2003 Subaru Forester

WE WERE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE TRAVELING ABOUT 70 MPH WHEN MY HUSBAND NOTICED THE BACK WINDOW HAD A GREASY FILM THAT THE WIPER ONLY MADE WORSE. WE PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY TO A GAS STATION TO TAKE A LOOK AND NOTICED SMOKE BILLOWING FROM THE HOOD. AFTER WAITING A FEW MINUTES HE RAISED THE HOOD TO MORE SMOKE. HAVING JUST HAD AN OIL CHANGE TWO DAYS PRIOR, I RECALLED THAT THE SERVICE PERSON MENTIONED SLIGHT TRANSMISSION AND OIL LEAKS THAT WERE NOT MAJOR CONCERNS AND THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE AND COULD BE ADDRESSED LATER. TURNS OUT THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE PIPING DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE BATTERY, WHICH WAS CAUSED BY BATTERY ACID DRIPPING DIRECTLY ONTO THE METAL PIPING CAUSING THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID TO LEAK OUT. AFTER REMOVING THE BOLTS FROM THE PLASTIC APRON UNDERNEATH THE CAR TO TAKE A BETTER LOOK, IT APPEARED TRANSMISSION FLUID HAD BEEN LEAKING FOR A WHILE. AFTER POURING SEVERAL QUARTS OF TRANSMISSION FLUID INTO THE CAR WE WERE ABLE TO SLOWLY DRIVE IT TO THE NEAREST SERVICE GARAGE (ABOUT 5 MILES), WHERE WE GOT A DIAGNOSTIC DONE. APPARENTLY THIS PROBLEM IS NOT A NEW ONE TO SUBARU AS A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS RELEASED FOR THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE (THOUGH THEY STATED IT COULD BE FROM CORROSION DUE TO ROAD SALT OR SALT WATER, NOT BATTERY ACID). A REPLACEMENT AT OIL COOLER PIPING KIT AND FOAM PACKING MUST BE INSTALLED TO PREVENT CORROSION DAMAGE. THE BATTERY PLACEMENT DIRECTLY OVER THE PIPING IS WHAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE HOLE IN THE PIPING, CAUSING A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE LED TO A FIRE UNDERNEATH THE CAR. APPARENTLY SUBARU HAS REDESIGNED THE LOCATION OF THE BATTERY IN RELATION TO THE AT FLUID PIPING IN THEIR LATER MODEL CARS SO IT WAS A CONCERNING ISSUE THAT WARRANTED THIS CHANGE. THE GARAGE MANAGER FELT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL ISSUE AS IT COULD HAVE LED TO THE VEHICLE CATCHING FIRE. *TR

UPON CHANGING THE OIL IN MY 2003 SUBARU FORESTER I NOTICED THAT MY SUB FRAME IS TOTALLY ROTTED OUT. I DON'T KNOW HOW MY CAR HAS EVEN STAYED TOGETHER ITS SO BAD. I LOOKED THE PROBLEM UP ONLINE AND I FOUND THAT IT IS A MAJOR ISSUE WITH SUBARU CARS. I CALLED SUBARU TO SEE IF THEY COULD HELP TO GET IT FIXED AND THEY SAID ITS A COSMETIC ISSUE AND THEY WILL NOT HELP ME. BUT THEY DID SAY THEY WILL OFFER ME $500 TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF A NEW SUBARU. I ASKED IF THEY WILL APPLY THE $500 TO FIXING MY CURRENT SUBARU AND HE TOLD ME NO. I AM A SINGLE MOTHER THAT DEPENDS ON MY CAR 100% AND I CAN'T AFFORD THE REPAIR IN THE FIRST PLACE, BUT SUBARU WILL GIVE ME $500 TOWARD THE PURCHASE OF A NEW CAR. *TR

