10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
42,685 miles

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« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #23

Jun 012020

Forester 4-cyl

  • 67,155 miles
The key has started getting stuck in the ignition intermittently after turning the motor off. Sometimes it takes several attempts involving turning the motor back on and pulling the key out as I'm turning the motor off. It may go a couple of days and be fine then do it several times in a row.

- Redding, CT, USA

problem #22

May 102019

Forester

  • 75,000 miles
Around 75K miles, the "at temp" light began to appear when driving the car for more than 35-40 minutes on the highway at continuous speeds. No code was stored when it was brought to the dealership. I have pictures of this light being on numerous times. This happened between May 2019-August 2019 then the vehicle began to shudder when coming to a complete stop, with occasional stalls/shutdowns. No lights would come out during shudder or stall. This happened between May 2019-February 2020 at 98K, vehicle began to jerk and shudder during shifting, around 2500rpm upon acceleration. I had a transmission service/ cvt fluid change done at 90K at johnston's Subaru in middletown, NY. Transmission service was done 2/3/2020

- Burlingham, NY, USA

problem #21

Sep 012019

Forester

  • 157,161 miles
Cvt codes P0700 and P2764 came on. The dealership said that it needs a whole new transmission as fixing just the torque converter will not fix the issue. All warning lights came on and none of the safety features will work. The car was doing this from a starting point and stayed on no matter speed. Seems to be a known issue with cvt...$7,731 to replace

- Zephyrhills, FL, USA

problem #20

Aug 242019

Forester

  • 60,000 miles
My car is slowing down drastically while my foot is on the gas and RPM is increasing. I suspect that the cvt is slipping and causing the car to engine brake. This is the reason Subaru extended the cvt warranty, but they have refused to replace my transmission because the dealer has not been able to duplicate the problem. There needs to be a recall on these cvts.

- Houston, TX, USA

problem #19

Jun 032019

Forester

  • 50,000 miles
On two different occasions 24 hours apart the car stalled (seemed to drop into neutral) at highway speeds ~80mph after greater than 1.5 hours of driving. The RPM jumped up and the car lost all acceleration despite pressing the accelerator. Once on the side of the road in park the engine died. Both times it failed to start again with multiple spaced out attempts over more than 2 hours. We had the vehicle towed to the nearest dealership and both times after being unloaded hours later it started with no issue and the dealers could find nothing wrong and sent us home. A very unsafe intermittent issue with no obvious cause or fix.

- Goose Creek, SC, USA

problem #18

Mar 162019

Forester

  • 44,000 miles
2 separate incidents of complete engine power loss while on highway at cruising speeds. First incident occurred while the vehicle was going about 70mph on a highway. We heard a loud bang then engine died and we lost all power to the car. There was a lot of smoke but we were able to coast it to the shoulder of the road. When we opened hood there was oil everywhere and a giant crack and hole in the engine. We had to tow it 170 miles home where it was in the shop 5 weeks getting fixed. After having the car only 3 weeks the second incident occurred where the car lost torque when trying to accelerate into oncoming traffic. It went up to 60 normally but then faltered and dropped down to 20mph. We went to the side of the road, turned off the car and started it back up and it was fine driving normally then did the same thing again. We drove it to the Subaru dealership and right in front of the dealer we heard a loud bang, tons of smoke, and as soon as we pulled up to Subaru we opened the hood and sure enough there was oil everywhere and a crack in the engine in what appears to be the same area. Extremely scary incidents.

- Santa Rosa, CA, USA

problem #17

Apr 092019

Forester

  • 6,500 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the vehicle shifted out of park after the engine was turned off. The failure occurred every time the contact parked the vehicle and removed the key from the ignition. Also, the check engine warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to schomp Subaru (580 S havana St, Aurora, co 80012, (720) 343-2210), but was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 6,500.

