1992 Subaru SVX Suspension Problems

“I purchases a Subaru SVX 1992 model. I test drove it and it seemed fine. Took it to a mechanic to have it looked over and it came back clean except for some suggestions to change brake pads , fluids etc. This was all done. However a couple months later a major problem occurred. The gear would sometimes not shift, the car would make a loud thud sound in reverse and over rev on highway driving. I found out from various forums that this car has a flaw , the transmission is due to failure. Every car owner in this forum has experienced premature transmission failure. …”

“Upon purchase of car 1-2 weeks prior, it was noticed that the transmission would not shift into 4th gear, and was slipping at initial acceleration from a stop until around 1500 RPM, causing wheelspin under certain conditions. On this date, transmission suddenly failed to be able to shift into 3rd gear, limiting top speed to levels below safe limits on most highways. This occurred while driving on a highway, and was potentially dangerous. Towed to dealer, dealer recommends remanufactured transmission, asking approximately $4000 for parts and labor. …”

“Owners of this car which if needed 100-1000 or more owners can claim that this car built by Subaru has a defect in the transmission. The transmission was poorly built because of lack of lubrication to internal parts and lack of fluid cooling. This is my second failure on this same car. Another common defect on this car is the wheel bearings. I have replaced them with repeats going on 4 times. The bearings are failing too quickly for any car. …”

“I've had both rear wheel bearings replaced, the right rear I've had replaced 3 times, the last one lasted less than 1000 miles, at which point I replaced the whole housing and bearing.”

“This car has had two bearing failures on the same axel within 20,000 miles. From discussions with other owners and owners web sites, this is a known manufacturing defect but Subaru will only warrant repairs for 3 years/36,000 miles on the original part and 1 year on subsequent repairs. I contacted the dealer from I purchased the car and who made the first repair, they are unwilling to stand behind their work. I called the Subaru national customer service line and they also are unwilling to provide support beyond stated warranties. …”