2015 Subaru Forester

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 55 MPH, BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS FRACTURED. THE CONTACT DROVE THE VEHICLE TO BAIERL SUBARU (9545 PERRY PKWY, PITTSBURGH, PA 15237) WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS FRACTURED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT. THE VEHICLE WAS CURRENTLY UNDERGOING REPAIRS. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 83,000.

2015 SUBARU FORSTER WITH 50,098 MILES. CAR WAS PARKED IN MY GARAGE. I WAS THE ONLY PERSON IN IT AND THERE WAS NO BAGGAGE OR LOAD. AS I SAT DOWN ONTO THE SEAT, READY TO TURN IGNITION ON, THERE WAS A VERY LOUD POP AND I FELT THE REAR END OF THE CAR DROP. THE CAR WAS NOT EVEN TURNED ON. ALL TIRES WERE FINE BUT TWO PIECES OF THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE COIL SPRING LAY ON THE FLOOR. PICTURES ARE ATTACHED (I HOPE). ONE BREAK HAD CLEARLY HAPPENED LONG AGO SINCE BOTH BROKEN EDGES WERE VERY RUSTED. AT THE OTHER BREAK, THE PART WHICH HAD JUST SNAPPED WAS FRESH BUT HALF OF THAT BREAK WAS ALSO VERY RUSTED. I COULD NOT SAFELY DRIVE THE CAR SINCE THE WHEEL WAS NEARLY TOUCHING THE TOP OF THE WHEEL WELL. ON THE REPAIR SHOP LIFT, WE FOUND THE DRIVER'S SIDE SPRING WAS ALSO BROKEN. THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP DID NOT ANSWER MY PHONE CALL. SUBARU NATIONALLY CLAIMS THEY HAVEN'T ANY INFORMATION REGARDING THIS BUT I BELIEVE THAT THERE WAS POOR QUALITY STEEL IN THIS SPRING. SO, I GOOGLED IT AND FOUND AN AMAZING NUMBER OF SIMILAR CLAIMS WITH 2014 1ND 2015 FORESTERS AND MANY WITH NEARLY THE SAME MILEAGE AND ALSO PHOTOS SHOWING THE BREAKS IN NEARLY THE SAME LOCATIONS. I BELIEVE THERE IS BAD STEEL IN THESE SPRINGS. JUST 50 MILES EARLIER ON THE PREVIOUS DAY I HAD BEEN TRANSPORTING A MOBILITY LIMITED HANDICAPPED PERSON IN VERY RURAL AREAS. IT COULD HAVE BEEN A TERRIBLE SCENE IF THE FINAL BREAK HAD HAPPENED THEN. THE CAR HAS BEEN DRIVEN UNDER NORMAL CIRCUMSTANCES - NO UNDO STRESS.

WITHIN THE SPAN OF ~3-5 MONTHS, BOTH REAR COIL SPRINGS HAVE BROKEN. I'M NOT SURE WHEN/HOW THE FIRST BROKE; NOTICED A TILT IN THE VEHICLE (FROM THE REAR THE LEFT SIDE WAS DISTINCTLY LOWER THAN THE RIGHT). TOOK VEHICLE IN FOR AN OIL CHANGE SOME WEEKS AFTER LEFT SPRING BROKE (STILL WAITING FOR REPLACEMENT PART), THEY NOTED THAT THE RIGHT REAR SPRING WAS ALSO BROKEN. I SUSPECT RIGHT REAR SPRING BROKE AFTER VEHICLE WAS PARKED; STARTED DRIVING AWAY AND NOTICED A CLUNK SOUND NEAR RIGHT REAR AFTER MOVING 10-20 FEET. I STOPPED, CHECKED FOR DEBRIS UNDER/BEHIND THE VEHICLE, DIDN'T NOTICE ANYTHING, CONTINUED ON. RESEARCH ONLINE SUGGESTS THIS IS A FAIRLY COMMON PROBLEM ON THIS VEHICLE.

