day and go for a short trip to the store run in for about 5-10 minutes and I come back out and it won't start, there is lots of power but it wont roll over at all but after trying many times it will eventually start and there is no CEL showing and I have never plugged it in on a cold day and as cold as the canadian winters get here its been down to as low as -40 in the morning and no problems at all, a little roll and a groan and away she goes which is typical in our cold climates.
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I have had some slight rough running with a cold engine and stumble <2000rpm. Finally it tripped a CEL which was read as a misfire code.
The mechanic swapped the coil and plug(recent) and no change. He did a compression test and air blew out the exhaust. So.......the car needs a valve job which entails motor removal and fixing the head and reinstall. He rough estimates this at $2000 and rate is $65/hr.
He mentioned looking at pistons and may be a bit more if rough.
This car well maintained (170,000 miles 2005 Legacy turbo wagon with manual)...
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I have a 2005 volvo s40 ion a cold day when i start car and take off it bogs, there is no pep it seems like its struggling, after a couple minutes of driving she is back to normal. I replaced spark plugs - no difference...
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I have a regular mechanic that I use, except for a recent plug change. The car now feels like it is shifting awkwardly, and at speeds of between 15-25 MPH, it's as if it has a hard time choosing a gear. Can improperly installed plugs have an impact on this sort of thing?
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For the past 3 yrs only in the winter when its around 30 outside where my car is parked after i start the car and put it in reverse to back up i have no brakes, the pedal is hard, i have to put direct pressure and hold it down til it softens to the floor after about 5 to 10 seconds then i have brakes for the rest of the day. But this winter and its still cold out it has been happening intermittently during the daytime going front or back i have to try and pump the brakes til the peddle softens or i just press the peddle hard and hold til it softens and then it works takes about 3 to 4 seconds in the middle of the day. Only happens when i first start up the car. I have replaced the pads, rotors, master cylinder, flushed the whole system and the latest money drop was replacing the booster.
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2011 TDi 6 Speed (Sportwagon) with problems shifting into 2nd? Mine is currently in the shop under investigation for a balky shift when cold. The tech says it's not right, but then they find another vehicle in inventory with the same issue...currently waiting on a VW engineer.
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For longer than I'd like to reveal, my Forester has shifted extremely hard. This happens only when the engine is cold and disappears entirely once it heats up. Also, the RPMs go high just before the shift. When it does shift, it feels as if the engine is going to self-destruct from the sound and rough feeling --as if the entire engine or at least some part of it were going to fall to the ground. After it shifts, it feels as if the car shoots forward like a rocket. The Subaru dealer changed the transmission fluid and reset the computer. The problem persists.
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It all started after it being cold outside it's hard to shift into second gear when i first start up the car, and then after a couple shifts like that i get a notchy shift. after a while of driving it all disappears.
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I've got a 2003 Xterra, RWD, manual transmission, with around 110k. It's been giving me a little trouble shifting into gears 1-3 when the weather's below 30F. It started doing this when I got the transmission fluid changed last, about 2 years ago. I took it back to the mechanic who fixed it immediately, and he changed the fluid a second time for free, but when the problem persisted, he said he had no idea. Needless to say, I haven't gone back to him. Since then, I've tried to ignore it (not too hard in sunny NC), but it's getting worse and I'm about to move to Chicago, so I think I should fix it before I move to the land of harsh winters. My first guess would be the tranny fluid weight might be a little low and I should try a heavier weight.
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Our 2009 Santa Fe AWD Limited shifts hard first thing in the morning when my wife shifts into reverse to back out of our parking space. This is a real hard THUD kind of shift, where the car jerks. After that, all shifting is normal. We don't have any other problems with the transmission when driving.
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As it's progressively grown colder (which may or may not be related), my truck has grown all but impossible to shift from park into reverse neutral or drive with the engine running when the truck is cold. I often have to shut the engine off, and once I do it immediately is very easy to shift out of park into neutral, and then I can restart the engine. Once the truck has been driven some, it's not hard to get out of park, but if it's shut off for some time (an hour maybe) it will be difficult to shift out of park again. I don't know how to begin troubleshooting this.
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I am planning to buy this 2012 Camry LE (38k), automatic, I am on the test run and realized that the car's shifting from park to reverse is harder than shifting from reverse to drive. What I mean is, it is really hard to move the selector from Park to Reverse.
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When cold and not running, the shift lever sticks especially in 1st or 2nd and lacks that springy return to center. When cold running, Almost impossible to get in and out of 1st and 2nd, 3rd-5th stiff but manageable. After 5-7 min of driving, Shifts like butter. Tranny fluid has been replaced with amsoil syn.
This wasn't a progressive condition, shifted great one day (approx 2 weeks ago), next morning the fun began!
Is there anything other the control cable that cause the extremely sticky shifting when the car is off?
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Hard time getting your manual MK6 to shift smoothly when the engine is cool after sitting overnight?? Got about 4k miles on it and I don't recall it happening when I first got it. Started maybe at 2k miles and happens every morning. It seems to only happen to me until the car warms up and then its fine, it jerks like if I was learning how to drive a manual.
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2007 Chevrolet Impala 1LT3.5L Flex Fuel EngineAuto Transmission with shift lever on the steering column29,980 miles
Bought new Nov 2006 so is now four and a half years oldThe drive train is still under warranty (6 years or 60,000 miles). All recommended service per the manufacturers manual has been done. Book calls for first transmission service at 50,000 miles
NOTE: Previously at 19,600 miles the transmission cooler line fittings were replaced due to a small leak. Currently no evidence of a leak; no fluid on garage floor and the transmission fluid level on the stick shows right on the mark. Fluid still clean pale red and has no odor.
Majority of my driving is short hops with multiple stops, so the car gets heavy use shifted into and out of park gear. I do use the "parking brake" applying it after shifted into park and released before shifting out of park. I always have my foot on the brake pedal when shifting out of park.
PROBLEM: Having trouble shifting out of park on a cold engine or if the car has been sitting for an hour or more since turned off and put into park gear. Oddly enough, if I'm running a series of errands where the car has been in park for only 5 to 30 minutes, there is no problem shifting out of park gear. But if the car sits long enough for the engine to cool then it becomes hard to shift. The longer the time it sits in park the harder it is to shift out of park when the car is started.
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