1998 Subaru Forester

THE 15" WILDERNESS THAT CAME STOCK WITH THIS FORESTER HAD TO BE REPLACED AT APPROXIMATELY 29,800 MILES. I TOOK IT IN FOR A TIRE ROTATION AND LES SCHWAB INFORMED THAT THEY COULD NOT ROTATE THE TIRES AS THEY HAD TO BE REPLACED DUE TO EXTREME WEAR. THOSE 15" TIRES SHOULD HAVE LASTED AT LEAST ANOTHER 30,000 MILES. I THINK THAT ALL WILDERNESS TIRES REGARDLESS OF SIZE SHOULD BE RECALLED AS THEY ARE DEFINITELY A DEFECTIVE TIRE.*AK( DOT NUMBER: )

THE SUBARU FORESTER CITED IN THIS COMPLAINT WAS PURCHASED NEW AT WOODBRIDGE JEEP SUBARU IN WOODBRIDGE VA. ON AUGUST 29, 1998. UNKNOWN TO US AT THE TIME OF PURCHASE, THE 4 WHEEL ALIGNMENT WAS MISALIGNED. ON AUGUST 25, 2000, MY WIFE WAS ON AN EXTENDED TRIP WHEN THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON FOR NO READILY APPARENT REASON. THIS PROMPTED HER TO RETURN HOME AND US TO TRY TO CONTACT WOODBRIDGE JEEP SUBARU WHICH WE SOON LEARNED HAD QUIT SELLING SUBARUS. WE THEN CONTACTED THE NEXT CLOSEST SUBARU DEALER WHICH WAS REYNOLDS CADILLAC SUBARU IN ORANGE VA., A DISTANCE OF 36 MILES ONE WAY FROM MY RESIDENCE. ON AUGUST 30, 2000 , WE TOOK THE CAR TO THE SAID DEALERSHIP IN ORANGE. THE DEALERSHIP CHECKED THE CAR AND COULD NOT DETERMINE WHY THE "CHECK ENGINE" LIGHT CAME ON. THE DEALERSHIP DID, HOWEVER, INFORM US THAT THE REAR TIRES HAD WORN EXCESSIVELY TOWARDS THE OUTSIDE TREAD TO THE EXTENT THAT IT WOULD NOT PASS INSPECTION BECAUSE THE TIRE HAD WORN DOWN TO THE BELTS ON OUTER PART OF TIRE. THE EXCESSIVE WEAR, I WAS INFORMED BY THE DEALER REPRESENTATIVE, WAS DUE TO A MISALIGNMENT OF THE ALL-WHEEL DRIVE SYSTEM. I WAS TOLD TO MAKE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT TO GET THE CAR ALIGNED AND TO GET NEW TIRES PUT ON THE CAR. IN THE INTERIM THE SAID DEALERSHIP WAS TO CONTACT SUBARU TO SEE WHAT SUBARU WOULD DO ABOUT THE PROBLEM SINCE THE TIRES HAD OBVIOUSLY WORN PREMATURELY. ON SEPTEMBER 6. 2000, AFTER DRIVING BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, WE WERE INFORMED THAT SUBARU HAD AGREED TO PAY FOR THE ALIGNMENT AND 65% OF THE COST TO REPLACE THE TIRES DUE TO THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THE ALIGNMENT BEING WRONG AT THE FACTORY. WE INQUIRED WHY THERE WASN'T A RECALL ON THE 1998 SUBARU FORESTER AND WERE INFORMED THAT THERE "JUST WASN'T" THAT SUBARU HAD SINCE CHANGED THE SPECIFICATIONS FOR THEIR FORESTERS. *AK

ON MARCH 9, 2000 I TOOK MY CAR IN TO LES SCHWAB TO HAVE MY TIRES ROTATED. THE SERVICEMAN CAME OUT TO MY CAR TO WRITE UP THE PAPERWORK AND AS HE WAS CHECKING MY TIRES OUT HE SAID THAT HE WOULDN'T ROTATE MY TIRES DUE TO EXTREME WEAR ON ALL TIRES. HE APOLOGIZED BUT HE SAID THERE WAS NO POSSIBLE WAY THAT THEY NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. SO RELUCTANTLY I HAD TO REPLACE MY TIRES AS I THOUGHT IT WOULD BE BETTER TO BE SAFE RATHER THAN SORRY AS I WAS GOING ON A ROAD TRIP IN A MONTH. THESE TIRES HAD EXTREMELY LOW MILEAGE TO BE REPLACING THEM AT 29,860 MILES AS THEY SHOULD HAVE LASTED ANOTHER 30,000 MILES IF NOT MORE.( DOT NUMBER: ? TIRE SIZE: P205/75R15 )

CAR BEGAN SMOKING UNDER THE HOOD-NO INDICATION FROM DASHBOARD THAT PERHAPS THE CAR WAS OVERHEATING. WHEN THE CAR WAS ULTIMATELY TURNED OFF AT THE HOME OF THE OWNER, THE ENGINE UNDER THE HOOD IGNITED, FLAMES ENGULFED UNDER THE HOOD. FIRE DEPARTMENT AND POLICE DEPARTMENT WERE CALLED TO EXTINGUISH FIRE WHICH WAS TEN FEET FROM GARAGE OF HOME .DAMAGE TO DRIVEWAY AS WELL, DUE TO MELTING OF RUBBER AND PLASTIC IN THE CAR.FIRE REPORTED TO INSURANCE COMPANY. CAR WAS NOT DRIVEABLE AS PER FIRE CHIEF-CAR WAS TOWED TO AUTO BODY SHOP.