# Subaru "downshift" problem

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/subaru-downshift-problem/12337>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Created:** [March 29, 2008, 5:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/subaru-downshift-problem/12337 "2008-03-29T17:03:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Stanistan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a87d85/32.png) [@Stanistan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Stanistan)\
**Post date:** [March 29, 2008, 5:03pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/subaru-downshift-problem/12337/1 "2008-03-29T17:03:25Z")

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A caller asked about the sensation when going around a corner that their Subaru was downshifting or something. Tom and Ray said it probably WAS downshifting. As a former owner of a 91 Legacy, I’d like to suggest another, unfortunately grimmer, possibility: the all-wheel-drive clutches are binding. My car did that when I put new tires on one end but not the other, then after I fixed that (2 more new tires) it was fine until a few years later, when it started doing it again. It was especially bad at very low-speed tight turns (i.e. parking). The dealer said I probably damaged the AWD clutches and would need a transmission rebuild. Luckily the car got bombed by hail the size of golfballs and my insurance company graciously took it off my hands. I loved the car though, so I bought a newer Subaru and am taking care to keep the tires matched and rotated.