This was 2nd time in for the ac to not be working, so they put in a new compressor after they had in May replaced the condenser. It worked for one day and overnight. But when I got into the car in the morning, the ac was warm again. Temps have been above normal and close to 100. I am not happy.
The ac went off blowing hot air, so I took it to Subaru, and they immediately knew what it was - a bad system. I was told Subaru knows about problem but have not recalled the cars. It's ANNOYING and how unprofessional for a car dealer.
This is July, almost August, and it has not been resolved.
It's so annoying that they would not check the o-ring, and they had to add more freon... oh, guess what? Apparently it didn't solve the problem because it worked for one day and is out again!!! This is a weekend and they are not in, so I have to wait until Monday to call and take my car in for service. I'm going back to work this week and I do not have time for back and forth for an ac that should last at least a long as the car, I had a car with over 130k miles and the ac still worked great. What is the problem with Subaru?
The Subaru delete ship fixed it as a “good will†because it wouldn’t be fixed under standard or extended warranty. I also heard them mention that “another forester with AC problems is hereâ€, so sounds pretty common.
From what I have read there was a certain amount of Foresters that left the factory with bad AC condensers and my car was one of them. Too bad I found out after my warranty ran out. On the other hand, recharging the system works for a little while.
This is a known problem that should be a factory recall. Instead Subaru is choosing to solve each problem on a case by case basis to lower their costs. Honda had a similar problem and issued a recall on their own covering all repairs for 6 years and 100K miles I think.
This is our first Subaru. My wife and I bought it for her because of the safety features and the higher ground clearance. Consumer Reports labeled this model and year as reliable and I paid the dealer almost asking price for this used car. I have been sorely disappointed with its reliability. The battery failed at less than 2 years, and 41,000 miles just outside the warranty period. Now the AC condenser has failed.
I spoke with Subaru who acknowledged the problem and offered me a goodwill adjustment of $750 toward the $1061 cost of repair. The TSB on this problem, 15-223-18, lists the labor at 1.4 hours to replace the condenser and drain and re-pressurize the system. If you look at RockAuto, an after-market condenser is $93.79. The cost of the Subaru condenser is $431.95, 2 o-rings for $6.75, refrigerant R134A for $19.32 and labor 487.88 (includes diagnostic fee of $169.00) so labor on this is not inexpensive. All in all, I am thankful Subaru offered the adjustment, and I appreciate it, but I am disinclined to repeat the same mistake twice. One more major issue, and I will eliminate Subaru from consideration in future car purchases.
Update from Jul 13, 2020: Problem cost $1025 to fix Subaru gave $750 'courtesy' reimbursement and dealership ate the remaining $250 out of pocket cost was 0, but would have been $275 if dealer didn't want to retain me as a customer Ganley Subaru in Wickliffe, OH was the dealer.
Bought Subaru Forester 2.0XT almost 3 years ago. Two months ago noticed the A/C not blowing cold air at all. Brought to the dealer, they checked and told me that the system is not leaking, but the refrigerant needs to recharge. Charge me $200. The car is still under warranty, but the refrigerant only warrant under 1 year and 20,000 km. I have a Cavalier, already drove 300,000 km. The A/C is still working fine. Just annoying if I need to recharge refrigerant every two or three years for my SUBARU.
This was my second time taking in my Forester because the A/C stopped working. The first time they just replaced an O-ring on the condensor, but it stopped working again after a few months. 2nd trip they replaced the condensor. I am seeing a lot of this issue with other who bought the new refresh model in 2017 right when they started taking orders... Vehicle only has 20k miles
Beginning of summer and AC was blowing warm air. My mechanic said it's a common problem on Subaru's where some liquid has been sitting around all winter and gels up. Dealer fixed it.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
This was 2nd time in for the ac to not be working, so they put in a new compressor after they had in May replaced the condenser. It worked for one day and overnight. But when I got into the car in the morning, the ac was warm again. Temps have been above normal and close to 100. I am not happy.
- fordogs, Media, US