2015 Subaru Forester · symptom sheet
Transmission shudders, slips or shifts hard
- 27owner reports
- 26,900median miles
- 3involved a crash
Newest report Jul 7, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
94 of the 607 complaints on this car are about the transmission and drivetrain. 27 of those describe transmission shudder.
Tick what matches of 27 reports
Transmission shudder on other Forester years
No other Forester model year has enough reports of transmission shudder for a sheet of its own. See every Forester year.
What this problem usually is
This is the biggest drivetrain group on the site: a transmission that shudders, slips, hesitates or bangs into gear. It's the everyday version of transmission trouble, where the car still drives but doesn't drive right, and it has three narrower sheets of its own for jerking, hesitation and slipping.
What got replaced
Few of these reports name the part that was replaced.
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the transmission and drivetrain covers the 2015 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 14,000 and 76,000 miles, from the 21 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 1 service bulletin or notice for the 2015 Subaru Forester that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
THIS BULLETIN PROVIDES A PROCEDURE FOR DIAGNOSING A CUSTOMER CONCERN OF A DELAYED AND / OR HARSH ENGAGEMENT OF THE CVT (MODEL TR580) WHEN SHIFTING INTO REVERSE OR DRIVE FROM NEUTRAL. ALL 2013-16MY, 4-CYLINDER, N/A MODELS WITH CVT
What owners wrote
“Merging onto a a 70mph highway and vehicle stopped accelerating around 45 mph. RMPs kept increasing, black smoke-type substance was coming out of the exhaust pipes when I tried to accelerate. No lights, warning noises, or any other indication of anything wrong with the car. Vehicle kept lurching and rev'ing but no acceleration.”
Filed May 20, 2021
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 3 of 27 reports involved a crash. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Airbag warning light or recall 99 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 79 reports
- Suspension noise, struts or alignment 66 reports
- Brakes grind, pulse or wear early 35 reports
- Seat belt or seat problems 25 reports
- Wheel bearing, tires or wheels 25 reports