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Driven: 2023 Subaru Forester Wilderness Is An Affordable Adventure Machine

Whether you plan to drive your vehicle on the Rubicon Trail or over the pavement in the mall parking lot, automakers are cashing in buyers wanting off-road versions of their popular crossovers. Subaru has always targeted a more active, outdoorsy demographic but has recently taken its efforts a step further by introducing a more rugged Wilderness trim for its popular Outback. The results were a success, and now the Forester gets its own Wilderness version.
CarBuzz tested a 2023 Subaru Forester Wilderness for the week, which included a three-hour trip to South Florida to test its presence on the highway. It may not be a match for a Ford Bronco or Jeep Wrangler in terms of off-road capability, but for a lot of buyers, the Forester Wilderness is just right.
The Wilderness treatment includes a half-inch suspension lift, which brings the Forester's ground clearance to a healthy 9.2 inches. That's more than the Ford Bronco Sport, Jeep Compass, and Toyota RAV4. In fact, it's only a half-inch less than a base Wrangler. Along with the increased ride height, the Forester Wilderness gains longer coil springs and shock absorbers for improved off-road capability and Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tires for improved grip off the pavement. Those tires even get some raised white lettering that looks pretty retro.
Underneath, the Wilderness is protected from the terrain by a front skid plate and larger wheel arch cladding than a standard Forester. The towing capacity is doubled to 3,000 pounds, and the roof rack is rated for 800 pounds when parked (100 pounds more than the standard model). Completing the rugged look, the Wilderness receives matte black wheels, hexagonal LED fog lights, an anti-glare hood decal, and yellow accents. It's by far the coolest-looking Forester available.
Inside, there are a few Wilderness-specific touches, including Anodized Copper accents, special badging, and embossed logos on the water-resistant StarTex seats. Speaking of those seats, the Subaru's material feels incredibly durable, meaning it can easily stand up to kids and pets. We do wish the front seats had more lumbar adjustment though, as our three-hour trip became slightly uncomfortable on our lower back.
The Forester's cabin is extremely roomy, taking great advantage of its inoffensive size. Passengers in the rear are treated to a generous 39.4 inches of legroom and 37.6 inches of headroom. A spacious 26.9 cubic feet (thanks to the moonroof) is located behind these seats, but fold them down, and the Forester Wilderness can accept up to 69.1 cubes. While not the largest in the compact SUV segment, the Forester's tall greenhouse makes it feel more spacious inside than other crossovers.
Subaru offers one package for the Forester Wilderness, priced at $1,850. It includes a ton of technology, making it easily worth the price tag. For example, the package increased the screen size from 6.5 to eight inches, adds built-in navigation, a Harman Kardon audio system, and a power liftgate. Subaru may not have our favorite infotainment system on the market, but must-have features like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard. We also enjoyed the Forester's upper screen, which mostly displays useful information like fuel economy but can also show off-road features like tilt angle or a front-view camera.
If there's one area where the Forester fails to impress, it's under the hood. Subaru's 2.5-liter boxer-four engine produces 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque, which is fine for the segment but far from class-leading. It sends power to a symmetrical all-wheel-drive system through a continuously variable transmission, which emits the typical CVT groan when pushed hard. Under normal circumstances, the setup is fine, but the Forester doesn't love to be rushed.
We'd love to see Subaru offer a turbocharged option, though that could eat into Outback sales. Even if it doesn't add significantly more power, a hybrid would be our preferred addition. The Forester only manages 26/33/29 mpg city/highway/combined, and thanks to its raised height and all-terrain tires, the Wilderness trim cuts those numbers to 25/28/26. During our three-hour drive, we managed to average 30 mpg on the highway.
There's a lot to love about the Subaru Forester Wilderness. It looks aggressive, packs enough off-road capability for most buyers, and doesn't compromise too much on everyday comfort. Pricing for this trim starts at $34,020, excluding $1,225 in destination charges, making it the second most expensive in the lineup. That's significantly less than a Compass Trailhawk, RAV4 TRD Off-Road, and most Bronco Sport trims, though.
If you don't care about the off-road performance, the Forester Limited delivers similar features starting at $31,875, and the Forester Touring adds more creature comforts for $35,295. We wouldn't fault anyone for getting one of the other Forester trims, but the Wilderness is an interesting package with plenty of appeal.
Reposted From Source: carbuzz.com

Whether you plan to drive your vehicle on the Rubicon Trail or over the pavement in the mall parking lot, automakers are cashing in buyers wanting off-road versions of their popular crossovers. Subaru has always targeted a more active, outdoorsy demographic but has recently taken its efforts a step further by introducing a more rugged Wilderness trim for its popular Outback. The results were a success, and now the Forester gets its own Wilderness version.
CarBuzz tested a 2023 Subaru Forester Wilderness for the week, which included a three-hour trip to South Florida to test its presence on the highway. It may not be a match for a Ford Bronco or Jeep Wrangler in terms of off-road capability, but for a lot of buyers, the Forester Wilderness is just right.
The Wilderness treatment includes a half-inch suspension lift, which brings the Forester's ground clearance to a healthy 9.2 inches. That's more than the Ford Bronco Sport, Jeep Compass, and Toyota RAV4. In fact, it's only a half-inch less than a base Wrangler. Along with the increased ride height, the Forester Wilderness gains longer coil springs and shock absorbers for improved off-road capability and Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain tires for improved grip off the pavement. Those tires even get some raised white lettering that looks pretty retro.
Underneath, the Wilderness is protected from the terrain by a front skid plate and larger wheel arch cladding than a standard Forester. The towing capacity is doubled to 3,000 pounds, and the roof rack is rated for 800 pounds when parked (100 pounds more than the standard model). Completing the rugged look, the Wilderness receives matte black wheels, hexagonal LED fog lights, an anti-glare hood decal, and yellow accents. It's by far the coolest-looking Forester available.
Inside, there are a few Wilderness-specific touches, including Anodized Copper accents, special badging, and embossed logos on the water-resistant StarTex seats. Speaking of those seats, the Subaru's material feels incredibly durable, meaning it can easily stand up to kids and pets. We do wish the front seats had more lumbar adjustment though, as our three-hour trip became slightly uncomfortable on our lower back.
The Forester's cabin is extremely roomy, taking great advantage of its inoffensive size. Passengers in the rear are treated to a generous 39.4 inches of legroom and 37.6 inches of headroom. A spacious 26.9 cubic feet (thanks to the moonroof) is located behind these seats, but fold them down, and the Forester Wilderness can accept up to 69.1 cubes. While not the largest in the compact SUV segment, the Forester's tall greenhouse makes it feel more spacious inside than other crossovers.
Subaru offers one package for the Forester Wilderness, priced at $1,850. It includes a ton of technology, making it easily worth the price tag. For example, the package increased the screen size from 6.5 to eight inches, adds built-in navigation, a Harman Kardon audio system, and a power liftgate. Subaru may not have our favorite infotainment system on the market, but must-have features like Android Auto and Apple CarPlay are standard. We also enjoyed the Forester's upper screen, which mostly displays useful information like fuel economy but can also show off-road features like tilt angle or a front-view camera.
If there's one area where the Forester fails to impress, it's under the hood. Subaru's 2.5-liter boxer-four engine produces 182 hp and 176 lb-ft of torque, which is fine for the segment but far from class-leading. It sends power to a symmetrical all-wheel-drive system through a continuously variable transmission, which emits the typical CVT groan when pushed hard. Under normal circumstances, the setup is fine, but the Forester doesn't love to be rushed.
We'd love to see Subaru offer a turbocharged option, though that could eat into Outback sales. Even if it doesn't add significantly more power, a hybrid would be our preferred addition. The Forester only manages 26/33/29 mpg city/highway/combined, and thanks to its raised height and all-terrain tires, the Wilderness trim cuts those numbers to 25/28/26. During our three-hour drive, we managed to average 30 mpg on the highway.
There's a lot to love about the Subaru Forester Wilderness. It looks aggressive, packs enough off-road capability for most buyers, and doesn't compromise too much on everyday comfort. Pricing for this trim starts at $34,020, excluding $1,225 in destination charges, making it the second most expensive in the lineup. That's significantly less than a Compass Trailhawk, RAV4 TRD Off-Road, and most Bronco Sport trims, though.
If you don't care about the off-road performance, the Forester Limited delivers similar features starting at $31,875, and the Forester Touring adds more creature comforts for $35,295. We wouldn't fault anyone for getting one of the other Forester trims, but the Wilderness is an interesting package with plenty of appeal.
Reposted From Source: carbuzz.com
I put down a $200 deposit, still havent gotten the check that they promised to send over 3 weeks ago. The manager Erik ** was rude and completely apathetic to anything I spoke about. I would never send anyone here.
It is 2014. I have a 2007 Subaru Legacy which has 79000 miles on it. I have taken impeccable care of this vehicle only to have it diagnosed this week with the need to replace the head gasket. Where is the recall on this? Why should the consumer be responsible for Subarus negligence of their poor quality? I firmly believe this should be fully paid for by the company, Subaru who boasts of their high quality product, etc. I think mine and any other person who has had to replace this part should be fully 100% reimbursed for the cost. I urge Consumer Affairs to reach out legally in this matter. Please include me in the claim.
I have a Forester, it’s a great car except for when the engine light and cruise control light goes on at the same time making the car difficult to drive. I have had this issue 6 times now from 2009-13 and each time I go to the dealership where I bought the car, they say the issue has been fixed but there are always added expenses such as my hose has a leak or etc. Obviously, if I had this issue 6 times, then issue hasnt been fixed. I have been told by the dealership this isnt an ISSUE and that the time lapse in between visits to the dealership are so far apart I shouldnt worry about.When I had this experience for the 6th time this week, I thought writing to company and saying, Hey, when are you guys going to figure this out? Its been five years and a lot of money and no one seems to be able to help me. So today I decided to do a little research. There is a whole site on topics about this issue going back to ’07 all the way up to my last entry… I am still researching. This issue is a big issue, Subaru. Wake up!
Purchased a 2014 Subaru Forester because of Subarus good reputation. To my surprise, my NEW car burns oil. I have to keep checking the oil because it needs to be added on a regular basis. At my first oil change the Subaru mechanic told me this just happens and I have to keep an eye on it. That sounds like garbage to me when talking about a new car. Im angry I switched to Subaru, never again!
I purchased a 2013 Subaru Outback with VST. One thing I noticed right away was that when I backed out of my driveway onto the road, when I put it into Drive, there was about a 3-second hesitation. Same happens when I go from Drive into Reverse. I complained about it a couple of times and they told me at Subaru that it was normal. They told me that several people have complained about it. I really like the car, but now there is the oil usage problem. It is happening to me, too.
I have a 2010 Subaru Legacy 2.5i Premium with 82,156 miles, the car was in perfect condition, always checked by experts, all maintenance on time, nothing aftermarket. I was driving yesterday and I pull over to make a phone call when I started noticing that smoke was coming out of the hood, and from the under dash, when I tried to get out of the car the doors locked up and was impossible to open, by then the flames were very high, I burned my legs and arms. I manage to break the windows with a metal piece I had in the back seat and escape from the vehicle me and my occupant. When fire department arrived they extinguished the fire and was able to take pictures and video of the incident, according them it might have been caused by a electrical issue. Im glad to be alive but Im still in shock because I Subaru is a very good car.
