Engine Oil Leaking Problems of Subaru Forester

Leaky cylinder head gaskets made oil leak into cooling system. Car began rattling and engine warning lights all came on. Subaru knows this is an issues with this and may other years cars yet refuses to do anything about it. Looking at a costly $3k fix. Not drivable otherwise. Luckily it didn't fail on us while driving.

See all problems of the 2011 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Excessive oil leaking from valve cover seals and cam shaft seals. Vehicle only has 120k miles. Vehicle leaks approximately 2 quart of oil every 1000miles. Dealer cost to repair is over $2500. Repair can't be completed without completely removing engine from vehicle, and extensive tare down of motor. Unacceptable mechanical failure for a regularly dealer maintained vehicle of this age,.

See all problems of the 2013 Subaru Forester 🔎.

The vehicle was maintained regularly in dealer's service center. It is a local commute vehicle and has less than 40000 miles. In Nov 2019, the vehicle was found out of alignment, four tires were worn out and two breaks were out too. All four tires and two breaks were replaced. In June 2020, I reported bad smell to the service center but nothing was found. In Sep 2020, bad smell was noticed again. The service center found oil leak in the engine front and back. The engine was opened and some parts were replaced. Service center also found the condenser was leaking and replaced it. In less than a year, three defects happened and two were rare but major defects. During this time, the car was only driven around 2000 miles. I reported to Subaru customer service. They just told me to keep an eye on it.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Forester 🔎.

The cam carriers on the engine began leaking oil, dripping onto other components. Included a sensor and the catalytic converter. Due to the sensor being drenched in oil, the vehicle began to have issues while in motion on roads with bucking and power because the system thought it was running lean. Researching the internet shows this is a common issue with the boxer engine style chosen for Foresters and can occur any time within 100,000 miles. If I had known this was a common issue, a mechanic could have repaired it prior to further damage but no recall information was available. Removing the engine to fix the cam carriers is an extensive, labor-intensive repair for something Subaru knows about. Not an expert but if a catalytic converter or sensor fails while the car is in motion, probably not a good situation for the driver or other vehicles.

See all problems of the 2015 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Oil is leaking from timing cover. Also crankshaft sensor is bad. Mechanic tells me $2000. 00 repair needed to correct leak.

73000 miles and we had to do a full engine reseal including head gaskets, cam carriers, valve cover gaskets. All were leaking. Complaint is that the gaskets should not fail this soon, 73k miles. We were losing engine oil. Car was maintained according to Subaru.

Our Subaru Forester began ticking, like a lifter was sticking, and the oil level of the synthetic oil was perfect. Then the car began to have a burning smell from the engine compartment. We took the car to our dealer huebueger, colo. Springs, colorado. The tech informed us that the car had technical service bulletins about these issues. The tech also said that a TSB is issued by an auto maker when there is a growing trend with an unanticipated problem, but does not warrant a recall. He said the irregular stamping of camshaft position sensor plates caused the eventual ticking and leaking from the camshaft carrier on both sides of the engine and this is what happened to our vehicle now warranting a $4,500 repair. Since the issue has been identified as a factory defect I called Subaru support expecting financial help to rid the car of the defect. The woman was very obtuse and pretended not to understand the issue of responsibility of Subaru. I don't understand the reason for technical service bulletins being released only to dealerships and mechanics. Isn't it logical and reasonable to alert the owners of vehicles that may develop oil leaks that could lead to a vehicle fire ? isn't Subaru admitting responsibility by issuing a TSB for a growing trend with an unanticipated problem. It seems irresponsible for the NHTSA and Subaru not to notify owners of identified problems that could lead to serious safety issues. Please respond as soon as possible, I am 69 years old and this issue and the financial strain is very important. The applicable communication #"s of the TSB is 02-131-12r of oct. 2, 2012, 060000 engine (pws). Sb-11-100 hr, November 27, 2012, irregular stamping of camshaft position sensor plate. The burning smell became overpowering on the way to the dealership. The tech advises that an oil leak is coming from the cam carriers on both sides defects.

My car as been seen by Subaru dealership since the day I bought it in 2012. I paid for 5 years. After I finished paying in July, I just discovered that is an oil leak , all my engine from front to back is dirty with oil, a second opinion mechanic stated that he does not know how I am using this car for years like that. But the car just had last year a head gasket changed "by charity" , offer of Subaru factory to me and the dealership in moline, IL did the change. How after pulling down the engine they never noticed the oil leak and smoking. I once was there with my son, changed oil, smoke came up, drove back to them and they told me that was an oil spill probably. I paid 283 dollars for 5 years for a 2008 Subaru from the dealership glazman, PA with 60,000 miles, I had to many expenses that I can't imagine a car made like that to be sold. I just finished paying the car and now I have a junk car. I can't afford another car it has only 114, 000 miles. It is very upsetting what they do to costumers. I have no words.

See all problems of the 2008 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Leaking oil at 55,000 miles, have read online that there are problems with head gaskets in this model.

See all problems of the 2010 Subaru Forester 🔎.

The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that when the vehicle was taken for a routine inspection, the technician informed that the engine was leaking oil and the head gasket needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 160,000.

