2015 Subaru Forester

WHEN A PASSENGER IS SITTING IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, THE AIRBAG WILL FREQUENTLY FAIL TO TURN ON. AN AIRBAG WARNING LIGHT WILL INSTEAD APPEAR ON THE DASH. WHEN I BROUGHT THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP, THEY INSISTED (BEFORE EVEN LOOKING AT THE CAR) THAT SOMETHING MUST HAVE BEEN SPILLED ON THE SEAT AND THAT THE SEAT WOULD NEED TO BE REPLACED (FOR $895). NOTHING HAS EVER BEEN SPILLED ON THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT, NOR HAS IT GOTTEN WET. VISUAL INSPECTION OF THE SEAT SHOWS THAT IT'S IN PRISTINE SHAPE. SOMETIMES THE AIRBAG ALERT WILL APPEAR WHEN THE CAR IS STILL STATIONARY. OTHER TIMES, IT HAS ONLY APPEARED ONCE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION.

ON JULY 28, WE WERE DRIVING AT ~70 MPH ON A FREEWAY WHEN THE CAR LOST MOMENTUM. THE ENGINE AND ELECTRICAL SYSTEM SEEMED TO STILL BE OPERATING, BUT THE ACCELERATOR HAD NOT EFFECT AND WE HAD TO COAST AND BRAKE TO A STOP NEXT TO THE MERIDIAN. DUE TO DENSE, HIGH SPEED TRAFFIC, WE COULD NOT SAFELY CROSS TWO-LANES OF TRAFFIC TO REACH THE SHOULDER. BRAKES AND STEERING CONTINUED TO FUNCTION AND THE CAR HAD FUEL, ALTHOUGH WAS CLOSE TO EMPTY. WE COULD NOT RESTART THE CAR, NOR COULD THE TOW TRUCK OPERATOR WHO REACHED US ~35-MIN LATER. THE CAR STARTED NORMALLY THE NEXT DAY, THE DEALER HAD NO THEORY OF WHY THIS OCCURRED, AND A MECHANIC WHO EXAMINED THE CAR COULD NOT REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM, AND SAID THE FUEL SYSTEM WAS OPERATING NORMALLY. WE'VE OWNED THE CAR SINCE JUNE 2018 WITH NO PREVIOUS PROBLEMS AND THIS WAS THE FIRST TIME THIS SITUATION OCCURRED. ON JULY 7, WE HAD THE CAR SERVICED FOR A RECALL RELATED TO A BRAKE LAMP SWITCH, I.E., SAFETY RECALL: WUE90|NHTSA CAMPAIGN: 19V149000.

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.

I DROVE INTO GARAGE AT ABOUT 1 M.P.H. AND PUT THE CAR IN PARK. AFTER IDLING FOR ABOUT 3 SECONDS THE ENGINE ACCELERATED TO 2,800 R.P.M. AND STAYED THERE,I COULDN'T GET IT TO SLOW DOWN. I PRESSED ON THE ACCELERATOR MANY TIMES,IT WOULDN'T SLOW DOWN OR SPEED UP. IT JUST STAYED AT THE SAME SPEED. PRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL DIDN'T DO ANYTHING. I GOT IT STOPPED BY TURNING OFF THE IGNITION. WHEN THIS HAPPENED THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON. I GOT CODE P2138. I AM REPLACING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL POSITION SENSOR AS I AM AFRAID TO DRIVE IT.THE CAR IS EXACTLY 5 YEARS OLD,I BOUGHT IT NEW. IT HAS 16,552 MILES ON IT NOW. I WAS VERY LUCKY IT WAS IN PARK WHEN IT DID THIS. I HOPE THE NEW PART FIXES IT.AFTER 4 RESTARTS THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WENT OUT. I TOOK IT FOR A SHORT DRIVE,AND THE ENGINE KEPT WANTING TO RUN FAST. TWO DAYS LATER IT SEEMS OK,IT SLOWS DOWN NOW.

