Rear Suspension Coil Springs problems of the 2014 Subaru Forester - part 1

Rear coil spring broke while car was parked in garage. Left rear of car sagging. Unsafe to drive.

When getting rear wheel bearing replaced mechanic advised that both rear coil springs were broken. No known cause.

I found half of the coil in my garage. This was to the driver side rear shock. I am not sure about the condition of the other 3 shocks. Looks like the coil just rusted out.

A piece of the rear suspension coil spring fell out onto the road when I was driving, and came to a halt behind me on the street. It is similar to a piece I found in my driveway a year ago (which I did not recognize or know where it came from. The car's handling has been �different� but can't tell if it will become unsafe.

Driving down the highway at approximately 70 mph and the drivers side rear coil spring collapsed. We heard a loud metal bang and when we got home I noticed the coil spring was broken.

At 56,000 miles hit a moderate size pot hole resulting in broken rear passenger side coil spring requiring new spring, shock and alignment. At 67,000 miles heard loud bang coming from car while parked. Found what appears to be piece of broken coil spring under car. Required new rear drivers side coil spring and strut. Appears large number of similar vintage Foresters have experienced broken coil springs with springs found with breaks in similar spots.

While driving my 2014 Subaru Forester, I ran over a dip in the road while coming to a stop sign and heard a loud �bang�. I stopped to check if I happened to hit something and the rear of my Forester was completely bottomed out as if it was overloaded. While at the garage, the mechanic raised my car up on the lift and pulled out pieces of the coil springs that sheared off completely. The cost of two new coil springs was $160. 00 and it took the garage 3 hours to complete the repair. My car does have 126k miles and the springs had slight corrosion but we're not completely rusted. However, while looking for replacement parts, I have found that many other people have had the same issue with their Foresters and a lot with significantly less miles than mine. I do not have photos of the coil springs I will attach the two photos I took before the car was taken to the garage.

At approximately 57,000 miles, on my 2014 Subaru Forester, I have experienced my second rear coil spring failure. The first, on the right rear, occurred as I put the car into reverse to back out of my driveway. I have a piece of this coil spring in my possession and clearly shows metal fatigue/stress failure. The second, on the left rear, I believe occurred while driving. As I notice the car tilting again as I went to reenter it and looked under and could see something wrong with the spring. It was towed to stohlman Subaru of tysons at 8435 leesburg pike, vienna, va and they have told me the left rear spring is broken and they are replacing it. I have called Subaru and up receiving documentation of repairs, they will reimburse me. However, I notice from doing a search on the internet that this is a know problem and often leads to failed rear struts. Therefore, I believe that Subaru should be made to recall the Foresters to replace the coil springs, reimburse customers who have paid for repairs, and provide us with extended warranties for the full rear suspension.

Rear coil springs are defective and actually snapped. Spring appears to have been manufactured incorrectly so that stress cracks ultimately result in failure. Mine broke at the bottom and the piece fell off. This could really be a problem travelling on the highway.

While vehicle was parked in garage discovered a piece of metal on garage floor which looked like a piece of a coil spring. Later found vehicle to handle poorly. Felt unstable and slammed hard over small bumps. Later figured out what happened - rear passenger side spring failed. That corner now sits 2+ inches lower than opposite side. Now sitting on strut bump stops with no suspension. Vehicle feels unsafe to drive. Called Subaru of America and they offered to help with repairs on a "good will" basis but refused to acknowledge as a known issue. Found internet forum with dozens of reports from people with the same problem. . Read more...

Vehicle was stationary. While parked in my driveway, the left rear coil spring broke leaving several pieces lying under the car and leaving the left rear end sagging so that the wheel well barely clears the tire. There was some very mild surface rust only. Appears to be poor quality metal that simply fatigued and broke. Vehicle has never towed a trailer, carried heavy loads, driven over rough terrain, etc. Has only about 77k miles on it. Quick search on google shows that this is very common failure on 2014 and 2015 Subaru Foresters. Definite safety hazard. If had occurred at highway speed could have had devastating consequences. I've included a picture of the pieces of the spring that were laying in my driveway under the parked car, as well as a horizontal pick of the left and right wheel demonstrating the difference in clearance between the tire and wheel-well.

Vehicle was parked in my driveway last night, I heard a loud metallic bang but couldn't see anything outside. This morning I found the rear of my vehicle sagging and a pile of pieces of my rear driver side suspension coil on the ground under my car. Vehicle had not been driven in two days before breakage. The cracked edges where the coil broke are quite rusted, so this has obviously been developing for some time.