Went to the dealer for the FIRST 30K miles service on my 2010 Forester. The car was purchased new AND has been serviced at the dealer from day 1 according to Subarus recommended schedule. Everything was fine until the dealer told me that both rear struts are leaking and need to be replaced. The estimate is almost $1,000. I point out that I have purchased the extended warranty which has a $100 deductible. I felt that even the $100 was a rip off given the car has only 30K miles. Really? 30K miles and I have to replace both rear struts? The car is mostly used by my wife for city driving. We occasionally carry a couple bikes on a hitch mounted rack or a kayak on the roof rack with a weight of less than 100 lbs, way less than the 150 lbs limit - occasionally, not every day!! They advertise their cars as outdoors vehicles!! I bought this car with the intent to keep it for at least 15 years given that we put only 6K miler per year. My 2001 Toyota Camry runs like as Swiss clock with 120K miles on it. Never done anything to it other than religious maintenance. So I called Subaru USA and complained and they kindly told me I wont have to pay the deductible to the dealer as they would take care of it. No complaints there, nice service. But my question is, should I keep this car past the extended warranty? I dont trust it anymore. My brother-in-law has the same car but 2009 model. With less than 50K miles on it, he had to replace the head gasket. Since his warranty had expired only the previous month, Subaru USA was kind enough to fix it for free. Again, great service!! Otherwise it would have been a $2,000 repair. I lost faith in Subarus reliability. I was thinking to buy the new Outback this year to replace my Camry, but I decided instead I will sell the Forester once the warranty expires and will buy another Toyota, and I will keep my Camry!! Too bad because the new models look really nice. But reliability is the most important factor for me when I purchase a vehicle. Subaru: your reputation is NOT deserved.
Purchased my 2013 Subaru Outback in November of 2012. Had concerns about having to use synthetic oil (price being about double regular oil), but was told by the salesman that there was no worries because I only need to change oil every 7500. I have had 4 oil changes and every time in between changes the oil light comes on and I have to add oil. The dealership states that this is common and the nature of the beast. The dealership said I can bring the car in to the shop when the oil light comes on and they will add, but I will be charged. How can a car company get away with something like this? You are sold a car that you believe only needs oil change every 7500 miles but it can never make it that far without adding. I have a 2005 Kia Sorento that has over 270,000 miles on it and has never used a drop of oil (when I get my oil changed its always on full). Guess that tells me I should stick to another car company other than Subaru.
I have been a loyal Subaru owner over the years. As with other manufacturers being someone who has run a service center as well as being able to perform the task of replacing head gaskets and I cant understand why there hasnt been either a recall or class action lawsuit. I have never seen a Subaru that has not needed head gaskets. I currently drive a 2005 outback with 233000 miles, head gaskets have been done twice with machine shop labor performed every time. These cars are designed to fail. A lot has to do with battery location. Everyone has seen the bottle of special coolant conditioner at the dealer, why the need for it? And heres the simplest explanation, small amounts of electricity pass thru engine parts which reacts with the coolant and the metal in the head gaskets. Its a chemical reaction, over time it eats thru the gasket. Aluminum and steel do not mix as well. Corrosion develops so as you see by design it is set for failure which in 90 percent of cases the customer pays and you all know the cost - anywhere from 3200.00 to 4800.00. Now my car is at the dealer for a brake recall which failed while I was driving and lost brakes so I decide let me look around for another Subaru at some of the dealers. I only looked at cars between 85,000 miles to 110,000 miles, the ten I looked were a mix of Outbacks and Foresters, all had blown head gaskets all of them. So this car in my opinion and Im sure the opinion of many that this car is designed to fail so the dealer can make money and the fact Ive done over a thousand head gaskets in my career is disturbing. And they are all usually outta warranty so when it goes at 85000 your forced with a choice to either spend money on the motor which will blow the gasket again or trade in and get another. But also be mindful on that second head gasket job. The aluminum that the block was made of was so porous the threads came out with the head bolts so I redesigned the motor where the block has studs and you slide the heads on and use grade 8 nuts to complete torque specs. I shared the design with Subaru, not interested at all. So in a nutshell I did head gaskets at 87000 miles and 156000 miles. When I did the redesign it now has 233000 which by my math and experience Im either gonna be due for a head gasket job soon or my redesign has worked with relocation of the battery. Enjoy the photos, this is what had to be done to avoid buying a 5000 dollar used motor that more than likely needed head gaskets. I think Subaru owes it to its customers to design a quality engine. Youre making cars that stop themselves and tell when youre drifting in your lane but cant use better grade metal for the engine or relocate a battery.
I have the Subaru Forester. I love that model because its an all terrain vehicle. I like to go camping a lot so its useful on those old dirt roads. Usually it is terrifying to drive on them because its so bumpy and you feel like the car could turn over any second but with my Subaru it is smooth and I feel safe! I really like my Subaru. It is dependable and safe. I have children so it makes me feel better driving with them in a car like that. I have actually gotten into an accident in it, just myself, but it wasnt that bad! I credit it to the safety precautions I got on it. Its also very pretty. I got it in blue which is my favorite color. Just seeing the car makes me really happy! The seats are a nice creamy white leather. And I got a flower scented air freshener!I would improve however, the battery life. The battery in my car has a very short life span and I constantly find myself having to fix it. Granted, my kids do tend to turn the light on the car and we leave it on overnight. So maybe a fix could be an auto turn off on the lights after a couple of hours? That would be really useful since my family always forgets to turn the lights off.
I had an Outback in 1997 and loved it... wish I had kept it. I recently bought a very well cared for single owner 2005 Outback 2.5i with 150K miles. I knew it had a minor oil leak... When it got worse, I fixed that, and while the engine was apart, put in many new parts including timing belt, hoses, thermostat, mounting bolts, machined the cylinders, etc. It was fine for 6 months and then had intermittent sputtering at idle and when starting to drive, along with after a slowdown off the highway to 35 or so and then speeding up again. I also noticed it was strangely low on oil, despite no visible leaking. My mechanic said that the prior owner did a (dealer-done) tune up without replacing the wires, so we did that and the problem seemed fine... for a while. 2 months later, same exact sputtering. One stall after starting the car and putting it in reverse but not driving yet. And... almost no oil in the car (again no visible leaks). Problem as yet undiagnosed so any feedback is appreciated! Also, minor complaints. Had to change the rear door latch when I got the car. The plastic latch that opens the gas cap keeps falling off. And now the drivers window button is sticky and sometimes doesnt want to make the window go up or down.
Subaru is one of those Teflon companies like Apple that seems to have a loyal consumer base without any regard to their conduct. For example, their advertising suggests that they are good corporate citizens but they are one of the very few auto companies with not a single hybrid or electric model. (When they once experimented with a hybrid Impreza, it added precisely one mpg to its fuel efficiency). But what really surprised me is how, at the corporate level, Subaru is extraordinarily unlike the image it projects. After experiencing a significant mechanical problem with just 34,000 miles on my Impreza, I brought the car in for service. The service department tried six repairs, all making the problem worse. When I informed Subaru of America, they offered me two options: a $500 credit toward a new model (the type of incentive routinely offered to new customers), or a return visit for a seventh repair.I asked a supervisor I spoke with in Consumer Affairs, What would you do if this were your car? She refused to respond. I asked why she would not answer and she became angry and told me to call the attorney generals office. (This was someone who trains others in how to interact with consumers). Another Subaru of America representative echoed her invitation and told me not to bother reaching out to anyone else -- that he, a middle manager, was the last word. Even if I was satisfied with the car, the experience with the company was enough to make this Subaru, my third and last.
I wanted to buy Subaru xv premium 2015 Black From Bayraktar Subaru. They told me they will have in 2 weeks. And I told I will have 4 weeks because I needed to sell my old car. Then I sold my car faster than I think. I visit them 3 times and every time I visit they gave me 3 different date about cars arrival. At last they said they will have the color I want next month... maybe. Called their manager and got information about they don’t know when they will black cars arrival. They said it is normal. The only thing I wonder why they did not tell me that in the first time I was there when I said I wanna buy Subaru xv premium 2015 black...
Very briefly. Loading suitcases on the roof basket on my 2013 SUBARU OUTBACK, I had to climb on the back edge of the roof, where I rested on my knees, and I even put a folded towel as to distribute the pressure. To no avail, the roof still gave up and got slightly bent. I am not a heavy individual at less than 180 Lbs. This particular model comes equipped with rails to allow the installation of roof baskets, and unless they expect that you load it from a ladder, the roof should have more strength. I can tap dance on my 98 NISSAN Pathfinder and the roof will not bend. I reported to SUBARU headquarters and they have declined any responsibility.
After only 7k miles and 6 months owning a new Subaru Crosstrek the Check Engine light came on. Turns out the car has a failed Oil Control Valve. Been in the shop for 3 days. The car feels like an oversized toy. This looks like a sign of many more problems to come.
On my 2012 Legacy, the check engine”, flashing Brake light and the traction light all come on at odd intervals. The dealer has been able to fix this on a temporary basis by changing plugs, checking the compression, and cleaning the fuel injector system. All of these work for a short time but not permanently. Subaru America refers me back to the dealer that has not been able to solve the problem. Anyone have a similar problem and what was done to correct it?
I purchased a brand new Subaru Ascent from Toyota/Subaru of Corvallis about two months ago. I also purchased the extended “bumper to bumper” warranty for the car that is good for 7 years/100,000 miles. The Sunday before last (August 11th), the middle seat (the Ascent has 3 rows) quit sliding forward and backward on the track that it was on. I made an appointment on Friday, August 16th for the dealer (Subaru of Corvallis) to take look at the seat. They confirmed that the seat was not functioning correctly and informed me that they would need to schedule another appointment to fix it (they needed an entire day to do it). So I scheduled an appointment on Monday, August 19th, for them to fix the seat. They called me around 11:30 on Monday, August 19th, and told me that there was a rock stuck in the track of the seat, and that they had tried everything to get the rock out of the track but had failed. They then informed me that my “bumper to bumper” warranty would to cover replacing the track, and that it would cost me around $1300 to get an entirely new seat assembly (apparently the track cannot be replaced separately, and that the entire seat assembly must be replaced). The car has approximately 2,000 miles on it! They also told me that they could not put the seat back into the car the way it was because it was a liability for them, and that they needed to fix it before I could get the car back.Needless to say, I was angry that the “bumper to bumper” warranty wouldn’t cover the issue, and that I would be without a car until they could order the part for the track and get it replaced (they said that they would need to order the part from the east coast somewhere). I called Subaru customer service, and they stated that the issue was not a design flaw, and that they would not cover the repairs. They said that a rock getting into the car was a foreign object and there was no design flaw of the track for the seat. Apparently, I can never allow another rock to get into the car again! I then called my insurance company (State Farm) and filed a comprehensive claim. They are still debating whether or not they can cover it. My questions are these: For a company that is known for their rugged image and adventurous spirit, is Subaru going to stand up an admit that a little rock can completely ruin their seats? Apparently that is the case here! How is this not a design flaw???
I bought my 2013 Outback new and Ive had nothing but issues... Two stereos replaced, drivers seat heater comes on randomly, cant charge my phone on the USB, lifters make noise and always have to add oil between service requirements. Ive had it to three different dealers, and found one trying to help get to the bottom of this electrical problem and corporate will not advise them what to do. Corporate tells me just have them send me an email and she never answers them back!
Dismayed, disappointed, disgruntled. These are the feelings engendered by coming home from a two-week trip only to find that the battery in our one-month-old Subaru Forester had died while we were away. Consumer Reports April automobile issue convinced us that all the new safety and navigation technology innovations in the 2015 models would make it worth our while to replace our 2007 Forester. But neither CR nor you mentioned that all those enhancements would drain the battery even when the car wasn’t driven. When we took the car back to Subaru, we were told it was our fault for leaving the car for two weeks, as if we were the only folks ever to have done such a thing. Subaru service also suggested we get a trickle charger and keep the car plugged in when we’re away for an extended period of time.We did a great deal of research before buying the car and found no mention of the problem. Having experienced it, I googled “Subaru battery drainage issue” and discovered that the problem was not unique to our vehicle, nor even only to Subaru. Apparently Hondas and Fords are similarly afflicted. These facts were further substantiated by the AAA technician who came to recharge our battery. She fields many calls similar to ours.It is clear why Subaru and the other manufacturers would not want potential buyers to know about this poor engineering. Accordingly, there’s nothing in the owner’s manual that says “do not leave car undriven for more than a week.” You have to look hard to find that after a battery “interruption” the power window needs to be reset, as do the date and time, and perhaps other things I never bothered to set up. A setting comparable to airplane mode on a phone that shuts down some of the background functions would be a wise and welcome fix. What is not clear why there’s so little written about this issue in the automotive press. My husband and I feel doubly burned: by Subaru for its inept engineering and by the consumer gurus who should know better.
