Subaru Transmission Crisis: Dead Display & Rough Shifts

As someone with some hands-on experience working on Japanese cars, I can share a similar situation with my 2008 Subaru R2, which showed nearly identical symptoms last year. The electronic display and gear indicator problems were initially misleading, but they turned out to be connected to a faulty transmission control unit. The instrument panel stopped showing the gear position, and the shift knob response became increasingly erratic, just like your description. In my case, the workshop diagnosed the issue through their diagnostic system and found that the control unit was the root cause, not just a display problem. The complete repair, including parts and labor, came to 1000€. The fix included: Replacing the defective control unit, Recalibrating the transmission system, Testing all gear positions, Verifying proper function of the automotive electronics After the repair, all systems returned to normal operation, including the gear indicator and smooth shifting. To provide more specific advice for your case, could you share: any trouble codes from recent diagnostics? When did the symptoms first appear? Have you noticed any other electrical issues? Are there any warning lights on your instrument panel?

Had my car serviced last month at 123162 KM and they found similar symptoms. The sensor problem with the electronic display started shortly after. The grinding noise turned out to be related to the gear shift position sensor, which was causing both the digital display malfunction and transmission issues. The workshop fixed it by replacing the position sensor and recalibrating the gear indicator system. Total repair costs were 450€, including parts and labor. The transmission is now shifting smoothly again and the gear indicator shows the correct positions. A proper diagnostic check might save you money before jumping to major transmission repairs. The display issue often points to sensor or electrical problems rather than mechanical transmission damage.

Thanks for sharing your repair experience. Your case reinforces what I found with my similar Subaru R2 issue, sensor problems can really mimic major transmission troubles. The faulty position sensor causing both the grinding and instrument panel display issues makes sense. In my situation, I actually wish I had checked the sensor first before replacing the entire control unit. Could have saved several hundred Euro. The warning signs are nearly identical, both our cars had the gear indicator display failure combined with rough shifting. The key difference is that your sensor problem was caught earlier, leading to a much more reasonable 450€ repair versus my 1000€ fix. For anyone else facing similar automotive electronics issues: the digital display malfunction combined with shifting problems often points to sensor or electrical issues rather than mechanical failure. Having a proper diagnostic scan done first can prevent unnecessarily expensive repairs. Its great that both our Subarus are now shifting properly with functioning gear indicators. These electronic display problems can be worrying, but they dont always signal catastrophic transmission failure.

Thanks for the helpful insight about the sensor and display issues. Just got back from another workshop visit and they confirmed my gear shift position sensor is indeed faulty. The mechanic found the same symptoms you described, failed electronic display and rough shifting. The diagnostic scan revealed error codes related to the sensor, not the transmission itself. They quoted 500€ for the complete repair including: New position sensor, Recalibration of the car dashboard systems, Testing of all gear positions, Labor costs This is much better than the 2000€ transmission rebuild another shop suggested. Your experience helped me avoid an unnecessary major repair. The digital display and shifting issues really had me worried about total transmission failure. Will update once the repair is done, but feeling relieved its likely just the sensor causing both the gear indicator and shifting problems. Sometimes the simplest explanation is the correct one when it comes to automotive electronics.