Clutch failure on 2014 Subaru suv

[ThosL]

My brother has had this happen twice on two different similar era vehicles.  Is this a known problem with these and was there a recall?  He said it was going to be expensive, $1500 plus from a very affordable mechanic.  

[1 Lucky Texan]

there may be a way to check for recalls at NHTSA.

TSBs are sometimes trickier to track down.

there are several ways a clutch's system might fail.

 

[idosubaru]

1 hour ago, ThosL said:

My brother has had this happen twice on two different similar era vehicles.  Is this a known problem with these and was there a recall?  He said it was going to be expensive, $1500 plus from a very affordable mechanic.  

6 years in NY is probably higher than average. City, mountains, winter, and 1/4 of the US population living within a small area - not a recipe for great clutch life.

Being accusatory while avoiding information isn't helpful unless increased ambient anxiety is the goal:

1. Clutches are wear items.  They wear just like brakes. “the same thing has happened” suggests two different vehicles were driven in the same environment by the same person. It’s exactly what one would predict, not a surprise  

2. Clutches can last a long time, but that’s not common and requires specific constraints to maximize mileage or age.

3. If maintenance costs are a concern do not buy a manual trans Subarus. MTs are more maintenance and they have not been more reliable or cheaper to own than automatics for decades now  

4. The most obvious common denominator is the driver and how it’s driven - not the vehicle or age  

5.Occam’s razor tells us most likely the clutch isn’t used in a manner conducive of exceptionally long life.  Which again isn’t a surprise given what we know so far   

6. If he previously got more miles out of clutches then the vehicle is now being driven differently or it was in a  vehicle with a beastly clutch.  

7.  The vehicle is 6 years old - plenty of time for miles and use and wear to accumulate.  

8.  we were never told what failed in the “first similar era car”

9. We don’t know what failed in the current car

10. We don’t even know what model, year, miles are on either vehcile referenced  

11.  Common issues are usually easily searched and found online   Did you search?  If you don’t find anything reread items 1-10 above  

That is a lot of missing information to start assigning blame.

Helpful things to know would be: how many Miles, did he buy them new, what part exactly failed, and what type of driving is being done?

 

[FerGloyale]

your brother needs to stop slipping the clutch.

Very little throttle should be applied until the shift has been made, and the clutch fully released.  Before that while starting and while shifting you should need no more than 10~20% throttle to start rolling/match RPMs for next gear.

[ThosL]

I'll let him know; I thought it might have been a Subaru defect; so very likely the fault is with him.  I used to like the idea of less automatic stuff with cars, but this clearly shows a set up for breakdown for those who don't handle the equipment right.  

[1 Lucky Texan]

I don't expect to get many miles off my clutch. 99% city driving.  I TRY to get off the pedal within a foot of forward travel. Probably stall the car one a year or so. lol

[FerGloyale]

4 hours ago, 1 Lucky Texan said:

I don't expect to get many miles off my clutch. 99% city driving.  I TRY to get off the pedal within a foot of forward travel. Probably stall the car one a year or so. lol

It's important when upshifting to the next gear too.

Some people like to feel the "pull" all the way through the shift, so they are already on throttle as they let the clutch out, and they just let the sucker slip until the car catches up the RPMs.  Automatics can do this, in a sense, because the hydraulics can transfer the force from one valve to the next in a buffered fashion (via accumulators)  But for a Dry clutch Manual, it's just friction material and if you slip it, it won't last long.

I learned from test driving heavy dump trucks and Semis that if you throttle through the shift, you will smoke that trucks clutch in moments.  Heck If you stab the throttle uphill already in gear and moving, but in too high a gear, you'll smoke it.

So you have to be almost fully off throttle (just enough to keep RPMs where they need to be at the next gear) while shifting and until the clutch is completely released.  once you are fully engaged with the next gear, then you hit the throttle.  So there is a moment of "coasting" in neutral while you are moving the stick, and until you release the clutch.  Not the fastest way to drive but the best for the clutch.

[Numbchux]

Yep, try to wait to touch the throttle until the clutch is fully engaged. I've ridden in cars several times where the driver is clearly dragging the clutch into the next gear....it drives me insane.

I almost always do that from a stop, too. Feathering the clutch with the engine at idle until it's engaged, and then throttle. I probably stall it once a week in my Outback (gearing and weight make it easier in my Celica). Last week I felt like an idiot because I stalled it at least once a day, then I discovered I had a sticking brake....