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.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT RECEIVED A RECALL NOTICE FOR NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V149000 (EXTERIOR LIGHTING). THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE MANUFACTURER EXCEEDED A REASONABLE AMOUNT OF TIME FOR THE RECALL REPAIR. EVANSTON SUBARU (3340 OAKTON ST, SKOKIE, IL 60076, (847) 869-5700) WAS CONTACTED AND CONFIRMED THAT THE PARTS WERE NOT AVAILABLE FOR THE RECALL REMEDY. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE ISSUE AND WAS NOT ABLE TO CONFIRM WHEN THE PARTS WERE TO BECOME AVAILABLE. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE RAN OUT OF FUEL ON THE HIGHWAY WITH SEVENTY MILES STILL REMAINING ON THE FUEL GAUGE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED AND REFERRED THE CONTACT TO WILLIAMS SUBARU OF SAYRE (222 SPRING ST, SAYRE, PA 18840, (570) 888-9691) FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. AN APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED WITH THE DEALER FOR NEXT WEEK. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 84,000.

IN MAY 2019 THE AIRBAG SENSOR WARNING WENT ON UNEXPECTEDLY AND FOR NO APPARENT REASON WHILE DRIVER AND A FRONT SEAT PASSENGER WERE IN IT AND THE CAR WAS IN MOTION GOING APPROXIMATELY 30-40 MPH ON A TOWN ROAD. ADDING EXTREME DANGER TO THIS SITUATION IS THE FACT THAT THE SENSOR TURNING ON MADE THE PASSENGER 'AIRBAG OFF' WARNING IMMEDIATELY LIGHT UP EVEN THOUGH A PERSON WAS IN THE SEAT WHEN IT HAPPENED, THE AIRBAG HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN ON WITH THEM IN THE SEAT, AND THE CAR WAS MOVING. IT WAS CHECKED BY THE DEALER WHO SIMPLY CLEARED A CODE AND SUGGESTED A CELL PHONE COULD, PERHAPS, HAVE INTERFERED AND CAUSED THE SENSOR LIGHT TO GO ON. DEALER ALSO ALTERNATIVELY SUGGESTED THAT IF SOMEONE SPILLED SOMETHING THIS COULD HAVE CAUSED IT. (NOBODY SPILLED ANYTHING AND DEALER VERIFIED IN WRITING THAT NO STAIN WAS FOUND ON THE SEAT TO SUGGEST OTHERWISE.) OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT MONTH THE AIRBAG SENSOR RANDOMLY WENT ON (DANGEROUSLY CAUSING THE AIRBAG TO TURN OFF AGAIN, OFTEN DESPITE SOMEONE BEING IN THE SEAT!) IN THIS SAME MANNER SEVERAL TIMES. SOMETIMES THE CAR IS IN MOTION WHEN IT HAPPENS, WHICH IS PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS AND HAS CAUSED US TO STOP ALLOWING A HUMAN TO BE IN THE FRONT SEAT BECAUSE WE CANNOT RELY ON THE AIRBAG AT THIS POINT. OTHER TIMES, THE CAR HAD BEEN PARKED AND WHEN I TURN IT ON THE AIRBAG SENSOR TURNS ON. TAKING IT BACK TO THE DEALER 7/11/19 HERE IS WHAT THEY STATED UNDER 'CAUSE' AND 'CORRECTION' ON OUR INVOICE: "...CODE B1760 STORED IN SYSTEM INSPECTED SEAT FOUND NO STAINS ON SEAT INSPECTED WIRING FOUND WIRING TO BE GOOD REC REPLACEMENT OF SEAT BOTTOM" AND "CUSTOMER HAS BEEN ADVISED THAT DUE TO NO ELECTRONICS BEING ON THE SEAT WHEN THE LIGHT AND FAULTS KEEP RETURNING REPLACEMENT OF SEAT BOTTOM (OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR) IS THE NEXT STEP..." THEY ESTIMATE $1032.45. THE CAR IS JUST UNDER 90K MILES AND THUS, ACCORDING TO SUBARU, OUT OF WARRANTY FOR THIS PROBLEM.