No additional power when stepping on the gas.

Is the check engine light on?

No. No dashboard indications of anything - before or after events.

When you step on the gas do you hear a change in the engine noise or nothing at all? If the engine note changes but not much else, the CVT may not be downshifting.

I believe the answer is nothing at all. Engine doesn't rev up but w/o response. RPMs stay the same. Kind of like you are talking to your kids but they aren't listening.

Next time listen carefully as this might help Subaru diagnose the problem I think it is either the CVT or the electronic throttle.

Another question - Is it normal to have to add a quart of oil between 6K oil changes?

1 quart is not bad especially for a Subaru. Their standard is no more than one quart in 3,600 miles. You could switch to every 5,000 miles between changes which is what I do in my Forester.

Thank you F_O_R!!! I had seen some issues on the WWW with Subaru engines and oil consumption being an indicator, just wondered. This is my wife's car and she is actually afraid of it as is. In one case she was trying to accelerate in the 3rd lane on I- 95 and got no response whatsoever. Apparently the car started slowing down and she was lucky to maneuver across two lanes to the shoulder. Turned it off, turned it on, and all was well - for several months. But lately it is happening more frequently. I was the person driving the other day when it happened and by quickly getting off and back onto the peddle it responded OK. But it isn't something we want to keep driving with, that's for sure and Subaru found nothing. They also said nothing about CVT issues and the extended warranty, either. Many thanks for your thoughts!!! Bob

You may want to take this up directly with Subaru of America. Emphasize that this a safety issue. After owning the 15 Forester I am no longer a Subaru fan.

Hi, I'm having the same power/transmission problem on hills. Did you ever find a solution? Living in Colorado, the issue becomes pretty pronounced. Thanks!

We have the exact same issues. Any solutions found?

We traded the car in for a 2018 CrossTrec. Subaru refused to accept our story, basically acted like we were lying. They claimed every test they did indicated no problem. If my wife did not like driving the Subaru so much - when operating normally - I would not have purchased another Subaru. I know we had a lemon, and that happens, but both the dealer and U.S. management were a disaster. I get our new one serviced by a different dealer. My 2007 RAV4 just keeps on running without anything other that normal mileage related servicing. Guess what brand my next vehicle will be?

Hi, this happened to me the other day and Subaru was able to replicate it. They think it is the fuel tank overheating when your gas is under a quarter tank full.