Subaru Forester Change Vehicle

"The dealership explained that pumping gas into the tank had resulted in some overflow that had clogged some other part. I didn't fully understand it. It was a $700 repair though"

"Check engine light when on, with an evpha leak"

"This required dropping the gas tank and replacing a valve for over $1000.00"

"The fuel filler pipe rusted out and a recall caused them to replace it so that the emissions system would continue to work."

"Subaru engines of this era have a known, chronic problem with secondary air valves, which require replacement every 2 to 4 years. The manufacturer has not offered a permanent fix."

"Engine control module was busted. Too rare of an issue for our independent shop to have the right equip. Dealer took 3 visits and 5+ working days to get it fixed"

"Failure of catalytic convertor"

"The EGR has been replaced under recall warranty and still causes problems"

"Tied in with previous question"

"catalytic converter had to be replaced"

"Catalytic converter needed replacement."

"had to replace twice due to check engine light coming on and not able to use cruise control. Problem is still NOT fixed"

"The gas tank filler neck and gas cap do not seal properly, so a sensor goes off and kicks my cruise control out while I'm driving in cruise control. Very irritating"

"The fuel filler neck assembly has rusted through and throws a evap code. This is annoying in that it disables my cruise control, while I'm driving in it!"

"It wasn't the fuel cap"

"Vacuum leak Emissions control"

"Air leaks due to faulty fuel cap seals will disable the cruise control and require a code reset by a dealer or other shop. This is a needless expense."

"There is a "small Evap Leak in he Fuel System - Used OBDII error code unit - Code: P0456"

"Check engine light came on; had to replace valves associated with fuel tank"

"Had to take to dealer instead of my local repair shop for MAP sensor. Problem was from used car dealer whom I bought it. That's the only reason I would hesitate to buy this car because of dealer not the car itself."

"Both O2 seniors had stayed to fail."

"A sensor had to be replaced that required removing the fuel tank. Job was labor intensive and costly. Mechanic discovered fuel tank needed replacement too"

"as before, check engine light is on constantly and cannot use cruise control"

"The gas tank filler pipe rusted through which caused the appropriate sensor to activate the "Check Engine" light."

"Sensor indicates minor fuel line leak. But, neither dealer nor independent can isolate problem. No smell. Cruise control no longer functions. Very annoying"

"Check engine light comes on and cruise control cuts out. Code indicates a pollution problem. 2 dealers made 3 attempts to find the cause (not specific form the code(s) by changing out sensors. They failed"

"The Check Engine light comes on regularly. The dealer and independent mechanics can find no root cause for the recurring issue"

"Sensors indicate a problem. Dealer recommended changing fuel cap and being sure cap was on tightly. Problem not solved. Dealer has no further solution"

"Check Engine Light came on - lost cruise control. Computer indicated O2 sensors"

"Initial repair didn't work because slightly wrong part purchased by repair shop"

"same"

"Broken Ball Joint"

"noise that went away when power steering fluid added; dealer serviced twice with repair to the line; told that may hold for a while. May require more serious rack repair in the future; a ticking time problem"

"Light leaking under the reservoir"

"Basicly I believe it's the belts"

"low speed turns generate vibrations"

"Power steering motor replacement"

"Hose had a leak and had to bereplaced"

"Pump failure"

"the tension bolt broke and caused the belt to break"

"Struts became worn-out and needed replacement"

"Load leveling rear shocks were very expensive to replace"

"All struts needed to be replaced"

"One of the two rear load leveling struts is leaking"

"New shocks needed too soon"

"broken stabilizing pin"

"replaced the belts which were worn. problem gone minimal cost/"

"rack and pinion failed; had to be replaced. Was leaking oil. Very expensive"

"LINKAGE WORE OUT AND WAS REPLACED"

"Sway bar persistently loose and eventually replaced"

"at speeds above 50 or 60 mph the steering wheel seemed to be shaking more than usual. I thought the tires were out of alignment and had it checked at my next oil change and needed to have the front axel replaced. I bought new tires last November and have been having problems ever since."

"Steering wheel shaking when turning and not working smoothly"

"tire rod loose tightened and resolved"

"according to the service writer they were not properly maintained (by the same dealer as currently servicing) and cost 500 to repair"

"Started to hear a slight noise. Brought it into my regular repair shop and had the tie rod replaced"

"Bearing failed on vacation"

"Had to first replace the right rear wheel bearing and a few years later the left rear wheel bearing. We contacted the manufacturer, who offered us a refund (we had to pay only $50) on the second failure. This is an issue with the Forester, as we ha"

"left rear wheel bearing was worn and noisy"

"Had to replace bearings in rear wheel."

