Owner-reported complaints naming the engine system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the engine itself — including stalling, misfires, oil consumption, cooling and internal engine components. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2005 Subaru Forester submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 10 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
Shown in the owner’s own words, exactly as filed
I'VE EXPERIENCED THE LEAKING FUEL LINE WHEN TEMPERATURES DROPPED BELOW 20 DEGREES AND GET TERRIBLE GAS FUMES INSIDE THE CABIN ESPECIALLY DURING COLD AND DAMP WEATHER. IT IS MORE PROMINENT WITH THE HEAT ON. THIS SMELL/LEAK CAN BE NOTICED WHILE PARKED, DRIVING, ANYTIME WITH THE ENGINE RUNNING WITH FUEL PRESSURE.
MY CAR IS BURNING UP OIL. I JUST DID AN OIL CHANGE 400MILES AGO, AND MY CAR STARTED MAKING A KNOCKING NOISE AND DRIVING REAL FUNNY YESTERDAY. I TOOK THE OIL WHEN I GOT HOME AND THERE WASN'T ANY THIS IS THE SECOND TIME IT'S HAPPENED. THERE'S NO LEAK THERE'S NO OIL IN THE WATER NO OIL COMING OUT OF THE EXHAUST PERIOD WHAT IS GOING ON
I WAS BACKING UP MY 2005 SUBARU FORESTER IN A DOWNTOWN, STREET-LEVEL CORNER PARKING LOT. WHEN I PUT MY VEHICLE INTO REVERSE, A SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION PROPELLED MY VEHICLE BACKWARDS ACROSS THE PARKING LOT, ACROSS A TWO-LANE DOWNTOWN STREET, UP ONTO THE OPPOSITE SIDEWALK AND CULMINATED IN MY VEHICLE CRASHING INTO A CITY LIGHT POLE, WHICH STOPPED THE VEHICLE. I ESTIMATE I WAS TRAVELING AT 25-30 MPH WHEN I HIT THE LIGHT POLE. I MISSED TWO PEDESTRIANS BY MERE INCHES AND FORTUNATELY MISSED HITTING ANY OTHER CARS. I HAD MY FOOT HARD ON THE BRAKE THE ENTIRE 4-5 SECONDS OF THE INCIDENT, AND ALMOST BROKE THE GEAR SHIFT, MADLY TRYING TO SHIFT INTO PARK. MY VEHICLE IS TOTALED AND I AM TOTALLY FREAKED OUT BY THE ENTIRE NIGHTMARISH EXPERIENCE! THIS WAS A DEADLY SEQUENCE OF EVENTS WHICH EASILY COULD HAVE CHANGED MY LIFE AND OTHERS' LIVES. I WILL NEVER OWN ANOTHER SUBARU. THIS OCCURRED ON THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER WAS REPLACED THREE TIMES. THE WARNING LIGHT FOR THE CHECK ENGINE AND THE VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL INDICATORS WERE CONSTANTLY ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER AT LEAST THREE TIMES FOR THE FAILURE AND EACH TIME, THE DEALER WOULD REPLACE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER BUT THE FAILURE WOULD RECUR SHORTLY THEREAFTER. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE AND ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD RETURN HIS CALL WITHIN 24 HOURS. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 110,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 130,000.
WE PURCHASED A 2005 SUBARU FORESTER FROM A SUBARU DEALER IN AUGUST 2008 AT 60,000 MILES. SINCE AUGUST 2008, WE HAD FOUR EPISODES OF ENGINE STALLING WITH CHECK ENGINE LAMP COMING ON. WE HAD TO HAVE OUR CAR TOWED FOUR TIMES TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP. THE FIRST AND THIRD TOWING RESULTED IN REPLACEMENT OF IGNITION COIL. THE SECOND TOWING RESULTED IN NO REPAIR SINCE THE PROBLEM COULD NOT BE DIAGNOSED. BEFORE THE FOURTH TOWING, WE JUST GOT ON A FREEWAY AND STARTED TO ACCELERATE WHEN ENGINE LOST POWER SO WE QUICKLY GOT OFF THE FREEWAY AND MANAGED TO PARK FORESTER IN AN EMPTY PARKING LOT. THE CAR WOULD NOT START SO WE HAD IT TOWED TO THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE FORESTER NOW NEEDS AN ENGINE REBUILD SINCE LOWER ENGINE MAIN BEARING HAD FAILED, CAUSING RESIDUAL SCORING DAMAGE TO THE CYLINDER BLOCK AND BOTH CYLINDER HEADS. THE DEALERSHIP HAS ASKED FOR $7000 IN REBUILDING THE ENGINE. THE VEHICLE HAD 72000 MILES AT THE TIME OF INCIDENT. LUCKILY, THERE WERE NO INJURIES BUT THE VEHICLE LOST POWER ALL OF A SUDDEN AND IT COULD HAVE RESULTED IN A SERIOUS ACCIDENT HAD WE BEEN DRIVING AT THE SPEED LIMIT INSTEAD OF SLOWLY ACCELERATING TO GET ON THE FREEWAY. ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE AND REPAIRS HAVE BEEN PERFORMED AT THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP. *TR