I WAS DRIVING AT 55 MPH WHEN MY RIGHT FRONT CONTROL ARM SNAPPED. I LOOKED TO ENSURE NO VEHICLES WERE COMING, AND MADE THE DECISION TO TURN LEFT TO GET BACK ON THE ROAD WITH ALL FOUR TIRES AS I COULD ONLY TURN LEFT. I COULD NOT CONTROL THE VEHICLE, AND THE VEHICLE TURNED SIDE WAYS AND THEN ROLLED THREE CONSECUTIVE TIMES LANDING ON ITS WHEELS FACING SOUTH. I WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL . ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL IN THE AMBULANCE THE DRIVER HAD TO STOP, BECAUSE I WAS THROWING UP CONVULSIVELY WHILE BEING STRAPPED TO A BACKBOARD AND I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO BREATH DUE TO MY AIRWAY BEING FILLED WITH VOMIT. I SUSTAINED THE FOLLOWING INJURIES: 2 FORMS OF VERTIGO WHICH I STILL HAVE, A SHOULDER INJURY WHICH I WAS IN A SLING FOR SIX WEEKS, SEVERE MUSCLE INJURIES IN MY BACK AND NECK, I NOW HAVE SEVERE MUSCLE SPASMS AND CRAMPS THROUGHOUT MY WHOLE BODY, LOSS OF MEMORY, AND SEVERE CONTUSIONS THROUGHOUT MY WHOLE BODY, AND ALSO A RIGHT LEG INJURY WHICH AFFECTS MY WALKING CAPABILITY, PTSD AND SEVERE FLASHBACKS OF MY ACCIDENT WITH ME ROLLING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, BECAUSE I WAS CONSCIOUS THROUGH THE WHOLE ACCIDENT. THERE WAS AN OPEN RECALL ON THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS ON MY VEHICLE WHICH WAS NEVER REPAIRED. THE SUBURU RECALL CAMPAIGN # IS WVX-34, AND THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER IS 11V-464. THE NECESSARY REPAIRS WERE NEVER PERFORMED. THE AIRBAG NHTSA COMPLAINT NUMBER I FILED FOR THE AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOYING IS 10598597. THERE WERE 22 OTHER REPORTS TO THE NHTSA REGARDING THE AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOYING DUE TO THE WIRING HARNESS ATTACHED TO THE DRIVERS SEAT BEING NOT LONG ENOUGH, THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS TO THE NHTSA. THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION IS IN THE PROCESS OF INVESTIGATING MY ACCIDENT ALSO. THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REFERENCE NUMBER IS [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR...UPDATED 08/12/15 *BF

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH AND ATTEMPTING TO AVOID HITTING AN ANIMAL HE LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND IT ROLLED OVER THREE TIMES AND CRASHED. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE CONTACT WAS TRANSPORTED TO A HOSPITAL. THE DETAILS OF THE INJURIES WERE UNKNOWN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE AND CURRENT MILEAGE WERE 126.000.

SUBMISSION FROM CONSTITUENT RE DEFECTIVE CROSSBAR. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED HE HAD TO REPLACE, THE LUGGAGE RACK, BECAUSE THE CROSSBAR WAS BENT AND BOWED. THE FIRST TIME, HE USED THE CROSSBAR WAS MAY 24, 2014. THE PLASTIC CLAMP THAT HELD THE LUGGAGE RACK TO THE TOP OF THE VEHICLE BROKE OFF WHILE DRIVING, WHICH CAUSED THE LOAD HE WAS CARRYING TO FALL OFF ON THE INTERSTATE. FORTUNATELY, THE WIND BLEW EVERYTHING TOWARD THE EMERGENCY SHOULDER. THE VEHICLE, LUGGAGE RACK CROSSBARS AND OTHER PERSONAL BELONGINGS WERE SEVERELY DAMAGED. *JB

AS I WAS DRIVING THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON FOR THE FIRST TIME - IT IS NOW ON CONTINUOUSLY DUE TO FUEL CAP. I PULLED OVER AT A SERVICE STATION ONLY TO REALIZE MY OIL WAS NEXT TO EMPTY. I PROMPTLY FILLED AND CONTINUED THE FINAL HALF HOUR TO MY DESTINATION. UPON ARRIVAL I INSPECTED THE ENGINE FROM UNDER THE HOOD & BELOW THE CAR. IT WAS AT THIS TIME I NOTICED BUILD UP AND FLUID AROUND BOTH HEAD GASKETS. INITIALLY THERE WAS OIL RESIDUE ONLY, NOW, 18 MONTHS LATER I HAVE COOLANT AND OIL LEAKAGE & CANNOT AFFORD TO SPEND THE $1800 I HAVE BEEN QUOTED TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKETS. VERY DISAPPOINTED IN SUBARU FOR NOT HANDLING THIS IN A BETTER WAY. MY BROTHER HAS THE SAME CAR (YEAR MAKE & MODEL) AND HAS SIMILAR ISSUES AT FEWER MILES. MY PARENTS HAVE A 2008 OUTBACK AND HAD THEIR HEAD GASKETS FAIL AT 54,000 MILES. UNACCEPTABLE. I ENJOY EVERYTHING ABOUT MY SUBARU EXCEPT FOR THE EXCESSIVE AMOUNT IT WILL COST TO FIX SUCH A COMMON DESIGN FLAW. *TR

2003 FORESTER 2.5XS IN ALBERTA, CANADA (OWNED SINCE DEC 2004). SAME ISSUE AT 221,000 KILOMETERS: WE HAVE BEEN NOTICING VERY STRONG FUEL SMELL FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW (WHEN IT'S COLD OUTSIDE). THE CAR IS CURRENTLY AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR REPAIRS. AS A LOT OF OWNERS NOTED HERE AND ON OTHER NUMEROUS WEB SITES, THE PROBLEM IS WIDESPREAD NOW. OTHERWISE, IT'S BEEN THE BEST CAR WE'VE HAD AND WE STILL LOVE IT. HOPEFULLY SUBARU WILL NOTICE THESE NUMEROUS COMPLAINTS AND WILL STAY BEHIND ITS REPUTATION.