Rear coil spring broke under 40mhp over small bump.

- Ardmore, PA, USA

My car has 43K miles on it and during a brakes service at the Subaru dealership they called to tell me they found the left rear coil spring severely cracked and about to break. They recommended that I have both coil springs replaced immediately, that the cracked one could break at any time causing the car to sink and potentially puncture the tire. They recommended that I not drive the car home while awaiting this part to come in - it was that serious a risk. They quoted almost $900 to replace both coil springs plus the cost of an alignment. When I looked up more about this, I found discussion boards where many other people had also experienced this and said it should not happen with so few miles on the car, and that people had found these springs to be rusted and faulty, causing this problem. Some dealerships were covering this repair as "goodwill." I called my dealership back and they said they would not cover it as goodwill, but I could ask Subaru head office if they would. I called 1-800-Subaru-3 and started a claim. They called my dealership and then called me back within 20 minutes and said they would cover the cost of the repair in full, and give me a loaner car while awaiting the part. I wonder if this should be a recall. I also wonder why Subaru is not being up front about covering this repair if it is indeed a faulty part on their part. I was quoted $900+ for the repair, and it was only because of looking up the history of others with this problem, and escalating the issue to the head office was this repair covered. My dealership was not forthcoming that this problem should not be happening at 43K miles and seemed unusual.

- Ann Arbor, MI, USA

I had my 2014 Subaru Forester at the local dealership for the recall repair for the brake lamp switch replacement. They notified me of a broken left rear coil springs and stated that the "vehicle is unsafe to drive". they recommended replacing both. It has about 31,000 miles on it.

- Cortland, NY, USA

In late May 2019, I went outside to drive my Forester to the store. Underneath the driver side rear bumper, I found part of a coil spring, roughly a 1/2 turn. I looked around a bit, and found that it had come from the driver side, rear coil spring, bottom. The spring at the break was very rusty - both the fragment and from the broken spring still in place. The vehicle was parked in my driveway for approximately 14 hours before I noticed the spring fragment on the ground. This car has always been adult driven and never abused.

- Golden, CO, USA

R rear coil spring broke while turning on a smooth road at low speed. Subaru dealership admitted that several other Foresters were awaiting repair for the same problem. They also said that there was a nationwide shortage of that part and I ended up waiting for several weeks before it could be fixed. Subaru did end up paying for half the cost upon request.

- Hudson, VA, USA

2014 Subaru Forester was parked when the left rear coil spring shattered. Made a large noise and upon investigation discovered car at an angle in wheel bed. Car undriveable. On vacation at the time and had to drive 5 hours (roundtrip) to buy two new rear coil springs on advise of mechanic who towed car to his garage. He stated that the right coil spring was very rusted and showing signs of disintegration as well. Was advised that this part is very difficult to obtain as this is happening a lot. Our car had just over 41,000 miles on it. Driven primarily in the DC metro area. Single owner of the car. Given the amazed reaction of many, we are surprised that this part has not been recalled. I have been driving for over 50 years and have never had a problem like this. I do not haul heavy loads, nor do I use the car to tow anything. This is my "grandma" mobile, chosen because of Subaru's supposed safety and reliability record.

- Silver Spring, MD, USA

The right rear coil spring broke and a portion fell off in our garage. My wife left with the vehicle and I found a portion of the coil on our garage floor. When she returned, I could see that the right rear of the vehicle was "sagging" lower than the left side.

- Red Wing, MN, USA

During a brake check, the mechanic discovered the right pass spring was broken on my 48K mile Forester. He felt it was a safety issue as the part could have broken off completely and possible injured someone else or caused an accident. The parts on others cars of the same model all break at the same point, it seems, and the opinion is that the springs are rusting from the inside out (see attached image of broken spring.) on online forums, I see this is not an isolated incident and my mechanic has seen many others with the broken springs in Foresters of the same year. I called Subaru America, mentioned that I believe this should not happen in such a newish car, and more concerning it's a safety issue. They agreed to pay for the part only, not the labor since it was not done at a dealer. Because they are reimbursing owners, they seem to realize this is an issue. I believe this is a wide spread issue, and deserves a look by the NHTSA. Thanks for you consideration.

- Sudbury, MA, USA

My 2014 Subaru forrester was parked in my driveway when a very loud sound occurred. The rear, driver coil spring broke and three pieces of metal were on the floor. The car body dropped and the tire was almost hitting the wheel well. I took it to my local mechanic who was very surprised that on a relatively new car the coil spring broke. I did an internet search and discovered that this was a very common complaint about the 2014 forrester coil springs. They were clearly defective but Subaru was not helpful in covering any of the replacement costs especially because both had to be replaced.