"Had to be replaced"

"It needs to be replaced...the AC works intermittently. The pressure builds up. Then it quits cooling, unwilling to spend $1000.00 on a new system in a car with 230,000 miles. Will trade in car on a newer Subaru this fall"

"It was summer. Had no air-conditioning. Mechanic replaced compressor.New compressor failed mechanic replaced it at no charge"

"Ac system stopped functioning...needed replacement"

"My air conditioning went out last year. It required having some of the lines replaced. The compressor was still good, but a leak had developed in the system, so the lines were replaced."

"Compressor locked up and needed to be replaced"

"This was a weird issue. It would work below 80 degrees outside temp, then it would stop working all together. Issue was traced to compressor"

"Requires replacement. Only cools intermittently. Not a leak problem"

"Blows cold air for 3-5 minutes, then stops cooling. If you turn off, sometimes you can get a little more cool air in 15-20 minutes. Aside from comfort, can be a problem with defrosting"

"We had to have a new compressor in order for the AC to work properly"

"The compressor wore out after 91092 miles on the clock"

"Compressor failure. 1200 repair bill"

"Had to have the A/C fixed about 4 years ago to the tune of $725. Getting it checked again as it doesn't work properly (cools for a while then starts blowing warm air; have to turn it off for about 5 minutes; turn it back on; doesn't always work)"

"Ac doesn't work, dealersh can't figure out why"

"2nd time"

"A/C compressor clutch failed. Compressor had to be replaced."

"Air-conditioning worked intermittently even when freon fully charged."

"The automatic climate control, often made the car too warm. I would have to make certain that the windows would be partially open or turn the fan down to minimun."

"Does not turn off heat control when car is warmed up. You have to turn off heater and turn on air conditioning to cool it off. Then it gets too cold and you have to switch to heater again. . . and so on"

"Air conditioner cycles on and off when it is hot. It runs for 10 minutes and blows hot air for 10 minutes"

"The climate control system doesn't maintain a selected temperature."

"When you turn on heater you can't turn it off. Car gets very hot. To cool it down you have to turn heat off and turn air conditioning on. I took it to Farris Subaru snd another repair shop. Both said they could not find the problem. One recommended another shop but I haven't tried that yet. Guess I'm discouraged"

"The seal or some piece on the compressor became damaged over time. Unfortunately whatever the piece was could not be fixed, I had to get a new compressor. Actually I got a rebuilt one."

"well for a car that is 12 years old not bad. We were worried at one point it was the compressor luckily it was not !!"

"bad O-ring. Replaced. Mechanic charged me $100."

"license light light blows too"

"License plate"

"Interior button for fog lights not consistently operational"

"Keep needing to replace the bulbs in the winter. And I'm in Southern California; it doesn't get cold here"

"driver side headlight went out. Lamp was replaced"

"Keeps blowing no matter what I do"

"The factory headlamps took on water after 5 years of service. Replacement was $800 each which is very expensive. The bulbs fail every other year afterward, at $75 each replacement"

"Alternator died, so did the car."

"Headlights start to fog over and the cost to replace is very high"

"Both this Forester and my wife's Outback go thru headlamps like potato chips. At least one fails on each per year, usually low beam. It costs me about $50 to replace both of mine, but due to manufacturer design on the Outback, it costs $150 per lam"

"driver headlight burns out at least annually"

"Water is in headllights causing both to fog up from inside. Replaced one and will need to replace other"

"A faulty headlight connector caused the light to go off intermittently. The connector was replaced and it solved the problem"

"Water leaked into assembly and caused bulb to fail. Had to replace the entire assembly (costly) to remedy this"

"Condensation in both headlights due to seals leaking. Both headlights needed to be replaced @$350.00 @ plus labor"

"They have burned out frequently - both low beams about once per year. Due to difficulty in replacing them I have they have had to be replaced at the dealer which is costly"

"Very dim, poorly designed, borderline dangerous at night"

"Tire pressure monitor comes on but tires are pressurized per specs. Does not go off when pressure is adjusted. Currently is on permanently"

"Check engine light and cruise control malfunction lights come on in combination several times a year. Annoying, as mechanic resets it and it happens within a couple of weeks like clockwork"

"Check engine light comes on for no reason, along with cruise light and tire pressure light. Usually vanishes after a week or so, but when we take it in to be checked, the diagnosis is that the warning light system is either faulty or we have a gas cap problem."

