2014 Subaru Forester

MY 2014 FORESTER HAS STALLED ON ME 5 TIMES IN THE PAST 3 YEARS WHILE TRAVELING BETWEEN SAN ANTONIO AND EL PASO TX. WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS (80MPH ON THIS PART OF I-10) WITH AND WITHOUT CRUISE CONTROL, THE ENGINE SUDDENLY WOULD MAKE A HARD DOWNSHIFT, THEN ANOTHER, AND ALLOWED ME ABOUT 10 SECONDS TO PULL OVER TO RIGHT SHOULDER, THEN STALLED. DURING THE DOWNSHIFT NO WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON UNTIL I WAS COMPLETELY STALLED AND THEN THEY ALL TURNED ON. ONE TIME IT GAVE ME A WARNING LIGHT THAT MY TRANSMISSION OIL WAS HOT, AFTER IT STALLED. I HAVE TRAVELED TO OTHER PLACES IN TEXAS WITH SAME VARIABLES OTHER THAN THE INCLINES/ DECLINES OF THAT PART OF I-10. THIS VEHICLE CANNOT HANDLE INCLINES AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS AFTER DRIVING AN HOUR OR TWO. I HAVE BEEN LUCKY THAT THE 5 TIMES MY FORESTER STALLED I WAS NOT SURROUNDED BY HEAVY TRAFFIC. THIS IS A VERY BAD SITUATION AND VERY DANGEROUS!! A COUPLE OF YEARS AGO I NOTIFIED MY SUBARU DEALER WHEN THEY DID AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST (BECAUSE I HAVE TO ADD A QUART BETWEEN EACH OIL CHANGE) AND THEY DID NOTHING. THE MANAGER SPECULATED SOME WORK THEY COULD DO AT MY COST BUT HAD NO ANSWERS OR SUGGESTIONS. I HAVE ALSO HAD TO REPLACE THE BALL BEARINGS IN THE REAR RIGHT WHEEL. THESE THINGS SHOULD NOT HAPPEN TO A NEW CAR WITH HIGH RATINGS. MY 86 HONDA CIVIC COULD GO BETWEEN EL PASO AND SAN ANTONIO WITH NO PROBLEMS.

I HAVE AN ONGOING ISSUE WITH MY 2014 SUBARU FORESTER THAT WAS MANUFACTURED IN 2013, IN WHICH THE CHECK OIL LIGHT ROUTINELY GOES ON APPROXIMATELY HALF-WAY THROUGH A 6K OIL CHANGE. THERE WAS A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT AGAINST SUBARU THAT STIPULATED AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST COULD BE INITIATED FOLLOWING AN OIL CHANGE. THE OIL LEVELS ARE CHECKED AT 1,200 MILES AFTER THE OIL CHANGE AND IF THE LEVELS ARE LOW THE VEHICLE WILL FAIL THE TEST AND QUALIFY FOR A NEW ENGINE AT NO COST. I'VE HAD 2 OIL CONSUMPTION TESTS COMPLETED ON MY CAR, WITH THE FIRST ONE DONE 1 YEAR AGO. MY VEHICLE PASSED BOTH TESTS AT 1,200 MILES, BUT ROUTINELY IS LOW ON OIL WELL BEFORE MY NEXT SCHEDULED OIL CHANGE. I HAVE FILED 2 COMPLAINTS WITH SUBARU OF AMERICA WITH NO SUCCESS. I LAST HAD MY OIL CHANGED AT 71,308 MILES, AND BROUGHT IT BACK FOR THE TEST 1,200 MILES LATER. I AM NOW 3K INTO THE SAME OIL CHANGE AND MY CHECK OIL LIGHT WENT ON YESTERDAY AND TODAY. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER TO CHECK THE LEVEL AND IT WAS 3/4 OF A QUART LOW, WHICH SUBARU OF AMERICA SAYS IS NORMAL OIL CONSUMPTION AT 3K INTO AN OIL CHANGE AND THEY WILL NOT REPLACE THE ENGINE. THIS IS NOT AN ISSUE FOR SUBARU FORESTERS MANUFACTURED IN 2014, AS SUBARU OF AMERICA CHANGED THE PISTONS IN THE ENGINE TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE. I AM VERY STUCK; THE DEALER WON'T HELP ME, SUBARU OF AMERICA WON'T HELP ME, AND THE CAR IS WORTHLESS GIVEN THE SERVICE RECORDS INDICATING THAT IT USES EXCESS OIL. I WORK FULL-TIME. I AM ALSO THE MAIN TRANSPORTATION FOR MY 2 YOUNG CHILDREN. I DRIVE WITH EXTRA QUARTS OF OIL IN MY CAR AND HAVE TO ADD OIL APPROXIMATELY 3-4.5K INTO A 6K OIL CHANGE WHEN THE LIGHT COMES ON. I HAVE SPENT A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY ON THIS ISSUE WITH NO SUCCESS AND I JUST DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO ANYMORE. I AM HOPING YOU CAN HELP. I CAN PROVIDE YOU WITH ALL EMAILS TO SUBARU OF AMERICA AND MAINTENANCE RECORDS FOR THE CAR. UPDATED 11/07/2017*JS

