general problems of the 2014 Subaru Forester

The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 50 mph, the steering wheel moved back and forth while on cruise control with the tires wobbling. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and diagnosed that the front driver’s and passenger’s side tires were able to move 6-8 inches without effort. The steering gear and all four tires were replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 78,000.

The 12-16 impreza, 13-17 crosstrek, and 14-18 Forester have a known issue of the electric steering rack becoming compromised, leading to steering issues. The issue is described in the issue bulletin as just "uneven steering effort" and that it is not unsafe and so is not a recall item, however I came to learn about this issue with my car after it suddenly starting this problem while driving, causing me to jerk wildly to the other side of the road with only the slightest left turn of the steering wheel, which could have very definitely caused an accident (this all being in front of a police officer, of course). I am 8 months pregnant and now all of a sudden have a possible dangerous issue with my car but cannot afford the fix immediately- I am hoping this can become a recall item in order to feel safe in my car again.

Steering doesn't return to a neutral state when turning at speed.

A grinding noise occurs when the car is steered while in motion.

The steering wheel "leather" coating has been disintegrating for over a year now. The Subaru service said it is a common issue with 2014 Subaru forest. & should be recalled. Eventually, the undercoat foam material will also disintegrate, he said. Also, both front lower control arms, bushings,band drive, (something like a drive shaft), strut & axel joint had to be replaced at only 69k miles. My car has never been in any accident or hit anything. Subaru paid for failed control arm replacement. This is an extremely unsafe car!.

The steering control module has failed twice in the last 4 years and 2 months. The power steering is lost and the steering wheel becomes very difficult to turn. The two times this failure has occurred has been in colder temperatures and during local driving. The car becomes very difficult to steer, and for a small person it could be dangerous. The steering module code per the dealer's service department is 2532. Both times when I spoke to the dealer, in 2014 and 2019, they acted as though they never heard of this issue. I am having the module replaced for the second time.

The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. While exiting the car wash, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning and crashed into a pole. When the brake pedal was depressed, it failed to operate and the steering wheel seized. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed and there were no injuries. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The dealer was not notified and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000.

We had the oil changed and car inspected at the vista automotive group Subaru of silverthone, colorado on December 29, 2014. Everything about the car was reported to be in good condition. Upon departing for California on January 2, we were on interstate 70 when the car began to yaw (pull to left and then pull to right) in both directions. There was some residual snow in the center of and on the sides of the lane but the pavement under the tires was dry. After about one hour of this phenomenon, and after the pavement was completely clear, the yawing ceased. We took the vehicle to mccrae Subaru in eureka, California upon our return and were told the following day that the speed difference in the drivetrain was apparently caused by the rear tires having less tread than the front tires. After contacting Subaru national headquarters, we were told the rear tire wear resulted from the failure to rotate the tires. Subaru referred us to yokohama tires for replacements. We purchased two new yokohama tires and when mounted by tp tires in arcata, California, were advised that the rear wheels were out of alignment. We then had the car aligned by simply performance automotive of arcata, CA and they confirmed the rear two wheels were out of alignment, causing the tires to wear unevenly. We still are concerned that the yawing could be the result of the car's computer system, but have no confidence that Subaru will diagnose the problem honestly, as they continue to maintain it's a tire rotation issue.

I started the car and the steering felt like it was incremental when you rotated the wheel. It was colder than normal out but not that cold. The temp was probably in the 40'sf. This has been an intermittent problem since then. I have had it at the Subaru 4 times at two different dealerships and the last thing they told me was call Subaru. I believe it is the control module for steering.