2014 Subaru Forester

POWER STEERING FAILED. CAR WAS PARKED IN THE WA STATE FERRY LINE IN ANACORTES, WA. WHEN CAR WAS STARTED, A COMPUTER MESSAGE APPEARED THAT THE POWER STEERING NEEDED TO BE SERVICED AND A WARNING LIGHT APPEARED ON THE DASHBOARD. MY HUSBAND WAS DRIVING AND HE COULD BARELY STEER THE CAR ONTO THE FERRY. HE TOLD ME THAT IT TOOK EVERYTHING THAT HE HAD TO GET IT ONTO THE BOAT. WE PARKED THE CAR. WHEN WE REACHED FRIDAY HARBOR, MY HUSBAND STARTED THE CAR, AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE IT NORMALLY - THE WARNING LIGHT AND MESSAGE WAS NO LONGER DISPLAYED. I TOOK IT TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP IN BURLINGTON, WA ON 2/20/18. A DIAGNOSTIC WAS DONE AND THE CODE WAS FOUND FOR THE POWER STEERING SYSTEM. I WAS TOLD THAT THE POWER STEERING GEAR NEEDS TO BE REPLACED - $1,000 FOR PART AND AT LEAST $600 FOR LABOR PLUS TAXES. FIRST OF ALL, MY CAR ONLY HAD 30,000 MILES WARRANTY OR 3 YEARS (PAST THAT) AND IT SEEMS LIKE IF A GEAR WAS HAVING ISSUES, WHY WOULD IT WORK AND THEN NOT WORK AND THEN WORK. SAFETY CONCERNS, AND WONDERING WHY IT WOULD FAIL SO SOON. I HAVE APPROXIMATELY 24, 500 MILES ON THE CAR.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE EXITING THE CAR WASH, THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING AND CRASHED INTO A POLE. WHEN THE BRAKE PEDAL WAS DEPRESSED, IT FAILED TO OPERATE AND THE STEERING WHEEL SEIZED. THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED AND THERE WERE NO INJURIES. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOW YARD. THE DEALER WAS NOT NOTIFIED AND THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 25,000. *TT THE CONSUMER STATED THE VEHICLE WAS CONSIDERED A TOTAL LOSS. THE MANUFACTURER REIMBURSED THE COST OF THE RENTAL VEHICLE. *JS THE CONSUMER STATED THE FLOOR MATS COULD NOT HAVE CAUSED THE FAILURE. *JS UPDATED 9/13/18*JB

WE HAD THE OIL CHANGED AND CAR INSPECTED AT THE VISTA AUTOMOTIVE GROUP SUBARU OF SILVERTHONE, COLORADO ON DECEMBER 29, 2014. EVERYTHING ABOUT THE CAR WAS REPORTED TO BE IN GOOD CONDITION. UPON DEPARTING FOR CALIFORNIA ON JANUARY 2, WE WERE ON INTERSTATE 70 WHEN THE CAR BEGAN TO YAW (PULL TO LEFT AND THEN PULL TO RIGHT) IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. THERE WAS SOME RESIDUAL SNOW IN THE CENTER OF AND ON THE SIDES OF THE LANE BUT THE PAVEMENT UNDER THE TIRES WAS DRY. AFTER ABOUT ONE HOUR OF THIS PHENOMENON, AND AFTER THE PAVEMENT WAS COMPLETELY CLEAR, THE YAWING CEASED. WE TOOK THE VEHICLE TO MCCRAE SUBARU IN EUREKA, CALIFORNIA UPON OUR RETURN AND WERE TOLD THE FOLLOWING DAY THAT THE SPEED DIFFERENCE IN THE DRIVETRAIN WAS APPARENTLY CAUSED BY THE REAR TIRES HAVING LESS TREAD THAN THE FRONT TIRES. AFTER CONTACTING SUBARU NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS, WE WERE TOLD THE REAR TIRE WEAR RESULTED FROM THE FAILURE TO ROTATE THE TIRES. SUBARU REFERRED US TO YOKOHAMA TIRES FOR REPLACEMENTS. WE PURCHASED TWO NEW YOKOHAMA TIRES AND WHEN MOUNTED BY TP TIRES IN ARCATA, CALIFORNIA, WERE ADVISED THAT THE REAR WHEELS WERE OUT OF ALIGNMENT. WE THEN HAD THE CAR ALIGNED BY SIMPLY PERFORMANCE AUTOMOTIVE OF ARCATA, CA AND THEY CONFIRMED THE REAR TWO WHEELS WERE OUT OF ALIGNMENT, CAUSING THE TIRES TO WEAR UNEVENLY. WE STILL ARE CONCERNED THAT THE YAWING COULD BE THE RESULT OF THE CAR'S COMPUTER SYSTEM, BUT HAVE NO CONFIDENCE THAT SUBARU WILL DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM HONESTLY, AS THEY CONTINUE TO MAINTAIN IT'S A TIRE ROTATION ISSUE. *TR

