2015 Subaru Forester

MY WIFE WAS DRIVING TO WORK, ABOUT 35MPH ON A PAVED ROAD. SEVERAL ELECTRICAL ITEMS SUDDENLY FAILED, ALL AT THE SAME TIME - WIPERS, WINDSHIELD WASHER, HEATER FAN, TURN SIGNALS ALL WOULD NOT WORK. WHEN SHE STOPPED THE CAR, TURNED OFF THE IGNITION, AND TURNED IT BACK ON, THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM WORKED AGAIN. I AM TAKING IT IN FOR WARRANTY SERVICE AT GANLEY SUBARU, WICKLIFFE, OHIO.

I HAD A REMOTE STARTER INSTALLED BY SOME ONE OTHER THAN SUBARU. THE STARTER FAILED REPEATEDLY SO I TOOK IT IN. WAS TOLD AND GIVEN A PRINT OUT REFLECTING A LOW BATTERY. I TOOK IT TO NORTH TOWNE SUBARU ON SHERIDAN DR. IT IS A 20 MILE TRIP ONE WAY, THEY SAID "NO PROBLEM, CHARGED THE BATTERY ANY WAY AND SENT ME HOME. I PURCHASED THE FORESTER IN SEPT.2014, GOT THE STARTER FOR CHRISTMAS,AND AFTER THE VISIT TO SUBARU IT WORKED SOMETIMES. THIS WINTER AGAIN IT FAILED TO START. NOW THAT THE WINTER HAS BECOME EXTREMELY COLD I RETURNED TO THE INSTALLER WHO REPLACED IT AND IT STILL FAILED DUE TO A LOW BATTERY. THIS, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, IS A CONTINUING PROBLEM WITH THIS MODEL, AND THE FIX IS A STRONGER BATTERY. I AM NOT ABOUT TO TAKE ANOTHER TRIP TO SUBARU IN ERIE CO. AS I AM IN PAIN MOST OF THE TIME AND DRIVING LONG DISTANCES INCREASES THE PROBLEM. I TOLD THE STARTER STORE TO ORDER ME A BATTERY TO FIX THE PROBLEM AS I CAN'T SEE SUBARU IN AMHERST DOING ANYTHING FOR ME. BUT I DO THINK SUBARU SHOULD REIMBURSE ME. OF COURSE I WILL NOT HOLD MY BREATH. ALSO I WILL NEVER GO TO THAT DEALERSHIP AGAIN.!!!!!!

THIS IS NOT EXACTLY A SAFETY PROBLEM, BUT COULD BE A CRITICAL ISSUE. WE LEFT THE BRAND NEW SUBARU 1015 FORESTER FOR TWO WEEKS WHILE WE WERE ON VACATION. WHEN WE CAME BACK THE BATTERY WAS DEAD. AAA TECH TOLD US THIS IS NOT AN UNCOMMON PROBLEM IN 2015 CARS WITH FULL COMPLEMENT OF FEATURES, AND TYPING "SUBARU BATTERY DRAINAGE PROBLEM" INTO GOOGLE BRINGS UP A LITANY OF COMPLAINTS. APPARENTLY ALL THE ELECTRONICS IN THE CAR DRAIN THE BATTERY EVEN WHEN THE CAR ISN'T RUNNING. SUBARU IMPLIED IT WAS OUR FAULT FOR NOT STARTING THE CAR. THAT'S ABSURD. WE HAVE A 2010 HONDA CIVIC THAT WAS UNDER THE SNOW FOR 6 WKS. AND IT STARTED RIGHT UP. SUBARU CHECKED OUR BATTERY, PRONOUNCED IT HEALTHY, SUGGESTED WE BUY A TRICKLE CHARGER (WHICH WE HAVE DONE), AND SENT US $100 FOR OUR LOYALTY. NOWHERE IN THE SUBARU LITERATURE DOES IT SAY THAT THE CAR MUST BE STARTED EVERY FEW DAYS OR WARN ABOUT BATTERY DRAINAGE. IF WE'D HAD AN EMERGENCY THAT REQUIRED US TO USE THE CAR WHEN WE FIRST GOT HOME, WE'D HAVE BEEN POUT OF LUCK. THIS TECHNOLOGY IS NOT READY FOR PRIME TIME, AND AT THE VERY LEAST CONSUMERS SHOULD BE WARNED.

THIS MODEL VEHICLE HAS A SAFETY DEFECT. THE SPEEDOMETER IS LOCATED UNDER A VISOR WHICH LIMITS THE AMOUNT OF LIGHT FALLING ON THE INSTRUMENT, AND THE INSTRUMENT PANEL DOES NOT HAVE ANY BACK LIGHTING UNDER DAYLIGHT DRIVING CONDITIONS. THE RESULT IS THAT UNDER MOST DAYTIME DRIVING CONDITIONS IS IMPOSSIBLE TO READ THE SPEEDOMETER AND DETERMINE THE SPEED THAT THE VEHICLE IS TRAVELING AT. THIS IS A UNIVERSAL PROBLEM AS DEALER STAFF HAS TOLD ME THAT THEY HAVE HAS NUMEROUS CUSTOMERS COMPLAIN ABOUT THIS SAFETY DEFECT. I HAVE CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA TO DISCUSS THIS DEFECT, AND WAS TOLD THEY DO NOT HAVE ANY SOLUTION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING THE VEHICLE DURING THE DAYTIME AT 25 MPH, THE SPEEDOMETER WAS NOT AS VISIBLE AND FAILED TO ILLUMINATE PROPERLY. THE VEHICLE WAS TO TAKEN THE DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT IT WAS STANDARD FOR THOSE MODELS OF VEHICLES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,200.