"All interior and exterior lights pulsating/ flickering--replaced alternator for third time in less than a year"

"Had to have the rear window wiper motor replaced at the dealer for around $400. Note: I've only had the Outback for a couple of weeks, so keep that in mind for some of my answers"

"I have been getting an emission system leak indication for several years. Apparently, it is not cost effective to fix until whatever it is completely fails"

"There is a little hole in the exhaust pipe somewhere that we take in to have welded shut. It is not dangerous. It is just noisier"

"split seam needed new muffler"

"chronic heat shield problems"

"Why Subaru cannot fix a chronic problem that is endemic to the brand is a mystery; nearly every Subaru [wagon] of this vintage seems to have this issue, and the noise practically defines the brand"

"I have not yet asked dealer to investigate"

"Heat shield is integrated with exhaust system, extremely expensive to replace"

"Corrosion so failed inspection and had to be replaced"

"Exhaust pipe rusted out and muffler dragged on ground....needed replacement....also timing g belt needed replacement"

"muffler worn"

"muffler sounded blown out. It was. Dealer replaced it. Not covered by warranty because car was 6 years old"

"The muffler had a hole and had to be replaced with other parts of the exhaust system."

"Cruise control does not work most of the time and mechanics have not been able to fix it. If we disconnect the battery and reconnect it will usually work for awhile and the suddenly stop working."

"needed to replace the mid pipe extension"

"broken exhaust pipe"

"Replaced exhaust pipes and installed new adapter from pipe to resonator."

"Several exhaust pipe failures resulted in welding on two separate occasions within two years, and finally the baffle was cut-out with a straight section pipe because the rust was too prevalent in this area."

"Replaced Front Rotors and Pads and Rear Brake shoes. Completely flushed brake system."

"Parking brake parts corroded and started dragging."

"Backing plates on rear rotors rubbing against the calipers. In order to replace you have to pull the rotors which means replacing the rear wheel bearings. The job is time consuming and winds up with a total cost of $ 1000 per axle"

"Only get about 10,000 miles on a set of brakes"

"Brakes should not need to be replaced @ 35,000 miles"

"Two years ago I had brakes redone on all 4 wheels. This spring I had to have them done all over again. In other words, the brakes wore out in only 20,000 miles."

"I would have no breaks when I started the car and put it in gear; if it had not been started for several hours. A mechanic thought the seals in the cylinder were were wearing out, but there was no sign of fluid on the pads or elswhere."

"suddenly lost complete brake control"

"I seem to experience warped rotors on a regular basis in a very short (20000) amount of mileage."

"Rotors were warped, resulting in vibration. Pads were worn, resulting in squeaking"

"I have only replaced the brakes twice since owning the Forester. It's been a great car! No engine issues which I'm told are common with 2007 models"

"I have had to replace the rotors on this car 3 times in the 7 years I have owned it"

"Mechanic said they needed to be replaced"

"Rotors needed replacing. Subaru covered both under the original warranty and I only had to pay about $150 total"

"Squeak when brake"

"The Subaru dealer replaced the transfer clutch assembly about 2 years ago to fix the "torque bind," but I'm not sure that really solved the problem of the grinding noise and feeling when driving. The problem has gotten worse and now they are saying the transfer clutch assembly has failed again, and needs to be replaced again (for another $2,000). I'm guessing the transfer clutch assembly is not the problem and they can't figure out what the problem is"

"Another part of the clutch went out, which caused the clutch to be replaced. I drove a manual clutch previously for 14 years and never had a problem with the clutch--different make"

"It was having trouble shifting so I had them replace the clutch and that fixed it"

"Clutch burned out suddenly with no warning after about 50000 miles. Had to be towed, and the replacement was expensive"

"There was a pilot bearing problem. Cheaper to replace with a kit"

"Throw out bearing was worn - dealer said cluch needed replacing. I have owned many cars over the past 60 years, most with manual transmissions. Only one, a Volvo, required a clutch at about 125,000 miles. To have a clutch go out in these few miles"

"flywheel and throughout bearing failed"

"Would have been stranded if this didn't happen in front of a repair shop. Suddenly it wouldn't go any more. I do downshift on hilly terrain and the shop said this was acceptable wear"

"Clutch failed, $1600 repair"

"at 80000 miles I had to replace the manual transmission system in the vehicle (with a couple of exceptions I have always had manuals and never experienced any kind of problems). Shifting became difficult, frequently got stuck in gear. Only 6000 mil"

"Entire transmission replaced 6 months after having to replace clutch, pressure-plate and throw-out bearings. Dealer indicated they don't rebuild, only replace the transmission. Total cost $12,000"

"The car still had the original clutch at 147000 miles, the clutch was scheduled to be replaced. In the meantime the throughout bearing failed and welded itself to the transmission shaft. This necessitated a transmission replacement(used). Had the clutch been replaced sooner the bearing would also have been replaced and it likely would have been a non-issue."

