2014 Subaru Forester

WHILE DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY UNDER EXCELLENT CONDITIONS, THE ENGINE 'REVVED' AND THEN STALLED. I WAS ABLE TO PULL OFF ONTO THE SHOULDER AND PUT THE CAR IN "PARK" AND TURN OFF THE ENGINE. BEFORE I DID SO, THE INSRUMENT PANEL INDICATORS WERE (ALMOST?) ALL LIT. I TRIED TO RESTART = UNSUCCESSFUL. AFTER WAITING ABOUT 5 MINUTES, I TRIED AGAIN AND WAS ABLE TO PROCEED NORMALLY. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THIS HAS OCCURED; PREVIOUS EPISODE ABOUT THREE MONTHS AGO (UNREPORTED) UNDER SIMILAR CONDITIONS. THE ONLY "COMMON" ELEMENT I CAN SURMISE IS THAT THE GAS LEVEL WAS < 1/4 TANK IN BOTH INSTANCES. I WAS NOT CONCERNED ABOUT THE GAS AS THE GAUGE AND "MILES TO EMPTY" WERE MORE THAN SUFFICIENT TO GET ME HOME. I DID REFUEL WITHIN TEN MILES OF THE TEMPORARY BREAKDOWN AND WAS ABLE TO DRIVE WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.

WHILE MY SON WAS DRIVING NORMALLY WITH A PASSENGER IN THE RIGHT FRONT PASSENGER SEAT 2 DAYS AGO, THE RED AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT CAME ON AND PASSENGER AIRBAG SIGN WENT TO "OFF". I TOOK IT TO THE SUBARU DEALER IN OLYMPIA, WA AND THEY CLAIMED THIS WAS CAUSED BY WATER DAMAGE (WE HAD NEVER SPILLED WATER IN THAT SEAT) AND THEY WANTED $2100 TO FIX THE PROBLEM BY REPLACING THE ENTIRE RIGHT PASSENGER SEAT ASSEMBLY. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE IT FIXED ELSEWHERE, BUT THEN WHILE DRIVING ON THE WAY HOME FROM THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP YESTERDAY, THE AIRBAG SENSOR LIGHT WENT OFF AND THE RIGHT PASSENGER AIRBAG STARTED WORKING AGAIN. RIGHT NOW IT IS WORKING AGAIN. WHILE IT WAS NOT WORKING, IT DIDN'T MATTER WHETHER THE CAR WAS IN MOTION OR STOPPED. THIS IS A VERY UNSAFE CONDITION IF A PASSENGER IS RIDING IN THE FRONT SEAT. WE CAN'T DEPEND ON THE AIRBAG BEING THERE IF NEEDED IN AN ACCIDENT.

BOTH COIL SPRINGS ON MY 2014 FORESTER FAILED LOCAL SUBARU DEALER REPLACED BOTH SPRINGS AT A COST TOME OF $561.00 FOR PARTS AND LABOR. IN ADDITION, I WAS CHARGED 99.95 FOR A FOUR WHEEL ALIGNMENT MANDATED BY THE REPLACEMENT OF THE SPRINGS. VEHICLE HAD ONLY 51,972 ON THE ODOMETER. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A SMOOTH STREET WHEN THE SPRINGS SNAPPED. THE RESULT OF THE BROKEN SPRINGS WAS A SAGGING REAR END OF THE VEHICLE MAKING IT UNSAFE TO DRIVE. THIS IS A SAFETY FAILURE AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN REPAIRED WITHOUT CHARGE TO ME. I CONTACTED SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE AND WAS TOLD THAT THERE WAS NO KNOWN PROBLEM WITH THE SUSPENSION...HOWEVER, THERE SEEM TO BE VERY MANY SIMILAR INCIDENTS REPORTED ON SUBARU OWNER WEBSITES.

I HAVE HAD ONGOING ISSUES WITH THE OIL CONSUMPTION ON THIS VEHICLE. I HAVE HAD A COUPLE OF OIL CONSUMPTION TESTS RUN ON THIS CAR AND THEY CLAIM THAT IT PASSES, (EVEN THOUGH I CAN BARELY MAKE IT 4K WITHOUT HAVING TO ADD MORE OIL TO THE CAR) TODAY THE CAR IS BACK AT SERVICE TO FIX THE FRONT ENGINE COVER SEAL. ONE HAS TO WONDER IF THIS WAS THE OIL ISSUE ALL ALONG, HOWEVER IT WILL COST ME ALMOST A GRAND JUST TO GET THIS REPAIR DONE.

THE DRIVER'S SIDE REAR SPRING BROKE CAUSING THE CAR TO SAG. I NOTICED THE SAGGING WHILE THE CAR WAS PARKED, I AM NOT SURE WHEN THE SPRING ACTUALLY BROKE. THE SPRING WAS REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP. APPROXIMATELY SEVEN MONTHS LATER, THE PASSENGER SIDE SPRING BROKE WHILE MAKING A LEFT HAND TURN IN TRAFFIC. THIS SPRING WAS ALSO REPLACED BY THE DEALERSHIP. IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE REPLACEMENT OF THE PASSENGER SIDE SPRING, THE PASSENGER SIDE REAR WAS MAKING A RATTLING AND BANGING NOISE. I BROUGHT THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD IT WAS JUST A HEAT SHIELD. THE NOISE GOT INCREASINGLY LOUDER AND THE RIDE DEGRADED AND BECAME VERY BOUNCY. I LOOKED UNDER THE CAR AND DISCOVERED THE STRUT WAS LEAKING FLUID. THE DEALERSHIP CLAIMED THAT WAS UNRELATED TO THE BROKE SPRING. I ALSO HAD THE REAR STRUT REPLACED AT A THIRD VISIT.