This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond to the steering wheel turning. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle decelerated but the front passenger's side of the vehicle was sliding. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side control arm had fractured, and the axle was damaged. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V464000 (Suspension), which he related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could assist because of the age of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.
I was driving down the highway when my front drivers side control arm broke causing me to completely lose control of my vehicle. I was thrown down an embankment and into a cornfield where my vehicle came to a stop. I narrowly missed a telephone pole and culvert. I am extremely fortunate that my car went into a field rather than into oncoming traffic as this happened during rush hour traffic on a Thursday night around 5-530pm. I-??m glad that I was able to walk away from this and wasn-??t killed. I had no warning lights, no laxity in steering, no warning at all-absolutely NOTHING that would-??ve allowed me time to avoid this. The part failure has been recalled previously, and when I called Subaru I was told that the recall had been -??taken care of-?? which concerns me that this part was -??fixed-?? and still put my life in danger. Police were called to the scene and a report was written. My car was towed to a local shop to be evaluated and was considered a total loss due to the extent of the damage. I am still waiting to hear back from Subaru if there is anything they are willing or wanting to do. I don-??t want this to happen to anyone else. I take amazing care of my vehicles, and haven-??t even owned this car for a year. Now I am stuck in a completely unfair situation and having to carry the financial burden for something I was not responsible for. The vehicle is still available to be looked at as well, and I am more than happy to have someone look at the damage. I don-??t want anyone to lose their life over this part malfunction, and I hope you are able to help me do something about this to keep everyone on the road safe.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that he took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the lower control arm was damaged. The air conditioner unit produced condensation that caused the lower control arm to rust through along with road salt during the winter months. The damage was on both left and right side control arm. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 11V464000 (suspension) in 2012 as a one-time free repair. The contact requested to speak with an upper level manager which was still pending. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 66,709.
After purchasing the vehicle we drove it on a 3 hour road trip on the highway to visit our daughter at college. After parking I attempted to drive the car out of the parking lot. I mistakenly passed the exit and as I attempted to reverse back to the exit the vehicle would not travel in reverse even though it was securely in gear. I was able to slowly drive it around a corner of the parking lot and park it where it then would not move in reverse or forward. I exited the vehicle and noticed that the left front passenger side tire was slightly bent in towards the vehicle. I then called a tow truck and had the vehicle towed to a mechanic. The next day the mechanic was not yet able to move the car into the garage to lift it but was able to see that the front passenger side control arm needed to be replaced. He had to order the parts which would not arrive for three days. We were prepared to pay for the cost of repairs when the mechanic called back and after having another technician look at the vehicle they noticed a hand sized hole in the sub frame caused by severe rust damage that they could not fix and would not allow them to fix the control arm problem. The mechanic stated that we were lucky to make it as far as we did, and we were lucky to be alive and after I asked even if the control arm was brand new would we have had this problem? he immediately answered yes. We then had the vehicle towed to a frame specialist who told me that the opposite side of the sub frame has the same problem and is not confident that bolt will not simple fall off if anything is attached to it. The frame specialist stated he most likely will have to cut into the main frame to fix the problems. Upon speaking to the GM of the dealership he stated that you bought an as-is vehicle, and their dealership would not be putting any more money into that car
This vehicle is only 14 years old and I've had it for 2 years. I had it taken to my family mechanic for minor issues and found out that the suspension is completely rusted out. If I had been hit by someone or had hit a large hole, he said the vehicle would have completely collapsed.
- Cincinnati, OH, USA
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Front right lower control arm and axle broke with no warning while in motion. My significant other bought this car brand new from the showroom floor and returned it in 2011 for a recall "wvx34" NHTSA campaign 11V464000 for 03-08 Forester front lower control arm recall-for this same issue. However, the bowser Subaru garage failed to fulfill their obligation cause they failed to replace the rusted out parts and they argued it was fine after they did a spring tension test by hitting only one area- the thickest part of the metal and they refused to check any other spot. My significant other, who has experience in auto mechanics after having been a mechanic in the service, knew this bowser Subaru was wrong so he went across the street to Firestone, obtained evidence/proof with documentation from Firestone after they checked the front lower control arms and they noted "both" lower front control arms needed replaced but "again" even with this proof, this bowser Subaru garage ignored this "safety" recall issue and they said they wanted $2,000 to fix it when it was still under this recall in 2011. Subaru headquarters customer service said the recall was completed on this vehicle in 2011 and they refuse to fix this recall. However, this car still has the original parts that Subaru never corrected and fortunately it lasted this long however, they finally broke from the rust. Fortunately, we got off the interstate highway safely-only 2 miles away and also made it to the bottom of a steep hill safely before having it towed. Subaru never fulfilled their obligation and denied this recall by covering it up that they completed the work when they never did anything. I will submit any documentation that you request.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. While the vehicle was at an independent mechanic for general inspection, the contact was informed that the front driver and passenger lower control arms showed corrosion. The vehicle was not included in NHTSA campaign number: 11V464000 (suspension). The manufacturer was notified, but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 130,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. The vehicle was taken to galley West side imports to get the NHTSA campaign number: 11V464000 (suspension) completed and the technician put anti-corrosive adhesive on the vehicle. The contact stated five years later while the vehicle was operated at 60 mph, they felt an abnormal vibration. The vehicle was taken to the white wheel independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the lower control arm on the front passenger side of the vehicle had experienced severe rust. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 148,000.