WHILE DRIVING EASTBOUND ON I-80 IN IOWA JUST EAST OF EXIT 220 (WILLIAMSBURG) OUR CAR LOST POWER BUT, BECAUSE IT HAS A MANUAL TRANSMISSION, I WAS ABLE TO DEPRESS THE CLUTCH AND COAST TO THE LEFT ROAD MARGIN. THE LOW FUEL INDICATOR HAD COME ON A FEW MILES BEFORE BUT THE DISPLAY INDICATOR SHOWED THAT WE HAD SUFFICIENT FUEL TO DRIVE 60 MILES AT THE DISPLAYED AVERAGE OF 30.5 MILES PER GALLON. THIS SHOULD HAVE BEEN CORRECT AS THE MANUAL STATES THAT WHEN THE LOW FUEL INDICATOR COMES THERE ARE 2.6 GALLONS REMAINING. I TRIED TO RESTART THE CAR AS THE INDICATOR CONTINUED TO SHOW ONE INCREMENT IN THE GAS GAUGE AND A RANGE OF 60 MILES ON THE DISPLAY. AFTER SEVERAL ATTEMPTS IT WAS APPARENT THAT THE ENGINE WAS NOT GETTING FUEL. WE EVENTUALLY WERE ASSISTED BY AN IOWA STATE PATROL OFFICER WHO TOOK ME BACK TO THE CASEY'S STATION IN WILLIAMSBURG WHERE I BOUGHT A GASOLINE CAN AND ABOUT 3.5 GALLONS OF FUEL. WITH HIS ASSISTANCE I WAS ABLE TO FUEL MY CAR (THE TRAFFIC AT THAT TIME AND PLACE WAS VERY HEAVY AND FAST), AND THE CAR STARTED IMMEDIATELY. IT IS BE IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT THE LOW FUEL INDICATOR DID NOT COME ON AFTER I STARTED THE CAR. I HAD NOT PUT ALL OF THE GAS IN THE CAN INTO MY CAR, AND THE MANUAL STATES THAT THE INDICATOR WILL NOT COME ON WHEN THE TANK IS HOLDING 4.5 GALLONS OF FUEL, SO THERE WAS CLEARLY A GALLON OR MORE OF FUEL IN THE TANK WHEN IT DIED. ALSO, THAT SECTION OF EASTBOUND I-80 IS SLIGHTLY UPHILL. IT SEEMS THEN THAT EITHER THE ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATED WITH THE READING FUEL LEVELS ARE VERY INACCURATE, OR THE GAS TANK IS BUILT IN SUCH A WAY THAT WHEN THE TANK IS LOWER ON FUEL AND GOING UPHILL GAS IS NOT GETTING TO THE ENGINE. HAD I NOT BEEN DRIVING A MANUAL TRANSMISSION AND ABLE TO ROLL ONTO THE MARGIN UPHILL BUT SIMPLY SLOWED TO A SUDDEN STOP IN THAT TRAFFIC WHEN THE ENGINE DIED, I BELIEVE IT WOULD HAVE CAUSED A VERY SERIOUS SERIES IF COLLISIONS.

THE ELECTRONIC SCREEN ON THE 2015 SUBARU FORESTER THAT INCLUDES THE BACK-UP DISPLAY REFLECTS A SOLID BLACK BAR DOWN THE MIDDLE IF YOU ARE WEARING POLARIZED SUNGLASSES. I'VE ALMOST BACKED OVER WALKERS IN PARKING LOTS WHO WERE IN THE OBSCURED AREA OF THE SCREEN BECAUSE OF THIS. I CHECKED AT THE DEALER, AND OTHER 2015 FORESTERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM, BUT THE OUTBACK DOES NOT. SINCE I FIRST NOTICED THE PROBLEM I HAVE DRIVEN A NUMBER OF CARS, INCLUDING TOYOTAS AND BMWS THAT DO NOT HAVE THE PROBLEM. SUBARU'S SUGGESTED SOLUTION IS THAT I DON'T WEAR POLARIZED SUNGLASSES. I WEAR CORRECTIVE LENSES, AND IT IS VIRTUALLY IMPOSSIBLE TO BUY CORRECTIVE SUNGLASSES THAT AREN'T POLARIZED. THE ALTERNATIVE IS TO WEAR NON-CORRECTIVE LENSES THAT ARE NOT PARTICULARLY GOOD FOR MY EYES, AND THROUGH WHICH THE WORLD IS BLURRED. I DON'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO GO SPEND $300+ TO BUY SUNGLASSES TO CORRECT A PROBLEM THAT SUBARU COULD HAVE CORRECTED BY PUTTING A DIFFERENT DISPLAY SCREEN IN THE CAR, SINCE BASED ON OTHER SUBARUS I'VE BEEN IN AND CARS FROM OTHER MANUFACTURERS, THEY HAD THE OPTION TO DO SO. THANK YOU.