general problems of the 2015 Subaru Forester - part 1

81 problems related to engine and engine cooling have been reported for the 2015 Subaru Forester. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2015 Subaru Forester based on all problems reported for the 2015 Forester.

1 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 08/02/2024

Oil consumption issue starting within the first 3 years of owning the vehicle. Oil light comes on generally after driving 2,000 miles or less from the last oil change or oil fill up, but prior to the light turning on there are acceleration issues. Vehicle bucks and lunges when accelerating. Lunging seems to occur after vehicle seems to loose power to accelerate and then lunges forward shuddering as power returns. These issue worsen after oil light has come on. Vehicle feels very unsafe when trying to merge if acceleration is needed. Also almost hit from behind when car seems to lose power when trying to accelerate after stopping for a red light. Vehicle has been serviced repeatedly at dealership and oil consumption issues documented. Vehicle’s make/model with known oil consumption issues, but this vehicles VIN has not been included in recalls.

2 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 03/31/2024

The contact owned a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a cracking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. The low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was sold to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the repair would not be covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

3 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 11/19/2023

After driving for about 15 minutes, I was stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of 2 hilly and curvy roads with poor visibility. When I stepped on the accelerator to go, all of the lights on my dash lit up and the car died. I tried several times to restart the car and it wouldn't start. We managed to get the car pushed into someone's yard and had it towed to my mechanic. When my mechanic tried to start it the next day, it started right up. In looking at the codes, it showed a code for an air flow meter sensor, so they replaced that. I got the car back 2 days later. Drove for about 20 minutes, parked my car in my driveway, and when I went to restart it about 30 minutes later the same thing happened. The lights on the dash lit up and the car died. After waiting about another 30 minutes I was able to start the car, and moved it out of the way so it could be towed. Since I live in a very hilly area with 2 lane curvy roads, it's just not safe for me to drive it anywhere with the possibility of it stopping again. The car started up for the tow truck driver, and again for my mechanic. This time there was no error code when my mechanic checked.

4 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 10/11/2023

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, the vehicle was shifted into drive however, the steering wheel failed to turn as intended. An unknown warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the ecu needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,739.

5 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 05/16/2023

I have continually had the srs airbag tell me that is not registering someone in the front seat as it turns off when someone is in the front seat. This has been reported to Subaru however they refuse to do anything about it as they say because I purchased it in 2014 it isn't covered under the recall due to the fact I have the same symptoms as the recall along with the heated seats. Also my original engine had 170k miles on it in July 2021 and blew a head gasket. I have purchased another used engine and this one only had 73k miles on it when it was put in and now at 117k miles on this engine I have another blown head gasket with less than 50k miles on the second engine. Something needs to be done as I am tired of replacing the same issue. I am a first time owner of a Subaru and a 1 owner I bought it brand new with 3 miles on the Subaru Forester.

6 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 03/14/2023

Retailer failed vsi due to a defective cracked catalytic converter under warranty. Part is still in use because retailer refuses to service vehicle forcing me to operate my unsafe vehicle endangering myself and family including my then [xxx] son. Dealer confirmed defect and warranty coverage yet still refuses to address the issue. The vehicle has become notably louder as a result of the exhaust leak. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

7 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 03/07/2023

We were driving at 75 mph in the left lane when our car suddenly dropped in speed to 40 mph as though the transmission had dropped into neutral. There were no warning lights or any indication about what was happening. We were in heavy traffic, with trucks and car hitting their brakes. This could have caused a very serious accident. We managed to move our car to the right shoulder. The car's transmission re-engaged and we picked up our speed. This happened 3 times in the space of a few hundred miles while we were on a road trip. I called Subaru. They had no idea what it was. We went to the nearest Subaru dealer and they ran a diagnostic test, even including a 12 mile test drive with the computer hooked up. Nothing showed up. They told us to continue our trip. Then it happened 2 more times! the last time, again, in the left lane, on cruise. The engine rpm clocked up at 7500 rpm before I was able to get the car off the road. The engine died and we had to be towed to a shop. Again, no warning dash lights. This is a serious flaw and very dangerous.

