Subaru Forester Complaints

513 consumer complaints on file.

#11564774January 11, 2024
POWER TRAIN
Thermo control valve failed at about 42000 miles on 2021 Subaru Forester Premium, on 1/1/24. Owned 3 yrs 1 mo. Car was parked at work. Immediately after car was started up for return commute -- check engine light was on, ADAS systems ("Eyesight") disabled, blue low coolant temperature light on, and no heat through HVAC. Fortunately car driveable, despite safety being compromised with disabling of the safety features (blind spot monitor, rear cross traffic alert) and concern about damaging engine being forced to drive home with check engine light on. Engine failed to warm despite 40+ min highway trip. As this was commute vehicle, forced to take next day off work to have check engine light looked at. The next morning windshield ice had to be manually scraped (no heat). Drove car gingerly to dealership (<10 mins) avoiding freeways, for fear of damaging engine. Unknown if windshield defroster would've worked if started fogging mid-trip (safety concern). Dealership inspected vehicle - diagnosed thermo control valve failure, and replaced part. I was not charged as the car was still covered under powertrain warranty. No warning prior to the failure. Drove normally on the morning drive to work. Dealership replaced TCV with a part that has the same part number, per Subaru's TSB. Given experience of others indicating high failure rates of TCV after 3-4 years, and what I suspect is genuine design defect, I expect replacing the part to only have temporarily reset the clock -- seems certain to fail again. I have no confidence that Subaru has implemented an actual solution. I do not know if the next failure of this powertrain component will happen under warranty, or if it will incur signficant out of pocket costs (well over >$1000 to replace). Furthermore, if TCV fails whilst driving (as could have happened, and has been reported by others elsewhere), this will be a safety hazard with sudden disabling of blind spot monitor / rear cross traffic alert.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11564626January 10, 2024
TIRES, TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
225/60R17 99T
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563645January 4, 2024
SUSPENSION
Both front control arm outer bushings failed. At 21,000 miles, both bushings were found to be almost completely torn. They were torn around both the inner and outer portions of their respective sleeves. Rubber was found to be heavily worn and appear to be possibly dry rotted as well, with many surface cracks. The rubber was found to be no longer fully adhered to the outer portion of the sleeve. The control arms had a lot of play, both up and down, and left and right, causing the vehicle to drive erratically, especially on wet or uneven roadways. Vehicle also exhibited a lot of body roll. Further, vehicle would slide/skid around the roadway while making turns. The manufacturer, Subaru of America, has failed to respond to several emails. Phone calls have yet to be returned. Original Subaru dealership, World Subaru Tinton Falls, NJ, refused to acknowledge the issue and claimed they were in perfect working order. Customer tried to obtain another service appointment as was denied. Subaru's commonly have bushing failures that both the dealerships and manufacture refuse to acknowledge. Customer was able to finally find a dealership who has confirmed the issue and is currently replacing them.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11562680December 29, 2023
ENGINE, FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, SERVICE BRAKES
I was pulling into a parking space at my apartment complex. I had my foot on the BRAKE, and the vehicle slowed as I approached the space. As I turned into the space with my foot light on the brake, the engine suddenly revved and the Forester surged forward. AT NO POINT DID I TOUCH THE ACCELERATOR. I have a size 7 (women’s) shoe, and the floor mat was flat and secured as always. The vehicle surged forward and drove over the curb and onto the sidewalk. No warning lights came on, no warning alarms sounded. It only stopped when I slammed the brake to the floor. I then reversed off the sidewalk and put the car in park and turned it off. This is the first time this has happened.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11560155December 14, 2023
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the automatic emergency braking system activated, bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 24,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11558607December 5, 2023
TIRES:SIDEWALL
Tire size: P225/60R/17 98T Was driving around a roundabout @ about 25mph. There was a "Bang" and the right front tire went instantly flat. At no time did the vehicle either hit an object on the road or a curb. Vehicle was pulled over immediately. There is no rim damage that might indicate a curb strike. Upon examination of the tire there is a 2 inch rip in the sidewall of the tire. The tires (4) had been installed on the car @ 20,988 miles. They had been rotated at 27,427 miles. The blowout occurred @ 33,721 miles (12,733 miles from installation. I was told that there is no warranty on the tire(s) since we were not the original owner of the car when they were installed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11557651November 30, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Just replaced my winshield for my 2023 suburu, first off safelite uses after market, also I haven't had the car for more than 3 months, the next day the winshield was hit with another pebble causing another crack. Like what the hell is the matter with these winshields and what is suburu go8ng to do about it. I'm missing work, and losing money here, not only that it's very dangerous to drive with these winshields.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11556853November 26, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Small pebble hit winshield and in no time I have about a 3 inch crack. Car purchased a few months ago, used I have about 4000 miles on it. Read about winshield problems in newer cars with eyesight happening frequently and bam, it happens to me. This needs to be corrected!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11556833November 26, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Barely pushed on inside of windshield with foot and it cracked in a million directions.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11553125November 1, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Spontaneous windshield crack. I parked car in garage overnight. In the morning, there was a spontaneous crack on passenger side. Not sure if it is related to using car heater for the very first time 2 days prior to the spontaneous crack. The vehicle is 8 months old with 10,000 miles
