general problems of the 2007 Subaru Forester

On 7/19/2022 while backing out of a parking spot with a right hand turn we heard a loud noise and the car did not seem to want to continue moving. Upon further inspection the right front tire was sitting at an extreme and unusual angle. Tipped out at the top and no longer pointing in the same direction as the other front tire. Upon recovery of the vehicle and inspection the lower control has completely separated from its inboard forward attachment point due to corrosion. As a secondary result the right from cv axle was disconnected at the transmission cv joint. Due to the slow speed during the incident there was no injury or other vehicle damage. Had this broken at highway speeds the result could have been much different. The vehicle is in our home garage for repair. It has not been otherwise inspected. All parts are available for inspection and I also have pictures of the failed lower control arm. The vehicle is current on all recalls.

I purchased this car used from NJ, and recently relocated to wa. Approx. 126k miles, the lower front control arm on the driver side rusted through, dropping the car onto the wheel, and pulling the driveaxle from the transmission. It appears that the control arm rusted from the top side, which would likely be difficult to identify during a routine inspection if you didn't know to look for it. This happened when first backing up from the driveway in the morning, less than 1 foot of travel before I stopped to see what was going on. I spoke with Subaru of America, who told me that the recall on the control arm was "closed" and that the repair costs would be my responsibility. I am a mechanical engineer, and would never accept that catastrophic corrosion in a fundamental part of the suspension could be an acceptable defect for which the end user should assume responsibility. If the car was indeed "treated" for this condition by the owner at the time of the recall, then clearly the treatment is unsatisfactory and should not be taken as an acceptable response to a very significant safety hazard. My only blessing in this situation is that it did not fail the previous evening when I was driving home, or later that morning had I been able to get out of my driveway.

My vehicle regularly shifts in a very imprecise way, at the wrong times, in particular at low speeds. There is also unusual delays in shifting down when quick power is applied, sometimes resulting in delays in emergency or quickly needed maneuvers. The care behaves in exactly the same ways as in NHTSA complaints #10480933 and #10317114. I have found many similar complaints in other fora in specialized car websites, which leads me to believe that this is a design and engineering defect on the part of Subaru, which has grave safety implications. I called one dealership and the customer service number at Subaru, and was told that no bulletins or recalls have been issued for this defect. In both cases, I was told that the cost of replacing the transmission, about $2,000 to $3,000 would be my responsibility. Given that this is a design or manufacturing defect, which has grown greater as the car ages, Subaru should be required to recall and repair the defects at no cost to the consumer.

Rear axle hanger bearing gave out. Had to replace rear axle. Tires always maintained meticulously. Concerning because symmetrical awd failure in winter driving is safety issue.