For longer than I’d like to reveal, my Forester has shifted extremely hard. This happens only when the engine is cold and disappears entirely once it heats up. Also, the RPMs go high just before the shift. When it does shift, it feels as if the engine is going to self-destruct from the sound and rough feeling --as if the entire engine or at least some part of it were going to fall to the ground. After it shifts, it feels as if the car shoots forward like a rocket. The Subaru dealer changed the transmission fluid and reset the computer. The problem persists. Help?!?
Rough shifting when cold is a common problem on the 4EAT.
When the rpm’s start going higher, take your foot off the pedal and see if the transmission kicks into the next gear. I had to always do this when the engine was cold.