Was happy with my Forester but less than a year after I bought it left light went. During subsequent years I have replaced the left head light almost twice a year. I got in the habit of keeping a headlight with me when I went to the mountains. Left headlight would go out not just in the mountain roads but on the highway. It was four years before I replaced the right headlight so not a bulb issue. This year I am replacing both the right and left headlight assemblies. The reason the Left headlight assembly has water in it. The right headlight assembly was shorting sometimes.
After replacing the right headlight bulb thinking it was the bulb, the right headlight assembly shorted again. I unexpectedly, due to a bit of anger thumped the right hood just behind the right headlight assembly and poof the brand new bulb lit up. So after six months I have thumped it 60-70 times to get the assembly working again. This year the left headlight assembly began to get heavy water droplets in it. The right headlight assembly has no condensation. I pulled into a parking lot and another Forester same year but different model had two inches of water in its left headlight assembly and condensation was visible in the forester's right headlight assembly.
As to safety, Subaru advertises their cars driving through the woods on back roads. I can tell you from barely missing a moose, that either headlight failing at night is a serious safety hazard when driving in the woods where the trees don't light your way. Killing wildlife is not a good thing to do with a Subaru if you want the Subaru to survive. With one headlight out the wildlife may not see the rest of the car, let alone the driver the wildlife. I'm replacing both headlight assemblies to hopefully fix the problems at least for a long trip.
Was happy with my Forester but less than a year after I bought it left light went. During subsequent years I have replaced the left head light almost twice a year. I got in the habit of keeping a headlight with me when I went to the mountains. Left headlight would go out not just in the mountain roads but on the highway. It was four years before I replaced the right headlight so not a bulb issue. This year I am replacing both the right and left headlight assemblies. The reason the Left headlight assembly has water in it. The right headlight assembly was shorting sometimes.
After replacing the right headlight bulb thinking it was the bulb, the right headlight assembly shorted again. I unexpectedly, due to a bit of anger thumped the right hood just behind the right headlight assembly and poof the brand new bulb lit up. So after six months I have thumped it 60-70 times to get the assembly working again. This year the left headlight assembly began to get heavy water droplets in it. The right headlight assembly has no condensation. I pulled into a parking lot and another Forester same year but different model had two inches of water in its left headlight assembly and condensation was visible in the forester's right headlight assembly.
As to safety, Subaru advertises their cars driving through the woods on back roads. I can tell you from barely missing a moose, that either headlight failing at night is a serious safety hazard when driving in the woods where the trees don't light your way. Killing wildlife is not a good thing to do with a Subaru if you want the Subaru to survive. With one headlight out the wildlife may not see the rest of the car, let alone the driver the wildlife. I'm replacing both headlight assemblies to hopefully fix the problems at least for a long trip.
- Hugh D., Spokane Valley, US