8 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 12/07/2022

While driving 45mph on an icy road (approximately 25 degree(f) outside temp) the car suddenly lost power as if the cvt transmission was in neutral. However, it was still in drive. Pressing the accelerator only raised the rpms but no power was sent to the wheels. There were cars behind me and my car was slowing down due to no power. I was fortunately able to pull off to the side of the road, stop, put in park. I put back into drive, power returned, and car drove normally for the remaining ~10miles of my trip. No warning lights from vehicle occurred during this event. This sudden loss of power could have been very dangerous especially given the road conditions. If drivers behind me were not following at a safe distance the sudden reduction in speed could have caused an accident due to the icy roads. I have not yet taken the car to be inspected, but will do so as soon as possible.

9 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 12/06/2022

I parked my car in the walgreens parking lot while shopping, less than 30 minutes. When I returned, the car would not start. I called aaa for what I thought was a battery jump. When the aaa technician arrived, checked the battery and said his equipment said to replace the battery. After several attempts he was able to finally get the car started. I drove my car to the dealer where I had just had the battery and terminal replaced five months earlier. The service person checked the battery and charged it for more than an hour after having me call a Subaru warranty line and tell them how many times the battery had to be jumped - once. Yesterday, 12/6/2022 I was attempting to leave my home to take my husband to a cancer treatment clinic for an appointment and the car would not start. I called the Subaru technician who told me to bring the car in before 5 pm, which I could not do. Today, 12/07/2022, after several attempts I was able to start the car and take it to the service center. The technician could not find evidence of the battery purchase June 22, 2022. I showed him my paid receipt and he was able to locate the purchase. He told me the service manager wanted him to test the battery before doing anything. This is my only vehicle and I can’t keep going back and forth to the repair center whenever the new battery and connector , still under warranty, do not work. Today the technician told me the recall for coil replacement needed to be done. I was told it was done in June, but the service center has no evidence in their system that it was done. I never received any notice from Subaru that it was recalled.

10 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 10/18/2022

The engine on my 2015 Subaru Forester consumes oil at a very high rate. I use fully synthetic oil and within 1,000-2,000 miles, I have to top it off due to excessive "burn off". I have done on-line research, and this seems to be a common problem for this year/make/model. I have been unable to get any action but wanted to report the issue to support a general recall, if applicable. I recently took a road trip of just over 2,000 miles and changed the oil the day before we left. I checked the oil at every fuel-up and could watch the oil level fall. By the end of the trip, I had to top off the oil level to keep it within acceptable range.

11 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 09/17/2022

We had driven up mt washington in nh (about 6000ft high) and were returning back. We had used the x mode (hill assist) intermittently on the way down. Had driven almost 150 miles back to home, when the car suddenly lost power and started to shudder. We were able to coast to the side. We tried to start again and again the same problem. We noticed that the brakes seemed quite warm. After about 5 minutes we tried again and were able to drive slowly to a gas station, but no one to help since it was late. Since fuel was low at 1 bar (60 miles distance to empty). We filled up the tank and made our way home driving slowly on the back roads. We are not sure if it could be a problem with the fuel, electrical system, brakes or the hill assist. While the car seems to run fine on short trips of a few miles, have not taken it out on any longer drives.

12 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 09/10/2022

Driving in merging four lane traffic 70mph when forward motion stopped due to power loss. Almost wrecked getting to shoulder of road. Stranded in 90+ heat. Vehicle would not crank.

13 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 07/05/2022

The vehicle engine revved higher and would not stop even while applying the brakes. I was stopped in a parking lot waiting to take a left. As I took the turn, a mother and her two children exited the store quickly in my path. I took my foot off the gas and pressed on the brakes. The engine continued to accelerate and did not slow with the brake being applied. I slipped it into neutral while pressing harder on the brakes to avoid striking the family in front of me. The problem was not able to be confirmed or duplicated by the dealer service center. No other inspections have been made. A similar incident happened two weeks prior. There were no warning lamps or messages.

14 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 05/13/2022

My 2015 suburb Forester accelerates by itself.

15 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 02/28/2022

I was driving into the sunlight, and was slowing down due to utility pole work ahead. The car stalled, and engine shut off. The dash light indicated the eyesight was disabled. I was able to restart, but the incident was very concerning.