My wife and I purchased a new 2017 Subaru Forester and unfortunately, another driver hit the car and tore off the front bumper. This happened on October 7 and now the bumper part wont be available from Subaru until November 6 or possibly later. Originally, Subaru said the bumper would be available on October 20. As we were planning on using the car for an extended trip, this has completely disrupted our plans and Subaru wont do anything about it.
Just 3 years after buying our Subaru Outback 2014, the electric parking brake device failed, locking our car down and making it unable to shift gears. We had to manually release the parking brake using the extremely poorly written advice for a labor intensive cranking process (turn 250 times but not 300 or youll break something!) with a terribly designed device. Repairs to this piece cost $1050 ($660 parts replacement). Big waste of money for a feature no one wants (electronic parking brake). Im sure Subaru doesnt mind making money on the replacement parts, though. Will not buy Subaru again.
Being a Subaru owner brings peace of mind to many drivers. With an all-wheel drive transmission that is supposed to be the best in AWD, and an engine that is supposed to go 300 thousand miles, many people feel like they made a good choice in purchasing a Subaru. However, I have news for those of you with false hope. My car made it 30 thousand miles before it needed a new engine. The whole engine was replaced which cost about 10,000 to repair (what I was told by the technicians). A field technician inspected my car for abuse; of course he didn’t find it, instead he found that it was a manufacturing defect. One month later I got my car back.At 33,000 miles my car was once again “like new”! However, only 26,000 miles after a new engine, a “defective camshaft pulley” broke causing damage on my camshaft, valves and overall one of the heads. I was simply driving down the road and it felt like the car ran out of gas and it would not turn on again. Subaru did not cover the tow. Once again they repaired my car which took another month. I would like to mention that they did in fact cover the repair once again because my car is under warranty. The 2nd major repair was also a few thousand dollars. One mile down the road from Subaru (Bob **, Subaru, West Lafayette, IN) a carelessly installed fuel-like sprayed gas all over my hot engine! This has honestly put my life in danger. The car could have caught on fire or blown up!!!These bad repairs and “defective” parts from Subaru make me feel like my sporty car is made out of glass. I drive my “sports car” like if it was an old car that could break at any time. OF COURSE I NEED EXTENDED WARRANTY. My car is a little over 1,000 miles away running out of powertrain warranty. Keep in mind these repairs happened 1 month ago. Later I got into contact with Linda **, the Subaru of America Customer Service Supervisor, and she said there was nothing she could do to help me. Such a massive company like Subaru could not offer help for a defective car they sold me. They could not offer me extended warranty, they could not give me extended warranty at a discount, NOR COULD THEY EVEN SELL ME EXTENDED WARRANTY. Im not asking for anything more than extended warranty from whoever you would like, or the $2,000 it costs so I can buy one.How can Subaru not do such a simple thing? They sold me a defective piece of junk and I have to deal with it. They do not back up their own cars. I would not recommend that anyone buy a Subaru in the United States. It will break. It will be expensive. And it will certainly not last 300,000 miles. If you have warranty, at the very least it WILL be an inconvenience not having a car for a few weeks while it is being fixed. Please tell me if you think my car will make it 200,000 miles at least.I am very unhappy with the customer service Linda ** provided me with. She did not do anything towards helping me. She did not meet me halfway nor tell me who I could speak to that would solve my problem. She also talked to me in a disrespectful tone which honestly could just have been her “customer service” voice. I need 100,000 or 4-year extended powertrain warranty. Is really impossible from Subaru? Please know I am awaiting for this issue to be resolved.
Major transmission issues within the first 25000 miles, 2 years. Brought my manual 2017 WRX in due to noise in transmission area. They said some parts need to be replaced (bearing, etc) and they installed plate, cover, spring, fork, bearing, flywheel and the whole thing. Picked it up on Wednesday and on Thursday while driving on the freeway something popped in the transmission area and the car was towed back in the shop (Carlsen Subaru in Redwood City California) in less than 24 hours from the time I had received it. This is absolutely unacceptable. I have been driving transmission manual cars for 30 years and to get this kind of performance at such low miles is scary.
I was coming to a stop at the end of a dead end street when my 2010 Subaru Outback shot off like a bullet from 10mph to about 30 mph in less than 2 seconds. I hit a tree and sustained severe rib injuries (3 broken ribs) and a lacerated finger and my passenger dislocated his hip and suffered a broken leg. We were lucky not to be killed.
I brought a 2007 Forester new, changed oil according to the owners manual. It started using oil from the first change. Now with 73,000 miles its using about 3 pints of oil per 5,000 miles. I took it to the dealer and they were unable to explain what was happening. I feel I should dump this thing before I have bigger problems.
In March of 2017 we purchased a brand new 2017 Subaru Impreza and we had 4 free oil changes. And a month or less before the each oil change the oil light comes on and on the last free oil change the light came on 2 wks afterwards. They kept the car for 3/5 days to find out why the car was consuming so much oil. When we went to pick up the car, they said they couldnt find anything wrong with the car. They then wanted to do an oil consumption test. Never heard of this until it was done on my new car. They filled the motor with oil and said bring back at 1200 miles or more! Anyway we took it back and we were told, that we were going to check the oil level together after about 10/15 min. They came after 5 min to get us, (when we went outside they had already pop the latch the hood, not after,) that we were going to check the dipstick. I was suspicious. Now... not trusting this routine at all. Or the technicians. (Plus they said it was the way the driver was shifting and driving, which affects the transmission and not the motor). After talking to the person who sold us the car, and their finance person? The dealer will not take the car back, they want to give us a new one. We dont want a Subaru anymore. We have tried contacting the Subaru manufacturer to no avail. I look up fuel consumption test and Subaru popped up. Never heard of fuel consumption test. I am afraid of owning a Subaru after this happening to a new car. I have heard good things about Subaru but now I am not so sure.
I would give negative stars if I could. My family has owned 3 Subaru vehicles because we believed their lies about it being a safe and reliable car. We have young children. Never have I entered a car thinking there is a possibility that the engine will suddenly die and then burst into a raging fire. It is a miracle I am alive. It is a miracle our 3 year old is alive. Subaru and their lawyers are only offering credit for a new car. Seriously? Never will we buy another Subaru. Buy a Subaru if you’re okay with dying and your family dying just by driving their car.
We bought a 2015 Outback 3.6R Limited while it was on the train to Dellenbach in Ft. Collins, CO in Dec of 2014. My wife drove all the way up there in the snow from Littleton to avoid the poor reputation dealerships in the metro area. My wifes father totalled our old car and I talked the wife out of buying the 4Runner we both truly wanted for something a little more economical. Our teenage son was still driving my moms old 1999 Impreza Outback with 330k on it, so reliability didnt seem to be as much of a factor as much as the safety. While we lived in CO, not many issues aside from a windshield that is paper thin and cracks if you spit on it and snow gets wedged in the wheel wells just as bad as the old Subaru.Then spring came and we started having issues with the rear lift gate. The not so friendly or helpful employees at a particular stealership on Arapahoe and Dry Creek were defensive and accusatory trying to say we had the memory set. Take it up there and get a recall on the ridiculous eyesight programming, just for them to tell us they cant duplicate the lift gate failure. Of course not! You just unhooked the battery which resets the system! We just put up with the occasional rear gate for a year, I keep the oil and filters fresh and we move to the heat of AZ. The rear gate has been getting worse to the point that it rarely ever works no matter what pattern or manual intervention you do. Now our rear gate is completely useless. The dealership in Chandler is great and has noticed the latching being brisk and misaligned. BUT of course, they cant do anything about it until their body shop opens. Enough. First Bru purchase from us but many in the family over the years, this will be the final. All of the others have been traded or sold, we cant wait to get out of this car as well. We dont care about the electronics or the gimmicks, we wanted a reliable and functional vehicle like we had with our Camry. We will be driving back to CO to sell this car where we can get a better price for it and go shopping. Toyota quality has degraded over the years, it looks like the influence by Toyota Motor Corp is starting to show in Subarus product lines. Too bad, we wanted to like this super ugly car, it is comfy, drives ok for a boring CVT and the mileage is amazing. Cheap parts, poor assembly and lack of customer service makes our Subaru feel like a Chevrolet. Love. Its what makes Subaru owners wish they had their old cars back.
I have never had a Subaru where every month or every other month I need bulbs replaced. I just had it in for inspection and there were 3 bulbs to be replaced. Not feeling excited about owning a Subaru. I have owned two others and they were great vehicles. Makes me want to trade it in... Worse Subaru I have ever owned.
I purchased a 2009 Forester XT in April of 2008. Three days after purchase, Subaru announced a stop sale order on turbo Foresters made after Jan 1, 2008 (mine was mfg Jan 26th 2008). They issued the stop sale order because of manufacturing defects in the engine that led to knocking and then catastrophic engine failure. My car had knocking at 1030 miles and now at 92K the engine has had the catastrophic engine failure. Subaru refuses to answer the question if my car was affected by the stop sell order and takes no responsibility for repairing my car.
We are very disappointed with our first Subaru. Weve had it about 3 months and I cant count the times we were coming out from shopping and the rear hatch would not open no matter what we did. No 65 year old should have to load groceries by crawling to the back from the passenger door. The dealer wants you to bring it in to reset it every time but after searching this major issue online I found a way to reset it myself. This needs to be addressed by Subaru, its such a pain as well as some other features that dont always work. Im about ready to take it back, thats how frustrated we are with it. First time buying anything but Ford or Chevy products the past 45 years, that wont happen again.
I purchased a brand new 2014 Impreza 2.0i Premium a year ago. Within the first 1500 miles, the low oil light came on, and found it was a quart low. Was willing to give Subaru the benefit of the doubt the first time, but sure enough, 1200 miles later the oil light came on again and I had to add another quart. Since then, Ive had to add a quart every 1,000 miles like clockwork. I brought the vehicle back to the dealership and requested they look at it and do an oil consumption test. They refused to do anything, despite still being under warranty, claiming that this consumption is normal. When I expressed my concern that these were the same symptoms indicated in the lawsuit and subsequent recall, they told me they couldnt do anything because my model year was not included in the recall, and that they wouldnt even look at it unless a recall is issued for my VIN number.I followed this up by pointing to the Subaru owners manual which describes excessive oil consumption as after the break-in period...more than 1 quart every 1200 miles. In reply I got a shrug from the service manager. Last fall, I wrote to Subaru Corporate, along with calling customer service, and was told this was an issue I needed to take up with the dealership itself. Ive since gone through (on average) 4-5 quarts of oil between each 6k mile oil change interval. Ive never experienced such blatant disregard for customer satisfaction from a car company. Having been patient for the past year, Ive now lost any hope of Subaru providing the service and support needed to resolve this issue, and for this reason have been forced to take up my concerns with the law firm handling the class action suit of last year.