- Lakewood, CO, USA

problem #16

Nov 292018

Forester

  • 45,000 miles
On semi-slick patches of road, the 2016 Forester drivetrain wreaks havoc on the control systems and steering causing the vehicle to violently break right or left requiring hard steering to steer forward. Passengers suffer motion sickness; it is that bad. While other traffic (e.g., semi-trucks, gravel haulers, 20+ foot trailed vehicles) can pass the Forester with no problem at much higher speeds, the 2016 Forester cannot be driven over 40mph or sever loss of control (e.g., expressway); much like lug nuts loose on one or more wheels. The 2016 Forester is a death trap even at 40mph because unknown when it will just break to right or left. Put new tires on; same problem (factory spec alignment okay). Took to dealer, and rear wheels were adjusted with irregular alignment to try to keep vehicle from tracking in a fashion to try to prevent the problem. A little better with irregular alignment but now 5% to 10% loss mpg and greater tire wear. I still do not trust the vehicle. Just a terrible ride. Even on dry roads, I thought it was the wind; but no wind; just dangerous and unacceptable engineering between steering-drivetrain-wheels-vehicle systems. I have paid over $700 on this problem plus loss of mpg. Looking to trade in but I am not comfortable passing along a death trap to someone else; so I am stuck with a $33,000 piece of junk.

- Holly, MI, USA

problem #15

Feb 032016

Forester

  • 1,000 miles
While vehicle was in motion on city streets and highways the rear-end shifts to the left when driving over a bump (dry or wet pavement). It also shifts to the left when driving on ice. I know cars perform poorly on ice, but I've had many driving careers and this problem is unique and not normal for any car. Also it hydroplanes easily. The rear tires (especially the right rear tire) wear unnaturally. I have to replace tires approximately every 18000 miles. This is a manual transmission and I rarely hit the brakes. I don't accelerate aggressively and never slam on the brakes. I usually get 60000+ miles from my tires. The front tires by comparison last 5-10 times longer than the rear tires based on the amount of tread wear as compared to the rear tires over the same amount of miles as I do rotate them regularly. This car makes me feel unsafe on ice at any speed and is a little bit hair raising just on wet pavement. Why it would shift to the left on the smallest of bumps and even on dry pavement (worse on wet pavement) is beyond me. Recently the control arms and tie rods had to be replaced at 102K miles. After that repair the check engine light came on and air sensors had to be replaced. This car seems like a lemon to me. I bought this new car figuring I wouldn't have issues I've had with used cars. I entered a date of 2016 when this happened since it has been happening since I bought this car although it happens every time I'm on ice.

- Elkhart, IN, USA

problem #14

Aug 142018

Forester

  • 52,000 miles
On five different occurrences while the cruise control was on and we were driving at around 70 miles an hour on an interstate, our car would electronically put itself in neutral, the automatic gear shifter would physically remain in drive, the RPM's would go up to about 5500 rpms, because the car was slowing down and the cruise control was on. We would pull over to the side of the interstate and the engine will shut off after about 30 seconds. Three of the five times, the car would start after sitting for about 15 minutes. The third time the battery died after trying to start it a few times while it was cold out. The fifth time the car left us stranded on the interstate for two hours while we waited for a tow truck. We have notified Subaru every time that the car would do this. On the third time it happened, Subaru had us remove the remote starter we had purchased and installed at best buy. After having best buy remove the remote started, I installed a dashcam behind the driver to record the driver, dashboard and the shifter because Subaru could not find any evidence of this issue happening. The fourth and fifth time happened while we were on a family vacation out of state. The car was left at a dealership out of state and four weeks after the incident they determined it was a faulty fuel pump. I was told on the phone that they were unable to test if the fuel pump they removed was in fact faulty. Subaru told me they had a technician drive it for 500 miles and they didn't experience the same issue. Incidents were at the following mileages - dates: 31190 - May 27th, 2017 34383 - August 27th, 2017 approximately 42300 - February 2nd, 2018 51778 - August 9th, 2018 52129 - August 14th, 2018

- Cedar Rapids, IA, USA

problem #13

Sep 042018

Forester

  • 30,000 miles
Safety concern regarding manual transmission coming out of gear while engine braking.this has happened on flat roads and while descending hills, and while in first or seconds gear. Issue easily duplicated when in first gear at low speed (between 1,500 and 3,000 RPM) going downhill with foot off gas pedal. As the vehicle descends the hill, the gear lever begins moving and eventually pops into neutral. Issue was reported to dealership at approximately 10,000 miles, but they were unable to reproduce. During regular maintenance at 30,000 miles, the issue was brought up again. Went for a drive with the master technician and duplicated the problem multiple times. Dealership inspected shift cables, bushings on cables, cable adjustment, engine mounts and transmission mounts and deemed them all in good condition. Dealership contacted Subaru technical services which stated that the vehicle coming out of gear is the car "operating as designed" and that it is "normal condition for cable shifted split case 6-speed transmission". dealership also verified that the issue occurs on another vehicle with the same transmission and shifter. No repair or further investigation was advised.

