CVT paddle shifters acting up!

Subarashi

Forum Member
Joined
Jul 27, 2019
Messages
5
Location
Canada
Car Year
2013
Car Model
Outback
Transmission
CVT
Just joined up on this forum, here's my first question.

While driving my 2013 Outback a few days ago on the road and at the top of a steep hill I was in D and downshifted with the paddle which didn't want to work!! There was a simple dash mark displayed instead of what gear I was in. Had to remain in D all the way down the steep twisted hill. No problem just wanted to save hanging on the brakes for most of the way down the 4km descent.

I parked up switched off for 30 mins after which the paddle shifters were now operational and worked fine until today again after 500km's same non-working issue! Driving in D or M mode doesn't matter the paddles don't work in either!

Stopping and switching off seems to reset things.

Did anyone experience this with their CVT Subie? Have not taken it to the dealers just yet. I'm wondering if my CVT is showing old age wear symptoms after having a few jerky/bucking moments during the winter also! Might be related or not, definitely not normal though.
I'm at 149,000km's or about 90,000 miles. CVT fluid changed at 60,000 miles.

If anyone can share anything I'd be happy to hear.
 
Nothing at all! It just acts weirdly and leaves no clues as to why!
 
I've not heard of this sort of issue before. Are you covered by the extended warranty for CVT like the USA vehicles?
 
Welcome to the forum.

This is the first time I've heard of such, too. If that is switch-related, that may be an anomaly as the switches are shared across manufacturers and are generally much more reliable than the European, American and Korean counterparts.

Regarding the jerking, do you have the 2.5L or the 3.6L? Cheers.
 
Ok to answer the questions, Yes, I have the extended CVT warranty coverage here in Canada, I have it up to 160,000 km's currently at 150,000kms. I have the 2.5 motor.

My car has been in the dealers for the free CVT checking that comes with the extended warranty. When I had some odd random bucking episodes last winter and they ran the diagnostics on the CVT on two seperate occasions and said all was working perfectly. Its not done it since. The paddle shifters are also working fine again too! Mystery gremlins.
 
I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination but it sounds to me like it went into some kind of limp mode possibly due to heat (e.g gearbox working hard to get to the top of a steep hill with lots of turns). Can you recall what outside temp would have been like at the time (Probably nothing like what I experience!)? if they were unusually warm days, in combination with the work being done by the gearbox...
 
Ben Up North said:
I'm no expert by any stretch of the imagination but it sounds to me like it went into some kind of limp mode possibly due to heat (e.g gearbox working hard to get to the top of a steep hill with lots of turns). Can you recall what outside temp would have been like at the time (Probably nothing like what I experience!)? if they were unusually warm days, in combination with the work being done by the gearbox...
Click to expand...

Ben Up North you could be more of an expert than you realize!

About a year ago I fitted a front sump guard plate which extended back to just after the front sway bar location. No problems with that for the year it was on.

Now about a month ago I made another guard extending back to cover the CVT housing. This could have been the problem because last week after the paddles issue I looked under the car to find a load of mud that had dried and hardened between the CVT housing and the guard and some electrical switch plugs!
Ah ha... not good I thought so I removed that guard and the caked in mud and I have had no problems so far with the paddles. Its been about 5 days now, plus its also been very hot here this month. Lots of 30c + days feeling like 40c so the cooling air flow was probably restricted too!

I reckon the lack of air flow was the issue here and as you say it had gone into limp mode possibly due to the heat.

So if anyone reading this has any under armor fitted check regularly for mud and other debris trapped between it and the car.
 
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