I bought a new 2013 Subaru Outback 2.5 Wagon August 29, 2013 (3 month old vehicle). In December the engine started making a squealing noise. When I took it in to be checked I was asked what I had done to the engine??? I had never opened the hood on my car - in fact I didnt know where the hood release was. It took 3 times bringing it in until one of their techs came outside when I brought it in again in January and took a look and said he knew what was wrong with it. The belts were glazing over. The pulley system was redone and the belts replaced. I thought this was the end of the problem. I contacted their main headquarters in New Jersey and after working with customer relations was given a 100,000 mile warranty. I am so happy I did this because the engine problems didnt end there.In August of 2015, my engine light came on - I pulled over and called the dealer and was told if it was the flashing one to not drive it and have someone tow it. It wasnt the flashing one and wasnt told I could continue to drive it. I drove the car to the dealer and told them I wanted it fixed. It was under warranty. They replaced a sensor. They had my car for 5 days. I picked the vehicle up and drove it for about 3 days and the light came on again. I took it back to the dealer, they gave me a loaner vehicle, couldnt find the problem (after having it in the shop for 2 weeks), turned the engine light off and called me to come get it. I picked it up and drove it for about 3 days and the same thing happened. I took it back - they gave me a loaner vehicle. When the service manager called they said it was a vacuum problem - and it was how I was braking. I said that was not possible. I got another call, the service manager told me that it was dirty and the catalytic converter was dirty too. He asked where I was buying gas and told me that I should only be using gas from Costco, Shell or Chevron 92 octane (even though the manual says otherwise). They said they would get a data recorder from Subaru and it would take them about 3 days to get it - I was told I could keep driving the loaner or pick up my own car and drive it and bring it back in when they got the recorder. I chose for them to keep it until they got the recorder. I didnt hear anything for 2 weeks. On a Saturday the service manager called and yelled at me that I hadnt picked up my car. I asked if they had the data recorder yet and he said no. They wanted me to be driving my car so the warranty would run out. On November 6th they called and said they had gotten the data recorder. I was already home from work when they called. I picked my car up on the 9th. Three days later the light came on again. I took it back to the dealer. They called and said they think they corrected the problem. The rear sensor was replaced.I dont believe they would have done any of it if I hadnt contacted their headquarters. It took over 3 months to get the problem corrected. Because of how I was treated by the dealership and the reliability of the cars, I will never buy another Subaru. Subaru does have a class action lawsuit against them now for the excessive oil burning issue. Their remedy is to give an extended warranty! Its not worth it!
If all the stories were true, Subaru was going to be a great first new car. 300,000 miles I could expect without any major problems. The year was 2009, times were tough but I love my wife and wanted to get her safe car for the icy winters. I have had several problems with this vehicle. The first one being an axle broke and 60,000 miles, second one being replacing the head gaskets and 80,000 miles-- This should have been a factory recall. Now throwout bearing cost $1300 with only hundred and 5000 miles. Wonder what will be next for this car. I will say local Subaru dealer help pay for the axle, I still had to pay for labor. Subaru USA did help pay for the head gasket but I still had to go to my 401(k) to pay $1200. When you live paycheck to paycheck and wanted by new reliable car, is Subaru really the car for you? This is my story.
Hit a deer one week after purchasing. Had to wait OVER TWO MONTHS for parts and Subaru would only give loaner car if we had vehicle repaired at their dealership which is over 100 miles away! Battery was bad, finally got them to replace it. Tilt steering wouldnt stay locked. Wheel bearings went bad, no notice sent out. Numerous problems with driver information center touch screen, software only updated once, now other information has disappeared! Drivers seat developed a split, dealer said to call the 800 number since its not warrantied. My Ford seats lasted over 15 years! If it wasnt for the comfortable ride, Id get rid of it.
Just bought a 2013 Outback and with driving it less that 1000 miles, the seat padding is gone and Im sitting on the corners of the seat frame. There is no padding there at all and it is basically undrivable. I find it hard to believe that others are not having the same issues. Just bought a car that I dont want to drive. No love here. The car seats suck on this car...do not buy!
January 2017, I decided it was time to upgrade my Subaru. I went to Dick Hannah and found a 2015 Subaru WRX (certified Preowned) still under the factory warranty. Sold. The car was wonderful... for about three weeks. Then it was downhill for the next 6 months. The check engine light came on and was of course taken to Dick Hannahs service department to be repaired. They claimed to have fixed it and a week later, light comes on again. So I go back and forth about 8 times (about 3-4 months, same light same problem) and I finally go to the general manager and see if this is a lemon. Apparently I missed that by about a month. Okay cool. Now what? I am treated poorly by them and there is nothing they can do. I moved on to Gresham Subaru, and at this point I get Subaru of America involved. Gresham claims to fix the car... same light, same problem a week later. Now we are at 9 visits to the shop for the same problem. As if Im not frustrated enough... I cannot get a hold of anyone at Subaru for probably two weeks. Their customer service reps would say okay 24-48 hours and you will get a call from a supervisor. Never happens and I continue to call and wonder what is going on. So it doesnt qualify for a lemon OR a buy back - no explanation, just no it doesnt qualify - Im wanting a collateral exchange at this point... 7 months later, 10 visits for the same check engine light issue, the techs are literally scratching their head at my car. And everyone at Subaru of America is beating around the bush. Wont answer my calls, keeps saying that they wont know anything until their engineers take a look at my car, they keep ordering and replacing and testing parts and I feel like I am a victim of a scam. This is the most awful experience and Subaru is showing their true colors and do NOT stand behind their vehicles when there is a problem. Clearly the 1 and half stars by everyone else explains enough. I HAD to rate this as one star but it doesnt even deserve that.
My air conditioner, heater and defogger all of a sudden went out. After having a Subaru mechanic look for the problem, he found burnt wiring that connected everything to the air conditioner, heater and defogger. I could not afford the prices that a dealership charges, so I took it to my mechanic to be fixed. So far in a month’s period, it has happened again. I not only have had to have the wiring replaced twice, but I had to pay a mechanic twice. I am on a limited monthly budget (social security) and to have this repair done twice is not on my list of luxury expenses. Subaru needs to have a recall done for this problem as it could have unexpected consequences for their larger than large company.
I bought a brand new 2009 Subaru Forester with a 5-speed manual transmission. From day 1, I had problems getting into reverse. It got so bad, that at times, I could not even get into reverse. Complained many times to the dealer and their response was it was normal, nothing was wrong with the car or that it had to be broken in or it was me. I finally brought it into the dealer and they told me, that they would have to take apart the transmission and Subaru will inspect it. If they deem it to be customer abuse then I would have to pay $4000.00 to fix it. Of course I opted not to do it. But to make matters worse, the engine had no pick up. I had to floor it and it still would not go. What a lemon! I would never buy a Subaru again.
They still wouldnt fix the rust but i got a better deal on a new 2018 STI. i guess its all a number of sales verses happy customers. If the car didnt rust i would still have it.
Excellent car for the value. Also the safety rating in the Subaru Crosstrek with its all wheel drive tops most competitors in its class. After test diving all most cars, we kept on coming back to the Subaru Crosstrek.
My daughter purchased a Subaru Impreza used 1995, has over 200 thousands miles on it. Only problem we have had is the cv joints and mass air flow sensor. All of sudden it starts skipping and the idle is very rough. No clue. Any help appreciated.
Clutch failure on 2015 wrx with 120 miles less than 24 hrs after. Dealership states it was owner inflicted since they gave pictures of this happening and it was from rally and review. The car would go into reverse but no other gear had it towed and will meet with Subaru tomorrow though they have stated that they will not honor warranty and we must pay for a new clutch. Will find out more tomorrow.
I leased Subaru xv October 2012. After 2 months it stopped suddenly. They said it was the flywheel and it was on the warranty. Then after another two weeks the clutch failed again and this time I was to blame. It was my driving style. Then after another one and a half year the clutch failed again! Before that I had my driving skills tested with the car authorities, who said my driving pattern was not a threat to neither clutch or engine. It does not help. I had to pay for the clutch and rental car. Never Subaru again. SHAME ON YOU, Subaru.
I have a 2013 Subaru XV Crosstrek, took it in for passenger side rear bearings to be repaired, they tell me they cant get the bearings off. They tried soaking it, tapping it, and no success. Now they tell me I need a new housing that the bearings, caliper and brakes sit on, the car is not even 3 yrs. old. That tells me thats a flaw in the making. From $500 to $1000. What now? Still waiting for the part as I type this message.
I bought a new 2014 Impreza in Richmond Hill. Paint defects appeared within 5,000 km all over my front bumper and hood. Both the dealer and Subaru Canada stepped back from repairing the defect under warranty and I had to file a claim in small claims court against both the dealer and head office. They eventually settled and paid. The issue is clearly experienced by many people all over the internet who also claim Subaru denied them any warranty. They lost me forever as a customer. They also asked me to sign a non disclosure prior to settlement that I declined. If I had then just writing this review would have landed me back in court. I have this entire disgusting experience fully documented. Shame on Subaru. Beware!!!!!
Purchased my 2017 Subaru Outback in May, 2017, and rear power liftgate has worked only intermittently since then. Dealer fix in June (Don Beyer Subaru, Alexandria VA) didnt help, and problem continues. Contacted Subaru USA about power liftgate problem, and they said that I had probably inadvertently disturbed the liftgate height control on the dash, and should fix it myself by consulting the Subaru manual, which I did, and the steps suggested in the manual again resulted in a continuation of the liftgate operating only intermittently, or not at all. This is not acceptable in a brand new vehicle. Subaru USAs answer shows that they are aware that there is a power liftgate switch problem and they dont have any corrective action, other than to fob off their problem on the unfortunate buyer. An inoperable rear liftgate is a massive inconvenience, since the rear storage/carrying area is rendered useless. Dont love a Subaru, will never purchase another or recommend to anyone.
We purchased a 2019 Ascent and love many things about it. The one thing we DO NOT is the MPG. We have carefully monitored the MPG in all sorts of circumstances, even trying to drive at the speed limit on cruise control for several hours in 8th speed in the manual mode. That is where we got the best MPG at 19.2. At no other time have we been close to the quoted number. Our average has been 17.2 city and 18.8 highway, which are very different numbers from what the window sticker numbers showed. We have tried endlessly to work with Subaru of America and have had little to no help as they are not taking ownership of the discrepancy and they just keep trying to put it back on the dealership. Clearly this is a corporate issue as they build the vehicles and the dealership just sells them!
I bought my Outback new and have taken meticulous care of the car, religiously changed the oil and all of the customary tune ups. I do quite a bit of driving, having put 149k in less than 6 years but have tended to every update or replacement so to avoid any unforeseen major issues. Last year, my oil light came in which confused me since I had 2k miles to go before the next oil change. Went to check the oil and it was boned drive. Since then, I have carried extra oil - just in case this happened again. Did not think much of this fluke. Fast forward to a couple of months ago, I felt a noticeable decrease in performance. Took it to my mechanic and always got its fine.A month ago, noticed that my acceleration was compromised so my mechanic changed the engine filter and then the battery, which improved the acceleration slightly, but thought it was in my head. The car started to make a rattling sound after trying to accelerate over 60-80MPH; it felt that the engine was choking. I would not even pass other cars for fear of the car stalling; no lights came on. Then the next day, the dashboard went haywire with the lights (cruise control, solid engine light, traction control, and another light that I cant remember right now). Took it to another Subaru dealership in North Attleboro, MA and they hooked it up to the machine and told me that I needed OSV Valves for both side, code P0028. The cost of the valves were 235.74 and labor was 600.00, totaling $835.74, which I paid since I thought it was going to resolve this issue once and for all.I asked if the tech took the car for a test drive and they could not confirm this. I picked up the Subaru and drove off, the car had a slight improvement but not for the 835.75 repair. Called Subaru the next day, and drove the car back to the dealership. Had the general manager drive my car, and he felt that the car had no power to accelerate and that the transmission felt like it was slipping. This was Saturday morning. On Tuesday, the Subaru manager said that they were still working on it; they could not find the source of the problem and was on the phone with another Subaru department trying to figure this out. A day later, we got a text message stating it was my transmission leaking down internally. The cost to replace was $6040 and that did not include other parts and fluid. I wrote to Subaru since I feel that the Class Action Lawsuit of the excessive oil consumption may be related to the transmission.In addition, Subaru had replaced OSV valves and did not test drive the car to see if they remedy the issue. Lastly, why did the diagnostic machine pick this up? I purposely asked the tech, if there was another nested issue underneath the OSV valves; she answered no. The POO28 code was correct diagnosis. I will contest the charge for the valves on my Visa and have written to Subaru Corp about this issue. Between replacing timing belt, fuel pump, tires... this transmission would have set me back well over 10k. If I cant get Subaru to fix this for under 2k, I will trade it in. This car was great in the snow, but the seats were uncomfortable, poor visibility from the side of the car (blindspots were bad). Headlights are constantly burning out and Subaru response is to go to the dealership to get them replaced. Next car will be a Honda or Toyota.
