general problems of the 2003 Subaru Forester

I bought a used vehicle and looked at it and they erased the codes I saw then erased it then I confronted them and was told nothing is wrong with the vehicle after telling them there is a recall on the suspension. Went to go get a alignment and was told it's severely unsafe to drive and the subframe is about to snap! the mechanic gave me photos and a report to return it imatelt but the used car lot said well u had every chance and I did it the mechanical stuff checked but the car place said everything is in good condition!.

The head gasket failed in a manner which caused engine oil to leak onto the hot exhaust manifold. A strong burning odor is present after the engine warms up completely.

I have a complaint about the proposed recall remedy for NHTSA 21e002000 . The notice says, "ningbo will notify distributors, and owners, and will replace the bulb with halogen bulbs, free of charge. " this offered replacement of their defective led bulb with a halogen bulb is not an acceptable recall remedy because led bulbs are far superior to halogen bulbs. Especially led bulbs last much longer and drain much less power from the car's electrical system than halogen bulbs. I originally bought their led bulbs because of these advantages and replacing them with inferior halogen bulbs defeats the purpose of having bought led bulbs to begin with.

On winter days, where temperatures are not unusually low for a northern state, the fuel lines on the Forester will shrink and contract. The result is that fuel will leak out of the line resulting in two things, fuel vapors in the cabin and fuel puddling on the engine. Fuel puddling on the engine represents on obvious safety hazard in the event of a fire. The heavy fuel vapors and odor in the cabin caused me to become nauseous and light headed. In order to drive home safely, the windows had to be opened almost completely. Luckily they were not frozen up, which is also common in winter months. There have also been several days where wind chill alone could result in frost bite in only a few minutes. I could not have rolled down my windows safely on those days or in similar temps because of the added vehicle speed. Soa is aware that this is a problem, but refuses to correct the issue or admit that it applies to most of its models. The problem even continues on later models. . Read more...

2003 - Subaru - Forester - body hardware, fender, structural components & rails, lower frame left is completely rotted through. There was a recall on the support strut beside it but none on this. This is a major crash protection component as it connects the bumper to the frame. I talked to the dealer about it and they said there is no recall so it is my problem. Clearly the steel that was used was subject to excessive corrosion in salty/humid road conditions and should have been included as part of the original recall on the strut. The other side (right) is in good condition, indicating defective materials in this part.

The two front sub frames have to be replaced due to rust and thin metal.

Inspection of vehicle in July 18,2003 required replacement od both subframe bars due to severe rust. Second incident involved severe loss of control of vehicle while driving in heavy traffic. Lower control arm, and drivers side axle broke, and bent which caused vehicle to hop, jump, loss of steering. Stopped by running along side of curb. Had to replace axle and lower control arm due to severe rust. Mechanic said parts were back order for months. Was not able to replace so he reshaped a 2002 Subaru assembly to return my vehicle, after 11 days on his lift. I am 73 yrs. Old and have chronic anxiety issues. Am still afraid to drive this vehicle because passenger side also looks rusty.