- Setauket, NY, USA

The right rear suspension on the car collapsed sometime between 6/29/19 and 7/4/19. We did not put weight on the car. The coil spring just sheared somehow. The car has 76K miles on it and has been in mi for the last 3 years. The mechanic could not figure out how this happened, and we are frankly puzzled too. We are not the only ones who this has happened to. Https://www.cargurus.com/cars/discussion-T61866_ds789686

- Atlanta, GA, USA

Rear passenger side spring coil was broken I don't know when. My mechanic saw it when she was replacing my breaks. Every person I spoke to about this said it had never happened to them, even with cars they basically ran into the ground, let alone a 5 year old car. Most of the complaints about 2014 Foresters on NHTSA seemed to be about this same issue. I brought it to the dealer, since most garages didn't have the parts needed, and I was hoping that Subaru would pay since they seemed to use shoddy steal on the springs that rusted prematurely. Subaru of wakefield in MA gave me the best deal of any in MA that I talked to, I pay for one side ($750 for wheel bearings, strut and coil) and Subaru paid for the other. Make sure to mention all the complaints on nhsta that seemed to help me get this deal.

- Charlestown, MA, USA

Rear driver's side coil spring broke while vehicle was stationary. It broke in the same spot as so many others have reported recently, having completely rusted from the inside out in a small spot on the bottom. Unacceptable to happen with a 5 year old vehicle and very, very dangerous as this could have happened while driving causing a loss of control over the vehicle and/or a tire blowout from the spring breaking. This is a defective part on the 2014 Subaru Forester and really should be an official recall asap before someone gets seriously hurt.

- Erie, PA, USA

Passenger side rear coil spring broke. This didn't seem to happen while I was driving, at least not in a what that was noticeable. I walked out of work and noticed that the rear passenger side of the car was sitting a couple inches lower than it should. I took it to the shop and they found that one of the coils of the spring had snapped, causing the sagging.

- Richmond, VA, USA

While driving on a straight flat road, the two rear coil springs broke. The broken springs caused the vehicle to rapidly lose ride height and made it difficult to steer. Searching online for replacement parts showed that hundreds of other Subaru Forester owners model years 2014-2016 have had similar rear coil spring failures. The service writer at the dealership stated that they had seen enough similar failures that he expected a recall.

- Pelham, NH, USA

Both rear suspension coil springs broke and need to be replaced and so do the struts. Both broke while driving on a well paved rode going 35 mph. I did not hit or run over anything. They completely snapped apart. This is clearly due to defective part as there are 100's of complaints for this happening to 2014-2015 model Foresters and coming from a family of mechanics, this does not just happen. The car has 50K miles and is only driven on well paved roads. Springs broke while driving kids in back. Car very unstable and cannot stop as quickly. Really unsafe. These need to be recalled.

- Somerville, MA, USA

I have kept up with my car and serviced it when suggested. I took my 2014 forrester in for a 67.5K mile check and was told that both rear spring coils broke off while on the lift. When shown the broken coil, the plastic was deteriorated and the coil rusted through. This is my 5th Subaru, the 4 older models have had well over 150K miles - two are still on the road, and none have had this issue. I also find it strange that the dealership quickly offered to replace them "under warranty" when my car is already out of warranty. Almost like they are trying to cover up something. I have seen other reports of this listed and wanted to further verify this issue. Thank you.

- Plainville, CT, USA

Drivers side rear damper spring broken approximately 1/2 coil from the bottom of the damper. This approximately 3 to 4 inch piece of spring was rusted in the area of the break, resting on the lower damper "hat". the break was complete. This sharp piece was easily lifted off the damper. The spring displayed peeled paint an rust on several locations. Found at around 46,000 miles only upon inspection while replacing brakes. Unsure of any specific time of breakage. Vehicle was inspected at 30,000 miles. No remarks about the damper spring. Dealer and Subaru corporate replaced the spring.

- Copley, OH, USA

Rear coil spring broke while car was parked in the garage. Prior to this event, the other rear coil spring had to be replaced due to rust damage.

- Sackets Harbor, NY, USA

Left rear coil spring broke while car sat in driveway.

- Ontario, NY, USA

The right rear spring rusted out, broke and ultimately dropped down so it was hanging below the suspension mount. The vehicle was hanging low on the right rear quadrant. A body shop technician noticed this problem. I do not know exactly when the spring broke or dropped down. Once this was detected, I took it directly to my mechanic. I was told it was not safe to drive the vehicle. I had the repair done immediately at the non-Subaru shop that I had taken the car to. The mechanic said this suspension system was new to the 2014 Forester models and appears to be faulty to cause the spring to rust due to the design. He indicated it could have been much worse if it had happened while I was driving, so we believe it dropped when the car was stationary. My vehicle is at only 72K miles, and is 5 years old. I have possession of the rusted spring, but am unable to upload pictures at this time. I can email them if you provide me an address to send to.

- Parkton, MD, USA