There is nowhere to buy a tire for the 2014 Subaru Forester. I contacted dealer, NTB. They both told me it is on back order, at least 3 weeks. What am I going to do for 3 weeks?
I own a 2013 Outback 2.5. I drive a ton for work, family and fun. Like 30k per year. Pretty quickly I realized my car was going through a lot of oil. Oil light was going on at 2,500 miles. The dealership said it was probably because of the amount of miles I drove. I would just add the oil. At 90,000 miles my transmission was making a horrible whiny noise that got worse. They said I needed a new transmission because they cant fix the CVT. It is an all enclosed unit. They said it would cost about $8,000.00 but would talk with Subaru about getting some help. It still cost me $2,000.00 and I was driving a loaner for about three weeks. At 110,000 miles I get a letter in the mail about a Class Action lawsuit regarding the oil consumption issue. I take it to the dealer as directed. They changed the oil and I bring it back after 1250 miles so they can verify oil consumption. What do you know, my car goes through too much oil! They replaced the small block for no charge. I had my car back in three days. My point is that I was less than happy about the issues my car had, but more than happy with Subarus and my dealers response to those issues.
Subaru has had a history of head gasket failures due to the flat, boxer-style engine design! I heard from a local mechanic that the issues from around 1999 to mid-2000s had been addressed and corrected. No way! This will always be a chronic, ongoing issue with Subaru engines! I am the original owner of a 2010, 2.5 4c Subaru Outback. I have babied my car and had all maintenance done on time, including oil changes and 60,000 mile service at a local Subaru dealer. It is low mileage at approx. 94,000 miles, purchased in May of 2010, so just over 8 years old as of October, 2018.Please also note, if you are in the market for a used Outback, that with the new body style starting in 2010, Subaru removed the engine temperature gauge from the dash and didnt reintroduce until 2015! There is no way to monitor if your engine temp is running high normal or not, especially when there is a head gasket or A/C issue during hot, summer month! Buyer beware!!!My coolant started to boil out of the reservoir and the only way I was alerted to this problem was due to the low coolant light flashing on and off for a brief moment at a time, twice over two days. It turns out, this was the beginning of a head gasket failure... at slightly less than 94,000! When contacted, Subaru corporate did not stand by their product, even knowing that hg issues are a built-in weakness/ongoing issue due to the shape/configuration of their flat boxer engine design vs the V configuration of say a more reliable Toyota SUV. Their staff dismissed my issue and would not help out in any financial or emotional way. They were actually aggressive, non-empathetic and accusatory!I ended up paying well over $2,500 to get my car back on the road, not including a $400+ tow to my nearest dealer, in another state. It is interesting that Subaru advertising works so had to convince buyers that there is longevity to their product as in 98% of Subaru vehicles are on the road 10 years later. They fail to mention the cost to the owners to keep their cars on the road for that amount of time!So, bottom line, if you are considering a new, newer-used or used Subaru, I would highly recommend 1) you do your research, 2) consider a different, more reliable brand such as Toyota, Lexus or Acura and 3) dont expect Subaru to stand by their product if you do have a major mechanical issue in the future, regardless of age and/or mileage! My entire family used to drive Subaru vehicles. They now all drive Toyota SUVs. I was the last holdout. I guess I am a slow learner, lol. Please save your hard-earned dollars and buy something much more reliable than a Subaru product! Happy car shopping!
I bought a used 2012 Subaru Legacy from a non-Subaru dealership and 4 days later there was something wrong with the transmission. The dealership at first couldnt identify the problem. So I googled it and discovered what was wrong. Thanks to a YouTube video. They then didnt want to help fix it and my warranty doesnt kick in till 30 days after date of purchase. And the vehicle wasnt safe to drive, it stalled if I broke too hard. So I couldnt wait the 30 days and go without. I called Subaru and they paid $1000 towards the repair! They didnt have to do that and they did because thats good customer service.
I purchased a 2006 Subaru B9 Tribeca last year (2012) from an original owner and was happy using it until one morning, the hood just popped up, slamming on the windshield while I was driving. Luckily, I was on a local street and was alone on the road so no accident happened, but my windshield was destroyed and needed replacement. Last month, the hood popped up again while I was driving at 55 mph and destroyed again the windshield. Luckily, again, no accident happened and I was able to stop and go home safely. I believe this model has a defect on the hood latch and Subaru should have recalled this a long time ago. See attached windshield repair receipts as proof of what happened.
We have taken our 2017 Subaru in 5 times to fix this problem: while driving the check engine and other warning lights come on and safety features like lane change turn off. We are losing faith in Subaru. This didnt happen with the car right away. Weve been told it was related to fuel issues, computer issues, something different each time. I dont think they know what is causing the problem.
It has always been at least a two week wait for an appointment. Now its 30 days. Really??? I was also given the option of just leaving my car there for a week. They might get to it per the person answering the phone. I purchased an extended warranty which is about to run out. Now all of a sudden my headlight wont come on. I took to a mechanic and he tests and determines its the switch which is over $200. He says it should be under warranty. I cannot get an appointment earlier than 30 days. I travel a lot and consider this to be dangerous. Are the low beams going to go out too? Who knows, I dont. Also had a recall on the wiper motors which I cannot get serviced either. 30 days is a ridiculous time to wait for service. Especially on things that can cause you harm or injury if they go out.Whats going on? You sell us this stuff and you cannot deliver. Oh I was also told I could take it to the next county which is 40 mins away. What kind of service is this, anyway. The solution. If your auto has problems and you dont have enough mechanics to deal with the volume of customers, then Subaru needs to pay the person I get to repair it. I think that is fair. Is there a recall on the turn signal light switch? My vehicle is a 2012. Never owned a car that had so many dangerous problems so quick. My car now has 50K miles. What am I to expect in the future?? I thought this was a well put together vehicle. Im beginning to wonder. Not being able to have the vehicle serviced in a reasonable period of time is not acceptable to me, and Im sure not to any owner. So, I await your reply for my solution since your service dept. cannot help me. I live in Asheville, NC.
My 2009 Subaru Impreza WRX consumed excessive oil, resulting in bearing pieces being circulated throughout the engine ruining it. This was my first Subaru and my last. I called Subaru but was told the car was out of warranty. Even though the engineering was defective the company would still not stand behind its product. I am currently having to pay over $8,000 for a new engine & labor. Have never been more disappointed in anything that I have bought ever. If a company knows its product is defective you would think they would have an obligation to offer pay for at least part of the engine. Awful, awful experience. Im going back to my German built autos, never one problem with them.
Purchased New. Cheap carpet and seat fabric. After 36k CV boot went, then driver boot 1k later. Boot rubber is thin compared to other car makers. At 68K, Rubber in throw out bearing went. At 68k, Power steering pump leaking. Cost? Almost 5K.
2014 Outback- Until now I have done all my oil changes at the dealer (Tom Wood Subaru). On 3 occasions the oil light came on and I had to add one quart of oil. This occurred about 3000 to 4000 miles after the oil change. When I brought this up with the service rep the first time he told me that apparently during assembly, one of the three piston rings had not been installed in some vehicles resulting in excessive oil consumption. Consequently, Subaru had instituted a usage test involving retesting for loss of oil after 1200 miles (loss of 1/3 quart). The dealership has run this test twice and reported no excessive loss of oil in either case. I believe that the test being used by Subaru is not precise enough to detect the problem after 1200 miles and should actually be done between 3000 and 4000 miles. The other possibility is that excessive oil consumption occurs under certain conditions. If this is the case, Subaru needs to share this information with the vehicle owners.
I had talked my mom into a Subaru Legacy 3017. I took it in with less than 2000 miles saying it shows the oil is really low. The tech looked at it and said oh its fine and I could not believe it but it showed full at the dealership. The next time I checked it in the drive it showed low again. I thought well there is a slight slant to the drive. That must be it. We had the battery go dead 4 times over the winter. I mean to the point that my jump box that will start my pick up that someone hit in the rear end. I only drive it when I have to haul something so its usually pretty dead. It will start it right up it took forever on this one. Today I am totally lost as to why I called several places and I just get told each place, Oh you need to call here or there. I called about the maps part of this on a 2017 Subaru Legacy that just came from being serviced at 3100 miles and it does have problems they cannot duplicate. I was a Service Manager for GM for years and a service writer. I LOVED the job, but I could at least answer some questions. I have yet to get one question answered. I was going to buy a used Subaru from the same dealership but at this point, I think I will stick with a GM car... I can at least get an answer. I first started to ask if I need to PAY for Starlink to be able to use the maps as every site I look at says with Starlink and maps its so nice. I have not once been able to get the maps to go anywhere by voice commands if I do get a response other than being told she did not understand. Then I would get other states coming up... It took 15-30 minutes to manually get one time the map to work right and every other time I just grabbed the Garmin and said well they have always been my choice of GPS and very easy to get to a location. I asked this girl where the SD card is in the vehicle. She said well didnt I go to that site. The one I am at now and I said YES and have already downloaded the toolbox but on a video, it said they could be located in several different spots. She said call toolbox as she only deals with Maps. I said isnt this all part of it. She said no. Is there anything else she could help me with. I said, I guess not. You did like every other Subaru Phone number I called... telling me to call someone else. They had no idea about Starlink or Sirius or what I was talking about.My next call is going to be to the Attorney General since NO ONE wants to help at all... but boy they were sure there to sell the vehicle. I honestly was going to get a Subaru until I seen how hard it is to get 1 question answered and I had several to ask and was cut off every time... I do better calling DirecTV or my Insurance Co. and they get me to my boiling point after all the BS. I think they need a Class Action suit as we just had the oil changed they said they had to do an update for the battery. The next time I go to drive it the Nav system kept telling me it didnt understand or would send me to other states. I tried to put it in manually and had trouble. I called and got that run around. I have the feeling if we dont pay the Starlink yearly they will even lock you out. I read about that on other sites. One being the piXXed off the page. I am VERY VERY dissatisfied the way I have been treated so far. I just drove the car without the radio on and think I had better check the oil myself as it does not sound right at all... I think I will stick with GM and not get a Subaru like I was going too... Best wishes to all Subaru owners. I did talk to a guy at the after-hours place and I said I would just wait until they are open Monday since he said he could not help at all with why nothing was working.
I was so excited to get a backup camera but the one on my 2015 Forester is worse than not having one. It makes everything look so much further away than it really is. And today I glanced into it before backing into my space and right into the side of my husbands car. I waited 15 years to get a new Forester and I am so disappointed in it. This would have never happened using the mirrors. You know, it warns you if youre too close to something in front of you, when what you really need is a warning if something is behind you. My daughter has a Kia and the backup camera is 100 times better than my Foresters. Please correct this before it is a little child someone doesnt see.
We bought a new 2019 Subaru Crosstrek. It has the Worst gas mileage we have ever seen in a vehicle. Its getting 13mpg. We have owned it now for 3 months. Now the dealership has says it will get better the long we own it!! We would like to file a lawsuit against Subaru and the dealership for false advertising this product. It does not get Nowhere what they are advertising. Maybe we bought a bad one. If so we would try another Subaru.
They charged me $84 for wiper blades! They changed the brake fluid in just the reservoir and nobody does that. For another $80, Ill go to another mechanic-parts store from now on.
I bought a used 2016 Subaru Forester with only about 20k miles on it, still under warranty. I was okay at first, now I notice how harsh the ride is. I can feel every bump in the road! Is there something wrong with the shocks? Are the shocks adjustable? Is there someone with the same vehicle experiencing the same thing?