Vehicle was in for front and rear pads and rotor replacement (at 30k miles!) mechanic informed me that I had a broken rear coil spring and sent me a picture of the broken piece. It was half of a coil that had completely rusted through and snapped off the bottom of the spring. Car now sits unevenly and has compromised suspension and possible safety issues. Further research finds many complains of exactly the same issue with 2014-2015 Foresters. No one makes replacement springs and Subaru dealers are backordered with nationwide repairs, leaving us no recourse.

Rear coil spring broke under 40mhp over small bump.

Both rear coil springs failed at approximately 6" along the bottom of the coil. Both failed at exactly the same time. The vehicle was up on jacks and as I was removing the brake rotors to replace the rotors and pads I heard a loud crack followed by the metal parts landing on the garage floor. There is evidence of corrosion at the break points (see photos). There are approximately 45,000 miles on the car.

At 67000 miles rear drivers side coil spring is broke. This is a gently used vehicle that is garaged always, do not believe corrosion was the issue. Having to replace with Subaru parts that have been modified to be more robust, meaning Subaru recognizes an issue with potentially safety related part.

I had my 2014 Subaru Forester at the local dealership for the recall repair for the brake lamp switch replacement. They notified me of a broken left rear coil springs and stated that the "vehicle is unsafe to drive". They recommended replacing both. It has about 31,000 miles on it.

My car has 43k miles on it and during a brakes service at the Subaru dealership they called to tell me they found the left rear coil spring severely cracked and about to break. They recommended that I have both coil springs replaced immediately, that the cracked one could break at any time causing the car to sink and potentially puncture the tire. They recommended that I not drive the car home while awaiting this part to come in - it was that serious a risk. They quoted almost $900 to replace both coil springs plus the cost of an alignment. When I looked up more about this, I found discussion boards where many other people had also experienced this and said it should not happen with so few miles on the car, and that people had found these springs to be rusted and faulty, causing this problem. Some dealerships were covering this repair as "goodwill. " I called my dealership back and they said they would not cover it as goodwill, but I could ask Subaru head office if they would. I called 1-800-Subaru-3 and started a claim. They called my dealership and then called me back within 20 minutes and said they would cover the cost of the repair in full, and give me a loaner car while awaiting the part. I wonder if this should be a recall. I also wonder why Subaru is not being up front about covering this repair if it is indeed a faulty part on their part. I was quoted $900+ for the repair, and it was only because of looking up the history of others with this problem, and escalating the issue to the head office was this repair covered. My dealership was not forthcoming that this problem should not be happening at 43k miles and seemed unusual.

2014 Subaru Forester was parked when the left rear coil spring shattered. Made a large noise and upon investigation discovered car at an angle in wheel bed. Car undriveable. On vacation at the time and had to drive 5 hours (roundtrip) to buy two new rear coil springs on advise of mechanic who towed car to his garage. He stated that the right coil spring was very rusted and showing signs of disintegration as well. Was advised that this part is very difficult to obtain as this is happening a lot. Our car had just over 41,000 miles on it. Driven primarily in the DC metro area. Single owner of the car. Given the amazed reaction of many, we are surprised that this part has not been recalled. I have been driving for over 50 years and have never had a problem like this. I do not haul heavy loads, nor do I use the car to tow anything. This is my "grandma" mobile, chosen because of Subaru's supposed safety and reliability record.

The right rear coil spring broke and a portion fell off in our garage. My wife left with the vehicle and I found a portion of the coil on our garage floor. When she returned, I could see that the right rear of the vehicle was "sagging" lower than the left side.

Rear driver's side coil spring broke while vehicle was stationary. It broke in the same spot as so many others have reported recently, having completely rusted from the inside out in a small spot on the bottom. Unacceptable to happen with a 5 year old vehicle and very, very dangerous as this could have happened while driving causing a loss of control over the vehicle and/or a tire blowout from the spring breaking. This is a defective part on the 2014 Subaru Forester and really should be an official recall ASAP before someone gets seriously hurt.

My 2014 Subaru forrester was parked in my driveway when a very loud sound occurred. The rear, driver coil spring broke and three pieces of metal were on the floor. The car body dropped and the tire was almost hitting the wheel well. I took it to my local mechanic who was very surprised that on a relatively new car the coil spring broke. I did an internet search and discovered that this was a very common complaint about the 2014 forrester coil springs. They were clearly defective but Subaru was not helpful in covering any of the replacement costs especially because both had to be replaced.

R rear coil spring broke while turning on a smooth road at low speed. Subaru dealership admitted that several other Foresters were awaiting repair for the same problem. They also said that there was a nationwide shortage of that part and I ended up waiting for several weeks before it could be fixed. Subaru did end up paying for half the cost upon request.