16 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 01/25/2022

Cam carrier/front cover seal failed on our 2015 Forester with the 6 speed mt. This oil leak has ruined the O2 sensor, the drivers side vvt solenoid and according to the dealer has caused oil to run down the wiring harness which will cause further sensor failures if not corrected. All told the dealer wants over $3700 to fix the issues and will not warranty any parts unless the oil leak is fixed. The car currently has ~105k miles on it, out of warranty, but we had mentioned oil loss issues to our mechanic and local Subaru dealer when the car was serviced for the 2019 airbag sensor recall. The car was 4 yrs old, had ~65k miles and was "consuming" about 1 qt per 2500 miles at which time the low oil light would come on, but not the check engine. The concern was dismissed by the dealer as minor and likely oil consumption common on this engine. This is concerning as I now know that a service bulletin for this leak was issued in 2019. Now the car "consumes," leaks, about 1 qt every 1500 miles with no visible signs under when parked, but does have a distinct smell of burned oil in the car when idling in the driveway or stopped in traffic. The check engine light is no on constantly and cruise control does not function.

17 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 11/27/2021

Sudden, without any warning, complete engine failure. Luckily I was in the right hand lane while ascending a major mountain pass. We were in the midst of a "atmospheric river" with rain coming from all directions when the engine just stopped. I muscled the car onto a very narrow shoulder and called for help, I knew we were in a very dangerous situation as this was the Saturday after thanksgiving 2021, and the highway was full of cars and semi trucks whizzing past our Forester, we stayed put in the car. The state patrol eventually appeared behind my Subaru, we conversed, and the officer used his front push bumpers to move my car up the remaining 2. 5 miles up the the pass summit and onto a parking lot away from the freeway. Eventually aaa tow truck driver arrived, loaded our Subaru onto the platform carrier, with my wife and me in the cab, he drove 157 miles to our dealership parking lot. When we arrived, he again checked the battery, it was dead. He then proceeded to use an external storage to charge up our battery, and after a short time he successfully started our Subaru. I chose to leave the car at the dealership lot so they could check the systems the next morning. They could find no problem whatsoever with the engine, drive train, fuel system, or electrical system. The told us to report any problem to them, but stated our forrester was safe to drive. The next day our trusted mechanic confirmed they could find no problem in our car. We have been driving our Forester per normal since this incident happened, the problem has not repeated. In summary no warning lights appeared on our dashboard before the incident; we used our lights to warn other drivers while we waited for help and eventually all lights went off; the problem has not been reproduced by dealer, mechanic, or us. What I believed occurred driving through the "atmospheric river" the volume and intensity of the rain caused an electrical short, that was removed during the tow.

18 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 11/05/2021

I have done research and noticed that the engine is a problem with the 2015 Subaru Forester. The engine consumes oil at a very high rate. I get my oil changed (fully synthetic) every 5,000 miles. However, at about 3,000 miles of use, my oil light comes on at the dash. I then have to take my vehicle to the dealership to get the oil "topped off" to hold me over until my oil change date. This engine burns off oil at a very high rate. Also, the vehicle has consistently smelled like a burning or burnt oil type smell in the cabin of the car after driving it. After I park the vehicle in the garage and get out, you can smell the "burning/hot" smell of the engine or oil. This has been an issue for over 2 years and I have notified the dealership where I bought the vehicle. They said there is nothing that they can do, because there is no recall and that these cars just burn oil fast. The dealership also stated they don't know what the "burning" smell is. I feel that this is an insufficient engine and can be dangerous. I'm not sure how toxic the fumes are from the engine to be smelling it on a consistent basis, but also burning oil at a fast rate could cause more expensive and dangerous issues with other parts of the vehicle.

