2005 Subaru Forester

STRONG RAW FUEL SMELL INSIDE AND OUTSIDE VEHICLE DURING COLD WEATHER. FUEL SMELL STRONG ENOUGH TO CAUSE NAUSEA AND DIZZINESS IF WINDOWS REMAINED CLOSED. PARKED VEHICLE OUTSIDE OF GARAGE UNTIL SMELL DISSIPATED FOR FEAR OF ACCIDENTAL IGNITION. NOTICED THAT SMELL USUALLY DIMINISHES OR COMPLETELY DISSIPATES WHEN VEHICLE REACHES NORMAL OPERATING TEMPERATURE. DETECTED OVER SEVERAL YEARS DURING COLD WEATHER CONDITIONS (BELOW 50 DEGREES). WA SUBARU DEALER IN FEBRUARY 2012 DETERMINED THE RUBBER FUEL LINES UNDER THE INTAKE MANIFOLD WERE LEAKING AND REPLACED ALL SEVEN. SO FAR, THIS HAS CORRECTED THE CONDITION. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES. THE WARNING LIGHT FOR THE CHECK ENGINE AND THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL INDICATORS WERE CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AT LEAST THREE TIMES FOR THE FAILURE AND EACH TIME, THE DEALER WOULD REPLACE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER BUT THE FAILURE WOULD RECUR SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD RETURN HIS CALL WITHIN 24 HOURS. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,000.

TEMPERATURE DROPPED BELOW 20*F AND THE SMELL OF RAW FUEL BECAME STRONG INSIDE THE VEHICLE. SMELL CONTINUED TO HAPPEN ON SUCCESSIVE DAYS BELOW ~25*F, REGARDLESS OF ENGINE TEMPERATURE. FUEL SMELL WAS APPARENT IN ENGINE BAY ON PASSENGER SIDE BUT THE SOURCE WAS UNIDENTIFIABLE. VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO DEALER FOR INSPECTION; DEALER "FOUND SIGNS OF FUEL SEEPAGE PAST HOSE CLAMPS ON FUEL HOSES UNDER INTAKE." REPAIR ESTIMATE INCLUDING PARTS CAME TO $663. VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED AT THIS TIME AND WE WILL BE CONTACTING SOA ABOUT POSSIBLE REIMBURSEMENT UNDER THEIR GOOD WILL POLICY.

WE PURCHASED A 2005 SUBARU FORESTER FROM A SUBARU DEALER IN AUGUST 2008 AT 60,000 MILES. SINCE AUGUST 2008, WE HAD FOUR EPISODES OF ENGINE STALLING WITH CHECK ENGINE LAMP COMING ON. WE HAD TO HAVE OUR CAR TOWED FOUR TIMES TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP. THE FIRST AND THIRD TOWING RESULTED IN REPLACEMENT OF IGNITION COIL. THE SECOND TOWING RESULTED IN NO REPAIR SINCE THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. BEFORE THE FOURTH TOWING, WE JUST GOT ON A FREEWAY AND STARTED TO ACCELERATE WHEN ENGINE LOST POWER SO WE QUICKLY GOT OFF THE FREEWAY AND MANAGED TO PARK FORESTER IN AN EMPTY PARKING LOT. THE CAR WOULD NOT START SO WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE FORESTER NOW NEEDS AN ENGINE REBUILD SINCE LOWER ENGINE MAIN BEARING HAD FAILED, CAUSING RESIDUAL SCORING DAMAGE TO THE CYLINDER BLOCK AND BOTH CYLINDER HEADS. THE DEALERSHIP HAS ASKED FOR $7000 IN REBUILDING THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE HAD 72000 MILES AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT. LUCKILY, THERE WERE NO INJURIES BUT THE VEHICLE LOST POWER ALL OF A SUDDEN AND IT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT HAD WE BEEN DRIVING AT THE SPEED LIMIT INSTEAD OF SLOWLY ACCELERATING TO GET ON THE FREEWAY. ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED AT THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP. *TR

