Subaru Forester Complaints

513 consumer complaints on file.

#11573729February 23, 2024
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Vehicle was parked and idling unoccupied for under 5 minutes when an extremely noxious, hot blast of fumes came from underneath the back. Black smoke immediately entered the passenger cabin through the vents and flames were visible in the engine compartment and running onto the ground. Entire vehicle was burned beyond recognition in a matter of minutes. Ten days earlier the TCV, a known problem, had been replaced at a dealership per TSB 09-80-21. The vehicle had been driven under 300 miles since the replacement. Afterwards, a manufacturer rep inspected the vehicle, indicated the fire started in right rear of the engine compartment, could have possibly been a fuel leak, but damage was too extensive to determine the exact cause. The referenced TSB explicitly requires a new fuel line for every TCV replacement.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11571449February 12, 2024
AIR BAGS, AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side occupant sensor failed to recognize a petite, smaller individual seated in the front passenger’s seat. The dealer was notified of failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified, and the contact inquired about the weight requirement for the passenger occupant sensor, and the manufacturer did not answer the question. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11571429February 12, 2024
ENGINE, POWER TRAIN, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The 2021 Subaru Forester had been functioning normally with no warning lights. About 25 minutes into the drive I had come to a stop light on an upward incline. When the light turned green I moved from the brake to the gas as usual. However the auto-start function on the car failed, causing the engine to stall. A loud clunking sound was heard and the dashboard lit up with multiple lights, although I do no recall which ones were illumined. I attempted to press the gas again and the car did not respond. During this short time my foot was pressing on the gas the car rolled backwards and collided with the vehicle behind me. I continued attempting to press the gas pedal and still no acceleration was made. After parking and restarting the car it has resumed normal function. I have not yet visited the dealership so this issue has not yet been reproduced, nor has the offending system been inspected. I'm summary, the automatic engine start failed at a critical location, putting myself and others in serious danger and ultimately caused a crash.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11571264February 11, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Got a crack on the windshield after owning the vehicle for under 5 months. There was no apparent pebble/stone and one morning i just saw that there was a crack on the windshield. It was also active that means was growing with time. My dealer also said that it won't be covered under warranty. I used my insurance to get it fixed however it seems like this is a consistent problem with Subaru's and they are well aware of it. This is well known issue in the online Subaru groups however Subaru has done nothing to get it fixed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11571243February 10, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Spontabeus stress crack in windshield in first 1000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11570971February 9, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STEERING
The automatic shut off feature causes the car to lose all power. No power at all in the middle of traffic and I can't even use hazard lights to warn anyone. When at a stop the auto shut off turns off the car and when I take my foot off the brake it completely dies. It has happened 5 times in the last 3 days. Very dangerous. Imagine this happening on the freeway during rush hour. It's a miracle if no one has been killed. I saw countless posts from others on different forums. I have only owned this car for a week and half, taking it to the dealer today. This needs to be a recall paid for by Subaru, it is unacceptable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11570560February 7, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
If you have the adaptive cruise control (or regular cruise if you disable adaptive) and accelerate to pass another vehicle, as soon as you take your foot off the gas to coast back down to the cruise setting the car slams on the brakes to bring the vehicle back to the set speed. I have almost been rear ended several times when this happens. This has occurred since I purchased the vehicle. The dealership says this is a design feature and not a defect. It doesn't matter what speed the cruise is set at. If you are exceeding the set speed, the brakes apply when the accelerator is released.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11570435February 6, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
I have owned the vehicle less than 6 months. There is now a 6 inch crack in my front windshield for no apparent reason. It just appeared one day last week. I have heard from other Subaru owners that this is a common problem. They suggested I report the issue here.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11570282February 6, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, VISIBILITY/WIPER
Car only has 6,000 miles,had 2 tiny stones hit the windshield and put 2 pebble sized holes in windshield, got those fixed and a week later another stone hit and now it has a quarter size chip,hole ,never had any other car i owned have this happen too,I would think a #1 safety rated manufacturer would have better windshields
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11570024February 5, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Had a rock barely touch my windshield causing a crack