I was sold on Subaru after spending time in Colorado, Wyoming and Montana and seeing so many Subarus on the road. I traded my LR3 for the Crosstrek. Small, simple, sporty little car. I had been drawn in to the commercials selling love and tradition and warm and fuzzy emotions. I was told at purchase that the powertrain/drivetrain was lifetime. Besides the incredibly loud road noise and lightweight size of the vehicle it got great gas mileage. It was easy to zip around town and fit in any parking space. The look was sporty and cute. At 58000 miles both rear wheels had bearings go out, the alternator had to be replaced, the battery had to be replaced and I had just put new set of nice tires on it. Contacting dealer I purchased from I was told all under warranty except for battery. Upon taking to Subaru, told nothing under warranty. When purchased I was told this car would hold its value like a Jeep. I traded it yesterday and I owed 18577 on payoff and multiple dealers valued at 11,000. This was the most costly vehicle I ever owned and the most stressful. You do not want to drive near large pickup trucks or 18 wheelers. I was suckered in like a Hallmark card on a cold winter day.
I like the cars performance in bad weather like rain, snow and ice. The car keep me comfortable. I also like the all-wheel drive and heated seats. But I am disappointed with my Subaru in the cost of repairs. They are very expensive. Also, the windshield has been a bother and has broken numerous times. Rocks hit it and instantly put holes in the window. We have replaced the window five or six times.
I have been a loyal customer of Saturn/Subaru of South Blvd. in Charlotte, NC. I drive a Saturn 2000 Wagon and had a problem with a weeping radiator. I took it to Subaru and told them to look for the car over to make sure there were no other problems looming so I dont put money into a car that isnt worth it. I assumed they looked it over and did the repair. I drove the car home and the next day, my husband noticed an oil leak on the garage floor. I thought it was an overflow issue since I had just gotten it out of the shop and if it was a problem, surely they would have noticed. So I just overlooked it. This continued for a couple of weeks and no lights came on, so I assumed it was no problem. It got to where there was a pool of oil left behind all the time. I took it back to Subaru and they looked at it again and determined that there was a seal leak that would cost $1800.00 to fix. It had a slow leak that turned into a gusher between Subaru and my home the day I picked it up. I was very upset that at their direction, I had just poured $1200.00 into a car that had an obvious leak that they did not even mention. Now, they tell me the car is not even worth the $1800.00 it would cost to fix. My question is: Why didnt they tell me that $1200.00 ago? I discussed it with the service manager David ** and they had no interest in doing anything to address the problem. It was my problem and their was nothing they would do. I walked in the door as a loyal customer and walked out as a very unhappy camper. I later phoned and asked to talk to the manager, who was in a meeting, so I told the man who took the message for the manager what had happened. He said he would relay the message and have him call me! It has been 2 weeks and I have not heard a word from anyone! I hope you can explain this because I am shocked that they would treat a customer like that! They turned a person, who was in the dealership in need of a new car, into a person who would never buy a car there and will be more than happy to tell all of my friends, who are lifelong animal rescuers, about my ordeal with a Subaru dealership! I even have a dear, personal friend who is a Pilots N Paws volunteer. He would be as shocked as I am if I told him this. I would like to know what you think of this. I am in the market for a new car! Your response will determine what course I could take from here! Ill await your reply! Thank you for your time! Kathy **
2013 Legacy Limited 2.5i - a noisy lemon. I purchased this car new and drove it for a month. I heard a popping noise in the rear. I took it in for warranty repair and got it back unfixed. I took it back in and got it back dirty and unfixed. I took it back in, got it back unfixed. I took it back in - this is number 4 if you are counting. This time, Subaru professionals from New Jersey drove it and never called me. They left the dealer and at that moment, I got a call from the shop saying They couldnt hear anything and we wash our hands of this problem. So there you go folks, Subaru makes a lemon and does not repair or even acknowledge the problem after it goes into the shop 4 times. Buyer beware.
My wife and I currently own a 2011 Subaru Forester we purchased new from Hatfield Subaru in Columbus, Ohio. We have always had it serviced at Byers Dublin Subaru in Columbus Ohio. At the 25,000 mile mark both head gaskets were leaking so the mechanics at Byers pulled the motor and replaced them. Just recently at the 33,000 mile mark I brought in my vehicle to Byers for my 30,000 maintenance check also complaining of a strange noise. They informed me the head gasket was leaking again and the noise we heard was the transmission running low on fluid. They again pulled the motor and made repairs. However, when placing the motor back in the car a strange noise developed in the engine. They again pulled the motor adjusting the tensioning on the timing chain yet the noise was still present. They then contacted Subaru technical support asking for assistance. They are currently pulling the motor for the fourth time with the intention of replacing the cylinder heads and camshaft.Up until now, I have been in contact with both dealerships expressing my concerns. I have also spoken with customer service, a supervisor, and a manager at Subaru of America. The manager at Subaru headquarters said they could only offer me 2500.00 towards the purchase of a new vehicle. The manager at Hatfield where I purchased my vehicle from passed me off to a sales associate who only wanted to sell me a new Subaru at full price to meet his end of the month February sales quota. The manager at Byers where my car is being serviced has been less than forthcoming as to the true status of my vehicle and I have not heard from him as to the status of my vehicle as promised in the last four business days.What concerns me the most is my wife and I now own a Subaru with a long list of engine problems so early in its life and a transmission which has been exposed to wear by fluid loss and after June of 2017 we have no warranty. We worked very hard paying off this vehicle early with every intention of keeping it for at least the next ten years. This was our first new car purchase and we chose Subaru because its incredible record of reliability. The current trade in value for this vehicle is 14,500 and we cannot afford to take out another loan for 10-14 thousand dollars to get the same style of Subaru we just paid off. We paid in full for a Subaru because of its name, we always had it serviced at your dealerships, and I feel we are being punished for a rare flaw which required them to pull the engine so early in its life and thus creating more problems with the engine and transmission by trying to put it back together. It is not a matter of if this vehicle will have more problems in the near future it is a matter of when and I refuse to put my wife and two children back in this Subaru wondering when the next big mechanical failure might occur, one which we cannot afford. I am reaching out to you with the hope of resolving this issue and I refuse to give up until a solution can be reached.
Has late night purchase, gave finance manager $15000 cashiers check us and additional $2000 cash to get my monthly payment down below $400/month. After reviewing my paperwork couple days after, realize they added $1000 to my agreed purchase price. Before confronting Jay, salesperson, about this problem I went through my car details including the price he gave me. Two separate times he agreed with the price he had given me by phone on more than 3 occasions before I committed to purchase. This price was the original price Jay told me at the beginning. After he reconfirmed his and my price two additional times, I told him that I had given extra cash during financing and told him exactly $1000 added to my initial price. He hesitated, then said it was the changed figure. It was obvious he was covering for finance and Moe sales manager.So I gave Jay and Moe a week to come up with solution... Long story short they didnt. So contacted GM, Jobe **. He said he would find out info and get back to me... He didnt. Finally got him on phone week later and he told me he had talked to owners and he has good and favorable news for me, put me on hold so he could get my paperwork. After holding for short while, unidentified person came on phone asking if the could help me..(?) I told them I was holding for Jobe. That he had asked me to hold awaiting answer for my situation. Person, Moe, sales manager, said Jobe was in a meeting. That he wanted to know how he could help me(?) Not wanting to rehash again with someone who had previously refused to do anything for over 10 days after knowing of problem. Since then... I contacted Subaru of America for help communicating with Glendale Subaru, Jobe, GM because he refused on 3 separate occasions to take my phone call. Plus I called Lane ** general sales manager. He didnt return my call. I asked Moe, by email twice to relay the owners and GMs solution, but he and GM refused to return my call. Now he told corporate Customer service agent trying help me get info that the GM and Owners had decided. Its become obvious the GM put this $1000 cash fraud back on Moe... Because Moe, Glendale sales manager, refuses to relay this message. Seems likely he is directly involved in this late night fraudulent buying transaction. I would advise ANYONE looking to purchase a Subaru... I 1000% would never do business with Glendale Subaru!! They protect and cover for each other with dishonest transaction. From GM by washing his hands of the situation by not getting involved and leaving it up to his dishonest sales and finance department to get out of this situation alone. In my opinion, Jobe lacks a backbone because he refuses to talk to dissatisfied customers. Yet he blows smoke up peoples rear, by saying he and his dealership are honest and he wants to make thing right and wants to make sure THEIR customers are happy. The GM and THEIR sales staff at Glendale in my opinion are ripping off THEIR owners $$... Very very unhappy Glendale Subaru and Corporate Customers service for allowing this GM to say he is happy with his dealerships customer outreach (ha ha) towards me. Dismissing all my attempts to get him on phone and to complete telling me his owners good and favorable decision. Absolute appalling customer care and outreach. What a rotten egg dealership. Makes me wonder how much $$$ they have defrauded other customers. Ive consulted other car dealers, GMs and previous Subaru Dealership owners. They know exactly what happened. They told me its obvious the GM, Jobe, knows too. He doesnt want to write a check so he just told culprits, his finance and sales to handle the situation they created. BOTTOM LINE. This lack of customer care and outreach to take care of this issue. Receives 1 on scale of 10 for honesty and true care for all customers. I know now I was foolish to give Glendale Subaru any cash. Especially at last transaction of work night. That further explain why the finance manager stuck the cash $ in his pocket... Thought that was highly unusual.
I bought a brand new Subaru Forester XT in October 2008. It has less than 40k miles and Friday, March 3, the car died and I narrowly avoided a collision with another car. Turns out the lower block of the engine needs to be replaced. I have read numerous reports online that Subaru issued a stop sale on my exact model of car in April 2008 for internal wear. I have been told my VIN does not reflect this issue, but I dont believe Subaru. I have read post from other owners with VINs almost exactly like mine that ran into the same issues. This is the second time my car has been back to Subaru because of engine issues.
Purchased 2015 Subaru Outback... Wonderful car!!! Except for the SCREEN on the sound system (radio). Over time, the screen becomes filled with squiggly lines (looks like ^^^^ hieroglyphics). When any bright light strikes the screen, it becomes almost impossible to view... Everything. Had replaced by dealer, but the problem returned. Dealer says its Common with this car. Is anyone else having this problem? Did anyone else get a fix? I can definitely say that this issue will STOP my wife and I from getting another Subaru.
I purchased my new 2013 Subaru Forester in July of that year after having a 2003 Subaru forester for ten years hoping that l would get as good as run out of 2013 as l did out of the 2003. But in the three years that l have had this car (2013), l have a short motor put in at 100,000 kms which had to pull the motor apart twice as the dealership put the old shim valves back in it so they had to put it apart to put new shim valves back in. The front lower control arms bushes have been replaced twice both front CV Joints on both sides have been replace. Bluetooth unit has been replaced 3 times and still giving me problems. The HILLHOLD/ABS/ADC warning lights had been coming on repeatedly which l was told it was a faulty brake light switch. The sensor for the horn has also been replaced and all wheel nuts and hub bolts have all been replaced twice. So this experience has put a bitter in my mouth to back to buy another Subaru.
Have had a 2010 Subaru outback for 3.5 years. Have done all required maintenance at subaru dealers. Had a gold plus” warranty for 1st 70k, sunroof stopped working at 71k, no love from Subaru. 1800 quoted for complete replacement of unit. 133k, took it to dealer for high pitch whine in front right. 2 hours later was informed that the cvt trans was failing and needed replacement, dealer quoted 7300 for a rebuilt from subaru or a used trans (salvage) for 3300. Warning: if you have a little old person driving a subaru with over 110k you might want to tell them that 7300 is not a good investment in a car with only 113k. These cars are supposedly supposed to last 250k or more (if you can afford these types of repairs) obviously I should have known that going in but I thought the new 2010-14 subies had all these great improvements. I have never towed anything and driven this outback anything other than gently, too bad loved the driving part, great on snow but can’t afford these types of repairs. Pleaded my case with North America Subaru, they would knock the 7300 down to 4200 at a subaru dealer. So that means the little old person would have been probably paid 7300 and I can see that happening. Short story is a tranny shop is going to put a used one in for 2500 parts and labor (friend of a friend). Maybe I just am not used to modern cars since my family has a camry with 198k and I had a tundra with 178k, 12 and 14 years old with no major mechanical repairs. Soon to be Subaru-free in the Midwest.
