2015 Subaru Forester

OWN A 2015 SUBARU FORESTER 2.0 XT TOURING. HAVE DRIVEN 48,200 MILES. HAVE DRIVEN ON REGULAR HIGHWAYS/ROADS WITH ZERO OFF-ROADING. BEGAN HEARING A CREAKING NOISE WHEN I USED TO BRAKE AND COME TO A STOP. TOOK THE CAR TO THE DEALER AND FOUND THE BUSHING ON THE FRONT WERE CRACKED. WAS TOLD IT WILL TAKE $800 TO FIX THIS AT THE DEALERSHIP. CHECKED WITH A GOOGLE SEARCH ON THE ISSUE - FOUND PLENTY OF OTHER POSTING ON THIS ISSUE. THIS SEEMS A VERY COMMON ISSUE WITH THE SUBARU FORESTER 2.0 XT MODELS ON A POORLY DESIGNED SUSPENSION AND THE CRASH RISK INCREASES ESPECIALLY WHILE DRIIVNG AT HIGH SPEEDS. WE USE THIS CAR NOW FOR MAINLY OUR OUTDOOR TRIPS AND NOW IAM SCARED TO DRIVE THIS CAR WITH OUR DAUGHTER IN IT AT HIGH SPEEDS ON THE FREEWAY. REQUEST TO OPEN AN INVESTIGATION INTO THIS SINCE THERE ARE MULTIPLE REPORTS ON THE BUSHINGS GOING BAD ON THE 2015 SUBARU FORESTER.

CAR HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. LASTS 2-3 SECONDS, THEN SLOWLY RESUMES SPEED. VERY DANGEROUS WHEN MERGING, TURNING IN FRONT OF TRAFFIC. INTERMITTENT. HAVE TAKEN IT TO SUBARU DEALER AND TWO OTHER MECHANICS AND THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. ONE MECHANIC SAID OXYGEN WAS LOW AND TO TRY PREMIUM GAS. DIDN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE.

ON MONDAY, 11/18/19, I FOUND MY WINDSHIELD HAD A FAIRLY LONG CRACK (ABOUT 9 INCHES) WHICH APPEARED TO BE INTERNAL AT THE TOP OF MY DRIVER SIDE WINDSHIELD. THIS APPARENTLY OCCURRED SOMETIME BETWEEN 11/16 AND 11/18 WHILE MY VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY NEAR MY HOME. OTHER THAN RAIN, WE HAD NOT HAD ANY SIGNIFICANT WEATHER EVENT THAT MIGHT BE AN EXPLANATION. STRANGELY, THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY VISIBLE OR TACTILE CHIP. EVEN WHEN I SCRAPE MY FINGERNAIL ACROSS THE CRACK, I CAN NOT DETECT ANY DIFFERENCE FROM A SMOOTH WINDSHIELD. THIS MAKES ME BELIEVE IT IS WITHIN THE GLASS ITSELF. I HAD READ ABOUT SUBARO FORESTER RECALLS FOR CRACKING WINDSHIELD AND HAD BEEN RELIEVED TO SEE THAT MY YEAR WAS NOT INCLUDED. THEN A FEW DAYS LATER I FOUND THIS PROBLEM. THIS MAKES ME BELIEVE THE PROBLEM MAY HAVE BEEN LESS FREQUENT WITH MY YEAR, BUT THAT IT SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE RECALL SINCE IT SEEMS TO BE A SYSTEMIC PROBLEM. I DO NOT HAVE THE EXPERTISE OR ABILITY TO UPLOAD A PHOTO.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT DISCOVERED NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V701000 (AIR BAGS), WHICH INDICATED THAT THE PARTS WERE UNAVAILABLE. THE CONTACT SPOKE WITH GREGORIS SUBARU (575 W MERRICK RD, VALLEY STREAM, NY 11580, (516) 825-8700) AND WAS INFORMED THAT A REPRESENTATIVE WOULD CALL BACK. THE CONTACT HAD NOT HEARD BACK FROM ANYONE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE RECALL. THE CONTACT HAD NOT EXPERIENCED A FAILURE. VIN TOOL CONFIRMS PARTS NOT AVAILABLE.

