2004 Subaru Forester

My vehicle had a recall on the lower control arms that would rust and and break. That is exactly what happened while I was driving with my family. Control arm broke causing other parts to get destroyed. The fender breaks and other parts. The recall was performed before hand but it obviously wasn’t repaired correctly because it caused me to crash. Dave wright auto Subaru retailer in Iowa is refusing to repair my failed recall attempt. Consumer stated failed repair caused the consumer to crash and damaged more of my vehicle.

The contact owns a 2004 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while having a routine safety check performed on the vehicle, she learned that the lower control was completely rusted. The contact learned that the repair was covered under a special coverage. The contact stated that because the vehicle was not registered in a stated listed for the special coverage, the vehicle was not eligible for the free repair. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and opened a case. The manufacturer confirmed that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V464000 (SUSPENSION). The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 145,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE REVERSING THE VEHICLE IN THE DRIVEWAY, THE CONTACT HEARD AN ABNORMAL NOISE AND NOTICED THAT THE FRONT DRIVER'S SIDE TIRE WAS TURNED OUTWARD. THE CONTACT LOST CONTROL OF THE STEERING WHEEL. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS UNABLE TO BE DRIVEN. THE CONTACT ASSOCIATED THE FAILURE WITH NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V464000 (SUSPENSION). THE CONTACT REPAIRED THE VEHICLE ON HIS OWN AND REPLACED THE GEARING ASSEMBLY (AXLE SHAFT, LOWER CONTROL ARM, AND BOLT JOINT). THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY SERVICED PER NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 11V464000 (SUSPENSION) IN 2012. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 211,000. *LN PICTURES OF CONTROL ARM. *JB

12-2017; DRIVING , STRAIGHT AT 40MPH, STATE HIGHWAY, RIGHT CONTROL ARM SNAPPED , ALMOST LOST CONTROL, RIGHT TIRE WAS BOUNCING BUT WAS ABLE TO STOP. TOWED CAR TO SUBARU DEALER , CARBONE, UTICA, NY. CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA CASE # 1-28524133057. WAS DIRECTED TO HAVE DEALER INSPECT DAMAGE. DEALER INSPECTED DAMAGE RT. CONTROL ARM BROKEN, SEPERATED, FRONT AXLE ASSEMBLY DAMAGED, STABILIZER LINK DAMAGED AND LEFT CONTROL ARM EXTREMELY RUSTED. SOA WILL PROVIDE ALL PARTS BUT I WILL HAVE TO PAY LABOR. OK HAD WORK DONE, ALL PARTS WERE NEW EXCEPT AXLE (REFERB.) . NOTE; RUST COAT FIX WAS DONE 2012. PER RECALL. (SPRAY RUST PROOF ON AN ALREADY SUSPECT PART NOTED IN A NHTSA DIRECTIVE). PRESENT DAY: CALLED SOA AND INQUIRED AS TO WHY I HAD TO PAY LABOR? I RECENTLY NOTICED THE RECALL VERBAGE , STATES; REPAIRS WILL BE HANDLED BY DEALER RUSTPROOF OR REPLACE THEM WILL BE FREE OF CHARGE. SOA SAID MY CAR IS TOO OLD AND HAS TOO MANY MILES ( 130, 214) AND WE GAVE YOU GOOD WILL. NO FURTHER GOOD WILL PROVIDED. AND SUBARU CLAIMS , '98 PERCENT OF SUBARU VEHICLES SOLD IN THE LAST 10 YEARS ARE STILL ON THE ROAD TODAY.' ???? IS THIS AN ADMISSION THE VEHICLE HAS LONGEVITY? I PLAN ON DISCUSSING THIS FURTHER WITH THE SUBARU DEALER (CARBONE) AND IF NO SATISFACTION WILL FILE IN SMALL CLAIMS COURT TO GET MY MONEY BACK FOR THIS FREE SERVICE.

