2013 Forester CVT – P0971 code, dealer recommends $3,000 valve body replacement. Looking for advice
Hi everyone,
I own a 2013 Subaru Forester CVT with approximately 103,600 km (64,000 miles).
For several months I have been getting intermittent AT OIL TEMP, ABS, and traction control lights. Recently the warning lights became permanent.
The Subaru dealer performed diagnostics and found:
P0971 – Transfer Solenoid Circuit High
C1431 – Automatic Transmission Abnormal
They removed the transmission pan and reported that there was no metal debris (no metal shavings) inside the CVT.
Their recommendation is to replace the entire valve body assembly. The repair cost is approximately USD $3,000 including valve body, CVT fluid, and labor.
My concern is that the dealer says the scanner currently points to the valve body, but they cannot guarantee that another transmission component is not also involved.
Has anyone here had the exact P0971 code on a 2013 Forester CVT?
Did replacing the valve body solve the problem permanently?
Was anyone able to repair the valve body or replace only the solenoid instead of the entire assembly?
Would you get a second opinion before spending this amount of money?
Any experience or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you.