We were driving on the interstate traveling about 70 mph when my husband noticed the back window had a greasy film that the wiper only made worse. We pulled off the highway to a gas station to take a look and noticed smoke billowing from the hood. After waiting a few minutes he raised the hood to more smoke. Having just had an oil change two days prior, I recalled that the service person mentioned slight transmission and oil leaks that were not major concerns and the car was safe to drive and could be addressed later. Turns out there was a hole in the piping directly underneath the battery, which was caused by battery acid dripping directly onto the metal piping causing the automatic transmission fluid to leak out. After removing the bolts from the plastic apron underneath the car to take a better look, it appeared transmission fluid had been leaking for a while. After pouring several quarts of transmission fluid into the car we were able to slowly drive it to the nearest service garage (about 5 miles), where we got a diagnostic done. Apparently this problem is not a new one to Subaru as a service bulletin was released for this particular issue (though they stated it could be from corrosion due to road salt or salt water, not battery acid). A replacement at oil cooler piping kit and foam packing must be installed to prevent corrosion damage. The battery placement directly over the piping is what contributed to the hole in the piping, causing a dangerous situation that could have led to a fire underneath the car. Apparently Subaru has redesigned the location of the battery in relation to the at fluid piping in their later model cars so it was a concerning issue that warranted this change. The garage manager felt it should have been a recall issue as it could have led to the vehicle catching fire.

See all problems of the 2003 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Car ran out of oil. There was no warning light, until car died on the side of the road, then low oil light came on. I had been mostly keeping up with my oil changes, and was only a few thousand miles over recommended limits. Engine seized and had to be towed. My mechanic tried to rebuild it, but was unable to. He had to replace the engine with a used engine, at a cost of $6,000, and six weeks of a rental car. I reached out to Subaru for help, but they would do nothing unless my car was in their shop, at which point they may be able to pay for a portion of it. They asked if I had been getting my maintenance done at their shop, and I hadn't because they want $1500 for every 20,000 mile service work done, or whatever, which I can't afford. So I assumed at that point it would be pointless, and more costly, to have the car towed there and then have to pay for a new engine, or have them try to sell me a new car. I will never buy a Subaru again and will never recommend anyone ever get one. I googled incidence of repair and found there are hundreds or thousands of this happening to others, and scads of lawsuits against Subaru for this. I tried to join a class action, but have heard nothing. To my mind, a car engine should not run out of oil and seize after only a few thousand miles over the limit. There have been no oil leaks in my garage or under my car.

See all problems of the 2009 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Oil leaking from valve covers. It is chronic across other models. Just search repair histories of Subaru boxer engines.

The contact owns a 2009 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that during routine maintenance, the mechanic noticed that the cylinder head-side oil supply pipe was leaking oil. The contact was informed of a recall under NHTSA campaign number: 08v460000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the VIN was not included in the recall. The vehicle was scheduled to be repaired. The mileage was unknown.

When I took my car in for it's 90000 mile service, I was shown that there was oil leaking for the drivers side head gasket. I was informed that this is a common problem for Subaru Foresters from the late 1990s thru 2009. Appears to be a faulty design, which Subaru has not owned up to. My online search located a large number of complaints by Subaru Forester owners on this design flaw.

See all problems of the 2006 Subaru Forester 🔎.

There has been a continuous oil leak from my 2004 Subaru Forester xs. My mechanic diagnosed the problem as a leak in the main seal between the transmission and the engine. This is not normal and it will cost me $1,000 to fix because the transmission will have to be removed. There are other complaints registered about similar oil leaks in this model year. Subaru should investigate.

See all problems of the 2004 Subaru Forester 🔎.

This car has an oil leak coming from the top of the engine. It is exactly the same problem described in your recall number 04v-473 of September 27, 2004. Because this Forester, an xs model, is not listed in the recall 04v-473, the dealer refused to repair the oil leak. It is the same problem as noted in the recall for the xt model Forester.

Engine compartment fire, resulting from oil leaking in engine compartment. There were no injuries and because of proximity of fire department fire was extinguished within 4-5 minutes. Subaru of America (soa) maintains that oil leaked from oil filter and that this is no fault of theirs. Given the history of recalls of this type of vehicle in japan for leaking oil and fires I am not sure that this point has been demonstrated. Soa refused to fix damage and told me to file an insurance claim. . . Which I have done. Damage is estimated to be $6-10k. Matter will be subrogated to insurance company for settlement.

At 53,500 miles engine oil began leaking. All seals had to be replaced including watre pump seals wich had also failed.

See all problems of the 1999 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Chronic engine and oil leakage of a 1999 Subaru Forester. No satisfaction from 2 dealerships (bald hill Subaru and pilgrim Subaru). I have noted the last date of service, but the problem has been constant and chronic. I have lost time from work, had breakdowns on 2 vacations, and have constant anxiety about the situation.

I took my Subaru in for an oil leak problem and was informed that my right bearing was bad. The oil seal was under warrenty, however the bearing cost nearly 500. 00. Drove it a month and started hearing a roaring noise. I took it in again and the bearing had caused the hub to go bad. I was not charged this second time. I was told they had other all wheel drive vehicles in with this problem.

Blown head gasket @ 75,000 miles (oil leaks). Not covered by service program wwp-99.

See all problems of the 2001 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Vehicle is losing aproximately one quart of oil every 1000 miles. The vehicle does not appear to be "burning" oil nor is it leaking. This amount of oil loss appears high to me. I called Subaru International in new jersey and they said this is "normal" for a Subaru. I find this very hard to believe that a vehicle can lose 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles. I asked the dealer (marzolf Subaru) to fix it, and they said no as it was not un-normal for a Subaru to lose this much oil. Thankyou for looking into this problem.