Besides a (very) rusty cooler and a bunch of other issues I’m currently dealing with, like a leaky exhaust, I’m seeing something odd about the 4EAT transmission:
1) Shifting into neutral (N) actually still moves the car slowly forward
2) Shifting from reverse (R) to direction (D) may cause a sudden reverse jerk.
3) Accelerating (in normal traffic) from the 40-60km/h range can occasionally cause a sudden spike in RPM where the needle jumps to 3000 before upshifting.
4) Going uphill at 100 km/h (~60 mph) with cruise control, the transmission downshifted into third gear, and then almost immediately dropped back into second gear. Consequence: RPM’s jump to about 5000 and the car jerks forward immediately. The hill wasn’t that steep, I don’t think my 2004 H6 Outback would have gone down that much there.
I haven’t checked the CV joints yet, but I don’t hear any clicking or popping noises when I go back to minimum range, so it’s less likely to be a problem with them. Makes me think it’s something to do with the transmission. Can old ATF fluid do this? Or could it be the control solenoids? Or a sliding clutch?
Also, does anyone have a sketch of the rear sunroof sunshade nearby? The OEM replacement part ( here ) is about a third of the price of the car, so I don’t think I’ll be ordering one from Subaru… 
