2003 Subaru Forester

I PURCHASED AND HAD INSTALLED 8 NEW HANKOOK TIRES FOR TWO VEHICLES AT L&M TIRE & WHEEL 185 W. KING ST. ABBOTTSTOWN, PA. 17301, 7172590567. THEY DID NOT RECORD THE TYPE OF VEHICLES, MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLES OR MY ADDRESS. ALL THAT WAS WRITTEN ON THE RECEIPT WAS MY NAME AND PHONE NUMBER. THIS INFORMATION WOULD NOT BE SUFFICIENT FOR ME TO BE NOTIFIED IF THERE WERE A RECALL OF THESE TIRES. THIS SHOULD BE A REQUIREMENT TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC. IF IT IS A REQUIREMENT WHAT AGENCY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCING THE RETENTION OF THIS INFORMATION? *TR

FRONTAL IMPACT WHILE STRIKING A DEER AT THIS SPEED SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED BOTH AIR BAGS. THE AIR BAG LIGHT SOMETIMES WOULD REMAIN ON, BUT MOSTLY IT WAS OFF. FROM WHAT I HAVE FOUND THROUGH OTHER COMPLAINTS IS THAT THIS YEAR VEHICLE IS KNOWN FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED. IS IT GOING TO TAKE A DEATH TO FORCE SUBARU TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE? THE OTHER ISSUE FOUND WHILE REPAIRING THE VEHICLE IS THAT BOTH HEAD GASKETS ARE SEEPING COOLANT, THE DRIVERS SIDE IS SEEPING MORE JUST LIKE THE RECALL DESCRIBES ON 1999-2002 MODELS. EVEN THOUGH THIS A 2003 IT WAS PURCHASED IN THE FALL OF 2002, SUBARU FAILED TO CONTACT ME AND ADVISE ME TO ADD THE $1.44 COOLANT ADDITIVE TO SAVE THE HEAD GASKETS. HOW IS A CONSUMER SUPPOSED TO KNOW THESE LITTLE DETAILS? NOW THE VEHICLE HAS TOO MANY MILES FOR THEM TO CARE, STICKING ME WITH THE ESTIMATED $2000 REPAIR.

2003 SUBARU FORESTER XS - FUEL SMELL IN CABIN DURING COLD WEATHER. SIMILAR TO THE MANY POSTS OUT THERE, THERE IS AN UNBEARABLE SMELL OF GAS IN THE CABIN OF MY CAR. I HAVE TO ROLL WINDOWS DOWN IN THE FREEZING WEATHER TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE. I'VE READ IT IS DUE TO CONTRACTING FUEL LINES THAT THEN LEAK. FIRE HAZARDS ARE OBVIOUS, BUT THE NOXIOUS GAS IS ENOUGH TO AT LEAST DISTRACT YOUR DRIVING IF NOT KNOCK YOU UNCONSCIOUS. I WILL VISIT MY DEALER THIS WEEK TO COMPLAIN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO ACCELERATE UP TO 35 MPH AFTER THE CONTACT RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A TREE AND WAS TOTALED. THE CONTACT WAS INJURED AS A RESULT OF THE CRASH. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 71,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2003 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF LESS THAN 20 MPH AND ENTERING HER DRIVEWAY, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AT A RAPID SPEED. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO HER HOME CAUSING CONSIDERABLE DAMAGES TO THE VEHICLE AND HER HOME. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT THE TIME OF IMPACT, HOWEVER SHE DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AND REPAIRS WERE PAID BY HER INSURANCE COMPANY. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF LESS THAN 15 MPH AND ENTERING HER DRIVEWAY FROM THE MAIN STREET, THE VEHICLE AGAIN ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AT A RAPID RATE OF SPEED, CRASHING INTO THE REAR WALL OF HER HOME. THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP AND PROCEEDED TO CRASH INTO HER GARAGE AND INTO THE REAR WALL OF A NEIGHBORING HOME. SHE DID NOT RECALL IF SHE ATTEMPTED TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AT THE TIME BECAUSE THE INCIDENT HAPPENED WITHIN A MATTER OF SECONDS. THE POLICE WERE CALLED TO THE SCENE AND A REPORT WAS FILED ACCORDINGLY. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE NIGHT BEFORE THE INCIDENT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR REGULAR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. SHE WAS NOT ADVISED THAT THERE WERE ANY ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE. THE INITIAL FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN, HOWEVER THE MILEAGE WAS 49,000 WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2010, I HAD AN INCIDENT OF "UNINTENDED ACCELERATION" ON POOKS HILL ROAD AND WISCONSIN AVENUE. I WAS STOPPING FOR A RED LIGHT WHEN I PUT ON THE BRAKES AND THE CAR ACCELERATED INSTEAD OF SLOWING AND STOPPING. TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, I SWERVED INSTEAD TO MY RIGHT INTO A SNOW BANK. IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 2:45 P.M. I WAS DRIVING A SUBARU FORESTER "ALL WHEEL DRIVE" 2003 VEHICLE. DESPITE THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE, I COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE ICY SNOW BANK AND HAD TO BE TOWED OUT BY AAA. IT WAS A FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE. *TR

MY 2003 SUBARU FORESTER HAS A FUEL LEAK SMELL THAT ENTERS THE CAR INTERIOR.. IT'S NOT A RICH FUEL MIXTURE EXHAUST SMELL, IT'S THE SMELL OF RAW FUEL INSIDE THE CABIN. IT COMES AND GOES. I SEE ONLINE OTHERS ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. SUBARU SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND FORCED TO HAVE A RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM ONCE AND FOR ALL. *TR

