I was advised by an employee at midas who happens to own 3 Subaru that the heat shield always comes loose on Subaru which is alarming. Although it only cost me $40 to replace, I feel a little uneasy as I've only owned this vehicle for 1 1/2 years. When I first bought the vehicle (used), I took it back to the dealership several times due to a smell of something burning. Each time I was told that there was nothing they could find and I shouldn't worry. At almost two years, I am having the same problem although nothing major has happened and I'm hoping and praying it doesn't as I am the mother of a 3 year old child and would hate for my car to either catch on fire or for me to get in an accident due to Subaru neglect to correctly investigate the real problem.

- Chester, PA, USA

The check engine light illuminated and the cruise control light was flashing upon starting the engine. No other engine symptoms presented themselves. Took vehicle to independent repair shop and was informed the front converter is damaged in addition to the front sensor being bad. Ended up having them all replaced at substantial cost of approx. $2,000. Additional research done in a Subaru Foresters owners forum shows that many owners are experiencing costly and unnecessary repairs due to faulty O2 sensors, not bad catalytic converters. Any expenses current owners have had to incur should be reimbursed by Subaru to those owners, and a recall should be issued to other owners to prevent unnecessary and costly repairs.

- Valparaiso, IN, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the check engine light illuminated upon starting. The vehicle was taken to an independent repair shop and the contact was informed that the catalytic converter was damaged. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 90,000.

- Germantown, MD, USA

The contact owns a 2007 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the vehicle shut down twice without warning. The failures occurred while driving 60 mph on the interstate, and in local traffic while driving 5 mph. The dealer was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle has not been repaired. The failure mileage was 17,000 and current mileage was 17,330. Updated 3/19/09 updated 03/26/09.

- Ellensburg , WA, USA