September 6, 2011, Subaru recall 11V464000 or wyx-34, fron lower control arms may break due rust and corrosion from road salt. Corrective action was to punch test, and rustproof if ok; replace at no cost if test failed. My dealer on Dec 19, 2011 performed punch test, and reported to Subaru it passed and was rustproofed, according to Subaru records. Mileage was97,158. On March 27, 2017, my Forester failed safety inspection because of rusted through front control arms. Mileage was 128,056. Subaru refused any support, saying they did what was necessary in recall by rustproofing. Rustproofing obviously did not work. The Forester failed on the lift inspection, fortunately, not by killing the driver, passengers, or other innocents on the road.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the front lower control arm was rusted out. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the front lower control arm needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was serviced per NHTSA campaign number: 11V464000 (suspension), but the remedy failed to repair the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. While driving at an unknown highway speed, a burning rubber odor emitted into the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence and parked. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the bucket suspension plate under the shock absorber failed, which impacted the suspension assembly on the rear passenger side and caused the strut to fracture on the tire. The dealer replaced the struts, shock assemblies, and both rear tires. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000. Updated 02/03/17 updated 7/11/18
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. While driving at 10 mph, the contact heard an abnormally loud noise emit from the vehicle. The contact was able to stop and inspect the vehicle. The contact noticed that the drivers side front wheel had lodged up into the wheel well. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the control arm fractured and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. While driving at 25 mph, the vehicle veered to the left into a ditch. Upon further inspection, the contact noticed that the front passenger side control arm fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure who stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA campaign number: 11V464000 (suspension). The failure mileage was 132,400.
After a scratchy, metallic noise that appeared suddenly in the lower front, while vehicle was in motion, steering was ceased. The steering wheel was locked and the vehicle could not be controlled. This resulted in a crash. The vehicle hit a tree. Substantial damage was done to the vehicle and it was declared as a total loss.
My car was at my mechanics getting looked at. He noticed the lower front control arm brackets were corroded (the passenger side is severely corroded), told me about it and stressed that I needed to take it to a dealership asap to have it replaced. When I contacted the dealership, they confirmed the recall for my car, mentioned the service had already been performed (by the previous owner) and scheduled an appointment. The dealer ended up taking pictures of the lower front control arms and sending them to Subaru of America for approval to repair/replace the affected parts. The recall service was performed, however, the problem came back.
Lower control arm separated at weld due to rust through and caused car to loose control and crash. Both front airbags deployed. Minor injuries were sustained. The control arms were inspected by dealer approximately six months before the accident due to the recall for this component. They were deemed to be safe after a "punch test" and rustproofing applied. The recall also provided for replacement, however my car was not determined to need replacement as a result of the punch test. It appears that the testing procedure for this recall may be too subjective and/or ineffective and that continued failures will be forthcoming.
The consumer stated that 2006 Subaru was not driving correctly. Vehicle was all over the road, it did not drive straight and it went to the left or to the right. It was more noticeable when going fast. It was doing this all the time. The consumer took vehicle to the dealership, and they said that there was no problem. The consumer insisted vehicle did have enough caster. The dealer told the consumer that all of the Subaru did that and could not fix the car, the consumer did not want the car. He paid cash for vehicle, and was upset. The consumer had not called Subaru, but planned doing so. The consumer owned this vehicle for 3 weeks. The first 800 miles the car did not do this. It was a 2006 model. The consumer insisted that it was a suspension failure.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Pittsburgh, PA, USA