Purchased new, great vehicle for engine and drivetrain. The execution of function and maintenance of the interior and exterior is a poor effort. The front end is a bug catcher. The interior could have been better appointed with holders and storage. The gas pedal position is horrible and extremely uncomfortable, with no remedy from your company. The paint and body is a joke. Dont spit too hard on it!!! Too bad you came up short. A pickup with this drivetrain with practical appointments with form and function... At least you have room to improve. Feel a bit cheated...
New 2017 Subaru Forester with 2500 miles when has a small puncture while driving about 40 MPH. I immediately stopped the car and changed to the cheap junk spare. My local tire dealer examined the tire and said he could repair the puncture easily but the sidewall was delaminated rendering the tire unusable. Since he is a trusted friend, I value his opinion and the delamination was obvious. Subaru is selling cars with these junky Yokohama tires. Its my life and my familys that they put at risk selling this junk. I purchased the new Subaru based upon reputation and never thought to check the tires. Im now out $145 for a new tire as well as the inconvenience. Fair warning Subaru - I do not forget and I do often comment.
I never had any problems with my Subaru 2007 Forester. However, one day, after I drove it 12 miles to work, 12 miles to go back home, 6 miles to park and ride my bike, and another 6 miles to go home--the next morning, it was broken. The dealership claims over heating and warped cylinder head--it never over heated, ever. It is costing me $3,587 to repair. Has this happened across Subarus? Should there be a recall on 2007 Foresters? Could it really not be covered under warranty? I keep my car in good condition, check the water and oil and I have proof of oil changes--the last one was 06 July 11. All this happened on 01 Sept 11. Can you help me?
I own a 2012 Subaru Outback with 120k. We paid it off at the beginning of the year and are now being told it may need a new transmission. It has been in the shop for weeks trying to diagnose the problem. At the very least it needs a torque converter. I have called Subaru to ask for help but they are not willing to do anything because it is out of warranty. I wont buy another Subaru.
I can not believe that Subaru refuse to fix a warranty issue with a new vehicle. Subaru have dodged the issue for 18 months. They refused to admit there was an issue; operator error. Now they admit there is a fault but only want to fix half the problem. Looking at international websites, there are quite a large number of complaints about the 2015 Outback and also the tailgate function. The tailgate has malfunctioned since now and they make up plenty or reasons not to repair the car. I thought this sort of deceptive practice stopped in the last century. So much for buying a new vehicle.
I have a 2010 Subaru Forester with no problems and the older engine. As you know, they switched to a newer engine in 2011 models, which have a piston oil control ring that wears prematurely and there have been a successful lawsuit which extends the engine warranty to 100K and 8 years with the stipulation that you have a Subaru dealer oil consumption test. I bought a 2013 Forester and the oil pressure light started coming on around 45k. I replaced the sensor 2 times based on Subarus recommendations because they pretended they didnt have a clue. How many thousands of complaints has Subaru had, and they act like they are innocent. To get a new engine, you have to get a TSB oil consumption test. Ive had 2 oil consumption tests. The first one the dealer overfilled and then filled up and told me it was normal. I complained to BBB and got my money back. I went to another dealer and this time I made them show me the oil level before I left, however, they also filled the engine back up, and told me there was no problem and they would never lie because they have newborns and they are honest. Right. Because Im a girl who has 42 years of experience working on cars, and I couldnt possibly know how to pull out an oil stick and check the level. So... the moral of this story is that unless you can get the dealer to admit you have low oil, you wont get the new engine. Which means you have to make them check it in front of you. Preferably with your camera rolling. Take pictures, get witnesses, and dont let your car out of your sight until they have the dipstick in their hands. Sound crazy? Try talking with the Subaru of America customer service reps. Youll be hanging up on them, guaranteed. Youll be so pissed off, you will wonder what the hell is wrong with this company. And it never ends. Its like a nightmare merry-go-round where your car is the POS. Plan on losing thousands along with these nasty ass people. I have now started documenting every time I check my oil and have to add it. I plan on posting on Youtube. Its very inconvenient. I carry two quarts in my back door. The 1st time was in Canyonlands, the second in my parking lot, which the 2nd dealer said laughingly, OMG a parking lot... Everyone knows a parking lot isnt level. So my next documentation oil check will have levels. I still love my Subarus, but its absolutely DISGUSTING that this corporation does not stand behind their vehicles. They knew about the problem and are letting their customers eat the costs. Problems that are documented by unhappy customers all over the web from 2011 to at least 2015. Im sure the 2016 and 2017s will have the same problem based on my dealings with this company. Can we say stick your head in the sand and pretend there isnt a problem? Ive NEVER had a car that burned oil at 45K!!! And from that point on, your peace of mind is OVER. Everywhere you go, you better remember to check the oil and put some oil in. Two quarts fits perfectly in the rear door... Just an FYI. Thatll get you down the road 2400 miles. Then you need some more oil. Im burning a quart every 600 miles, but Subaru tells me Im a dumb bunny... How would I know where the level is on an oil stick??? Dumb Bunny. Oh yeah, but the camera can see it... Really, the camera can see it, but the dealers cant? Now isnt that odd. Subaru consistently says there isnt a problem, but I have to keep adding oil because if I dont, Ill ruin my engine. And Subaru hopes that will happen.Subaru, you need to do right by your customers. You might be going strong now with sales of cars... but if everyone of those customers have the same problems with shady lying people that work in your dealerships, youll be lucky if anyone ever buys another car from you. Subaru is losing their loyal fan base. I have two Subarus right now. Will I buy another one? Not on your life. Because I dont buy new cars to open bug covered hoods, check burning oil sticks in 100 degree weather, crank open the hot oil cap and then add a half quart to go 400-600 miles. And then do it all over again and again and again. And then deal with a bunch of crappy liars. Camping?? Taking your relative to the Mayo Clinic 2000 miles away? Dont forget your quarts of oil, a funnel, plastic bags to put the oil in, something to wash your hands with because of the dirt and oil, some paper towels, and a hot pad. And a lot of patience. Dont waste your time with dealers or Customer Service. You will be much happier. At some point you will have to unload the oil burner. Who do you choose? A dealer or an unsuspecting person. I have the paperwork from Subaru to back up that my car isnt burning oil. How disgusting is that??? But youve got a Subarus dealers word for it. Does that tell you something? If it doesnt, it should. Buy a different brand. Because this is part of the Subaru culture when you buy one of those cool Subaru cars. Not to mention how unbelievable it is dealing with all the BS with the Customer Service people and Dealers. Mind boggling to say the least. And how many people have they screwed over??? Im one of them. I have a 2003 Honda Accord with 103,300 miles on it. No problems, and it doesnt consume oil. Ive had Toyotas who have rusted out, but the engine still wasnt burning oil and a Toyota RV that I drove all over the place with humongous loads on it, it never used oil. My POS 2013 Subaru burns oil like a sieve. Its a PZEV, which means its zero landfill. What about all that oil burning into the atmosphere and the extra oil every 600 miles? So for a 5000 mile oil change, its 5.5 quarts of synthetic 0W20, new oil filter and gasket for $39.99 and a quart of oil for every 600 miles at approximately 6.95/quart, which is 8.33 quarts of oil, at an additional cost of $57.92. Dont forget the aggravation of making sure you know when your oil is going to be low... like around 600 miles. Now this is me changing my oil using Mobil 1 synthetic. If you have them change it, its $58 to $116, and then add the $57.92, plus the aggravation, the BS and the absolute nothing that Subaru will admit to. Then you get to repeat, and repeat, and repeat. My advice, buy a Honda or Toyota or some other reputable brand. Ive had Hondas my whole life and Toyotas for over 20 years. No problems. My 2013 Subaru? The car itself is nice, but well, the engine is messed up. The main part of the car, and Subaru sells it to you that way. Some people pay $37K and get a bad engine. What? Huh? Read all the reviews you can. Because they arent liars. I love my car... I hate the engine, the dealers, and the car maker. Unless you want to pull the engine and put some decent oil control rings on the pistons, but Subaru didnt even care enough to do that and people are getting screwed. Its a really bad thing. The government should get involved. Maybe if there are enough complaints to congress.
Spoke to Subaru service department yesterday. Asked about oil consumption issue. His reply was oh dont worry, the problem seems to be going away. Gee, didnt know cars could fix themselves.
We purchased a Subaru Outback new in 2013, after many oil changes our car started using a quart of oil in between every oil change. Subaru says, it is normalto use a quart of oil in between oil changes. As time goes on, we have had it in numerous times and they cannot figure out why its using oil. Subaru has known that there is a problem and they offered an extended warranty for this issue. Again, I️ keep working with the dealership and they now say, we need a short block. Interesting that now we am completely out of warranty. They are willing to give me 1,000 toward fixing the issue. The completed bill will come to $4,400. I will admit the car gets around beautiful in bad weather but that is the only happiness we have seen in this car so far. We were hoping to get 250,000 miles on this car but at this point we will have to get a new one soon. Just a fair warning, read all reports before you buy a Subaru!
Subaru has always been our choice in vehicles, due to the safety factor and having an excellent reputation for producing a quality vehicle. However, I have a 2009 Forester, and we just noticed rust in several areas on the lip above the windshield. I took our vehicle to the dealer and the Service Manager said it was caused by stone chips and he would take no responsibility for it. The paint is still fully intact and there is absolutely no evidence or indication that a stone chip or any object came in contact with the vehicle where the rust is bubbling underneath the paint.There are a couple of stone chips along the front edge of my hood, however, and the rust has not bubbled at all and does not resemble the number of rust spots above the windshield. There is no rust anywhere else on the vehicle. Given we have been loyal customers to Muskoka Subaru. I am very disappointed with the Dealerships Service Manager response to my issue. Based on the warranty, the Anti-Perforation Limited Warranty (60 month/Unlimited km) covers perforation due to corrosion to body sheet metal panels for 60 months, regardless of kilometres. The Service Managers attitude towards me and my husband was ambivalent and discourteous. Frankly, his behavior reflected an attitude of not caring.When it became obvious to us there was not going to be any resolution dealing with the Service Manager. I stated I would escalate this issue to Subaru Canada. He informed me that I could not contact Subaru Canada and must deal directly with the dealership. I certainly hope this is not the policy of Subaru Canada, to prohibit customer input to achieve satisfactory resolution. It is unfortunate that a minor fix has resulted in change in our opinion towards purchasing and recommending Subaru vehicles in the future. The competent handling and resolution of our issue will restore our faith as a loyal Subaru customer in the future.My Experience today and documented to Subaru Canada: I was supposed to meet with the regional manager today at 11:00 A.M regarding the 21 rust spots on above my windshield. I believe you have the pictures. I arrived early to find he was in a meeting behind closed doors. I was given a courtesy car as I asked to have my snow tires put on and was told they would call me when he was out of his meeting. I arrived back to find he had left, said my issue is not covered. I am EXTREMELY upset he did not have the decency to meet with me, a loyal customer and how do I even know he looked at the Forester. Who can I take this up with now?? I need to go hire up and need this resolved. If I dont get any satisfaction, I will resort to social media. I am very unhappy with the lack of service and respect I have received to date.
Charlie ** was referred to me, because my brother and all his family by all their cars from Milea Dealership on East Tremont Ave, Bx, NY. Charlie was helpful as I turned my old Forester in, for an excellent trade in value - while they had a new one ready for me, with exceptional new safety features, and everything I needed in a car. Thank you for excellent professional timely service!! Everything was perfect and I am grateful for such an A+ experience with everyone I encountered, who could not have been more helpful!
I have owned 4 Subarus but I must say, I am done with the company. My 2002 Outback had the leaking head gaskets but was not part of the recall. Subaru paid for the repair (as they should have) and I was told the head gasket issue had been resolved on the newer model Subarus. When it was time to purchase a new car I bought a 2007 Outback thinking I would be OK because SOA promised the head gasket thing was resolved. Imagine my shock when I was told I had oil leaking from my head gasket. Then soon after the antifreeze started leaking. I wrote to SOA and was told this was normal wear on a car with 139000 miles. Shame on you Subaru. I have since found many people with the same leaking gasket issue on different model/year/mileage of Subarus. A google search will show you or just ask any mechanic or your Subaru owning friends. I wish I had done better homework. I love my AWD wagon but never another Subaru.