MY DAUGHTER (DRIVER) AND A PASSENGER PULLED SLOWLY OUT OF OUR DRIVEWAY IN REVERSE, HEADING OFF TO COLLEGE (100 MILES AWAY) BUT JUST AFTER PULLING OUT IN THE STREET, THE RIGHT FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM OF HER 2004 SUBARU FORESTER BROKE IN HALF DUE TO RUST/CORROSION. I WAS ABLE TO INCH THE CAR BACK INTO MY GARAGE AND ON JACKS ONLY TO FIND THE RIGHT LOWER CONTROL ARM BROKE IN HALF. I CHECKED THE OTHER LOWER LEFT CONTROL ARM AND IT WAS VERY RUSTED. I HAD THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THE NEAREST SUBARU DEALER. THE SUBARU DEALER NOTIFIED ME THAT SUBARU RECALL WVX-34: FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM/TRANSVERSE LINK, ISSUED 09/11 HAD BEEN COMPLETED FOR THIS 2004 FORESTER IN 12/11. I WAS TOLD THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS WERE NOT REPLACED IN 2011, BUT THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS WERE TREATED WITH THE RECALL-PRESCRIBED RUST/CORROSION PREVENTION. THIS "FIXED" RECALL LASTED ONLY 7 YEARS! INITIALLY, THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP WOULD NOT COVER THE COST TO REPLACE THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS; HOWEVER, AS I PLACED A CALL WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA (SOA), I RECEIVED ANOTHER PHONE CALL FROM THE DEALERSHIP STATING THAT THEY CONTACTED THEIR "REP" AND AGREED TO PAY 50/50 TOWARDS THE COST OF REPLACING BOTH FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS. I DISCUSSED THIS VERY UNSAFE ISSUE WITH TWO DIFFERENT SOA REPRESENTATIVES, ONE OF WHICH WAS A SUPERVISOR. SOA LET ME KNOW THAT I WOULD BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COST OF THIS REPAIR BECAUSE IT WAS A 2004. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? MY DAUGHTER WAS GETTING READY TO MAKE A DEADLY 100 MILE TRIP IN THIS VEHICLE CLAIMED TO HAVE BEEN "FIXED" BY SUBARU JUST SEVEN YEARS PREVIOUS. HOW NEGLIGENT IS THIS, COMING FROM A COMPANY CLAIMING TO HAVE MORE CARS ON THE ROAD THAN ANYONE ELSE AND SAFER THAN OTHERS? I HAVE FOUR SUBARUS (04' FORESTER, 05' FORESTER XT, 08 TRIBECA LTD., AND 2010 IMPREZA) AND I'VE LOST MY FAITH IN THIS ORGANIZATION. THIS IS A DEADLY RECALL THAT SOA IS IGNORING.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2004 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING 35 MPH, THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE LOWER CONTROL ARM FRACTURED AND BECAME JAMMED IN THE WHEEL BED. AS A RESULT, THE WHEEL SEIZED AND THE VEHICLE SLID TO A STOP ON THE SHOULDER AFTER CROSSING LANES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARM WAS SHREDDED AND THE CV AXLE AND ROTOR WERE ALSO DAMAGED. THE MECHANIC STATED THAT THE LOWER ARM FAILED DUE TO CORROSION AND RUST. THE CONTACT CALLED THE DEALER (AUTONATION SUBARU WEST, 16351 W COLFAX AVE, GOLDEN, CO 80401, (303) 578-6120) AND A SEARCH WAS PERFORMED FOR THE RESULTS OF AN UNKNOWN RECALL REPAIR THAT WAS PERFORMED WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS PREVIOUSLY OWNED. THE DEALER CONSIDERED THE REPAIR SUCCESSFUL; HOWEVER, THE FAILURE RECURRED. THE DEALER REFERRED THE CONTACT TO THE MANUFACTURER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND STATED THAT THE RECALL REPAIR WAS PREVIOUSLY ADDRESSED AND THE FAILURES WERE UNRELATED. THE VEHICLE REMAINED AT THE INDEPENDENT MECHANIC AND THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 161,728. *TT

