I have a 2003 Legacy Outback wagon 3.0l VDC model that will roll forward when in reverse when on a hill while idling. If you push the accelereator it will then back up but makes a clincking/ticking/creaking noise.

 

It appears that the exhaust system pipes will flex and that this may be causing the noise problems. I checked under the car, the heat shield and drive shaft but they do not seem to be touching. I looked at the tranny mounts and they appear to be OK but do flex when the tranny is pulled on.

 

 

What would cause a car to roll forward when in reverse?

 

It also will go backward if you are going up a hill with the car in a forward drive gear.

 

Is something out of adjustment? Could this maybe be a brake band that needs adjusting or something else? Or does it indicate a need to have the tranny rebuilt?

 

 

The car drives and shifts fine once you get going.

 

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

Ken

i would never throw money away on a rebuild. used is a much better option.

 

has the the ATF and filter ever been changed and how many miles are on the car?

 

There's only so much available power at idle to hold a car, so what kind of angles/grades are you talking about? Slight would be an issue, extreme angles i'd almost expect it. I could test with my H6 and see how it reacts.

The car has 117,000 miles and was serviced regularily at Subaru and the tranny fluid was last changed around 90K. The fluid level is good.

 

I checked this morning when the car was just started with an idle around 1000 rpm and then it would hold and not roll forward on an incline while in reverse.

 

I plan on changing the tranny fluid tonight with BG auto tranny conditioer to see if it changes anything.

 

Ken

Might want to avoid the auto trans conditioner. Those additives usually aren't a good idea. They can help in the short term, seal up some leaks and bad tolerances inside the trans, but they aren't typically good long term for other internals. They are typically "good" for an old car that just isn't really worth much and isn't expected to last long.

 

There are a few good ones and times to use them, but might want to wait a bit in this case.

 

Has the ATF filter ever been change?