2023 Subaru Forester

Windshield developed a crack during a week with wild temperature swings. There was no incident leading up to the development of the crack that would have caused an initial chip or point of failure. The initial crack appeared during the day where the temperature went from the mid-60s to below freezing with precipitation in a matter of hours. Crack was not present in warm AM and appeared during cold PM. It grew (initial crack ended where the scotch tape is) during a day later that week with another wild temperature swings. Clearly a failure in the tempering process and insufficient QA for the component.

Factory installed headlights are dangerous as the low beam has a black line approximately halfway in the field of vision. Subaru states this is to keep from blinding oncoming vehicles. Driving in town not too bad, however in rural mountain areas with winding roads the headlights do not provide necessary lighting causing driving to be extremely dangerous. Low beams should not blind oncoming traffic. Dealer states these "projection" headlights cannot be replaced with traditional headlights. Complaint filed with Subaru who inform they can't take any action; however state in voice mail that "although not recommended" after market headlights could be installed when available. Dealer has previously informed that installation of standard headlights may void warranty. Mechanics consulted recommend driving with high beams, oncoming traffic will see why when low beams activated. Another recommendation has been to always drive with fog lights on and possibly install LED lamps in fog lights, to add additional brightness. This type of headlights should be investigated to prevent unnecessary accidents. (Another horrible idea with the Subaru headlights is that they "Swing" as the car goes around curves, this feature can be turned off though.)

The check engine light and a flashing 'S' and other lights stating the safety features such as Eyesight, lane departure, RAB, etc. are turned off. This started on 1/15/25, and I took the car to the dealership on 1/16/25. The dealership stated the EVap System Leak Detection Pump sensor indicated a leak, and the EvaporateLeak Check Module needs to be replaced but is back-ordered until mid-March 2025. They turned off all the lights and told me I could keep driving the vehicle. On 1/20/25, all of the lights were back on. The car lags to accelerate and is using gas at a rapid rate. I feel unsafe driving the car for another two months with the check engine light on and the acceleration capacity decreased. The dealership will not allow me a rental vehicle unless I leave it on their lot for two months until the part arrives. I cannot agree with that. The dealership informed me that multiple Forester and Crosstreks models have the same problem. This car was purchased brand new from the Olympia dealership and it currently has about 22,000 miles on it.

I was stopped at a red light when, suddenly, my car engine completely shut down, a loud and high-pitched alarm began to squeal and many alerts flashed on my screen. one of the alerts stated that the eye--sight was not functioning.The car would not move when the traffic light turned green and I applied the gas pedal. Cars behind me and those in oncoming traffic had to swerve around me. I was in the center lane of traffic. Fortunately, I was able to put the emergency blinkers on. The traffic light turned red again. It occurred to me to shift into park and attempt to restart the car. The car did restart and I was able to drive home when the traffic light again turned green. I made an appointment to take the car into Concordville Subaru and, there, I was told that the battery was low and I was given a new battery since the car is under warranty. I am reading from other owners that this is a temporary fix only and that it does not address the real problem.

On January 3, 2024, my Subaru forester suddenly lost emergency safety features such as the blind spot warning system. Many warning messages flashed on the screen as I drove north on rt 1 and the blind spot warning system was totally disabled. I believe that other safety features were likewise disabled, as well. I was upset as I had traded in my 2015 Forester because it lacked those safety features that in my new car had abruptly just stopped working! I drove my car to the Concordville Subaru dealership for diagnosis and repair. I was told that the tech found error code P0455. The tech also found that the gas cap was secured and he reset the code and test drove the car. The error code did not re-occur upon test driving the car. I was told that that error code meant that gas fumes had escaped from the tank and that, when that occurs, all safety features are disabled. As my gas cap was secured that explanation seemed very weak to me and I asked how that explanation could be correct. I was told that Subaru could do a "smoke test" to ensure no leaks of gas fumes. I was given a loaner car and the test was done and no issues were found. As my car was running fine, I took my car home. I am writing this complaint over a year past the incident because I have now had a second incident, different in detail, but I am fearing some major problem with the car. I will write a complaint regarding the second incident which occurred on January 5, 2025.

The front passenger side air bag remains turned off when a 105 pound adult sits in it, but turns on when a 185 pound adult sits in it. Subaru service informs us that it is factory set so that it will not deploy when a child is in the seat and cannot be adjusted. This puts any small adult or teenager sits in the front passenger seat.