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER (AL SERRA AUTO PLAZA IN GRAND BLANC, MICHIGAN) AND THE OIL WAS CHANGED AT 50,557 MILES. THE DEALER HAD THE CONTACT RETURN AT 52,062 MILES TO CHECK THE OIL CONSUMPTION. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE ENGINE WAS NOT BURNING ENOUGH OIL FOR IT TO BE A FAILURE AND THE VEHICLE PASSED THE OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. THE VEHICLE WAS BELOW .2 QUARTS OF OIL AND THE OIL LIGHT ILLUMINATED AGAIN AT APPROXIMATELY 55,000 MILES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURES. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,557...UPDATED 08/23/17 *BF

DURING AN OIL CHANGE THIS WEEK. I WAS TOLD THAT I WAS DOWN 1.5 QUARTS. I CALLED THE DEALER AND REQUESTED AN OIL CONSUMPTION TEST. THEY DENIED MY APPOINTMENT AND TOLD ME THAT THIS"WAS THE NEW NORMAL". I DO NOT ACCEPT THAT MY 2014 SUBARU SHOULD BE USING THIS MUCH OIL. I CHECKED THE CLASS ACTION SUBARU OIL CONSUMPTION LAWSUIT, BUT MY VIN NUMBER IS NOT INCLUDED IN THE ACTION. I BELIEVE THERE IS STILL A PROBLEM AND THIS NEEDS TO BE FURTHER ADDRESSED.

MY 2014 SUBARU FORESTER BURNS AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL. FOR A NEW ENGINE, I SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT CHECKING THE OIL EVERY FEW DAYS TO MAKE SURE IT ISN'T A 1/2 QUART OR MORE LOW. I'M EXTREMELY WORRIED THAT THE OIL IS GOING TO GET TOO LOW BETWEEN CHECKS, AND THE ENGINE WILL SEIZE ON LAKE TAHOE'S ICY WINTER MOUNTAIN ROADS JUST AT THE WRONG TIME.

I WAS ON AN ON RAMP ONTO THE HIGHWAY WHEN THE COMPUTER IN THE CENTER OF THE DASH STARTED ALERTING THAT SEVERAL SYSTEMS NEEDED CHECK. ALL THE DASHBOARD INDICATORS WENT OFF AND THE VEHICLE LOST POWER EVEN WHEN I PRESSED THE GAS PEDAL. AFTER TURNING THE CAR OFF AND THEN BACK ON AGAIN IT WAS IDLING HARD AND IT SEVERAL WARNING LIGHTS REMAINED ON. THE CAR WAS TOWED UNDER WARRANTY TO THE NEAREST DEALERSHIP. UPON INVESTIGATION THE DEALER SAID THERE WAS A BAD COIL. AFTER REPLACING THE COIL THE VEHICLE STILL DIDN'T WORK. NOW THEY CLAIMED THERE WAS A BAD FUEL INJECTOR. AFTER REPLACING THAT THE CAR CONTINUED NOT TO WORK. THE PROBLEM THEY KEPT SEEING WAS A MISFIRE IN CYLINDER 4. THEY CHANGED O-RINGS, THEY CLEANED THE ENGINE, THEY EVEN ORDERED A NEW ENGINE AND REPLACED THE ENGINE AND IT STILL SUFFERS FROM THE MISFIRE. THE CAR HAS NOW BEEN IN THE SHOP FOR 34 DAYS AND THEY HAVE NO IDEA WHAT IS WRONG OR HOW TO FIX IT.

WHILE DRIVING VEHICLE ON HIGHWAY SPEEDS IN TEMPERATURES AROUND 85-90 (OR GREATER) DEGREES VEHICLE WILL NOT ALLOW ACCELERATION. VEHICLE STUMBLES, DETONATES AND WILL NOT ALLOW THE DRIVER TO APPLY POWER WITHOUT HESITATION AND ENGINE STUMBLES. THIS PROBLEM CAN BE RECREATED AT WILL AND YET THE VEHICLE WILL NOT THROW A CEL UNLESS A LARGER FAILURE HAPPENS, WHICH TYPICALLY IS THE #3 CYLINDER BURNS OFF THE SPARK PLUG ELECTRODE AND DAMAGES THE ENGINE. SUBARU IS AWARE OF THE ISSUE BUT CONSIDERS THIS CONDITION NORMAL. THE VEHICLE IS NOT APPROPRIATELY MAPPED FOR THE SUBARU SUGGESTED FUEL OCTANE LEVEL, HAS TURBO BOOST PIPING LEAKS ACCORDING TO NUMEROUS INDIVIDUALS.

