CVT transmission-2014 Subaru Outbac

[The Minimalist]

There has been a great deal of discussion about the the suitability of the CVT(Continuously Variable Transmission) for towing. Per a comment I made a little over a month ago, I planned to have a sample of my CVT fluid drawn and tested at an independent oil test lab.

I received the lab report recently and the results were very satisfying. Quoting the test results,"Used oil shows normal wear metals and little evidence of oil deterioration. Elevated silicone probably from sealant and gaskets. Lube is suitable for continued use".

Both a sample from my transmission and a sample of new Subaru synthetic tranny fluid were tested to have a baseline comparison. The silicone comment is based on 9.0 PPM on the new oil to 50 PPM on the used oil. Overall the there were 20 metal categories tested.

My 2014 Outback is is powered by the 2.5i 4 cylinder engine. We pull the Little Joe with a loaded weight of 1760 lbs or there about, with a 10% tongue weight. Most of the time we tow at 55-60 miles an hour. Total mileage is about 56K, about 11K of that is towing miles.

I make no recommendations based on his information. I post it purely for informational purposes, documenting my experience, which some, including myself, might consider experimental.

Late Breaking News: In the interest of complete transparency, today I got notification from Subaru that they have extended the drivetrain warranty of the CVT to 100K miles.

[coastsignal]

Hi Clif,
We towed an EggCamper, loaded about 2400#, also with a 2014 Outback 2.5 CVT, from Mass. to Florida and West Texas and back in 2015 with no problems. Last year , just before the 36k warranty was to expire , I had the dealer check the CVT with similar (good) results like you had. But, I felt that I was close to the limit of weight towing with the Outback and didn't want to push my luck too far, so this year we towed the EggCamper with a 2006 Tundra.

[The Minimalist]

And now the warranty on the CVT is 100K.

[Raz]

Originally Posted by The Minimalist

And now the warranty on the CVT is 100K.

Usually if a car maker increases a warranty on existing vehicles it's the result of legal action filed by unhappy customers over some problem. A little research should tell if that's the case here.

[Wayne Collins]

All I can tell you is that our 2007 Highlander Hybrid with CVT worked very well towing our 2000 Scamp 16 DLX. Never had the oil checked beyond normal service work done by the dealer.

[Bobbie Mayer]

Originally Posted by Raz

Usually if a car maker increases a warranty on existing vehicles it's the result of legal action filed by unhappy customers over some problem. A little research should tell if that's the case here.

Pretty sure it is related to the excessive oil consumption in the newer Subarus as they did it for the Forester, too.

Interesting. I was considering an Outback as a having a little more oomph for towing than the Forester but decided my bigger issue was having to be picky about tongue weight and the Outback doesn't fix that.

[The Minimalist]

Originally Posted by Bobbie Mayer

Pretty sure it is related to the excessive oil consumption in the newer Subarus as they did it for the Forester, too.

Interesting. I was considering an Outback as a having a little more oomph for towing than the Forester but decided my bigger issue was having to be picky about tongue weight and the Outback doesn't fix that.

The extension of the warranty I spoke of is only for the CVT transmission. If you check the record, I think you will find that the excessive oil consumption in the Forester was engine oil.

[Radar1]

I read that the CVT warranty extension was based on reports of some cars stalling when coming to a stop, sort of like forgetting to push the clutch in when you stop at a red light. They are also paying for repairs to anyone that had the repair done at their own cost after the original warranty expired.
Thanks for the update Clif, I've been wanting to hear how the CVT was working out with towing. We towed our Scamp 16 with an older non-CVT Outback.

[Radar1]

Originally Posted by Bobbie Mayer

Interesting. I was considering an Outback as a having a little more oomph for towing than the Forester but decided my bigger issue was having to be picky about tongue weight and the Outback doesn't fix that.

Outback tows more than the Forester but has the same 200 lb tongue weight limit.
Trying to find out from Subaru what the tow rating will be for the new Subaru Ascent coming out next year. Hoping it will be 5,000 lbs, but would consider one even if only 3500/350. Our 16' Scamp now weighs 2900 lbs when packed for long trips, which is why we had to quit towing with our 2700 lb limit Outback.

[coastsignal]

Hi John & Clif,
We had to be very careful with the trailer weight and tongue weight when we towed with the Outback, so now we mostly tow with the 2006 Tundra.
And, the letter from Subaru announcing the 100,000 miles CVT warranty extension showed up here a few days ago as well.
Mark

[The Minimalist]

You're absolutely right, Mark. In 'Trailer Weights In the Real World" all but one of the Eggcampers shown are near the weight limit of the Outback and the tongue weights exceed the 200 lb tongue limit. When we bought the Outback we already had the Little Joe, loaded weight 1760 lbs, tongue c. 180 lb, so we knew we were well within the load limits of the Outback. I don't believe in running right up to the design limits.

The Outback/Little Joe is a really good towing combo, though admittedly not for everyone.

[steve dunham]

Originally Posted by Radar1

I read that the CVT warranty extension was based on reports of some cars stalling when coming to a stop, sort of like forgetting to push the clutch in when you stop at a red light. They are also paying for repairs to anyone that had the repair done at their own cost after the original warranty expired.
Thanks for the update Clif, I've been wanting to hear how the CVT was working out with towing. We towed our Scamp 16 with an older non-CVT Outback.

Two of my daughters owned vehicles that had CVT transmissions.
One vehicle did exactly as you described IE She would pull up to a stop sign and the vehicle would just die.
The other vehicle with a CVT transmission had the transmission fail at around 60,000 miles and now at a little over 100,000 miles the transmission is going again . They use the vehice to tow a small pop up trailer which weighs under 2000 lbs.

[The Minimalist]

Which vehicles, Steve?