"Within 24 hours the car went from digital dash guages failing to transmission shift problems to what seemed like a d3ad battery"

"First, I noticed the starter didn't seem to be cranking strongly. I put the battery on a charger overnight, and the situation improved. Weeks later, the charge indicator in the instrument panel illuminated. A mechanic confirmed the alternator was dead. He replaced the alternator, and all has been good since. Considering the car is 11 years old, this expense (about $400) has been the only significant repair I've had."

"Battery failure that required replacement."

"I had to replace the battery again after 3 years."

"Th battery was eight years old and needed to be replaced. Not too bad for a battery."

"Battery failed suddenly after a short drive. The car has not been driven as frequently as in the past, and owner suspected the six-year old battery was simply at end of life. Replaced by owner and working fine. This was the third battery in 12 years and over 112,000 miles."

"The car would not start in cold weather and the battery was replaced"

"Connection to battery broke"

"In damp or wet weather, the engine will misfire and fault out, triggering the "check engine" light. Still a common problem with Foresters"

"October 31, 2019, on second cold start of the day, driver detected strong burning smell and persistent check engine light. After a call to determine it was safe to do so, the car was driven to the local dealership for diagnostics. Reported cause was failure of the secondary air pump due to an electrical relay malfunction caused by a loose connector. Remedy was to replace the air pump but also the entire front wiring harness. Wiring replacement was authorized at owner's expense. Air pump was a warranty replacement as it had been replaced six months earlier and was within the service warranty period. The unit had failed April 30, 2019, and was serviced at the dealership. Notably, following the April repair, the check engine lamp illuminated shortly after leaving the dealership and the vehicle was returned to the shop. A loose electrical connector on the secondary air pump was diagnosed and repaired, followed by several test drives to ensure non-recurrence. It may be worth noting that in February, 2019--and after 114k miles, so not unexpectedly--numerous oil leaks in the engine compartment needed attention: a leaking oil cooler, the head gasket, and oil pan gasket were all replaced. In other words, there was significant work done under the hood prior to the initial air pump failure and electrical problems. Interestingly, none of these problems resulted in the car becoming un-roadworthy."

"The spark plug where replaced but we still had trouble with the engine missing. Had to take it back to the dealer who then diagnosed the spark plug wires bad and replaced them. Solved the problem, but two trips to dealer"

"Gear selector would not come out of 'Park'. Replaced faulty brake light switch at brake pedal"

"Rusted up and hard to shift. Fixed"

"I could no longer shift out of park. AAA towed car to repair shop."

"Clutch wore out"

"Transmission on the Subaru continues to be weak and shifts with some difficulty. No more Subaru's for me"

"Had to be towed in and repaired."

"This is essentially the same problem -- my local service station mechanic, whom I trust, said he thinks the problem is a computer chip that controls the wheel speed. He can't fix that, and said I need to take the car to a Subaru dealer. I really don't know if that's the same as the transmission computer"

"Transmission oil pan came unglued - leaked transmission fluid. Repaired by private mechanic"

"Even though car is constantly washed and taken care of. It rusts under the moldings"

"Some serous rust around the window in the tailgate. Not repairable as you have to replace the whole tailgate. There are several other rust areas around the car wheel wells and door panels."

"Rust started around both rear wheel wells when car was 7 years old"

"On the rear hatch a large rust spot has developed around the rear window. It appears to have started due to a paint defect or a problem with the rear window trim"

"The rear underbody became so rusted that wheel wells fell, the driver's side lower fascia came off, and the exhaust system was rusted out."

"Rear wheel wells on both sides. Dirt builds up and packs into wells, causing moisture to be constantly in contact with the metal."

"Spots of rust popped up near gas tank, plus under seat where the seat bolts to frame."

"Radiator started leaking at the seem during the summer in Central Texas. Could only be driven at highway speeds, would overheat as soon as the car slowed down."

"The radiator started leaking. Had to replace it"

"Small crack in the plastic body leaked under normal pressure"

"The radiator tanks seal failed requiring the radiator to be replaced"

"Had to replace radiator due to major crack"

"The Radiator was cracked and required replacement"

"The thermostat failed to work when we went to the mountains and it over heated I changed the thermostat and it worked fine. and two months later the radiator cracked"

"Wheel bearings -- had to replace on both rear wheels"

"I had to have the RR wheel brg. replaced. I had the left one repaired as well, since the vehicle has about 110K miles on it. The left one was not worn ouyt yet, but I had it replaced for peace of mind."

"The problem was related to normal wear and tear, it occured spontaneously"