THE CONTROL ARM FELL OFF. THE BODY OF THE VEHICLE FELL TO THE GROUND. THE OTHER ONE IS ALMOST COMPLETELY RUSTED THROUGH. THE RECALL ON THIS PART ALLOWED THE DEALER TO USE THEIR DISCRETION TO EITHER REPLACE THE CONTROL ARMS, OR SPRAY RUST PROOFING OVER CORROSION, WHICH THEY DID. THIS OBVIOUSLY DOES NOT STOP THE RUSTING, AND IT EVENTUALLY RUSTED THROUGH. I LUCKILY WAS NOT INJURED. I AM QUESTIONING THE ADEQUACY OF THE EXISTING SAFETY RECALL. TO ALLOW THE DEALER TO DECIDE IF THE CORROSION IS LIGHT ENOUGH TO SIMPLY SPRAY RUST PROOFING OVER IT SEEMS LUDICROUS. RUST PROOFING DOES NOT STOP CORROSION FROM CONTINUING WHEN IT HAS ALREADY BEGUN. I CALLED SUBARU USA TO SEE IF THEY WOULD REPLACE THE CONTROL ARMS. THEY WOULD NOT, AND WOULD PROVIDE NO COMPENSATION, AS THEY FEEL THEIR RUSTPROOFING SATISFIED THE RECALL. THE SAFETY RECALL IS FOR THE LIFE OF A VEHICLE. IF THEIR RUSTPROOFING DID NOT FIX THE PROBLEM, WHICH IT OBVIOUSLY DID NOT, WHY SHOULDN'T THEY BE REQUIRED TO FIX IT CORRECTLY? CONTROL ARMS SHOULD NOT BE PERMITTED TO RUST AWAY AND FALL OFF A CAR! HOW DANGEROUS! I'M SURE I'M NOT THE ONLY VEHICLE OWNER WHOSE CONTROL ARMS EVENTUALLY ROTTED AWAY AFTER THE CORROSION WAS 'RUSTPROOFED' OVER BY SUBARU. SO DANGEROUS! I AM ASKING THAT SUBARU BE REQUIRED TO COVER THE COSTS OF THESE CONTROL ARMS! AND ALSO, I AM REQUESTING THE NHTSA TO AGREE AND ADVISE SUBARU THAT A SAFETY RECALL ACTION THAT DOES NOT ULTIMATELY FIX THE SAFETY ISSUE SHOULD NOT BE CONSIDERED CLOSED/COMPLETED.

WHILE DRIVING DOWN A STATE HIGHWAY(RTE. 195), I EXPERIENCED A SEVERE VIBRATION AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEED LIMIT IN THE LEFT FRONT DRIVERS SIDE WHEEL. I PULLED OVER TO A BREAKDOWN LANE AND GOT OUT TO VISUALLY INSPECT THE WHEEL AND SURROUNDING AREA FOR ANY SIGN OF TROUBLE AND DID NOT NOTICE ANY. THE FOLLOWING DAY WHILE DRIVING THE SAME HIGHWAY THE VIBRATION AGAIN OCCURRED BUT ON A MORE FREQUENT BASIS. I ARRIVED AT MY DESTINATION AND DID MY BUSINESS. WHILE REVERSING AND TURNING THE VIBRATION HAPPENED AGAIN BUT MORE INTENSELY AT THIS TIME. I PROCEEDED TO DRIVE DOWN A SMALLER STATE HIGHWAY(RTE. 6) WHERE I COULD GO A SLOWER SPEED AND FOUND THAT THE VIBRATION HAD GOTTEN EXTREME TO A POINT OF WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKE THE WHEEL LOCKED UP AND I EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. I PROCEEDED TO A FAMILY MEMBERS HOUSE, PARKED AND JACKED THE VEHICLE UP AND REMOVED THE WHEEL. UPON INSPECTION I DISCOVERED THAT THE LOWER CONTROL ARM HAD IN FACT ROTTED TO A POINT OF IT SNAPPING AT THE MIDPOINT AND THUS DISCOVERED THE MECHANICAL ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE. A SAFETY RECALL WAS ISSUED BY SUBARU DEALERS OF AMERICA AND AS PER THE VIN MY VEHICLE IS COVERED UNDER THE RECALL. THE CONTROL ARM NEITHER APPEARS RUSTPROOFED NOR REPLACED AS PER THE RECALL.