2016 Outback 3.5L Transmission Squeal

Hi everyone,

Sounds at ~6 sec and ~40 sec

My 2016 Outback 3.5L is making a short squeaking noise (front end?) when it begins driving after sitting overnight. Usually happens after a couple minutes of driving at around 40-50mph but it also happens on the highway at ~65 sometimes. It'll happen 3-5 times at 1-2 minute intervals and then stops.

We thought it could be brake related as it seemed like it was slowing the car down ever so slightly when it happens. We thought that the sound was new since a brake job done a couple months back, so we figured it might work itself out, but it has kept doing it over the last month or so.

Now, our mechanic is pointing us towards transmission issues. He drove it several times throughout the week and heard it several times but couldn't get it to work in the shop while he was driving it on the lift. He told me he didn't want to sell me on a new transmission quite yet since it's not 100% confirmed to be a transmission issue. He said he consulted with a transmission expert that he works with and they agreed that spending the $ on a new transmission is not the move... yet.

Has anyone dealt with this before? What did you do about it?