- Crystal Lake, IL, USA

problem #12

Aug 272018

Forester

  • 31,000 miles
I drove from NJ to me (bought in 2017). I noticed difficulty when trying to accelerate/pass cars from the left lane. I thought nothing of it. After 5 hrs I got off the highway & made a right onto a main St when I heard a loud noise, felt it pull back & my wheels lock up. I thought I hit something or got a flat & was riding on my rims. From the right lane I moved onto the shoulder-it jerked roughly but remained stuck. I walked around it & noticed nothing wrong on the outside. I waited 2.5 hrs for a tow truck to take me 6 mins away to our hotel. I called a few local repair shops. None could see me for a week so my plan was to bring it to the hotel. The tow truck driver said my caliper was sticking & recommended I have it towed to Subaru since no one would be able to service it at the hotel. Subaru called/said someone pulled my rear differential plug & it would need to be replaced with possible transmission damage. They blamed the oil change guy, saying he made an error (the differential was near the oil drain plug) & the repair was not covered under warranty. The diff they meant was the front diff-they are close. There are 2 diffs & the rear diff is where my issue was-10 ft away from oil drain. I've only had oil/brake pad changes & neither had a reason to touch any diff. That work is recommended between 30-50K miles & I had 31K. I drove a rental to NJ while my car waits in nh. I talked to corporate/service all week but they won't listen to me even though I make a valid point. They asked who did those routine services. I shared the info & asked why it was relevant. He "hinted" that it could void the warranty. I asked if that was why my claim was denied but he said he didn't say that was the reason. It's illegal to tell customers only Subaru can service their cars. Experienced mechanics say if anyone pulled the diff plug in NJ I wouldn't have made it to me-5 hrs away.

- Roselle Park, NJ, USA

problem #11

Jul 162018

Forester

  • 10,401 miles
While pulling into a parking lot spot at idle speed, I lightly depressed the accelerator when all of a sudden the vehicle surged forward colliding with the veh parked to my left. My veh jumped the curb with the front end coming to rest on the sidewalk. I have had continuing problems with this sudden surging especially when pulling up a slight incline to enter my garage or starting from a stop. I have brought this to the attenton of Subaru & took it to them for diagnosis only to be told that they cannot replicate the problem & found nothing abnormal in it's operation. Apparently I am not alone in my complaint as I have read in the December 2016 issue of motor trend magazine that they too mention the "jumpy throttle response". I have also read of similar rapid acceleration complaints in your customer complaints section which parallel mine. I have told Subaru that this could result in a serious collision & that I fear that could happen. Even though this collision & resultig damage was minor, I am thankful there was no one walking on the sidewalk that could have been stuck. I am afraid to drive the veh now & don't know what my next step will be. W.a lovold manhattan beach,

- Manhattan Beach, CA, USA

problem #10

Mar 232018

Forester

  • 43,000 miles
Broken transmission due to broken transmission belt at 43,000 miles. I was stopped at a red light, when the light turned green I took my foot off the brake and put my foot on the accelerator. Immediately, there was a huge bang, and my car rocked back and forth. I thought I had been rear ended but there was nobody behind me. My car begin to roll backwards. I tried to get the car to drive by turning the car off and on and utilized other techniques, but I was not able to drive my car. I called for a tow truck and had my car towed to the local naples devoe Subaru dealer. Eight days later, they confirmed my suspicions. My car had a broken transmission at 43,000 miles. This could've ended much differently had I been driving on the highway. I no longer believe my Subaru is a safe vehicle. Subaru has agreed to replace the transmission since the car is still under warranty. Unfortunately, they want to replace it with a remanufactured transmission rather than a new transmission which carries a better warranty. Both Subaru of America and devoe Subaru in naples have been unresponsive, dismissive, disrespectful, and uninterested in fixing my car in a timely, professional manner. I will no longer own a Subaru. 30+ years of owning cars with many of them exceeding 200,000 miles and never have I been in a car that carried the risk of killing me. If my transmission belt had broken while I was driving 75 miles an hour on the highway I might not be here writing this report. Get it together Subaru, not feeling the love!!