I PURCHASED A SUBARU FORRESTER WITH 38 K MILES IN AUGUST. DURING THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY, I NOTICED A RUBBING NOISE, CONSISTENT AND LOUDER WHILE TURNING IN THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. WARRANTY FROM THE DEALERSHIP ONLY LASTED ONE THOUSAND MILES AND THEY TOLD ME TOUGH LUCK. A FRIEND WHO IS A "SUBARU GUY" TOLD ME I HAD A BAD BEARING, AND TO BE CAREFUL, IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT COULD GET WORSE QUICK. IT DID, AND I HAVE HAD MY VEHICLE PARKED FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS AS THE NOISE LOUD ONE DAY AND THE WHEEL WAS ACTUALLY LOOSE. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP, HAVING THE REAR WHEEL BEARING REPLACED. THE COST OF THE REPAIR IS 390 DOLLARS, POSSIBLY 150 MORE IF THE MECHANIC FINDS OUT THAT A CAP OR SEAL FOR THE AXLE IS PITTED AND NEEDS REPLACEMENT. I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN THE CAR IN ANY EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES, MOSTLY FOR A THIRTY MILE HIGHWAY COMMUTE TO WORK, NO STOP AND GO OR ANY SORT OF EXTRAORDINARY DRIVING. I HAD HEARD NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS ABOUT SUBARU, BUT THIS IS NO GOOD AS THE WHEEL SEEMED TO HAVE LOOSENED TO A POINT OF DANGER AND I HAD IT TOWED IN TO THE SHOP. *TR

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I BROUGHT MY CAR TO MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALER. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN EXAMINED THE CAR AND DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON BECAUSE OF A PROBLEM WITH MY AIRBAG. HOWEVER, UPON EXAMINATION, HE WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE AIRBAG AND THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. I WAS THEN TOLD NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT SINCE IT WAS PROBABLY NOTHING. LUCKILY, THE MANAGER OVERHEARD THE CONVERSATION AND REMEMBERED A SERVICE BULLETIN (#17-07-04) THAT HAD BEEN ISSUED BY SUBARU REGARDING THIS VERY PROBLEM FOR 2003 SUBARU FORESTERS. HE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT OXIDATION ON THE CONTACTS IN THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE AIRBAG SENSOR WAS CAUSING THE AIRBAG LIGHT TO COME ON AND THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE THE NECESSARY WORK COMPLETED (PER THE SERVICE BULLETIN) OR ELSE THE AIRBAGS MIGHT NOT ACTIVATE IN AN EMERGENCY. SINCE THIS IS A PROTECTED PART LOCATED INSIDE THE VEHICLE I FEEL THAT IT WAS NOT DESIGNED APPROPRIATELY TO RESIST OXIDATION AND THAT SUCH A FACTORY DEFECT COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT IN A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE TO OWNERS OF THIS MODEL SUBARU CAR. (WE HAVE A 2001 FORESTER WITH 112,000 MILES AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY PROBLEM OF THIS NATURE.) I LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ' ALL RELATED TO THE 2003 FORESTER AND ONLY TO THE 2003 FORESTER. IN FACT, THERE IS A COMPLAINT ON THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION SAFETY ASSOCIATION WEBSITE HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/CARS/PROBLEMS/COMPLAIN/COMPLAINTSUMMARY.CFM?ODI_ID=10' DATING BACK TO 2005, INVOLVING A DEATH WHEN THE AIR BAGS IN A 2003 FORESTER FAILED TO ACTIVATE. BASED UPON ALL THE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FOR THIS VERY MODEL CAR THAT I SEE ONLINE, I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. WHEN I CALLED SUBARU TO EXPLAIN MY CONCERN, THEY REIMBURSED ME FOR THE COST OF THE REPAIR, WHICH WAS $186.47. HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT I NEED TO ADVISE THIS ASSOCIATION OF THE MATTER AS WELL SINCE I FEAR THIS COULD BE MORE WIDESPREAD THAN IS NOW KNOWN. *TR

MY 2003 SUBARU FORESTER - PURCHASED NEW - CURRENTLY HAS 55,000 MILES ON IT. IT WAS LAST SERVICED 3 MONTHS AGO. AT THAT TIME, NOTHING WAS MENTIONED ABOUT COOLANT PROBLEMS OR LEAKS. LAST WEEK, ON THE TURNPIKE, THE RPM NEEDLE STARTED SWINGING WILDLY AND I LOST POWER. I MANAGED TO GET TO THE SHOULDER OF THE TURNPIKE AND SHUT DOWN AND BY THAT TIME SMOKE WAS POURING OUT FROM THE ENGINE. THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED IS THAT THE COOLANT HAD LEAKED AT THE HEAD GASKETS - A PROBLEM THAT I AM NOW LEARNING SUBARU HAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR SOME TIME. I HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AT A COST OF AT LEAST $2600. I WAS NEVER CONTACTED BY SUBARU OR THE DEALERSHIP TO INFORM ME THAT THIS MAY BE A PROBLEM ALTHOUGH I CONSISTENTLY HAVE RECEIVED NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT REPURCHASING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. OBVIOUSLY, A 2003 VEHICLE WITH 55,000 MILES ON IT HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN EXCESSIVELY. COMMENTS I HAVE HEARD ARE THAT "YOU'RE STILL BREAKING IN THE ENGINE". *TR