CAR STALLED WHILE DRIVING, WITH NO LIGHTS LIT UP ON THE DASHBOARD. HAPPENED TWICE, ONCE AT 5 MPH AND AGAIN AT 25 MPH. THE TWO TIMES IT HAPPENED WERE ABOUT THREE MINUTES APART THIS MORNING. THEN I DROVE THREE HOURS ON THE HIGHWAY WITHOUT A REPEAT OF THE ISSUE. WHEN IT STALLED, IT FELT LIKE THE WHEELS AND ENGINE BECAME DISCONNECTED FROM THE GAS PEDAL. NO ENGINE REVVING WAS AUDIBLE. IT DID NOT COMPLETELY STOP, BUT SLOWED TO A CRAWL COASTING TOTALLY ON MOMENTUM, THEN STARTED MOVING AGAIN ON ITS OWN. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED BOTH TIMES.

WE NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT REAR OF THE FORESTER WAS 4-5 INCHES LOWER THAN THE LEFT. ON INSPECTION OF THE SUSPENSION, I NOTICED THAT THE RIGHT REAR COIL SPRING WAS BROKEN. THIS WAS CONFIRMED BY THE SUBARU DEALER. THE BREAK LOOKED RUSTY (IT IS COATED WITH BLACK PLASTIC MATERIAL) BUT NOT COMPLETELY DEGRADED. THIS VEHICLE HAS 43,838 MILES ON IT, IS IN PERFECT SHAPE, AND HAS NEVER BEEN OFF ROAD OR IN AN ACCIDENT. NOTHING THAT WE DID JUSTIFIES A BROKEN COIL SPRING, ESPECIALLY ON AN SUV LIKE A SUBARU. THE BEST I CAN THINK OF IS THAT THE SPRING MIGHT HAVE BROKEN A WEEK EARLIER WHEN WE WERE RIDING THOUGH A NEIGHBORHOOD WITH SPEED BUMPS, BUT WE WERE GOING LESS THAN 25 MPH. CERTAINLY NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU WOULD EXPECT TO BREAK A COIL SPRING. WHEN I SEARCHED ON-LINE, I FOUND HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FOR 2014 AND 2015 FORESTERS. THERE IS CLEARLY A FAULT IN THE SPRING MATERIAL OR DESIGN PARAMETERS. I BELIEVE THIS IS A POTENTIAL SAFETY HAZARD SINCE WITH A BROKEN SPRING THE VEHICLE FELT UNSTABLE WHEN TURNING AND THE REAR SWAYED SOMEWHAT AT 50 MPH AND ABOVE. I BELIEVE IT REQUIRES A RECALL. THE SUBARU DEALER REPLACED THE BROKEN SPRING AND THE REAR STRUT FOR $500.

LIKE MANY OTHERS - REAR COIL SPRING HAS BROKEN AT 60,000 MILES. THIS IS A HUGE SAFETY ISSUE AS IT MAY CAUSE SEVERED BRAKE LIKE WITH IMMEDIATE LOSS OF BRAKING OR TIRE BLOWOUT. SUBARU HAS AN UPDATED SPRING AND OF COURSE, WILL RECOMMEND REPLACING BOTH SPRINGS AND ALIGNMENT AT OUR EXPENSE. DEALER IS TAKING PICTURES AND WILL ADVOCATE FOR US BUT

SHORTLY AFTER 8 AM ON FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 2019, THE REAR WINDOW OF MY 2015 FORESTER SPONTANEOUSLY EXPLODED. IT BLEW OUTWARD, WITH SOME GLASS PIECES FLYING NEARLY 20 FEET. AT THE TIME OF THE EXPLOSION, THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY AND THE OUTSIDE TEMPERATURE WAS 34 DEGREES. UPON CLOSE INSPECTION OF THE REMAINING GLASS PIECES, I COULD SEE THE REAR WINDOW HAD BOWED OUT BEFORE EXPLODING OUTWARD. THE ENTIRE WINDOW WAS SHATTERED. IN ADDITION TO THE GLASS, THE EXPLOSION BROKE THE PLASTIC PANELING INSIDE THE HATCH THAT WAS NEXT TO THE GLASS. THE GLASS HAD NO SCRATCHES, CHIPS, OR DAMAGE TO IT PRIOR TO THE EXPLOSION.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING 60 MPH, THE HILL ASSIST EMERGENCY BRAKE INDICATOR ILLUMINATED AND THE VEHICLE DECELERATED TO 40 MPH. THE VEHICLE WAS RESTARTED AND RESUMED NORMAL OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO STEVENS CREEK SUBARU (3155 STEVENS CREEK BLVD, SAN JOSE, CA 95117, (877) 869-0971) WHERE IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE MOTOR WAS TILTED AND CAUSED THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 144,000.