I STARTED THE CAR AND THE STEERING FELT LIKE IT WAS INCREMENTAL WHEN YOU ROTATED THE WHEEL. IT WAS COLDER THAN NORMAL OUT BUT NOT THAT COLD. THE TEMP WAS PROBABLY IN THE 40'SF. THIS HAS BEEN AN INTERMITTENT PROBLEM SINCE THEN. I HAVE HAD IT AT THE SUBARU 4 TIMES AT TWO DIFFERENT DEALERSHIPS AND THE LAST THING THEY TOLD ME WAS CALL SUBARU. I BELIEVE IT IS THE CONTROL MODULE FOR STEERING. *TR

SUBARU CORPORATE RECENTLY PURCHASED MY 2014 FORESTER BACK UNDER THE LEMON LAW. THIS WAS AFTER I HAD 4 DOCUMENTED INCIDENTS OF THE VEHICLE VEERING SPORADICALLY OUT OF CONTROL AROUND 55 MPH. IT WAS INCONSISTENT BUT THE MECHANIC WAS ABLE TO DETERMINE THAT SOMETHING WAS PULLING IT OUT OF ALIGNMENT/AFTER THIS HAPPENED IT WAS ALWAYS OUT OF SPEC. IT WAS QUITE DRAMATIC. AS IN THE ENTIRE BACK-END WOULD START TO PULL OUT OF CONTROL. THIS OFTEN HAPPENED WITHIN ICIER CONDITIONS. WHILE SUBARU CORPORATE WAS RESPONSIVE IN GETTING ME A NEW SUBARU, I DO NOT FEEL THEY AT ALL ACKNOWLEDGED OR TOOK MY COMPLAINT SERIOUS. THEY KEPT REFERENCING MY INCONVENIENCE WITH AN ALIGNMENT ISSUE. IF IT WAS AS SIMPLE AS AN ALIGNMENT ISSUE, THEY COULD HAVE FIXED IT THE FIRST TIME. MY CONCERN IS THAT OTHERS ARE HAVING THIS SAME ISSUE BUT SINCE IT IS DIFFICULT TO REPLICATE AND EXTREMELY INCONSISTENT, IT'D BE EASY TO NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS ISSUE. SINCE MENTIONING MY FRUSTRATION TO RANDOM ACQUAINTANCES, TWO INDIVIDUALS HAVE CONTACTED ME FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION BECAUSE THEY ARE HAVING A COMPARABLE PROBLEM WITH THEIR FORESTER AND/OR CROSS TREK. I SENT A LENGTHY DESCRIPTION ABOUT MY SAFETY CONCERNS TO SUBARU CORPORATE WHICH THEY IGNORED. PERHAPS THAT IS AN APPROPRIATE RESPONSE BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT SOMEBODY IS LOOKING INTO THIS/MAKING SURE IT IS NOT A MORE SERIOUS ISSUE. *TR