Subaru Forester owners have reported 25 unknown or other related problems since 1996. Table 1 shows the 1 most common unknown or other problems. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's unknown or other (25 problems). For details of each of the problem category, use the links in the table.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Unknown Or Other problems |
After a day of heavy rain we found a puddle of water on the passenger side floor, with all windows and doors closed. No sunroof. This happened once before with heavy rain August 2011.
The drivers seat causes pain in my back, hip, ankle and foot on numerous occasions my right leg has gone numb or cramped up and I have to pull over so that I can walk off the cramps and numbness. My husband avoids driving the Subaru because of the pain he experiences. Even folks in their 20's that have driven my Subaru experience pain in some part of their lower body.
Fails to function in drive when parked overnite and the outside temperature is below 40 degrees. After a warm up period the drive gear engages and the car is drivible except for a clunking and slippage of the transmission, also reverse appears ok until you place the car in drive and you a rattling clunk. The transmission rpm goes into the red zone at times while driving the car .
Gas lines leak on 2004 Subaru Forester xt when ambient temperatures fall below 30 degrees fahrenheit. Significant amounts of fuel leak into the engine area, and strong fumes enter the passenger area. Nhtsa has already issued a TSB on the Subaru wxt regarding the same problem. Concerned about fire hazard and inhalation of gasoline vapors. Very strong odor. Could not continue to drive.
A/c compressor has failed on 2010 Forester. Bought in July 2009 and has 43000 miles.
On 5/24/11, while driving through an intersection, my Forester was hit broadside by another vehicle that ran a red light. The impact of the speeding vehicle caused the Forester to spin 360 degrees and flip-over on the driver's side. I was left trapped inside the Forester and witnesses pointed out that the engine and transmission continued to run after the Forester flipped over. Apparently there is no engine or transmission kill switch. Furthermore, there is no interior release of the rear hatch. As a result I remained trapped inside the vehicle and concerned about a gasoline leak and possible explosion. I was eventually removed from the vehicle by emts and brought to the hospital. My concern is that if similar accident occured in a remote area or if the driver was more seriously injured, more serious consequences could have resulted.
2003 Subaru Forester ~114k miles. During passing (~70 mph)engine has stalled 2x in past week. After coming to full stop and turning key in ignition full "off", car restarts with no diffuculty will take to dealer this week. Had batter installed ~ 2 months ago.
Subaru Forester 2010 engine went dead while pulling into driveway. Attempts were made to restart the car. A strong rubber odor filled the car along with smoke coming from the trunk of the car. The driver had to get herself and her two children (5 month old baby and a two year old toddler) out of the car. Within minutes, the car was in flames. The car burnt down to its frame.
Had timing belt replaced on 2004 Forester turbo as recomended on maintanence,schedule, next day on highway, loud sceeching noise and lose of power. Stopped driving towed to mechanic. Said it was blown turbo. Never notified of banjo bolt issue, Subaru should recall or remedy situation at their cost.
The body control module - which is held in place by double-stick tape(!) - dropped from its place under the dashboard and obstructed the brake pedal. It took 20 feet to figure out that there was something in the way of the brake pedal and get my foot around and under it and stop the car. Fortunately I was in a fairly empty parking garage and driving 15 mph. Had I been driving on the highway at speed people could have died. My mechanic resecured it w/a heavier duty adhesive, but said it wasn't possible (for him) to put a bolt or strap on it. I have asked Subaru to please figure a way to bolt or strap it for me.
I was driving alone in a 2001 Subaru Forester around 3pm on a sunny August day in 2010. Heading south on a 2 lane road in tallahassee, FL, I approached a red stoplight ahead with two vehicles stopped in front of me. As I started to brake, the vehicle abruptly accelerated, I swerved into the oncoming lane to avoid the stopped cars in my lane as the vehicle continued to accelerate to about 40 miles/hr. A vehicle had just made a turn at the light intersection into the oncoming lane, so I had to steer the Forester to the left, up over a curb onto an embankment to get around the oncoming car to avoid a head on collision, then steer back onto the road to avoid a telephone pole. The vehicle careened back across into the orginal lane I started in while the traffic was still stopped at the light. I passed in front of the stopped cars and missed them . At that point I smacked hard against the other curve in the original southbound lane I was traveling in and the vehicle came to rest. Three of four tires were damaged from impact with the curbs on either side fo the road and had to be replaced. No one was injured and there was no property damage other than to the three tires on my vehicle and the front left wheel assembly. I had purchased this car with 98,000 miles on it, had had extensive repairs done on it and had driven it about 6,000 miles before this occurrence. I had noted no incidence of abrupt acceleration with this vehicle prior to this occurrence, nor in the additional 5,000 miles I have driven it since. I took the vehicle to the Subaru dealership who sent me to a body shop. I took the repaired vehicle back to the dealership and asked them to check the accelerator. They said nothing was wrong with the accelerator pedal or linkage system.
We purchased our 2007 suburu in March 2007 as a new car from a suburu dealer in California. My daughter has been getting car sick and has had chronic health issues since 9/11/2007. We notice the air inside the car is rancid. Please test the inside air quality of this vehicle for fumes, particularly unsafe levels of benzene. I believe this car is making my family sick and don't want to drive it (but have to) or sell it and expose other potential victims to the toxins. I am not sure what component this is, but can describe it as the inside air quality of which occupants are breathing.
