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.
In August of 2015 my wife was driving the vehicle. All dash lights came on and the vehicle became inoperable as a result. After several attempts she was able to restart the vehicle. However, after about 150 ft all warning lights came on again saying that is was disabling several safety features (ABS, eyesight, hill assist, etc.). she again pulled over, and the vehicle would not re-start (flat-out would not come on, the power would come on but the vehicle would not start [has a key less ignition system]). she called road side assist and they came to try and help her with the car. They were able to get it started and she drove it to the dealership. They took the vehicle in and looked at it. Their servicing notes indicate that they were unable to replicate the issue, however, while my wife was there they were unable to start the vehicle as well. In review of these notes they indicate the following error codes were present P1531 and B2809 and they also replaced the following part [83311fj000]. on June 25, 2017, the problem occurred again while driving. All safety features disabled, all systems shut-off. Once I turned the vehicle off I was unable to start it again. It seemed as if I was unable to depress the brake pedal far enough to trigger the keyless start feature. So, the vehicle was unusable and unsafe. I contacted Subaru and they have towed the vehicle to the dealership as all attempts to start the vehicle have failed (all power works, but no start and all safety features indicate they are disabled). I spoke with the dealership and expressed all of these concerns as well as several others. The vehicle is at the dealership at this time. In all instances when the vehicle had issues we were either driving on a city street, a local highway, or unable to start the vehicle due to these problems. This is the second occurrence in less than three years.
Vehicle stalls at highway speeds. Most likely a defective turbocharger which under pressure will develop cracks. Vehicle will not restart until turbocharger cools. This has happened twice to me on long trips.
My 2015 Subaru Forester xt was taken to an authorized Subaru dealership numerous visits to the for an issue in which the cars engine lights and warnings would display, violently shake, shudder and lose power while at highway speed. Am authorized Subaru mechanic was able to replicate the issue, they did an ECM computer update...unfortunately, the problems did not go away after the update. I re-visited the dealership explaining that the problems persisted, at which point they decided to try to replicate the problem. After a week, the Subaru dealer sent me home in the car, saying they could not replicate the problem. Less then 4 days layer, while on my morning commute to work, the same problems which had plagued the car started to occur, however this time, I heard a loud pop/bang and smoke filled the cabin of the car. Very shortly after smoke entered the cabin, I witnessed flames coming out from under the hood and above the windsdhied. I exited the freeway lanes as quickly as possible, and within 10 seconds the car was engulfed in flames. I have paperwork from the dealership with my expressed concerns, and the suabaru mechanic's acknowledgement of the issue.
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power while driving various speeds. The check engine warning indicator illuminated when the failure occurred. The dealer diagnosed that the throttle body and brake sensors needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 37,000.
Most recent near-miss fatal incident happened on Nov.6, 2016 driving on a highway at the speed of about 65- 68 miles, car suddenly died, and stopped completely without any warning signs and warning lights, it felt like car suddenly lost the power and completely stopped. When tried to re-start immediately, car didn't start. After a few minutes, car started. Total driving distance on the highway before this incident happened was about 260 miles. I was able to pull the car on the shoulder; I was driving in a right lane at the time of the incident. It could have been a major fatal accident, as I was driving on a 2 lane highway, 90 East thruway, because sudden change in the speed from 68 mph to zero speeds without any warning in a matter of less than 1 minute. There was lot of traffic on the thruway. Timing of the incident was at about 5 pm on Nov.6, 2016. There were 2 other passengers in the car. This was the scariest experience I ever had. Car was not set for cruise control while driving on the highway. There were no emergency lights or signs visibly or no noise alert at all. I took the car to Subaru dealer for a check on 11/ 8/2016 and reported this incident. Subaru dealer in service reported that they didn't find the cause for this near fatal incident. Second near miss fatal incident occurred on April 21, 2016 at about 3 pm.I was backing up the care in a driveway, vehicle suddenly would not stop, breaks didn't work, I had no control of the steering wheel. I was able to put the vehicle in the park to gain control of the vehicle again. I took the care for a service and reported this incident to Subaru dealer on April 22, 2016. Subaru dealer service department were not able to find the reason for this terrible incident. Speed at the time of the incident was 5 mph, estimated.
- Williamsville, NY, USA
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The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. While driving approximately 70 mph, the instrument panel illuminated and the engine failed. The vehicle was able to restart; however, the failure recurred. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but the failure could not be duplicated. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure the approximate failure mileage was 27,000. The VIN was not available. Updated 02/16/17 updated 7/3/18
On two different occasions, my car stalled while driving on the highway. The engine stopped running and I had to coast to the side of the road. After the first stall, the engine restarted on the first attempt to restart it. When this happened the second time (about 3 months later), it took several attempts to start the car before the engine would turn over. The first time was on Sept. 17, 2016 and then again on Oct. 9, 2016.
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. While parking the vehicle and depressing the brake pedal at 5 mph, the vehicle surged and lurched forward. As a result, a crash occurred with several other vehicles. The air bags did not deploy. A police report was filed and there were no injuries sustained. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,000.
Driving with eyesight enabled at 75mph in heavy traffic on loop 202 freeway at approximately 2:30pm local time. Weather was sunny and dry, approximately 97 degrees. Nearly resulting in a crash. Feet were not on any pedal. Vehicle suddenly lost power and revd to redline as if the car was in neutral, engine then shut off. Instrument cluster showed every warning light illuminated. Eyesight display showed a vehicle directly in front yet there was no vehicle present. I checked to make sure gear selector was still in drive. Pressed the accelerator which had no affect, no RPM change. Was able to coast a short distance but still obstructed traffic. Police had to shut down freeway to move my vehicle to the shoulder. Attempts to restart vehicle failed, all warning lights on instrument cluster illuminate any time the key is turned to the "on" position. Subaru roadside assistance towed vehicle to local Subaru dealer, awaiting diagnosis.
