Table 1 shows one common wheel related problems of the 2019 Subaru Forester.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Wheel problems |
I had a tire rotation at my Subaru dealer in 12/2024. Two weeks later I had a flat and could not break two lug nuts. Tire repair dealer found that the lug bolts had been stripped. I had the remaining lug bolts examined by the dealer and a 3rd was found stripped. All three had to be replaced. I underwent tire rotation on 12/11/2025 and dealer found a fourth lug bolt stripped which needed replacement. I was assured this was not the fault of the mechanics and was instead told that this was a manufacturer problem with the lug bolts. If this is true, there are a host of Subaru's out there with lug nuts that cannot be user removed to repair a flat. Although when stripped, the lug nuts are apparently firmly attached, does this represent a wheel / tire failure issue? thanks for your attention.
Upon getting a flat tire on the front passenger side tire, two of the vehicles wheel studs and lug nuts were seized together and broke off when using hand tools to remove the lug nuts. The metal was extremely soft and broke off easily. All 5 lugs and nuts needed replacement.
The car was parked for a week while visiting. (it has recently had its 30,000 mi. Service) when I got in and started it, all the dashboard lights lit up including check engine. I tried reaching a Subaru near where I was visiting. No luck so I called my Subaru in vt. I was told I was safe to go as long as the check engine wasn't blinking. It wasn't so I drove home (I did note the steering wheel felt "tight". ) when I went into the dealership upon my return, they did their computer diagnostic test. It was explained it could be as simple as not tightening the gas cap. The computer turned up something in the wheel. At first, he wanted to give me an appointment a week and a half out, but then found a car he could loan me that following Monday. I wanted to know why they needed it several days. He said it was to figure out the issue. When I asked if it was safe to drive, he said it was but there was a possibility of being on the highway and losing control/not being able to stop, but that was rare. I asked about the change in steering, as though the power steering was lost, and he explained they don't have that kind of system. I drove home slowly and went no where except Sunday when I drove a couple of miles to a farm stand close by. Upon returning into the driveway, I put it in reverse to park. It accelerated and when I tried braking, it wouldn't respond. It was a though everything was locked. The car jolted. Sped. Jolted. The side airbags deployed. My arm was banged up from the airbags but nothing broken. I did not mistake the accelerator for the brake. The floor mat did not get stuck under the accelerator (I've weather tech mats. ) when the car got towed, it started. The tow driver said it should not have done that with the side airbags deployed. (it won't let me type in the box how fast were you going. It should have been 2mph. The car accelerated and lack of braking and control contributed to the crash.
Tpms tire pressures do not appear on instrument panel. The pressures are in the computer, but never appear on the screen. The driver does not know whether tpms indicates a fuel economy issue, or an emergency. The "low tire pressure" display shows a large box on the display. That should have a number at each corner indicating the tire pressure, in green for ok, yellow for slightly low, and red for emergency. This would help the driver evaluate a tire problem and decide how to deal with it safely. Tpms has lit up when I'm in the left lane in heavy traffic. Do I have to get to the shoulder ASAP, or can I fill the tires when I get home? with the current system, I don't know. This could be fixed with a software update, no hardware changes needed.
I recently had my tires rotated for the first time and the mechanic reported that only 3 of the 5 lug nuts were torqued to specification. The other two were only "finger tight".