I WAS PULLING INTO AN INTERSECTION WITH AN ONCOMING CAR AT A SAFE DISTANCE FOR ME TO SAFELY PULL OUT. UPON PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL THE CAR DID NOT RESPOND. IT ONLY IDLED. AND MOVED THE CAR ALONG AT IDLE SPEED. SUDDENLY THE APPROACHING CAR THAT WAS AT A SAFE DISTANCE WHEN I PULLED OUT WERE GETTING VERY CLOSE. FORTUNATELY THE DRIVER WAS ALERT AND SLOWED DOWN SO I COULD PULL OFF THE ROAD - AT ABOUT 3 MPH. I FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT IT WAS A SENSOR IN THE GAS PEDAL THAT WENT WRONG. SIMILAR TO TOYOTA'S PROBLEM, BUT INSTEAD OF ACCELERATING UNCONTROLLABLY, IT WOULD NOT ME OUT OF HARMS WAY FAST ENOUGH. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU FORESTER. HE STATED THAT HE RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR A GENERIC CHECK VALVE IN THE FUEL TANK. AFTER THE DEALER REMOVED THE CHECK VALVE, THE CONTACT WAS CONCERNED THAT THERE COULD BE A POSSIBLE EXPLOSION IN THE FUEL TANK. HE CALLED THE MANUFACTURER AND ADVISED THEM OF HIS CONCERNS BUT WAS TOLD THAT IF HE WANTED THE CHECK VALVE TO BE RE-INSTALLED, IT WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE AT HIS EXPENSE. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 49,485. UPDATED 05/24/10 *BF UPDATED 06/04/10

AFTER TAKING MY SUBARU FORRESTER IN FOR A RECALL FOR A VALVE IN THE GAS TANK. I WAS TOLD THE HEADGASKET LEAKED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT! DURING THE REPAIR OF THE HEADGASKET I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE DEALERSHIP INFORMING ME I ALSO HAD A CRACKED CYLINDER HEAD. THIS IS MY 4TH SUBARU I NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. WHEN I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE I NOTICED THAT SUBARU HAD A TON OF HEADGASKET RECALLS STARTING IN 1997. THERE SEEMS TO BE A GENERAL LACK OF QUALITY IN REGARDS TO THIS. *TR

AFTER BUYING IT NEW AND OWNING IT FOR TWO YEARS WITH NO PROBLEMS, IN 2007 WE HAD SPONTANEOUS ACCELERATION PROBLEMS WITH OUR 2005 SUBARU FORESTER, RESULTING IN 2 LOW-SPEED CRASHES INTO BUILDINGS AND ONE THAT I MANAGED TO STOP BEFORE HITTING ANYTHING. NO ONE WAS INJURED, BUT WE HAD REPAIR COSTS AND INSURANCE PREMIUM INCREASES. THE DEALER SAID THEY FOUND NO PROBLEMS, EVEN THOUGH WHEN I TESTED IT WITH THEM, WE REPRODUCED A SIMILAR EVENT. MY DETAILED COMMUNICATIONS WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA (INCLUDING INFORMATION FROM THE INTERNET ABOUT OTHER EARLIER SIMILAR SUBARU PROBLEMS) RESULTED IN THEIR DENYING ANY PROBLEM. I HAD A CLASS-ACTION ATTORNEY IN JUNEAU, AK WRITE SUBARU OF AMERICA WITH THE SAME RESULTS OF DENIAL BY SUBARU. ALL OF THIS OCCURRED IN ALASKA (OUR MAIN HOME). THE DEALER WAS VERY KIND AND IN 2008 TOOK IT AS A TRADE FOR A HONDA FIT SINCE WE COULD NOT SELL IT WITH THAT HISTORY. I ASSUME THAT OTHER SUBARU OWNERS HAVE HAD SIMILAR PROBLEMS, WHICH SHOULD BEGIN TO SURFACE NOW. THANK YOU, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU. *TR

A FEW TIMES A YEAR, MY 2005 SUBARU FORESTER WITH STICK SHIFT WILL NOT START AFTER PARKING. HOWEVER, AFTER SHIFTING THE GEARS A FEW TIMES, IT WILL START. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THE SENSOR SENSED INCORRECTLY THAT THE CAR WAS IN GEAR OTHER THAN NEUTRAL AND HENCE IT WOULD NOT START DESPITE THE GEAR WAS IN PHYSICALLY IN NEUTRAL AND THE CLUTCH WAS FULLY DEPRESSED. AFTER SHIFTING THE GEARS A FEW TIMES, THE ELECTRONIC MIGHT HAVE CORRECTED ITSELF. I AM CONCERNED IF OTHER ELECTRONICS PROBLEMS MAY HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING, AS WHAT HAPPENED TO TOYOTA. TOO BAD THAT THERE MAY NOT ENOUGH DATA WITH STICK SHIFT. *TR