I was backing my 2002 Subaru Forester out of my driveway when it suddenly accelerated out of control, causing it to cross the road heading for my neighbors' house. Flooring the brake did not help but I managed to turn the car slightly, hitting a tree, where it came to a stop. This had happened to me twice before in this car, and once to another regular driver of this car. All incidents were when maneuvering slowly, but some were while in reverse and others while moving forward. In all the earlier incidents, we were somehow able to bring the car under control and to a stop before hitting anything. This has also happened to a friend who owns a 2002 Forester. None of us have ever had it happen in any other car, and we have all been driving regularly for 35 years.
Subaru Forester has "surged" several times, during parking maneouvres.
The vehicle generated excessive static shock. The accelerator became stuck. There were times when the vehicle would go no more than 15- 20 mph.
1. ) my 2000 Subaru Forester started to vibrate while I was driving. My mother took the car to Subaru dealer (dulles motorcars in leesburg, virginia) three times and was told there was no problem at all. 2. )on may 21, 2004, while my mother was driving it, the car suddenly stopped. Fortunately, it was not on highway; otherwise, it could be fatal. 3. )my mother called police and dulles motorcars. The car was towed to dulles motorcars and my mother was told the problem was caused by Subaru mass air flow sensor. Dulles motorcars inc leesburg, va 71326 sales/service/repair 05/21/04 sales/service/repair roc number 0000000019.
This vehicle posed a serious safety problem because the vehicle only had one key hole, but had five doors, the consumer was able to access the vehicle through the drivers side door/key hole. Once the consumer was in the vehicle a lock pad on the door allowed for entry through the other doors, or a key remote. The consumer's lock pad also didn't work temporarily so the consumer couldn't open the hatch. The manufacturer and the dealer had not been notified of the problems. The remote entry device did not work temporarily so the consumer had to gain access with the key to the only hole on the driver's door, but then the power locks failed so the consumer had no way to open the hatchback. There was no release for the vehicle. The air bag light was on and needed a new harness to re-fix the problem and the odometer along with the speedometer failed immediately after the consumer had taken ownership. The consumer also stated there was a problem with the power windows.
When I bought my 2001 Subaru Forester s. I noticed that there was a small paint chip on the hood. I asked the salesman if this would happen all over the car. He told me to check with the services department. They also told me that it wasn't going to be a problem. Well now I have lots of chipping on my car. I called Subaru of amarica,they sent a rep to look at it,he told me it was stone chipping. I pointed out the fact that I had a spot when I bought it,he told me to take it up with the sales person. I called Subaru back and expressed my dissatisfaction, with there rep and how he handled the situation. I was told that they will be calling me after they do some investigating. I took my car to several autobody shops and they seem to think that it is a paint defect . I'm looking for anyone else that may have the same problem or any info on this situation.
Subaru has not contacted us or let consumers know there is a problem with 2002 Foresters. Dt.
The tack that is in place to hold the driver's side mat in place does not work. The mat continuously falls off the tack. I first made the dealership aware of it and could find nothing to fix. We looked at other Subarus and they all had the same issue. I recently communicated this to Subaru via their web site with little interest on their part. The problem occurs when the mat slips off the tack it runs up into the pedals. This means the floating tack could actually cause more problems then not having one there at all. Our other car (Honda) had a tack that is firmly placed in the floorboard not tacked to the carpet only and as a result it does not have a problem.
Engine check light keeps coming on once started and would stay on until vehicle is shut down. Taking vehicle to dealership. Light is coming on due to gas cap not being tight enough, consumer states the cap will not click when turned.
Components of vehicle that rely on electrical system operate erratically and will turn on and off on their own. Engine check light on the dashboard of vehicle will come on and stay on. Please provide any additional information/attachments.
The Subaru Forester cited in this complaint was purchased new at woodbridge Jeep Subaru in woodbridge va. On August 29, 1998. Unknown to us at the time of purchase, the 4 wheel alignment was misaligned. On August 25, 2000, my wife was on an extended trip when the "check engine" light came on for no readily apparent reason. This prompted her to return home and us to try to contact woodbridge Jeep Subaru which we soon learned had quit selling Subarus. We then contacted the next closest Subaru dealer which was reynolds Cadillac Subaru in orange va. , a distance of 36 miles one way from my residence. On August 30, 2000 , we took the car to the said dealership in orange. The dealership checked the car and could not determine why the "check engine" light came on. The dealership did, however, inform us that the rear tires had worn excessively towards the outside tread to the extent that it would not pass inspection because the tire had worn down to the belts on outer part of tire. The excessive wear, I was informed by the dealer representative, was due to a misalignment of the all-wheel drive system. I was told to make another appointment to get the car aligned and to get new tires put on the car. In the interim the said dealership was to contact Subaru to see what Subaru would do about the problem since the tires had obviously worn prematurely. On September 6. 2000, after driving back to the dealership, we were informed that Subaru had agreed to pay for the alignment and 65% of the cost to replace the tires due to the specifications for the alignment being wrong at the factory. We inquired why there wasn't a recall on the 1998 Subaru Forester and were informed that there "just wasn't" that Subaru had since changed the specifications for their Foresters.
Engine warning light no longer works.
Security system goes off when hazard lights are engaged/abs brakes squeak. In addition, while pulling out of parking spot, vehicle lunged forward unexpectedly, and engine check light comes on.