AFTER TAKING MY SUBARU FORRESTER IN FOR A RECALL FOR A VALVE IN THE GAS TANK. I WAS TOLD THE HEADGASKET LEAKED AND NEEDED REPLACEMENT! DURING THE REPAIR OF THE HEADGASKET I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE DEALERSHIP INFORMING ME I ALSO HAD A CRACKED CYLINDER HEAD. THIS IS MY 4TH SUBARU I NEVER EXPERIENCED ANYTHING LIKE THIS BEFORE. WHEN I RESEARCHED THE ISSUE I NOTICED THAT SUBARU HAD A TON OF HEADGASKET RECALLS STARTING IN 1997. THERE SEEMS TO BE A GENERAL LACK OF QUALITY IN REGARDS TO THIS. *TR
HEADGASKET LEAKED. CYLINDER HEADS CRACKED DUE TO MANUFACTURING DEFECT. *TR
OUR COMPANY USES TEN SUBARU FORESTERS AS FLEET VEHICLES FOR UTILITY FIELD WORK. OF THE TEN VEHICLES FIVE ARE 2005 FORESTERS AND OUT OF THE FIVE, THREE DIFFERENT VEHICLES HAD TO HAVE THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER REPLACED AT THE COMPANY'S EXPENSE. ANOTHER VEHICLE WAS A 2006 MODEL AND HAD ITS CATALYTIC CONVERTER CHANGED AT NO COST DUE TO WARRANTY. THE FOUR VEHICLE VIN NUMBERS AND MILES AT WHICH THEY HAD TO BE REPLACED ARE: MILEAGE 94,742, MILEAGE AT 82,491, MILEAGE 90,732 AND MILEAGE 64,059(2006 WARRANTY). WE FIND THIS FAILURE RATE TO BE ABNORMALLY HIGH AND QUESTION THE PARTS FAILURE RATE. *TR
MY 2005 SUBARU FORESTER, HAS BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY AT DWYER AND SONS SUBARU DEALERSHIP IN COMMERCE, MICHIGAN. DURING ALL SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE, I'VE ALWAYS DISCUSSED WITH THEIR SERVICE DEPARTMENT THAT I HAVE A POTENTIAL PROBLEM WITH THE ENGINE. THE ENGINE WOULD DOWNSHIFT VERY HARD OR SEEMED LIKE SOMETHING WAS "BANGING." OR RUNNING VERY ROUGH. THE RPM WOULD ALSO SEEM TO RUN LOWER THAN NORMAL. EVERY TIME I MADE THEM AWARE OF THE PROBLEM, WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS UNDER WARRANTY, THE DEALERSHIP WAS NEVER ABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. SO, EVERY TIME I BROUGHT THE CAR IN THEREAFTER, I TOLD THEM TO MAKE NOTE OF THE ISSUE AND THAT IT HASN'T GONE AWAY. AGAIN, THEY WOULD ROAD TEST THE CAR AND ALWAYS STATE THAT THEY FOUND NOTHING WRONG. NOW, THE VEHICLE IS JUST OUT OF WARRANTY AND THE DEALERSHIP STATED THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM. THIS PROBLEM WOULD REQUIRE AN ENTIRE ENGINE REBUILD ON A ENGINE THAT IS METICULOUSLY TAKEN CARE OF AND ONLY HAS 75,000 MILES ON IT. THIS REPAIR THEY WERE JUST ABLE TO DIAGNOSE IS GOING TO COST $5,900. THEY INDICATED THE DEALERSHIP WOULD ONLY PAY $1,500 TOWARD THE REPAIR. I TOLD THEM I AM NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS, ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY'VE ACKNOWLEDGED THE PROBLEM EXISTED BEFORE AND I MADE THEM AWARE MULTIPLE TIMES. THIS ENGINE PROBLEM HAD PRE-EXISTED RIGHT FROM THE FACTORY, AND THEIR ARE POTENTIALLY OTHER SUBARU FORESTERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM. I SHOULD NOT BE HELD FINANCIALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS ENGINE REPAIR AND FEEL SUBARU SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE FOR ALLOWING THIS VEHICLE TO BE SOLD AND BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE REPAIR OR, A NEW ENGINE ALL TOGETHER. *TR
MY CAR HESITATES, SPUTTERS AND BUCKS WHEN THE WEATHER IS WET. AT FIRST THIS ONLY HAPPENED WHEN THE ENGINE WAS COLD. WHILE THIS PROBLEM IS SPORADIC, IT HAS OCCURRED MANY TIMES SINCE WE BOUGHT THE CAR. IT NOW HAPPENS WHEN THE ENGINE IS WARM AND THE CAR IS BEING DRIVEN ON THE HIGHWAY, CAUSING A DANGEROUS SITUATION. THE DEALER AT FIRST TOLD US MANY TIMES TO IGNORE THE PROBLEM BECAUSE IT WOULD GO AWAY WHEN THE CAR WARMED UP; THEY FAILED TO FIND THE DEFECT AT FIRST. NOW, AFTER FINDING THE CYLINDER MISFIRE PROBLEM THEY NOW CLAIM THE DEFECT ISN'T COVERED BY WARRANTY. THE INCIDENT DATE BELOW IS THE MOST RECENT ONE; THE PROBLEM BEGAN EARLY IN 2005 SOON AFTER THE CAR WAS BOUGHT. *TR
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .