Subaru Forester electrical problems

MY CAR WAS STOPPED AT A RED LIGHT BEHIND AT LEAST 2 OTHER CARS AT AROUND 4:45 P.M. ON 9-8-14. MY ENGINE SUDDENLY STARTED RACING AND PULLING MY CAR TOWARD THE CAR SITTING IN FRONT OF MINE. I ALREADY HAD MY FOOT ON THE BRAKE BECAUSE I WAS STOPPED. I PRESSED EVEN HARDER ON THE BRAKE AS THE CAR TOOK OFF OUT OF MY CONTROL. THE BRAKES STOPPED WORKING AND MY CAR CRASHED INTO THE REAR OF THE VEHICLE IN FRONT OF MINE. *TR

2012 SUBARU FORESTER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO IGNITION PROBLEMS. *SMD THE DEALER CLAIMED THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE VEHICLE. HOWEVER, THE CONSUMER CONTINUED TO EXPERIENCE INTERMITTENT PROBLEMS WITH THE IGNITION. THE CONSUMER WENT TO ANOTHER DEALER, AT WHICH TIME, THEY DIAGNOSED THE IGNITION ISSUE AS A SOFTWARE PROBLEM AND STATED THAT IT WAS FIXED WITH AN UPDATE TO THE FIRMWARE. HOWEVER, HE CONTINUED TO HAVE THE SAME IGNITION PROBLEM, BUT ON A MORE FREQUENT BASIS. THE CONSUMER WENT BACK TO THE DEALER, WHERE THEY STATED THE PROBLEM WAS THE BATTERY. DESPITE THE NEW BATTERY REPLACEMENT, HE CONTINUED TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM AT THE SAME FREQUENCY. THE CONSUMER RETURNED TO THE DEALER, WHERE THEY STATED THE PROBLEM WAS WITH THE FUEL PUMP, BUT WERE UNABLE TO CONFIRM THE DIAGNOSIS 100% UNTIL THEIR FUEL PUMP MECHANIC MADE FURTHER INQUIRES WITH THE SUBARU FACTORY. THE CONSUMER MADE ANOTHER APPOINTMENT, AS IT WAS FINALLY CONFIRMED THE FUEL PUMP NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE CONSUMER WAS THEN INFORMED, THE PART WAS NOT AVAILABLE. *JB

THIS PROBLEM HAS BEEN GETTING PROGRESSIVELY WORST. THE CAR HAS BEEN HAVING TROUBLES TURNING OVER ON COLD STARTS, AND HAS EXPERIENCED A LOSS OF PROPULSION AND STALL GOING UP HILL INCLUDING A LOSS OF BRAKES SINCE I BOUGHT IT A YEAR AGO. ON 9/6/2014 THE CAR WAS STARTED AND WAS IDLING HIGH (APPROXIMATELY 4000RPM), CHECK ENGINE LIGHT WAS ON, SPEED CONTROL LIGHT WAS ON, INCLINE ALERT LIGHT ON, SPORT MODE LIGHT WAS ON AND CHECK EMISSIONS SYSTEM LIGHT WAS ON. HAD TO MOVE THE CAR OUT OF THE GARAGE AND IT BARELY MADE IT UP THE INCLINE IN THE UNDERGROUND GARAGE AS IT WAS NOT RESPONDING TO THE ACCELERATOR, CALLED FOR A TOW WHICH NEVER ARRIVED AND TRIED TO RESTART OUT OF FRUSTRATION ALL LIGHTS WERE OFF AND CAR I MADE IT TO THE DEALER WHICH WAS NOT FAR AWAY. HAVE ALREADY HAD THE DEALER INSPECT THE CAR ONCE TO GET TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PROBLEM AND THEY REPORTED THEIR DIAGNOSTICS SHOWED NOTHING WAS WRONG AND THAT CAR ELECTRICAL\COMPUTER PROBLEMS CANNOT BE FIXED UNTIL THEY BREAK COMPLETELY (OR SOMEONE IS HURT OR INJURED PERHAPS). THERE WAS ONE MORE REPORT SIMILAR TO THIS ON CARCOMPLAINTS.COM THAT OCCURRED AT HIGH SPEED. SEEMS TO ME THAT CAR IS NOT SAFE AT THIS POINT. *TR