Just wanted to give feedback on my new purchase: Gateway Subaru Delaware. Pros: overall satisfied with my purchase, this was our 3rd Outback (2008, 2011 now 2015). Changes promoted purchasing upgraded Outback. 2015 purchased with every option available. Eyesight option just great! Cons: GPS not as accurate as my Garmin portable. Had I known the lack of function & accuracy I would left it out from my purchase.
Love the maneuverability of Impreza and how it grips the road! Great gas mileage! The price is great for what you get and I tell all my friends what a great car it is!
I saw paint bubble up and peel on my 1 year old Subaru. I took to a body shop and they said it was defective paint. I took it to Subaru and they accused me over and over again of allowing bird droppings to sit on my car and eat away the paint! Kristen was so rude. Here I see a major problem with a new car and she is yelling at me. They refused to repair it of course. Then I read all the bad news on Subaru in general. If you get a good one, you are lucky. The paint sucks, it burns oil and you never get the mileage they advertise - it is false. Oh well. So much for service 25,000 later and they cant put decent paint on a car.
It is a great all around vehicle. It is unique, all wheel drive, excellent gas mileage, very comfortable, really fun to drive, handles well, very durable and dependable. Also, it is only a four cylinder but had a lot of get up and go. Love the all wheel drive and the excellent gas mileage as well. However, it is on the small side and is not as easy as some cars to get in and out of. Sometimes the maintenance can be costly and timing belt change every 80,000 miles is a must as well.
The Subaru Impreza has been fairly reliable. I appreciate how great it handles in the snow and rain and other extreme weather conditions because it makes me feel safe. I chose this car because it was affordable in price and great qualities for its price. However, I wish it were easier and cheaper to maintain. The maintenance required to keep up the car has been very pricey and annoying. I also wish I had a higher more upgraded model that has nicer interior parts like leather seats.
Bought a 2014 Subaru Outback from them that was a Subaru certified used car. I’ve had nothing but issues with it. I reported to them that there was a loud screeching sound intermittently the day after I bought it. They said they drove it and didn’t hear anything. I brought it up multiple times and they said they inspected everything but couldn’t find an issue. Brought it in for the same reason recently and they called back and said that rust on rotor made grooves in the brake pads. I asked if they could replace just the brake pads and they said no we have to replace the rotors. I wrote their service manager asking for the $65 inspection fee to be waived and honestly I want a full refund for the work. $550 for rotors that I didn’t need or want is ridiculous and I’m not sure its legal. The rotors cost around $70 each and the brake pads $20.
I have owned a 2014 Outback since 12/2013. I am the only owner and have kept the car meticulously maintained. It is really a nice ride and handles well. Two weeks ago I had a “rumble”. I thought it was a tire but tires were fine. I called a tow truck and had it taken to my local mechanic, a Subaru trained mechanic. Turns out that the VALVE SPRING BROKE!! Damaging the rocker arm and camshaft. $2455 and two weeks later I have the car back. Subaru of America will do ABSOLUTELY nothing for me. I have 124,800 miles on the car and planned on driving it for quite a while longer. This damage happened due to no fault of mine. There is a defect in the 2014 Outback engine.
I purchased a Subaru Impreza for my wife on April 24th, 2013 with an agreement that they will order seat covers since the model did not have leather seats and we have 2 small dogs. They give us a certificate acknowledging it. After several visits to the dealership (Subaru of North Broward in Plantation, FL), we realized they had no intention of honoring the deal. When we received a survey questionnaire, we answered explaining what had occurred and provided a copy of the voucher issued by the dealer.On June 1st, received a call from Subaru of America. Mr. David ** who assured me that he will take care. We came to realized that Subaru does not make seat covers for the Impreza 2013. So he asked me to purchase a set and send him the invoice. When I call to speak with him, he had been promoted so Molly ** took over and she explained that the notes that David ** left said that was only for invoices from Subaru dealers. Well, they dont sell them. Im very happy with the car but the customer service is very poor. Going for a new car should be a reason to rejoice not regret and thats exactly how we feel. Bye bye, $387.95.
We purchased a used 2011 Outback with 175K miles from a private party. Higher mileage for sure, but at a decent price and we needed an AWD vehicle. We were told how great Subarus were, especially for snow. After a few months the car started sputtering from a stop, and multiple warning lights would come on... Blinking A/T temp light (even though it wasnt driven far enough, or hard enough to overheat), cruise control, & brake lights, and the CEL would stay on!!After some research I came to the realization that this seems to be a problem with Subaru CVTs. So much so that Subaru extended the warranty on them, but did not do a recall. Great for buyers that fell within the time/mileage limit, not so much for everyone else that have these issues later on. The transmission shop is trying to find a solution that is (relatively) inexpensive. Because the price for a new, or rebuilt CVT is around $7,500, getting transmission issues on anything but a newer model (which would still be under warranty) would mean the car is basically a throwaway unless you want to buy a transmission that cost as much as the car is worth.
I currently own a 2015 Subaru WRX that I CANNOT DRIVE. I had an issue where the pitcher stopper mount. Literally tore itself off my firewall. I came to find out that is was a design error from manufacturing date. I called them to get this claim settled so I could go on about driving around and enjoying my vehicle. Well as of January 2020, they denied my claim stating the air struts installed on my vehicle were determined to be the problem. Well... thats weird; I put those on 5 days prior to even going into the dealership. Well I went on about seeking ways to get this repaired until around late August of 2020 I saw a TSB posted by Subaru in 2017 showing that this repair was to be fixed under warranty no matter what. Well, I was lied to by the first rep who was taking care of that back in January, let me call again with this new info and see what they would be able to do for me. And so I did. I was told by this new rep that this TSB expired in June of 2019 (which I was not even mentioned or told about) and basically said, Good luck, that isnt our problem to deal with. I cant drive my car without having any drivability issues and I am currently looking at my options because I cant afford a $2000-3000 bill for a problem I didnt do. Honestly, I am beyond upset with how Subaru handled this and wish they let their customers know when there is issues that have to be looked at before just kicking us to the curb. Ive been a loyal customer for 10 years but this will be my last Subaru I ever own.
I have had several issues with my new Subaru since the day I purchased it. I will start by saying: Subaru - Subarus Love slogan isnt in regards to quality, but rather a self-serving exaggeration of safety features that should already exist on all modern vehicles. The companys response to customer loyalty is undoubtedly a mid-gray Meh. 1st Issue: Rear view mirror fell off while driving on the highway at 60 MPH. I nearly wrecked as the mirror actually fell into my lap. Took the car into the stealership and they fixed it because I had purchased the GOLD warranty.2nd Issue: At about 2K on the odometer, I could hear a tinging sound while warming the car up in relation to clutch pedal input. I read that this could be part of break-in and so I did not take the car to the dealership for inspection. 3rd and Final Issue: At approximately 19,5K, the engine failure while accelerating to highway speeds of 70 MPH on dry pavement (mild incline).Resolution Attempt #1 - 1) Spoke to Subaru of America about what had happened. 2) Subaru had the car towed to the dealership for inspection. 3) 3-4 weeks went by and no engine inspection or tear-down was performed. 4) No mention of loaner was ever provided to me (I am a Gold warranty customer). 4) Dealership continued to tell me that they were waiting on Subaru before they could perform tear-down. 5) Subaru continued to tell me that they were waiting on a field representative to inspect the car first. 6) By the 4th week, after no positive response from either party, I retracted my vehicle after the service manager at the dealership gave my wife quite the go to hell attitude.Resolution Attempt #2 - 1) A few weeks later, I contact Subaru asking why they never got back to me or the dealerships service department. The answer was: We havent heard from our field representative, but we will keep trying! 2) A couple of days later, Subaru contacts me and we start a back and forth dialog ending in we will give you $2500 off any new Subaru (rebate). I was told to take the car to the dealership first. 3) I contact the dealership sales department and they pretend to care about my situation. I am told: We will see when a good time is for you to have the vehicle towed in to our service department. 4) In the end, nobody communicated the good time to have the car towed in. My problem was too much for the dealership to handle.I am a 3rd time Subaru customer and the way I have been treated is absolutely unacceptable. At no point did I lie nor cheat nor change my story. I made it clear that I would accept full financial responsibility if the engine failure was my fault, but only asked that Subaru do its due diligence (for a Gold warranty customer) and actually see what caused the engine failure. I am 99% positive I know what caused the engine failure and it is most definitely related to the quality of assembly which I am afraid Subaru lacks the integrity to admit (see attached image). Instead, Subaru would rather assume I am to blame and !@#$ all over what used to be loyalty. Go buy a quality vehicle built by a company that cares about its customers and rewards loyalty. Read the reviews first and dont believe an ounce of what a salesperson or ambiguous TV commercial tells you.
Bought this car brand new and am meticulous about maintenance. Cvt transmission was advertised as no maintenance. Now they say it needs to be replaced at 150,000 miles and that this is a known defect! There was a horrible whining that started very quiet on and off in 2017 and became louder this year. We drove into a city intersection to turn, and the car stalled. We were lucky that we didnt get hit by another car. We took it to the dealership as we do all recommended maintenance and something was really wrong to make it stall like that. The dealership said that it is a CVT transmission, and they are known to have this problem. Told us to call Subaru. There was an extended warranty offered in 2018, but we never were notified of that and are the original owner. If we had the notification we would have had this fixed as it occasionally made the noise but it did not repeat when at our service center. We would have had the dealer check it if we knew about the problem and warranty. I expected a Subaru to last longer than this before needing an $9,000 repair. Called Subaru and they offered me $1,000 toward a new Subaru. I paid $36,000 for this car. I dont think $1,000 off one now is going to help me very much for a known problem with this transmission that put us in a very dangerous situation.
2014 Suabaru Outback Limited automatic CVT - I bought the car brand new April 2014. March 2015 check oil light came on while on vacation. Spent three hours at the dealership in Tallahassee Florida, changing the oil. Ever since then every 1200 to 3K miles the oil light would come on. I have repair ticket after repair ticket with them checking it tell me nothing is wrong, that the oil is low and they would either add oil or change it. I was never told that similar vehicles without a CVT were part of a class action suit. I was told the oil level being low was usage. Then I later find out that this is not normal and start demanding something be done. They did nothing, I have ticket after ticket where I complained about this while the car was still under warranty. They never mentioned anything about an oil consumption test. After I researched online I found out about the engine issues. Took to the dealership where they put me through 4 oil consumption test in one year, due to not documenting the test, losing paperwork, technicians leaving, or overfilling the oil. Now the car is out of warranty and needs a new short block. Subaru does not want to replace it because it is out of warranty. I have my documents where this was an issue under the warranty period and they dont want to fix it. The technician and dealership should have contacted Subaru corporate about my car immediately when I started complaining about the issue instead of brushing it off as not part of the recall.
Purchased 2012 Subaru Impreza from a reputable dealer with 50k miles. I have had the car 9 months with no issues. On 2/25/16 we had freezing rain and ice. The car slid on ice and did 2 180s before it stopped on an ice pile. The next day the car was making a whining, grinding noise, which got worse over couple days. Took it to Subaru dealer who said it needs new transmission. Tried to get insurance to cover but claim was denied as appraiser did not see any external damage to tranny case. Quoted $7500 approx to replace transmission. So much for reliable car.
Needed CVT transmission at 125,000 miles - Subaru headquarters offered $1000.00 as loyalty towards the purchase of brand new Subaru! Was quoted $7500.00 at dealership for new CVT transmission on a 5 year old car! Had a used CVT transmission installed and broke down after 2 weeks driving on highway at 65 mph and car bucked and lost speed - very scary but luckily no one was behind me so I could get off the highway. Now at the transmission mechanic getting diagnosed but now I am afraid to drive it due to the sudden loss of power. This is a major safety issue.

