2005 Subaru Forester Problems

Moved car 30’ from gas pumps to air pump. Slowed to almost complete stop to move closer to air tank. Car accelerated at extremely high speed over curb, knocking over air pump. Car proceeded to smash through landscaping shrubs and hit a tree and nearby pole which stopped the car dead. Felt like a fighter plane pushed me. Entire incident probably lasted a minute. Air bags failed to deploy. Car was totaled. I suffered severe facial and othet bruising and have ongoing fatigue and am eadily winded.

Raw fuel smell inside cabin of card when cold outside

The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond to the steering wheel turning. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle decelerated but the front passenger's side of the vehicle was sliding. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side control arm had fractured, and the axle was damaged. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V464000 (Suspension), which he related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could assist because of the age of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.

The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop at approximately 25 MPH, the front passenger's side subframe emitted an abnormally loud sound, and the front passenger's side tire detached from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road where he noticed that the front passenger's side lower control arm was fractured. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer where it remained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 210,000.

Moved car 30’ from gas pumps to air pump. Slowed to almost complete stop to move closer to air tank. Car accelerated at extremely high speed over curb, knocking over air pump. Car proceeded to smash through landscaping shrubs and hit a tree and nearby pole which stopped the car dead. Felt like a fighter plane pushed me. Entire incident probably lasted a minute. Air bags failed to deploy. Car was totaled. I suffered severe facial and othet bruising and have ongoing fatigue and am eadily winded.

WHEN IT IS BELOW 30 DEGREES OUT AND HEATER OR DEFROSTER IS ON AND THE VEHICLE IS MOVING BETWEEN 25-65 MPH, THE ACCELERATOR STICKS AND DOES NOT DECELERATE. WHEN THE CLUTCH IS APPLIED TO DISENGAGE THE ENGINE THE RPMS ADVANCE 1,000 TO 1,500 RPMS(SOMETIME TAKING THE RPMS TO 4,500 RPMS). VEHICLE HAS NO ENGINE WARNING LIGHTS ON THE DASHBOARD AND NO ERROR CODES ON THE ECU. THE MAF, MAP AND PCV SENSORS ARE ALL FUNCTION CORRECTLY. THE THROTTLE BODY IS ALSO PERFECTLY CLEANED. VEHICLE IDOLS FINE AND PASSES ALL EMISSIONS TESTS. I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT THE DRIVE-BY-WIRE (DBW) MECHANISM IS MOST LIKELY THE PROBLEM AND THIS COMPONENT SHOULD BE REPLACED.

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

THIS IS A 1 OWNER CAR WITH ONLY 65400 MILES ON IT. I DROVE DOWN A 30MPH ROAD AND THERE WAS SUCH A LOUD SCREECHING SOUND . NO LIGHT CAME ON, I WENT TO STOP THERE WAS LOUD GRINDING . AND 0 BRAKES OUT OF THE BLUE. THE CAR WOULDN'T STOP. I WENT THREW THE STOP SIGN AND INTO TRAFFIC BEFORE GRINDING TO A STOP..THIS CAR HAS BEEN MAINTAINED REGULAR. I TOOK IT RIGHT AWAY TO A LOCAL REPAIR SHOP.. THEY SAID THE BRAKES ARE CARRODED AND FROZEN. REQUIRING CALIPERS ,ROTORS,PADS ON EACH FRONT WHEEL. JUST FOR THE FRONT THE COST WAS OVER $950.00 . I DID SHOW A RECALL FOR THIS BUT BEFORE I GO TO THE SABARU DEALER I NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THIS IS COVERED. I AM A DISABLED WIDOW I DRIVE VERY FEW MILES . I HAVE NEVER HAD ANY VEHICLE REQUIRE ANY THING OTHER THAN PADS.RHIS IS A REPLACEMENT OF A DEFECTIVE BRAKING SYSTEM. STILL THE BRAKES LIGHT HAS NOT EVEN COME ON.