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11552427October 28, 2023
SERVICE BRAKES, UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
Hit a deer the vehicle immediately was on fire and burnt to the ground. It had 3000 miles on it
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
Yes
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11551364October 23, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owned a 2023 Subaru Forrester. The contact stated that while his wife was driving in reverse mode, the vehicle independently accelerated, which caused a crash. The contact stated that the vehicle simultaneously crashed into a parked vehicle and a concrete wall. The vehicle was towed to a collision center and then towed to a tow yard. A police report was filed. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. The contact also stated that damage was caused to the parked vehicle and to the wall. The vehicle was diagnosed by Subaru Headquarters which advised the contact that they do not share the diagnosis details with the customer. The contact stated that the Subaru Headquarters representative advised him that all their systems for the vehicle worked as designed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 200. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11550717October 18, 2023
SEAT BELTS
Seatbelt locked with a passenger in the seat. Fire department was called and was forced to cut the locked and failed seatbelt.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11550637October 18, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
While driving the drivers side rear window imploded sending thousands of shards of glass into the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11549813October 13, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I believe the glass used for the front windshield in my 2022 Subaru Forester is structurally defective. I have experienced 3 chips in different areas of the windshield while driving at different times over the past 2 months. The most recent was October 11,2023. There were no loud impact sounds or obvious rocks strikes that impacted my windshield for each occurrence. I did hear a very faint noise when the latest chip appeared. It is my concern that if an object were to hit the type of glass used for this windshield while on the freeway it could shatter and cause harm to me and impair by ability to operate my Forester. I have read online of many problems with Subaru windshield glass occurring over many years and models. I believe this problem needs to be corrected most likely by changing the type of glass used. I reported this to a Subaru dealer. There were no warnings or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11548480October 5, 2023
VISIBILITY
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, she noticed that a pea-sized stone had struck the front windshield and caused a crack. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 1,999. The VIN was not available.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546597September 26, 2023
ENGINE
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 10 MPH, the vehicle became inoperable. The vehicle stopped independently and failed to respond to the brake or accelerator pedal being depressed. The vehicle was turned off and restarted and returned to normal functionality. The contact stated that the Eyesight detection warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was diagnosed but the cause of the failure was not determined. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to bring the vehicle in for an extended time. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11546571September 26, 2023
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 25 MPH, the front windshield cracked from the side and extended to the center of the windshield. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 13,000.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11545366September 19, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
I believe Subaru STILL has issues I've found when researching them before I bought my vehicle, about weak windshields. I purchased a new 2023 Subaru Forester Wilderness just a little over a week ago. I was driving to the dealership to drop off some papers, leaving plenty of room around me, and something small hit my windshield because I didn't see any object. My guess is a small pebble off from somewhere off the road? Instant chip that formed the start of a spiderweb crack. I've been driving for 28 years in multiple vehicles and have had small pebbles hit my windshield. I've had glass replacement twice, ever. I feel like my old 2010 Ford Focus could have taken that hit. I understand the complaints by other consumers and feel these windshields are fragile and unsafe. I had less than 400 miles on my car at the time of impact and was traveling 65 mph with plenty of distance around me. My windshield is scheduled to be replaced with sensor recalibration with just a little over a week of ownership. This is unacceptable.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11544282September 13, 2023
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I slowly pulled into a parking space at a grocery store. I took my foot off the accelerator, and the car jerked forward, traveling maybe 2-3 feet. I quickly put my foot on the brake and was able to stop the car. I took the car to the dealer, and the service consultant told me that she thought that a memo had just come in addressing the kind of incident I had. She also told me that another customer's car had accelerated into a bush and that the owner was so rattled that she traded her car in for another car. However, the service repairman said that he ran a lot of codes and was unable to find anything wrong. He told me that Subarus have never had unintended acceleration problems. Now I have a loaner car from Subaru, and my car is at the dealership awaiting a visit from a higher-up Subaru person who is over the local technicians. Last year, I brought the car in for several issues, one of which was an unintended acceleration while parking at another grocery store. Last year I was told that the instrument that looks for problems ran lots of codes and could find no record of the incident.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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