general problems of the 2015 Subaru Forester - part 1

Vehicle: 2015 Subaru Forester mileage at failure: 85,000 miles component: powertrain – cvt transmission my 2015 Subaru Forester is experiencing a premature safety?related cvt transmission failure at approximately 85,000 miles. The vehicle developed a pronounced whining noise that increases with vehicle speed, consistent with internal cvt bearing or pulley failure. This is a known defect pattern in Subaru Forester cvts and is not related to maintenance or wear. The noise is continually progressing and the risk of sudden catastrophic failure makes the vehicle unsafe to operate. An authorized Subaru dealer and the district parts & service manager (dpsm) both confirmed that the cvt has failed and requires full replacement. This failure occurred well within Subaru’s extended cvt warranty mileage limit of 100,000 miles, and matches the defect pattern Subaru acknowledged when it extended cvt coverage nationwide for this model. However, Subaru is refusing to replace the cvt due to the 10 calendar year extension expiration. Subaru’s maintenance schedule for this vehicle does not require any cvt fluid replacement interval, so there is no missed maintenance that contributed to the failure. A failing cvt creates a safety hazard due to to the risk of sudden loss of power, hesitation, or inability to accelerate. I am filing this complaint so NHTSA is aware of this premature cvt failure and the associated safety concerns of soa's refusal to replace the cvt under their extended warranty.

I bought a used 2015 Subaru Forester with 117,000 miles from an auto shop/used car dealer in March of 2024. In September of 2025, 11,000 miles of driving later, a bunch of lights came on my dash. Check engine, traction control, abs, at oil temp, and incline assist. I took it to autozone to get the codes read and the part it suggested was the transmission oil pressure sensor. I then took it to a trusted mechanic who said they weren’t able to get the lights to turn back on and told me to come back when the lights reappeared. In December of 2025, the lights came on and they were on long enough to take it back to the mechanic. The mechanic told me that it looked to be the transmission valve body and recommended a local transmission shop. I took it there and the mechanic told me there was a speed sensor that was failing and the transmission and valve body would need to be replaced. He said that they don’t sell the speed sensor anywhere and it is impossible to obtain. I got quoted 9,100 to fix my car (I originally paid around 8,500 for it). I was told it would not be worth my time or money to fix the transmission. The transmission guy told me that Subaru cvt transmissions are horrendous and to take this is a lesson to never buy a Subaru. I heeded to this advice and traded her in for $2000 towards a 2010 rav4. Additional info: it had a rebuilt title and had been in an accident before I got it. Lived its entire life between kentucky and tennessee. I replaced the engine oil and filter every 4,000-6,000 miles. Tire treads were very mismatched for the time I had it (almost two years) which I was told by a Subaru dealership can damage the transmission. Back tires had significantly lower tread than front. I had front left lower control arm, rear spring coils, brake switch lamp, and one of the battery terminals replaced during the time I had it. My tpms light was always on. My front right headlight went out frequently. My brake light assembly also broke and wasn’t worth fixing.

Report of failed recall remedy (recall 19v-149 / wue-90) my 2015 Subaru Forester experienced a total recurrence of the defect addressed in 2019. The vehicle became trapped in 'park' intermittently on several occasions before remaining immobilized. During one incident, the manual shift-lock override failed to function. While the brake lights functioned during these incidents, the failure to shift is a documented symptom of a failing brake light switch. I had the switch replaced by a technician who initially suggested a full shifter assembly replacement. However, replacing only the brake light switch immediately and permanently resolved the issue. This confirms the recall-related part was the point of failure. Subaru of America was notified but declined to acknowledge this as a failure of the safety remedy. I am also reporting intermittent 'ghost' activations of the right turn signal stalk.

Sounds like the differential in the transmission is making a horrendous noise.

My clutch fork was nearly broken in two. (pics available). I asked the mechanic to save the old parts. My 6mt was never modified; the vehicle was neither raced, taken off-road nor used for towing. A friend discovered the following article online: [xxx] based on said article , I believe the part on my vehicle was defective. How may other manual transmission Subarus have been affected by this defect ? information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The vehicle was sold to me by a local dealership not Subaru manufacturer themselves with the conditions marked above and more, the wheels when purchased as I turned any corners it would sound like the underside of the vehicle would explode even when driving straight it was just less frequent and caused the abs system to activate and would pull one way or another. The transmission has never been inspected by the dealership that sold it to me and the manufacturer seal was broken so it had leaked and caused major lack of power resulting in many close calls due to lose of forward propulsion it is a closed transmission without a dip stick and the dealership refused to do anything about it. The airbag system has never worked at all and the dealership knew this and same with the reverse hazard warning detection system or the tpms and again I was told that I just needed to drive it and it would work itself out by the owner of the dealership who test drove it 3 times and refused to do anything about the obvious issues and now it has been a little over a year I’m in debt and basically out of a vehicle and can man as well as personal money sunk into this vehicle that I would consider beyond a lemon.