THE REAR BRAKE LINES RUSTED THROUGH AND FAILED WITHOUT NOTICE. ONE SEVERAL MODEL OF SUBARU, BRAKES LINES WERE REPLACED FOR CORROSION DUE TO A RECALL. WHEN ORDERING THE REPLACEMENT PART I NOTICED IT APPLIED TO SOME OF THE CARS COVERED UNDER THE RECALL AND SOME THAT WERE NOT. IT SEEMS TO MY THAT MY FORRESTER HAD PRECISELY THE SAME LINES THAT WERE RECALLED ON OTHER MODELS AND SHOULD HAVE BEEN INCLUDED IN YOU ORIGINAL SETTLEMENT WITH SUBARU. WE HAVE MANY OLDER CARS IN THE FAMILY AND NOT ONE OF THEM HAS EVER EXPERIENCED A BRAKE LINE FAILURE DUE TO CORROSION. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT SUBARU IS NEGLIGENT IN SUPPLYING CARS WITH BRAKE LINES THAT CORRODE MORE EASILY FROM THE OUTSIDE THAT AUDI, TOYOTA, LEXUS AND HONDA - JUST FROM OUR EXPERIENCE.

Moved car 30’ from gas pumps to air pump. Slowed to almost complete stop to move closer to air tank. Car accelerated at extremely high speed over curb, knocking over air pump. Car proceeded to smash through landscaping shrubs and hit a tree and nearby pole which stopped the car dead. Felt like a fighter plane pushed me. Entire incident probably lasted a minute. Air bags failed to deploy. Car was totaled. I suffered severe facial and othet bruising and have ongoing fatigue and am eadily winded.

I HAD JUST LOCKED MY RESIDENCE GATE, LEAVING MY PROPERTY, I FASTENED MY SEATBELT, ADVANCED VERY SLOWLY, SAW THAT BOTH WAYS WERE CLEAR, ADVANCED SLOWLY MAKING A LEFT TURN, WHEN I WAS JUST 12 FEET, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RACE AND PROPELLED MY VEHICLE FORWARD INTO A HUGE TREE ACROSS THE ROAD. I DID NOT CONFUSE THE GAS PEDAL WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL, THERE WAS NO FLOOR MAT IMPEDING MY FOOT-WORK,I BRAKED THEN IT BEGAN RACING EVEN FASTER THEN I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING MORE TILL AFTER-DARK AND A FIREMAN TOLD ME AN AMBULANCE WAS COMING. I HAVE A BROKEN CERVICAL VERTEBRA C 2 AND MULTIPLE BRUISES MY CAR WAS "TOTALED". *TR

I HAD JUST LOCKED MY RESIDENCE GATE, LEAVING MY PROPERTY, I FASTENED MY SEATBELT, ADVANCED VERY SLOWLY, SAW THAT BOTH WAYS WERE CLEAR, ADVANCED SLOWLY MAKING A LEFT TURN, WHEN I WAS JUST 12 FEET, THE ENGINE BEGAN TO RACE AND PROPELLED MY VEHICLE FORWARD INTO A HUGE TREE ACROSS THE ROAD. I DID NOT CONFUSE THE GAS PEDAL WITH THE BRAKE PEDAL, THERE WAS NO FLOOR MAT IMPEDING MY FOOT-WORK,I BRAKED THEN IT BEGAN RACING EVEN FASTER THEN I DON'T REMEMBER ANYTHING MORE TILL AFTER-DARK AND A FIREMAN TOLD ME AN AMBULANCE WAS COMING. I HAVE A BROKEN CERVICAL VERTEBRA C 2 AND MULTIPLE BRUISES MY CAR WAS "TOTALED". *TR

ON JULY 28, 2014 I WAS PULLING INTO MY PARKING SPACE AT MY CONDO.THE BRAKES WOULDN'T STOP THE CAR AND THE ENGINE SEEMED TO SURGE FORWARD. THE PASSENGER WITH ME LOOKED DOWN AND SAID THE GAS PEDAL LOOKED TO BE ALL THE WAY TO THE FLOOR. THE CAR HAD TO BE TOWED, AND I AM STILL AWAITING FOR THE DAMAGE ESTIMATE FROM MY INSURANCE COMPANY. *TR

The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. An unknown dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 183,000.