VEHICLE IS UNSTABLE DUE TO STALLING AND LURCHING FORWARD UNDER ALL THROTTLE RANGES. VEHICLE MAY "CHUG" AT VARIABLE DRIVING SPEEDS. THE FAILURE IS INTERMITTENT AND VARIES FROM SUBTLE TO HEAVY EFFECTS. SEVERE EFFECTS CAUSES VEHICLE TO SHUDDER AND/OR STALL THEN ABRUPTLY ACCELERATE. ISSUE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO "TURBO LAG" AS IT OCCURS UNDER LOW BOOST CONDITIONS. TRANSMISSION ALSO PRODUCES "CLICKING" SOUND WHEN ENGAGING FROM NEUTRAL OR UNDER CHANGES IN SPEED. CONDITION OCCURS THROUGHOUT ALL DRIVING MODES (I, S, S#). CONDITION OCCURS MOSTLY UNDER ACCELERATION FROM DEAD STOP, BUT MAY ALSO OCCUR UNDER "PICK UP" ACCELERATION, IE OFF THROTTLE TO DECELERATE (55MPH-45MPH) THEN LIGHT THROTTLE TO RESUME DRIVING SPEED. VEHICLE MAY ALSO BACKFIRE UNDER ACCELERATION. VEHICLE MAY HESITATE FOR SEVERAL SECONDS BEFORE ACCELERATION FROM STOP OR AT HIGHWAY SPEED THAN UPON RESUMING ACCELERATION VEHICLE MAY HAVE A FLAT/SLOW ACCELERATION IN SPITE OF HEAVY THROTTLE. FACTORY AUTHORIZED REPAIRS ATTEMPTED TO REMEDY CONDITION BY CLEANING THROTTLE BODY AND "UPPER ENGINE" CLEANSE AND STATES UNABLE TO REPLICATE FAILURE. CONDITION HAS BEEN ON-GOING FROM PURCHASE WITH APPROXIMATELY 30K MILE TO CURRENT WITH 74K MILES.

SAFETY PROBLEMS FROM SUMMER 2014. THE CAR ABRUPTLY LOSES POWER WHEN ACCELERATING. THIS IS DANGEROUS WHEN OVERTAKING LOG TRUCKS AND OTHER SLOW TRAFFIC ON STEEP TWO-LANE HIGHWAYS. WE HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO DEALERSHIPS SEVERAL TIMES FOR REPAIR AND EXCEPT FOR UPDATING THE ENGINE CONTROL UNIT FIRMWARE; THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO ISOLATE THE CAUSE. IN FEBRUARY 2016, SUBARU OF AMERICA (SOA) MAILED US RECALL WQW-58R. THE DEALER DID NOT RESPOND TO OUR RECALL APPOINTMENT REQUESTS. WE ASKED FOR SOA ASSISTANCE. THE DEALER WAS HOSTILE, YET CLAIMED TO PERFORM THE RECALL. LATER, A DEALER EMPLOYEE INFORMED US THAT SOME EMPLOYEES SABOTAGED THE VEHICLE WITH THE INTENT OF HAVING THE ENGINE EXPLODE. ANOTHER SHOP CONFIRMED FACTS AND CORRECTED SOME DAMAGE. CALIFORNIA BUREAU OF AUTOMOTIVE REPAIR CASE (SA2016005132) CITED THE DEALERSHIP . THE SUDDEN POWER LOSS REMAINS AND IT IS UNSAFE TO OPERATE. IT HAS FAILED TO START ON OCCASION. WE ARE AFRAID THAT THE ORIGINAL PROBLEM OR OTHER ACTS BY THE DEALERSHIP MAY CAUSE US OR TO BE INJURED OR KILLED IN A HEAD-ON COLLISION WHEN POWER FAILS. IT MAY STRAND US IN AN ISOLATED AREA DURING A SNOWSTORM OR IN SOME DANGEROUS LOCATION. WE HAVE REQUESTED THAT SOA ACCEPT THE CAR BACK AS A LEMON. THEY HAVE REFUSED. THE INSTRUCTIONS TOSERVICE DEPARTMENTS INCLUDES THE FOLLOWING: 'REMINDER: ENGINE ASSEMBLY REPLACEMENT WILL ONLY BE REQUIRED IN A VERY LIMITED NUMBER OF CASES.' [SOA INSTRUCTIONS TO DEALERS INCLUDES THE WORDS 'REMINDER' AND 'VERY LIMITED' IN BOLD TYPE] IN OUR OPINION, THE 'REMINDER' TO DEALERS WAS INTENDED TO SUPPRESS CORRECTIVE ACTION AND REDUCE COSTS TO SUBARU OF AMERICA. THE SUBARU OF AMERICA WQW-58R RECALL DOES NOT APPEAR ON THE LIST OF SAFETY RECALLS. FROM OUR EXPERIENCE, THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS VEHICLE TO OPERATE, AND WE REQUEST THAT THE NHTSA INCLUDE THIS RECALL AS A SAFETY ISSUE FOR THIS MAKE AND MODEL.