19 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 10/15/2021

The contact owned a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 70-75 mph, the vehicle began to lose motive power. The engine revved and made an abnormal loud sound. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact engaged the hazards lights and veered to the side of the road. The vehicle then shut off. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated; however, the dealer advised that the failure could be caused by condensation and moisture in the fuel lines. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle failed to start and was towed to a second dealer west herr Subaru (3559 southwestern blvd, orchard park, NY 14127). The dealer informed the contact that they had test-driven the vehicle on a 80 miles travel; however, they could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered the contact a coupon for the purchase of another vehicle; however, the contact declined and traded the vehicle for a different make. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

20 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 09/13/2021

The car regularly lurches or feels as it will stall. This occurs when trying to go from stops to starts both in a slow and faster manner. Has occurred while trying to turn left with oncoming traffic and I was concerned I may get hit. Dealership said “all 2015 forrester do this. It drives like the others on the lot. There aren’t any issues and if there were we would see light”. Obviously this is a know issue and Subaru doesn’t want to address it. When it happens the rpms shutter abs the speed doesn’t change.

21 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 07/15/2021

At about 101,000 miles I took the car in to the dealership where I bought it for another issue. When the tech got it up on his lift he came in and notified the service manager that there was bubbles on my brake line. The service manager came to us and she said “I really shouldn’t let you drive out of here with those bubbles because I would be an unsafe condition”, the implication was that if they burst I would have no brakes. The road salt on the roads in the winter in vermont was indicated as the cause of the problem. They installed all new brake lines behind the cabin. I had asked them to save a section of the brake lines showing the bubbles and that did not happen. I do much of my own maintenance and to have steel brake lines bubble it’s hard to understand. Maybe the hose between the end of the steel brake line and the wheel could bubble but having the brake line bubble is nightmarish. The safety concern is if other Subarus in salty climates have that problem and the owner is not aware of it, the brakes are liable to fail. Scary. As to the engine, since the car was a new, putting pressure on the accelerator caused the car to lurch, irritating and dangerous in tight settings. Notified the dealership on the day we got it and when mentioned, nothing could be done for the 5 years since it was new.

22 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 05/20/2021

The 2015 Subaru Forester accelerated unexpectedly while slowly turning into a a walgreens parking lot. The acceleration could not be stopped by stepping on the brake, and the car crashed into the brick building. The vehicle is at phil's auto body shop in rosemount, mn. The estimate on the car is complete, and waiting on state farm insurance to approve. The police were at the scene of the accident. Walgreens has video of the accident from their security cameras.

23 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 04/23/2021

I was traveling on the freeway going 65mph, when with no warning my car's engine stop. I tough it was out of gas, but the computer was telling me I had 30 more miles of fuel. At the time of this accident there was no shoulder to park because of construction on the freeway. This unfortunate event cause 3 other cars to be involved in a car accident. Some how my car was ok, I drove the car back to my house praying that it would not happen again. My husband drove it for a little to see if it will be ok to drive. Same thing happen to hem, but this was in a much controlled way.

24 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 01/09/2021

Car accelerates both when in motion and stationary. Sometimes when starting the car it shoots straight up to 2 on it's on. Car has accelerated when easing in and out of parking spaces, I have been very close to hitting other cars because of this.

25 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 12/24/2020

Engine using to much oil between oil changes. Transmission will not shift into final gear until driven for 10-15 miles.

26 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 12/13/2020

Tl the contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving, the vehicle experienced an unintended acceleration, causing the speed to increase to approximately 62 mph after leaving from a stop light. On another occasion while driving, the failure recurred and the driver downshifted to slow the vehicle which caused damage to the transmission. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The local dealer austin Subaru located at 8100 burnet rd, austin, TX 78757 and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 134,000.

27 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 12/09/2020

Tl the contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, the speed suddenly decreased independently to approximately 20 mph. During the sudden lose of power, no warning messages were displayed. The vehicle was towed the local dealer schomp Subaru located at 580 s havana st, aurora, CO 80012 who was unable to duplicate the failure. There was no repair performed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 70,000.

28 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 08/31/2020

This car was repaired under campaign 19v149000 on July 27 for the brake light switch issue. Since the repair of the recall, I have taken my car back to International Subaru in tinley park, IL for follow up service related to the replacement part. The problem I've encountered on a number of occasions is the car alerts that there is an issue stating "hill start assist system needs to be checked" while the car is in motion. The car then cuts all throttle capabilities for approximately 5 seconds and the car just coasts before resuming taking a throttle input. When this happens the car is just coasting and drops 15+ mph in speed. This alert seems to be triggered randomly and it causes serious safety concerns when without warning my car suddenly loses any usage of the throttle. This problem has been traced back to the part replaced in the recall and the dealer found the records in the car's computer showing the switch was active when it wasn't being pressed. This issue first surfaced on 8/31/20 but has come back numerous times since then. Furthermore, I had issues where the brake lights were on on the car overnight with the switch active with no input causing a drained battery. This is a more serious issue than just lights because the car's throttle cuts out without warning and this has been traced back to the switch on my car. I would rather have the original recalled part replaced in my car compared to the recall replacement part.