2005 SUBARU FORESTER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE SHUDDERS IN FRONT WHEN EXECUTING SHARP TURNS EITHER LEFT, RIGHT, DRIVING FORWARD, REVERSE AND AT VERY LOW SPEEDS.. *SMD AN INSPECTION REVEALED THE ALL-WHEEL VALVE MECHANISM HOUSED INSIDE THE TRANSMISSION CASE NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. *JB

THIS IS NOT AN ACCIDENT (YET) BUT THE REAR VIEW MIRROR IS FAILING - IT WAS THE KIND THAT HAS ALL THE "FEATURES" DIMMER, COMPASS ETC BUT IT IS FADING AND I CONSIDER THAT A SAFETY CONCERN. THE FADING MAKES IT LOOK LIKE AN OLD FASHIONED MIRROR WITH A TARNISHED LOOK THAT IMPEDES VISIBILITY AND CREATES BLIND SPOTS. I LOOKED IT UP ONLINE AND IT IS COMMON BUT I WONDER WHY IT HAS NOT BEEN CONSIDERED A RECALL SINCE MIRRORS ARE SAFETY EQUIPMENT. *TR

WINDSHIELD WIPERS AND RADIO WILL NOT OPERATE AFTER TURNING ON THE ENGINE. INTERMITTENT PROBLEM. SOMETIMES THEY WORK WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STARTED. PROBLEM DOES NOT RESOLVE ITSELF WHILE DRIVING. HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO GET WIPERS TO WORK AT ALL FOR AN ENTIRE DAY. PROBLEM DEVELOPED IN THE SPRING TIME IN THE LAKE TAHOE AND SACRAMENTO REGIONS OF CALIFORNIA AND NEVADA. HAVE NOT EXPERIENCED THE PROBLEM OVER THE DRY SUMMER IN THE MOUNTAINS. SUBARU HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO FIX THE PROBLEM AND DOESN'T KNOW IF THEY CAN FIX THE PROBLEM SINCE IT IS DIFFICULT TO CREATE. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING VARIOUS SPEEDS, THE VEHICLE SURGED AND THEN IDLED FAST AND SLOW BEFORE RETURNING TO NORMAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO PRODUCED A FAILURE CODE ASSOCIATED WITH THE ELECTRONIC ACCELERATOR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 160,000.

COIL PACKED WAS REPLACED FOR THE SECOND TIME. THE COIL PACK WAS REPLACED 05.2006 AND THE PLUGS REPLACED AT THE SAME TIME. THIS YEAR THE COIL PACK WAS REPLACED AND THE PLUGS AGAIN. *AK

LEFT FRONT CONTROL ARM BROKE IN 2 EXACTLY AS PREDICTED BY THE RECALL NOTICE. SUBARU SAID THE RECALL HAD BEEN COMPLETED, MEANING THEY SPREAD SOME RUST INHIBITOR ON IT AT SOME POINT IN THE PAST. THEIR FINAL RESPONSE WAS THAT THE CAR WAS TOO 'OLD' TO OFFER ANY FURTHER ASSISTANCE. THE CAR HAS ONLY 80K MILES AND NOTHING ELSE ON THE VEHICLE HAS BROKE IN HALF.