The contact owned a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 10 mph, in a residential parking lot. The contact stated while he was parking, the vehicle independently accelerated and crashed into a nearby tree. The contact stated before crashing into the nearby tree the vehicle also hit a nearby pole. The contact stated that the acceleration continued to get faster and faster. The contact also stated that none of the air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The contact's wife was transferred by ambulance to a hospital for medical attention. The contact's wife suffered a compression fractured vertebra and she had been experiencing severe pain. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The vehicle was condemned total loss by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately75,000.

Both rear wheel bearings failed and required replacement at 65,000 miles. Apparently this is a common issue as a TSB was issued and a new backer plate was installed as water is getting into the bearings (design issue).

Transmission faiure at 112,000 miles.

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.

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at high speeds, the vehicle made abnormal grinding sounds. Additionally, the vehicle was vibrating while turning the steering wheel. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a faulty bearing. The bearing was replaced; however, the failure recurred while driving approximately 70-75 mph. The vehicle was then taken to farrish Subaru (10407 fairfax blvd, fairfax, va 22030) where it was diagnosed that all four bushings needed to be replaced. The dealer replaced the four bushings. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 71,545.

I was backing out of a parking spot, and there was a telephone poll behind me in my path. I needed to pull forward to navigate around this poll. After backing up some, I put the car into drive to pull slightly forward, and the car lurched aggressively, so much so that I got out to see if it'd caught on something. It did not -- there was absolutely nothing there. So I got back in and tried to continue forward, and the accelerator went full force. I floored the brake pedal, but the car behaved as though I was flooring the accelerator. The car drove itself over a cement block, through a staircase and into the brick wall of an abandoned building, continuing to accelerate for a few seconds while against the wall. Air bags did not deploy. I walked away without physical injury, thank goodness. There were no warning lights, symptoms of or dashboard indicators of a problem before or during the issue. Upon investigation online, we see that there is a pending class action for this exact issue. The vehicle has been inspected by our insurance carrier and been deemed a total loss. Insurance has asked that we turn the title over to them in order to receive our payout, and I believe they plan to destroy the car.

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.

My transmission is having issues after being repaired by dealer. It is stalling when I try to accelerate leaving me at risk of being rear ended.

With no one sitting in the passage seat the warning light will not turn off unless the seat belt is buckled the cvt transmission is making a high pitch whining sound the dealership informed me the transmission is going out. There is a manufacturer extended warranty for up to 100,000 miles that I have not received. My car started to make the sound at 110,210 miles Subaru was fully aware of the cvt problems and are not being held accountable for the repairs. I have been quoted I’ve $7000 from the dealership for a replacement the cvt is not repairable my car is now unsafe to drive. The cvt transmission can fail and not shift or not stop while braking.

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.

I was driving with cruise control going around 70 when the car started slowing down suddenly. Not wanting to slow down even more, I turned off the cruise control by hand using the cancel button on the steering wheel (rather than tap the brake) but when I then hit the accelerator, the engine felt like it was in neutral, revving past 6000 rpm on the tachometer. At that point, I realized I had no control over the drive train so I pulled off the road onto the center median of the highway, just as the engine died - fortunately, there wasn’t anyone following close behind. We had been driving for about 1. 5 hours with the ac blasting and the gas tank at that point was low, with less than 1/8 remaining. All this happened without any dashboard warning lights turning on. This was the very last leg of a ten-day, 2,000 mile road trip. I tried restarting the engine but only got clicking. Since I thought we’d be struck a while and it was so hot, I turned the key to the accessory position and was able to roll down the windows. We sat there for a couple of minutes wondering what to do. It took another minute to find my aaa card. Before calling for roadside assistance, I tried starting the engine again and this time it turned over. We did not have any further problems in the remaining 100 miles of our trip (though I was very anxious about it happening again). I took the car in to a Subaru service center this morning (36 hours later). They did a multi-point inspection and road test but did not find any issues and were not able to replicate the problem.

Car continues to have ongoing lack of response with acceleration. Car was at dealer for 3 weeks for inspection after I was nearly rear ended due to lack of response in acceleration at a stop light, as well as shifting gears. No lights came on to indicate issue, thus the car was returned to me with no repairs. 2 weeks after car obtained from dealer, car again started having issues with acceleration, and pulling into a lot, the at oil temp light, hill assist, abs, and check engine light came on. In the 2 prior attempted repair sessions at dealer, the team stated that they were unable to replicate the problem that has been occurring nearly daily for almost 2 months, and stated that they cannot figure it out without any lights coming on. Given the lack of responsiveness to accelerate, my safety is at-risk as well as others, as I am not able to clear traffic as quickly as I should.