- Bonita Springs, FL, USA

problem #9

Apr 012017

Forester 4-cyl

  • Automatic transmission
  • 7,200 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. While driving various speeds, the vehicle hesitated to accelerate. Klamath falls Subaru in klamath falls, Oregon 97603 was made aware of the failure but the failure was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 7,200.

- Klamath Falls, OR, USA

problem #8

Mar 182017

Forester

  • 14,500 miles
When making a right or left turn the vehicle will bog down and it will not move. The situation last about 5 seconds and during this time I am unable to get out of the way of oncoming traffic. The happens multiple times per day to none per day. I have brought this to the attention of my service rep and his answer was that this is normal for the transmission in this vehicle. This has been an ongoing issue for about the last 12 months. The last instance was the date selected on the calendar.

- Canton, OH, USA

problem #7

Nov 192016

Forester

  • 24,000 miles
I've had the same issue happen on 2 separate occasions (October and November 2016) - while driving the car I bought brand new, and going appx. 75 mph down the interstate, driving approximately 2 hours straight on flat interstate, the RPM's all of a sudden shoot up and it feels like my car falls out of gear. The car essentially shuts down and fails to accelerate and slows down quickly, while totally unresponsive. We have to quickly pull off the road to avoid being hit. Several lights show on the dash (have photo) and the vehicle does not respond to acceleration. We had to shut the car off completely and turn it back on - no response to acceleration or anything. It did not respond until the 2nd time turning it off and back on. Upon bringing to dealership, they have not been able to pull any codes or duplicate the error (either time). They also had a Subaru field engineer look at it and found nothing. I am continuously sent away without a solution other than to "call roadside assistance" if it happens again, which puts myself and others in serious danger. The most recent time they put 300 miles on it and found that it "fell out of cruise control", but aren't offering to fix it and didn't actually duplicate the same error as I had. I'm afraid I'm going to get into a serious car accident and hurt myself or someone else the next time this happens. It feels like Subaru (or dealer) isn't owning up to this problem or possibly trying to cover it up to keep their good safety ratings. The dealership has told me that I'm "the only person in the whole United States reporting this issue", which I find very difficult to believe.

- Saint Paul, MN, USA

problem #6

Dec 252016

Forester 4-cyl

  • 11,500 miles
While traveling at speeds above 25 mph in mild to moderate winter conditions, the rear end is fishtailing and pushing the front of the vehicle in an unsafe manner. My family and I were nearly thrown into a ditch several times in a 2 mile Excursion on the interstate on christmas day. Even at very low speeds, the steering is unresponsive to the force that feels like it is coming from the rear end. The maximum speed at which we could keep the vehicle somewhat under control was around 25-30 mph which caused us to be another type hazard on the interstate. During city driving, this vehicle is unable to maintain single lane presence in mild to moderate winter conditions. Tire pressure was equal on all 4 wheels. Vehicle was within alignment specs. The dealer has acknowledged there is a problem (4 other cars in the same dealership with the same issue) and states that they are unable to make a diagnosis. They have had my car in their possession for 3 weeks as it is unsafe to operate. The Subaru corporate representative has suggested that we "try" several proposed solutions (to a problem which they cannot identify) and continue to drive the vehicle to determine if the problem is fixed. I do not feel safe in this vehicle. It is extremely irresponsible for Subaru to insist that my family and I be used as an experiment in an attempt to figure out why their product put me and my family in grave danger.

- Butte, MT, USA

problem #5

Oct 032016

Forester

  • 6,000 miles
When shifting from reverse to drive, there is a 3 to 4 second lag time in the transmission between shifting and getting power to the wheels. This is very dangerous when you back out of your driveway, especially if you live on a busy street (as we do). I took it to the dealer today and they said this is normal for the type of transmission (cvt) and they wouldn't even look at it. This is irresponsible and needs to be corrected.

- Lubbock, TX, USA

problem #4

Nov 172016

Forester

  • 1,832 miles
Vehicle was parked on a level surface. I started the car, put my foot on the brake. Release the parking brake, put the car into drive, release the brake. The car started rolling backwards rather quickly. I stepped on the brake, released it again and the car started rolling forwards. The car was definitely in drive, it should not have gone backwards.

- Weston, CT, USA

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