I WAS DRIVING DOWN TO QUEENS TO SEE MY WIFE'S FAMILY AND AS SOON AS I PASSED A TRUCK I HEARD SOMETHING HIT MY CAR. AS SOON AS I GOT INTO LONG ISLAND, I HEARD THE ENGINE REVVING AS IF IT WERE A DIESEL ENGINE. I STOPPED AT A SHOP AND THEY LISTENED TO IT AND SAID THAT IT IS AN INTERNAL ISSUE IN THE ENGINE AND NOT TO DRIVE IT. THEY HELPED ME OUT BY FINDING THE CLOSEST DEALERSHIP AND THEY CALLED. THE GUY FROM THE SHOP CALLED SUBARU AND THEY TOLD HIM TO CALL THE TOW TRUCK TO GET THE VEHICLE TOWED TO THEIR SHOP. THAT WAS MESSED UP, HAVE A NON PARTY CALL FOR A TOW?? THEN THE GUY TAKING MY ORDER, DIDN'T GIVE ME A RECEIPT NOR MY COPIES OF THE SERVICES FROM THE PAST. I HAVE EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH I AM ENTITLED TO A RENTAL CAR BUT WAS STUCK WITHOUT A VEHICLE AND NEEDED A VEHICLE TO GET BACK TO WORK WHICH I LIVE 3-1/2 HOURS AWAY FROM THE SHOP AND NOW I AM STUCK PAYING FOR TOLLS AND HAVE A HOLD ON MY CREDIT CARD BECAUSE OF SUBARU. ON FRIDAY I WAS TOLD THAT THEY WOULD CALL, I HAD TO CALL BECAUSE THEY NEVER CALLED ME BACK. THEN THEY TELL ME THAT IT IS THE ENGINE AND THEY HAVE TO DROP THE OIL PAN ON MONDAY. THE WORST THING IS THAT I HAD REPORTED ENGINE PROBLEMS AT 47,000 MILES WHICH I HAVE IT DOCUMENTED FROM THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY SAID THAT IT WAS NOTHING.... JUST LIKE ALL OF THE ELECTRICAL PROBLEMS I HAD WITH MY WINDOW IN THE PAST... AND CHECK ENGINE LIGHT COMING ON IN THE PAST.... NOW AFTER THIS MAJOR ISSUE THEY WANT MORE PAPERWORK... THIS IS JUST MESSED UP. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2013 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED WHENEVER HE DROVE THE VEHICLE DURING THE DAYTIME THERE WAS NO VISIBILITY OF THE INSTRUMENT DISPLAY PANEL. HOWEVER, AT NIGHT THE ENTIRE INSTRUMENT DISPLAY PANEL WOULD AUTO ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT STATED THE PROBLEM OCCURRED EVERY TIME HE DROVE THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER, WHO TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND ACKNOWLEDGED THAT THERE WAS A PROBLEM WITH THE INSTRUMENT-DISPLAY PANEL BUT DID NOT PROVIDE A REMEDY FOR THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED AND THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 10,000.

WHILE TRAVELING AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS IN RAINY WEATHER, VEHICLE BEGAN TO MISFIRE AND LOST POWER, FORCING DRIVER INTO AN UNSAFE SITUATION OF COAXING CAR TO SHOULDER. CHECK ENGINE, STABILITY CONTROL LIGHTS CAME ON, AND CRUISE LIGHT FLASHED. AFTER SHUTTING ENGINE OFF AND RESTARTING, SAME LIGHTS REMAINED ON BUT ENGINE RAN NORMALLY. WE HAVE ALSO ANOTHER 2009 FORESTER WHICH EXPERIENCES MISFIRES, SAME LIGHTS, AFTER STARTING COLD ON A RAINY DAY. ALTHOUGH WE HAVE RECEIVED RECALL NOTICES FROM SUBARU ON OTHER LESS CRITICAL TOPICS, THERE DOES NOT SEEM TO BE AN INCLINATION ON THEIR PART TO ADDRESS THIS ENGINE ELECTRICAL MALFUNCTION WHICH COULD HAVE RESULTED IN DISASTER. OUR ONLINE RESEARCHES SUGGEST THAT MANY OTHER SUBARU OWNERS ARE EXPERIENCING SIMILAR MALFUNCTIONS, AND WE DON'T DETECT ANY SERIOUS EFFORT BY THE MANUFACTURER TO FIX THIS. *TR

WHILE RUNNING THE BLOWER MOTOR ON HIGH, THE CABIN BEGAN TO FILL WITH TOXIC SMOKE. THE BLOWER'S HOT WIRE CONNECTION HAD OVERHEATED, CHARRED/MELTED THE PLASTIC HOUSING AROUND THE TERMINAL, CHARRED/MELTED THE WIRES INSULATION AT THIS CONNECTION, AND MELTED THE COPPER UNTIL IT FELL LOOSE. THE BLOWER RESIDES EXPOSED UNDER THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT. NO EASILY COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS WERE LOCATED UNDERNEATH THE BLOWER AT THAT TIME. *TR

AT COLD STARTING, APPROXIMATELY ONE TIME OUT OF 20, THE CAR IS VERY DIFFICULT TO START. IT CRANKS FOR UP TO 10 SECONDS BEFORE STARTING. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S A FUEL DELIVERY OR AN IGNITION PROBLEM. IT HAS HAPPENED AT AMBIENT TEMPERATURES FROM 35 TO 65 DEGREES. IF I DIDN'T CONTINUE CRANKING THE ENGINE TO AN EXTENT THAT I THINK IS HARMFUL TO IT, IT WOULDN'T START. I CONSIDER THAT A SAFETY ISSUE, IF I NEEDED TO GET THE CAR GOING QUICKLY. *TR

I JUST PURCHASED THIS CAR AND CANNOT BELIEVE THE DASH BOARD LIGHTS. THEY PRAISE THIS CAR FOR RELIABILITY, SO THAT IS WHY I PURCHASED THIS CAR. HOWEVER THE SPEEDOMETER AND ALL THE OTHER LIGHTS ARE SO SMALL YOU CAN'T READ THEM. ALSO, WITH THE RUNNING LIGHTS ON THE LIGHTS ON DASHBOARD TURN PINK ON BLACK. WITHOUT THE RUNNING LIGHTS THE NUMBERS ARE A PALE GRAY ON BLACK. WITH THE DIAL TO BRIGHTEN...THAT IS A JOKE. I AM WORRIED ABOUT THE SAFETY OF THIS OVERSIGHT. I WISH I HAD REALIZED THIS BEFORE I PURCHASED THIS CAR. I AM A SENIOR CITIZEN, BUT I HAVE PRETTY GOOD EYESIGHT. *TR