While attempting to make a left turn the car stalled and lost all power. The car had to be restarted and was able to drive back home. Took the car to dealership who stated it was a battery issue and a plugged air filter. No check of the transmission was completed. This is the cvt transmission. The battery is 6 months old and the battery was tested multiple times by other locations and tested good. This stalling making a turn seems to be an ongoing issue with Subaru and the cvt transmission.

Hill start assist system failure. Apply power, but the car would not go very far before the brakes were automatically applied. Pull out into traffic and the car would not go. Dangerous. Warning message that the system hill start assist should be inspected by a Subaru dealer. Drove on deserted city streets for two minutes and then everything was okay except the warning light stayed on until I got home and turned the car off. I have found out how to deactivate the hill start system and I will do that. I have not yet taken the car to the dealer.

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.

We were driving on the highway going 65 and then there were two quick shudders and jerks of the car. Seemed to lose power in those moments. Immediately after that, we could hear a faint whoosh sound when on the accelerator but the car did accelerate. That sound was not there before the shudders. Then about 30 seconds later the power gave out and the car started slowing down very quickly. Luckily we were in the right lane and could pull off to the shoulder quickly, though the shoulder was very narrow and dangerous. The car slowed down very quickly without applying that much brake. When we were stopped on the shoulder, I applied the accelerator, and the car was in drive, and it didn’t go anywhere. Then we put it in park and the car rolled forward. So both the drive and park gears were not working. We turned the car off and then back on to try the gears again. Same issues happened again with drive and park. This was a very dangerous situation that occurred quickly on a highway. The issue described and what we experienced seems to be consistent with similar issues with other cvt transmissions. We hope the NHTSA follows up with Subaru as we will be as well.

My 2015 Subaru Forester developed a high pitch noise emanating from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle currently has less than 50,000 miles on the odometer and I am the original owner. I discovered that Subaru has issued a TSB regarding the issue (number: 05-70-19). The noise is loud and distracting and it appears that a complete bearing failure is imminent. Subaru should extend the powertrain warranty for this item to 10 years and or 100,000 miles and cover any owners previous repair costs.

This 2015 Subaru accelerates without warning and without gas pedal input. The issue arose about a month ago (July 2021) and has persisted ever since. The vehicle will rev while in park and once put into drive will jolt aggressively and without warning. Additionally, the vehicle will enter low-power mode at random and decelerate to 15-20mph. This has caused multiple hazards when driving on highways/interstates where pulling over is difficult or impossible.

The contact's wife owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while reversing into the driveway, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated while the brake pedal was depressed. The contact stated he depressed the brake pedal all the way to the floorboard and he pulled up the parking brake to stop the vehicle from crashing into the wall. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer and the manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 53,002.

Key will not remove from ignition when put in park. Happens about 40-60% of the time and must shift several times in and out of park to get key out of ignition. This is a known faulty part with several models (see Subaru service bulletin 16-112-18r) yet Subaru has not issued a recall. Replacement of known faulty part is at customer's expense. Safety issue - unable to exit car upon parking.

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 50 mph the vehicle accelerated at high speed and stability, the traction control, the check engine, and the cruise control warning light illuminated, and the vehicle would not accelerate. The contact shut down the vehicle and when the contact was able to restart the vehicle it started operating normal. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and stated that no failure was found, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the transmission module was updated, but the failure reoccurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the throttle pedal assembly was replaced multiple times, but the failure continued. The manufacturer was contacted, and a case was filed. The failure mileage was 70,000.

Premature wheel bearing failure, Subaru already has a service buletin (#05-70-19 announced on sept 30, 2019) recomending installing revised brake backing plates due to factory installed non-flat backing plates which distort the rear wheel bearings/hubs causing premature wheel bearing failure. This is a well documented occurance noted on national Subaru web portals for multiple models with possible catastrophic outcomes.

Merging onto a a 70mph highway and vehicle stopped accelerating around 45 mph. Rmps kept increasing, black smoke-type substance was coming out of the exhaust pipes when I tried to accelerate. No lights, warning noises, or any other indication of anything wrong with the car. Vehicle kept lurching and rev'ing but no acceleration.

I have experienced unintended acceleration during my ownership of my 2015 Subaru Forester xt while I was stopped on a city street. There is also a "lunging" feeling whenever you press the acceleration of the vehicle after proceeding from a complete stop.

Pulling into parking spot, vehicle started to stall, gave a little more gas and vehicle launched forward and hit cement pole. No damage to pole car damage around 8k. Air bags did not deploy. This has happened when pulling out into traffic also.

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

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.

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.

Rough idling, uneven acceleration when stepped on gas, the car would accelerate, slow down, and accelerate again. Uneven deceleration when letting go of gas, the car would slow down, speed up, and slow down again. Seem like a software problem with computer.