29 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 06/28/2020

Driving on the highway at roughly 70 mph, engine suddenly revved and then car essentially went into neutral. Engine didn't seem connected to the transmission. Coasted to the shoulder, then engine died. Shifted back to park and tried to restart, all lights on dashboard lit up and engine turned over, but would not start. Had to be towed to dealer. Found many similar experiences online. Some found fuel pump and pump relay failure. I have not received a diagnosis from the dealer yet. This was a potentially deadly failure.

30 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 04/06/2020

At the moment to stop on a parking spot, press brakes and engine rpm idles up and runs, causing me to press brakes harder and so I don't het whatever is in front of the vehicle.

31 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 01/03/2020

Subaru 2015 Forester 2. 5l at cvt transmission no turbo engine revs to 4-6000 rpm transmission slams into gear car takes off accelerating without driver input. The driver must slam on brakes place the car in neutral to regain control. The car does this intermittently both at low and high-speed travel. . This car has been at dealer several times for diagnosis without success. This is dangerous in that the driver is at risk of loss of control due to high engine rpm and sudden acceleration with slamming transmission engagement requiring hard brakeing and placing the car in neutral to regain control . I believe this is long standing problem with this car and the origianal buyer traded in this vehicle because of this defect. I believe this is a problem with the electriclal engine control system that will only be diagnosised documented by 24/7 monitoring of engine functions. In order to catch the events as they occur no codes are being thrown or recorded. The dealers have refused to provide this service to diagnosis this intermittant problem.

32 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 12/22/2019

While driving on highway at 70mph, the vehicle suddenly lost power. The engine revved but no response, like it was in neutral. The engine did not completely shut off, and I was able to get over to the shoulder. While coasting on the shoulder, the car sputtered as if it was out of gas, but I had 1/4 tank. It then began to run normally. I pulled off to a gas station, filled it up, and continued my trip without a problem. The occurrence was very dangerous on a congested highway.

33 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 12/15/2019

Loss of engine power/acceleration. Traveling home in our 2015 Forester, VIN jf2sjawc9fh595438, 93k miles, when we encountered a problem. On the interstate, traveling approximately 70mph, our Forester seemed to come out of gear, all the dash lights illuminated & the gas pedal would not work as far as actually accelerating the car (the gas pedal would �rev up� when pressed, but there was no actual acceleration happening with the engine). There was no warning; no engine issues; no warning lights on the dash prior to this event. We were luckily able to pull safely off the interstate. We did shut the car off in hopes of �resetting� something but could not get the car to restart (it would just crank). Therefore, we had to have it towed. This is the third time this has happened in the past year on this vehicle. We have taken it to our trusted local mechanic. No issues were found, and no codes were identified.

34 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 12/13/2019

My car losses power while I am driving. I merged into traffic on a two lane highway, and while my vehicle was across the north & south lanes, I lost power. Luckily all traffic slowed or stopped until I was able to move my car. This has happened 3 times now, I have had it to my dealer twice and was given answers like brake problems. Returning to the dealership 12/19/2019 for the third time, before I am killed, or cause a multi-car accident and other people to be injured. I have also reported this to consumer reports and Subaru's main location. Please notify me of anything else I can seek out as to not be killed or seriously injured in this car. Thanks.

35 Engine And Engine Cooling problem

Failure Date: 11/02/2019

Tl-the contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the vehicle started to comsume more oil at approximately at 72,000 miles. The vehicle was taken to the dealer tom wood Subaru, 3300 e 96th st, indianapolis , in 46240 ( four times ), they advised the contact to monitor the oil comsumption. This last time, they determined a new engine was needed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. . The approximate failure mileage 78,000. Bp.



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