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11569913February 5, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Cracked windshield. Happened out of nowhere overnight.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11569468February 2, 2024
POWER TRAIN, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, ENGINE
Once or twice a day my vehicle hesitates from a light and I have to almost floor it to get it going again.I have brought it to 2 different Subaru dealers 3 times and they say they can't fix the problem.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11568901January 30, 2024
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
When driving my 22 Subaru Forester at night, I’ve noticed the headlight projection has rectangular dark spots which causes a huge distraction and a blind spot that moves when steering. I’ve noticed that I’m not the only person that has encountered this issue. I’m bringing it into the dealership to bring this to their attention and to see what they can do about this. I really hope Subaru fixes this problem, as it is/can be very dangerous due to the blind spot and distraction.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11568075January 26, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicles battery does not hold a charge during short term, (3-5 weeks of storage). I understand that some prior years of Subaru vehicles have this same problem and there is currently a recall for this. I wonder if this battery problem exists in newer Subaru Foresters. When we purchased this vehicle as new we observed that the Dealership was having problems maintaining the charge on at least two other new Forester vehicles on display and had to replace the battery in one of these to start the vehicle and show it to other customers. We have had to have Triple A, (AAA), visit our home and jump start our 2023 Forester at least three times. We do not use the vehicle much and there is less than 1000 miles on our auto. The auto is stored in the off condition. No warning messages of lamps show the depleted battery conditions until trying to start the vehicle. We have recently, week of 1/15-22/2023, replaced the battery the auto came with and put in a new Diehard battery. We have photos of the old battery.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11567690January 25, 2024
STEERING
The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was pulling to the right. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 5,000. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11567371January 23, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My vehicle starlink infotainment system does not work. This is a safety hazard because it prevents drivers from using their back up cameras and this car has many blind spots. This also frustrates drivers and causes distraction as navigation is not available. The screen display abruptly stopped working. I brought my vehicle to the dealer and their solution was to spend $1700 on a new infotainment system. Owners should not have to be paying to utilize safety features marketed for the vehicle they bought. There were no warnings prior to the system breaking.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11567193January 23, 2024
AIR BAGS
The passenger air bag remains off per the indicator when my 5'3" 100lb wife sits in the seat. The system was inspected at Peoria Subaru in Peoria, AZ and no problem was found. The service manager told me the factory design is 105 lbs minimum before the air bag is on. I find no warning labels in the vehicle and nothing in the owners manual referencing a 105 lb minimum. In fact, the manual states that a jug of water in the passenger's seat will turn the air bag indicator from off to on. If federal regulations require a minimum weight, there should be warning labels stating the minimum weight.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11566263January 18, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ENGINE
The vehicle was started with the remote start to warm up. It was about -15F. It ran for 10 minutes and then shut off as it is supposed to. The driver got in the car, started the car, all the gauges went crazy and all the dash lights lit up. The driver heard a popping sound and then there was smoke under the hood. The vehicle became engulfed in flames. The vehicle was a total loss as was the car sitting next due to the heat from the fire. The house that the vehicle was parked near sustained minor damage (bubbling paint on porch). Two fire departments responded to the call. Prior to the incident, the vehicle had been running normally and no recent work had been done on the vehicle. The fire chief/inspector and the insurance company were both unable to determine the source, as all that was left was a burnt out frame. The dealership was called in inquire about any warranty coverage, but stated unless it could be proved to be a defect, then they were not liable. The vehicle was towed by the insurance carrier and currently sits on their lot.
Crash:
No
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11565763January 16, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
My Forester was parked and when I started the car I heard a pop, pop, pop. Looked at my front windshield and watched it crack from the lower left - driver side - up to the center of window, with each pop. Googled - the community has posted similar problems with Subaru windshields. Temperature on [XXX] in Phoenix was 60 degrees at the time of windshield popping. No impact, parked car, started engine and crack just started and I watched it expand from 2 inches to 24". Very scary! INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11565328January 13, 2024
AIR BAGS, WHEELS
Driving on the road a tire randomly blew out and upon that happening every airbag in the car went off despite there being no collision.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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