While parking and apply the brakes the car suddenly accelerated. My wife was parking the car and while pulling into the parking stall she applied the brakes and the car suddenly accelerated and rammed into a steel cable that separated the parking stalls.
While driving 75-80 mph on the interstate, I lost the ability to accelerate. Luckily I was able to change lanes ( I was in the middle lane when I lost power) and pull over. All the lights were on (check engine, at oil temp, battery, ect) and what I was able to stop the car, it stalled. Every time I tried to start it again, it would stall. After about 10 minutes, I was able to get it started. The dealership says nothing is wrong. About a year ago, the same thing happened except without the lights and stalling. The dealership told me that it I probably was hitting the gas and break at the same time. I drive with one foot, always have.
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the vehicle misfired and hesitated. In addition, all the warning lights illuminated. After consulting with a mechanic it was determined that the failure was caused by a faulty emissions control system to the turbo charged engines. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 5,000.
Vehicle surges when trying to lightly accelerate in hot weather. Rpms begin to drop, car bucks back and forth until more throttle is given, then car lurches forward. There seem to be tsbs out to alleviate the issue, but they feel like a bandaid repair and just mask it. Now instead of bucking back and forth, the vehicle just accelerates very lightly. Throttle is very unresponsive. The inconsistent throttle response creates a safety issue, as the vehicle can be unpredictable when accelerating away from a potential hazard (accelerating to make a lane change, accelerating to avoid an accident, etc.).
Our 2015 Forester turbo has 15,00 miles on it. We have had it to the dealer 4 times now asking them to find out why it is loosing power in times of need. The dealers from 2 different locations have said they were unable to duplicate the issue. We are going to take it back this week, it happened again today on the highway at 60 mph. Engine feels like it shuts off, cars traveling along side and behind had to skid the brakes to stop. This has become a life or death situation. We do not feel safe driving the car. It looses power in turns and highway speeds.
This is a follow-up on 12/05/15 (nhstsa id 10808561) - problem on check engine oil around 1,500 miles before the next scheduled oil change. Reported to Subaru and did an oil consumption study, basically bringing the car to a Subaru dealer at 1,200 miles after an oil change. Asked the technician at dealer what they did. I was told they just looked at the oil dip stick level - how very scientific. So, he said everything was ok and that was it. Since then, I have been putting a quart of oil around 1,300 miles before my next oil change. Mileage of my car is now over 58,000 miles. I am concerned that at 60,000 miles, the warranty will be over and I have to pay for repairs as this problem continues. Subaru still claims that this is normal. Previous cars I owned never had this problem. Why is Subaru not held accountable and stand behind their product?
What has been happening is I will be driving down the road (does not matter how fast I am going) and all of a sudden all the lights come on and I lose acceleration and control of vehicle. Each time it has been towed to Subaru they cannot recreate the problem so it cannot be fixed. This last time I was on a very busy road going about 55 mph and all of a sudden again my check engine lights etc came on and I lost acceleration and power. I quickly checked my rearview mirror to make sure no one was too close behind me. It was very scary and I was able to coast and abruptly turn into an enterprise rental. I was lucky I was not hit from behind or have my kids in car. This last time too when the tow truck arrived the car would not turn on. I am now completely uncomfortable driving a car that consistently has had the same issue that no one can fix.
Strong coolant smell since bought car new, occurs in upper right front passenger door area after engine has been running and occurs right after when engine is turned off and door is opened; dealer has not been able to resolve - independent mechanic is thinking it is transmission transfer case. Passengers and driver exposed to coolant smell on a continual basis.
While finalizing parking within a parking lot space at very low speed (last 2 feet) with foot on brake, the engine suddenly revved and the car accelerated without warning and struck the parked car on the opposite parking space. Both cars sustained moderate front-end damage. The other car was able to be driven away but ours had front fender parts pushed into the front drivers tire and had to be towed away to the repair shop. Not sure of the cost to repair the other (parked) car but ours ran approximately $5000 due to front frame damage. No air bags deployed, no one was injured. Police officer who responded said low speed impacts do not normally set off the air bags. Repair shop said they were not able to tell on the car computer what the sudden acceleration was due to. Contacted our insurance agent who recommended we report the sudden acceleration to Subaru and NHTSA. Subaru dealer denied any such accelerations and said there was no recourse. Found several instances very similar to our on NHTSA site for Subaru Foresters in 2014 and 2015 model years and decided to make a report. Odometer reading at time of accident: 5,814.
I've noticed I run extremely low on oil at about 1,500 miles before my scheduled oil change. I've been adding a quart at every 5,000 as to not run dry and damage the engine. I mostly drive highway miles and starting having this issue at 30,000 miles.
The current mileage of my car is 45,751. I faithfully follow all maintenance schedule, particularly, oil changes. On two occasions now, my oil light has come on, the last one 2,000 miles before the next oil change. When I questioned the Subaru dealership service guy about this, he said, well, I need to have oil changes at 5,000K instead of the recommended 6000K. He said 6000K is for ideal driving condition - temperature should not below 30 degrees, no stopping here and there, no idling, etc. Synthetic oil is expensive enough and I certainly do not need to be paying someone to top it off every time. And I do not want to be caught with this problem while I'm travelling. I bought this car new and at this mileage, I should not be having this problem. Fyi, the mileage of this car is mostly highway miles. From reading online, I learned that other Forester owners are having problem with oil burning as well. There is definitely something wrong with the car and Subaru needs to remedy this. Would appreciate any assistance to this problem. Thank you.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Colorado Springs, CO, USA