2015 Subaru Forester

IN MAY OF 2018, WITH 59000 MILES ON MY SUBARU, THE RIGHT REAR COIL SPRING BROKE. IT WAS REPLACED, FREE OF CHARGE, BY SUBARU. AT THE TIME, I STATED THAT IT MUST BE A DEFECT AND THE LEFT SPRING SHOULD BE CHANGED BUT IT WAS STATED THAT IT WAS INSPECTED AND WAS FINE. THIS WEEK, DECEMBER 2019 WITH 79,000 MILES, THE CAR WAS NOT HANDLING WELL. WHEN I TOOK IT IN TO SERVICE (A DIFFERENT DEALERSHIP), I WAS TOLD THE LEFT SPRING WAS CRACKED. AGAIN, THEY FIXED IT FOR FREE BUT I WAS TOLD THAT A SEARCH OF THE SUBARU'S SYSTEM DID NOT TURN UP ANY ISSUES REPORTED WITH THE SPRINGS. THIS HAD TO BE A LIE BECAUSE A QUICK INTERNET SEARCH THAT I JUST DID SHOWS NUMEROUS PROBLEMS OF CRACKED AND BROKEN SPRINGS INT HE 2014 AND 2015 FORESTERS. IT'S TIME TO ISSUE A RECALL.

VEHICLE IS GARAGED, NO TOWING, NO HEAVY LOADS AND NO ACCIDENTS. VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN GARAGE AND HEARD A BANG. NEXT DAY AFTER MOVING VEHICLE, NOTICED DRIVER'S SIDE BUMPER WAS MUCH LOWER THAN RIGHT AND FOUND ONE OF THE COIL SPRINGS BROKEN AND ON THE GARAGE FLOOR. IT WAS VERY LUCKY I WAS NOT DRIVING IT AT THE TIME AS IT PROBABLY WOULD HAVE CAUSED AN ACCIDENT.

OWN A 2015 SUBARU FORESTER 2.0 XT TOURING. HAVE DRIVEN 48,200 MILES. HAVE DRIVEN ON REGULAR HIGHWAYS/ROADS WITH ZERO OFF-ROADING. BEGAN HEARING A CREAKING NOISE WHEN I USED TO BRAKE AND COME TO A STOP. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND FOUND THE BUSHING ON THE FRONT WERE CRACKED. WAS TOLD IT WILL TAKE $800 TO FIX THIS AT THE DEALERSHIP. CHECKED WITH A GOOGLE SEARCH ON THE ISSUE - FOUND PLENTY OF OTHER POSTING ON THIS ISSUE. THIS SEEMS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THE SUBARU FORESTER 2.0 XT MODELS ON A POORLY DESIGNED SUSPENSION AND THE CRASH RISK INCREASES ESPECIALLY WHILE DRIIVNG AT HIGH SPEEDS. WE USE THIS CAR NOW FOR MAINLY OUR OUTDOOR TRIPS AND NOW IAM SCARED TO DRIVE THIS CAR WITH OUR DAUGHTER IN IT AT HIGH SPEEDS ON THE FREEWAY. REQUEST TO OPEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS SINCE THERE ARE MULTIPLE REPORTS ON THE BUSHINGS GOING BAD ON THE 2015 SUBARU FORESTER.

WE NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT REAR OF THE FORESTER WAS 4-5 INCHES LOWER THAN THE LEFT. ON INSPECTION OF THE SUSPENSION, I NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT REAR COIL SPRING WAS BROKEN. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY THE SUBARU DEALER. THE BREAK LOOKED RUSTY (IT IS COATED WITH BLACK PLASTIC MATERIAL) BUT NOT COMPLETELY DEGRADED. THIS VEHICLE HAS 43,838 MILES ON IT, IS IN PERFECT SHAPE, AND HAS NEVER BEEN OFF ROAD OR IN AN ACCIDENT. NOTHING THAT WE DID JUSTIFIES A BROKEN COIL SPRING, ESPECIALLY ON AN SUV LIKE A SUBARU. THE BEST I CAN THINK OF IS THAT THE SPRING MIGHT HAVE BROKEN A WEEK EARLIER WHEN WE WERE RIDING THOUGH A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH SPEED BUMPS, BUT WE WERE GOING LESS THAN 25 MPH. CERTAINLY NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT TO BREAK A COIL SPRING. WHEN I SEARCHED ON-LINE, I FOUND HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FOR 2014 AND 2015 FORESTERS. THERE IS CLEARLY A FAULT IN THE SPRING MATERIAL OR DESIGN PARAMETERS. I BELIEVE THIS IS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD SINCE WITH A BROKEN SPRING THE VEHICLE FELT UNSTABLE WHEN TURNING AND THE REAR SWAYED SOMEWHAT AT 50 MPH AND ABOVE. I BELIEVE IT REQUIRES A RECALL. THE SUBARU DEALER REPLACED THE BROKEN SPRING AND THE REAR STRUT FOR $500.

LIKE MANY OTHERS - REAR COIL SPRING HAS BROKEN AT 60,000 MILES. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AS IT MAY CAUSE SEVERED BRAKE LIKE WITH IMMEDIATE LOSS OF BRAKING OR TIRE BLOWOUT. SUBARU HAS AN UPDATED SPRING AND OF COURSE, WILL RECOMMEND REPLACING BOTH SPRINGS AND ALIGNMENT AT OUR EXPENSE. DEALER IS TAKING PICTURES AND WILL ADVOCATE FOR US BUT