Rear passenger side spring coil was broken I don't know when. My mechanic saw it when she was replacing my breaks. Every person I spoke to about this said it had never happened to them, even with cars they basically ran into the ground, let alone a 5 year old car. Most of the complaints about 2014 Foresters on NHTSA seemed to be about this same issue. I brought it to the dealer, since most garages didn't have the parts needed, and I was hoping that Subaru would pay since they seemed to use shoddy steal on the springs that rusted prematurely. Subaru of wakefield in MA gave me the best deal of any in MA that I talked to, I pay for one side ($750 for wheel bearings, strut and coil) and Subaru paid for the other. Make sure to mention all the complaints on nhsta that seemed to help me get this deal.

Both rear suspension coil springs broke and need to be replaced and so do the struts. Both broke while driving on a well paved rode going 35 mph. I did not hit or run over anything. They completely snapped apart. This is clearly due to defective part as there are 100's of complaints for this happening to 2014-2015 model Foresters and coming from a family of mechanics, this does not just happen. The car has 50k miles and is only driven on well paved roads. Springs broke while driving kids in back. Car very unstable and cannot stop as quickly. Really unsafe. These need to be recalled.

The right rear suspension on the car collapsed sometime between 6/29/19 and 7/4/19. We did not put weight on the car. The coil spring just sheared somehow. The car has 76k miles on it and has been in mi for the last 3 years. The mechanic could not figure out how this happened, and we are frankly puzzled too. We are not the only ones who this has happened to. . Read more...

While driving on a straight flat road, the two rear coil springs broke. The broken springs caused the vehicle to rapidly lose ride height and made it difficult to steer. Searching online for replacement parts showed that hundreds of other Subaru Forester owners model years 2014-2016 have had similar rear coil spring failures. The service writer at the dealership stated that they had seen enough similar failures that he expected a recall.

Tl the contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. While the contact's wife was driving 25-30 mph and making turns, the vehicle swayed and was difficult to keep straight. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to budd baer Subaru (71 murtland Ave, washington, PA 15301, (724) 914-6670) where it was diagnosed that the rear coil springs were fractured. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 80,000. The VIN was not available.

I have kept up with my car and serviced it when suggested. I took my 2014 forrester in for a 67. 5k mile check and was told that both rear spring coils broke off while on the lift. When shown the broken coil, the plastic was deteriorated and the coil rusted through. This is my 5th Subaru, the 4 older models have had well over 150k miles - two are still on the road, and none have had this issue. I also find it strange that the dealership quickly offered to replace them "under warranty" when my car is already out of warranty. Almost like they are trying to cover up something. I have seen other reports of this listed and wanted to further verify this issue. Thank you.

Left rear coil spring broke while car sat in driveway.

Rear coil spring broke while car was parked in the garage. Prior to this event, the other rear coil spring had to be replaced due to rust damage.

In late may 2019, I went outside to drive my Forester to the store. Underneath the driver side rear bumper, I found part of a coil spring, roughly a 1/2 turn. I looked around a bit, and found that it had come from the driver side, rear coil spring, bottom. The spring at the break was very rusty - both the fragment and from the broken spring still in place. The vehicle was parked in my driveway for approximately 14 hours before I noticed the spring fragment on the ground. This car has always been adult driven and never abused.

Passenger side rear coil spring broke. This didn't seem to happen while I was driving, at least not in a what that was noticeable. I walked out of work and noticed that the rear passenger side of the car was sitting a couple inches lower than it should. I took it to the shop and they found that one of the coils of the spring had snapped, causing the sagging.

Drivers side rear damper spring broken approximately 1/2 coil from the bottom of the damper. This approximately 3 to 4 inch piece of spring was rusted in the area of the break, resting on the lower damper "hat". The break was complete. This sharp piece was easily lifted off the damper. The spring displayed peeled paint an rust on several locations. Found at around 46,000 miles only upon inspection while replacing brakes. Unsure of any specific time of breakage. Vehicle was inspected at 30,000 miles. No remarks about the damper spring. Dealer and Subaru corporate replaced the spring.

Both coil springs on my 2014 Forester failed local Subaru dealer replaced both springs at a cost tome of $561. 00 for parts and labor. In addition, I was charged 99. 95 for a four wheel alignment mandated by the replacement of the springs. Vehicle had only 51,972 on the odometer. The vehicle was in motion on a smooth street when the springs snapped. The result of the broken springs was a sagging rear end of the vehicle making it unsafe to drive. This is a safety failure and should have been repaired without charge to me. I contacted Subaru customer service and was told that there was no known problem with the suspension. . . However, there seem to be very many similar incidents reported on Subaru owner websites.