ON JULY 30 2019 I CAME BACK FROM A 6 WEEK VACATION. MY SUBARU SAT IN MY DRIVEWAY WHILE ON VACATION, I GOT IN THE CAR TO MOVE IT , I NOTICED IT WASN'T SITTING RIGHT. I ASKED MY BOYFRIEND TO CHECK MY TIRES THINKING ONE WAS LOW OR FLAT. ALL TIRES WERE GOOD SO I PULLED MY CAR OUT OFF THE DRIVEWAY, AS I WALKED BACK INTO MY DRIVEWAY I SAW THE PIECES OF MY SPRING WHERE MY CAR WAS MOVED FROM. HOW CAN THIS SPRING BRAKE JUST SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY ? THE ATTACHED PICTURE SHOWS THE PIECES , RUST AND ALL . I'VE FOUND FROM MY WEB SEARCH THIS IS A COMMON ISSUES WITH THE 2014 -2015 SUBARU'S , MY EXPERIENCE IS NOT AN ISOLATED ISSUES. SOME BREAK SITTING IN THEIR GARAGE OR DRIVEWAY, SOME BREAK WHEN DRIVING CAUSING ACCIDENT AND ADDITIONAL DAMAGE TO VEHICLE AND DRIVER. TO WHERE I WAS ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES, IT COULD HAVE HAPPEN DIFFERENT. THIS COIL SPRING IS MOST DEFIANTLY DEFECTIVE RUSTING FROM THE INSIDE OUT.

DURING ROUTINE 45000 CAR MAINTENANCE (OIL CHANGE, TIRE ROTATION, BRAKE INSPECTION) THE TECHNICIAN DISCOVERED THAT THE REAR DRIVER'S SIDE COIL SPRING HAD RUSTED AWAY FROM ITS' RETAINING BRACKETS (TOP AND BOTTOM) AND WAS HANGING LOOSE AROUND THE SHOCK ABSORBER AND COULD BE WIGGLED OR ROTATED BY HAND. INITIAL COST ESTIMATE IS $1300.00 TO REPLACE BOTH SPRINGS. THE CAR IS UNSAFE TO DRIVE UNTIL IT IS REPAIRED.

I TOOK MY CAR IN FOR A RECALL ON BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH AND STOHLMAN SUBARU TOLD ME THE RIGHT REAR SPRING WAS BROKEN, BUT THE PARTS ARE OUT OF STOCK. THEY RECCOMMEND REPLACING BOTH REAR SPRINGS AT $700-800, WHEN THEY ARE AVAILABLE. A HARDSHIP FOR ME AS I AM A SENIOR. I WAS NOT AWARE OF WHEN IT BROKE, OR THAT IT WAS BROKEN. THEY TOLD ME IT PROBABLY RUSTED

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE THE CONTACT WAS LOADING GROCERIES INTO THE TRUNK OF THE VEHICLE, SHE STEPPED BACK AND NOTICED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS VERY LOW. THERE WAS NO WARNING INDICATOR ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO DIAGNOSED THAT THE REAR SUSPENSION FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. HERITAGE SUBARU CATONSVILLE (6624 BALTIMORE NATIONAL PIKE, BALTIMORE, MD 21228, (844) 224-1954) WAS CONTACTED TO SCHEDULE A SECOND DIAGNOSTIC TEST. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 46,000.

AT 40K MILES, THE REAR SUSPENSION COIL SPRING IS FOUND BROKEN DURING A REGULAR OIL CHANGE AND BRAKE INSPECTION. THE SPRING IS RUSTED INSIDE OUT. MECHANICS SAID IT IS RARE THAT THIS PART WOULD BREAK IN THE LIFETIME OF A CAR. THERE ARE MANY SIMILAR BROKEN SPRING CASES AMONG 2014 AND 2015 SUBARU FORESTER MODEL CARS. PLEASE CHECK HTTPS://WWW.CARGURUS.COM/CARS/DISCUSSION-T61866_DS789686. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN THAT SUBARU DID NOT TAKE PROMPT ACTION. EVEN IF ONE LIFE LOST AS A RESULT OF THIS IN THE FUTURE IS TOO LITTLE TOO LATE. SUBARU VALUES MONEY OVER LIVES. IT IS NOW UP TO NHTSA TO TAKE FURTHER ACTIONS TO PROTECT PUBLIC SAFETY.