AFTER A SCRATCHY, METALLIC NOISE THAT APPEARED SUDDENLY IN THE LOWER FRONT, WHILE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION,STEERING WAS CEASED. THE STEERING WHEEL WAS LOCKED AND THE VEHICLE COULD NOT BE CONTROLLED. THIS RESULTED IN A CRASH. THE VEHICLE HIT A TREE. SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE WAS DONE TO THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS DECLARED AS A TOTAL LOSS.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2005 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING AT AN UNKNOWN HIGHWAY SPEED, A BURNING RUBBER ODOR EMITTED INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN TO THE CONTACT'S RESIDENCE AND PARKED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A DEALER WHERE IT WAS DIAGNOSED THAT THE BUCKET SUSPENSION PLATE UNDER THE SHOCK ABSORBER FAILED, WHICH IMPACTED THE SUSPENSION ASSEMBLY ON THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE AND CAUSED THE STRUT TO FRACTURE ON THE TIRE. THE DEALER REPLACED THE STRUTS, SHOCK ASSEMBLIES, AND BOTH REAR TIRES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURES. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 89,000. UPDATED 02/03/17*LJ UPDATED 7/11/18*JB *TR

WHILE DRIVING FROM FLORIDA NOTICED LOAD NOISE. UPON INSPECTION BY MECHANIC WAS ADVISED THAT WHEEL BEARING HAD FAILED. MECHANIC ALSO ADVISED THAT HE HAD SEEN OTHER SIMILAR PROBLEMS WITH THE SUBARU FORESTER. BELIEVE BEARINGS IN SOME MODELS ARE DEFECTIVE AND SHOULD BE RECALLED BEFORE BEARING FAILS WHILE AT HIGH SPEED. *TR

A FEW TIMES A YEAR, MY 2005 SUBARU FORESTER WITH STICK SHIFT WILL NOT START AFTER PARKING. HOWEVER, AFTER SHIFTING THE GEARS A FEW TIMES, IT WILL START. IT APPEARS TO ME THAT THE SENSOR SENSED INCORRECTLY THAT THE CAR WAS IN GEAR OTHER THAN NEUTRAL AND HENCE IT WOULD NOT START DESPITE THE GEAR WAS IN PHYSICALLY IN NEUTRAL AND THE CLUTCH WAS FULLY DEPRESSED. AFTER SHIFTING THE GEARS A FEW TIMES, THE ELECTRONIC MIGHT HAVE CORRECTED ITSELF. I AM CONCERNED IF OTHER ELECTRONICS PROBLEMS MAY HAPPEN WHILE DRIVING, AS WHAT HAPPENED TO TOYOTA. TOO BAD THAT THERE MAY NOT ENOUGH DATA WITH STICK SHIFT. *TR

2005 SUBARU FORESTER AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION THE CAR LURCHES UPON STARTING OUT ESPECIALLY IN THE MORNING. YOU PRESS ON THE ACCELERATOR--CAR DOES NOT MOVE, THEN SUDDENLY LURCHES AS THE TRANSMISSION SLAMS INTO GEAR, SO THERE IS LITTLE CONTROL ON THE PART OF THE DRIVER--YOU DO NOT KNOW WHEN THE CAR WILL MOVE AND/OR HOW.. WHEN TAKE FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR CAR LURCHES FORWARD AGAIN--WITH NO DRIVER CONTROL. THE CAR SLAMS INTO GEAR WITHOUT WARNING. THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING NOW REGULARLY FOR THE PAST 2 MONTHS. BROUGHT THE CAR INTO THE DEALER ON JAN 14--THEY SAID THEY FOUND THE PROBLEM, "REPROGRAMMED" IT AND SAID ALL WAS FINE. IT WASN'T--BROUGHT THE CAR BACK YESTERDAY--THEY KEPT IT OVERNIGHT AND THEY SAID EVERYTHING IS OK--IT IS NOT. CAR IS STILL OUT OF CONTROL. I HAVE BEEN READING SIMILAR STORIES ON EDMUNDS. COM SUBARU FORUM FOR THIS YEAR AND EVEN OLDER MODEL SUBARU FORESTERS. SUBARU DENIES THERE IS AN ISSUE--I CALLED THEM THIS AFTERNOON AND WROTE TO THEM A FEW WEEKS BACK, TOO. THANKS. *TR