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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 had protective trim molding installed on my new Subaru Forester as part of factory accessories. A few months after receiving the new car, the passenger door molding came loose. The problem was caused by an admitted poor design. This piece on both sides was attached only with 2 way tape. Although Subaru replaced the molding, because of the poor 2 way tape design, it continued to fall off every few months. Subaru did keep its word that it would continue to replace the molding if it fell off again, due to the poor design, even after the warranty period, as it had not been permanently fixed from the beginning. After a dozen repairs over the years, Subaru has now decided they will no longer honor the warranty, and will no longer fix their poor design. I had to drill holes and put bolts into the trim to make sure the last repair now held. I see that Subaru Love only is temporary. And I see new Subarus at the dealer also use two way tape to hold protective molding. The dealer has repeatedly said the molding is likely falling off because I drive on some gravel and dirt roads. If you plan on taking a car off paved roads and want an honest warranty, I would not recommend a Subaru, that is a taped together vehicle.
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.
As soon as my 2016 Subaru Legacy reached 28k miles it began to consume oil. The new dealer has done oil consumption test 3 times. And agree there is a consumption problem. But based on Subaru 1 quart consumed every 1200 miles is acceptable. They cant do anything unless my vehicle fails the consumption test. Interestinly that the threshold is 1200 miles when my car burns a quart of oil approximate 2k miles. And getting worst. I have lost all faith in Subaru... I wouldnt buy their products or recommend them.
I bought a Subaru Outback 2012 from a dealer on Cape Cod. They caused me a lot of grief by selling me an afterMarket stereo/GPS that was miserable. After 5 very ugly attempts at repair they gave me a good one to get rid of me. I bought the car with an extended warranty to 100,000 miles. Now, at 140,000 miles the CVT transmission died. Subaru CVT transmissions are SEALED UNITS. They have lifetime automatic transmission fluid. You cannot check it or change it. Does that sound like a bad idea? It is. My tranny failed admittedly after a lot of miles, but I drive very very carefully. I get 120,000 miles form original tires and brakes. Beware if you buy an Outback. A new transmission is $6,600 plus $1,500 install. $8,000 to use the car. I am told Toyota transmissions NEVER have a problem. NEVER.
Hi this is Subhkarmanjit **. I’m from Barrie Ontario. I bought Subaru Impreza WRX 2015 pre-owned certified hardly 4-5 months ago. I maintained my car properly did services on time. I got it on 95,000 kms and driven it all way to Vancouver hardly 4400 km one way. I heard some weird noises. I checked everything. I thought it was just driving it too much then after everything was ok I kept driving it until I driven back from Vancouver again 4400 kms all the way to Barrie Ontario then it’s also my daily drive car and I work in Brampton so I drive it from there to Barrie daily. Like 2 months ago I started having issues with my car. The engine lights started showing up and then my car started smelling like something like burning rubber and out of nowhere. And the rpm was like going up and I felt like clutch was slipping on 100 kph and high rpms and my gears were little stiff. It’s not like that I never driven standard car before. I know how to drive standard. This is my third Subaru. I had 2001 Subaru Legacy before twin turbo then 2004 WRX and this is my 4th manual car. I sold my Jeep and got this WRX. I have this extended warranty from Subaru dealership when I bought my car for almost $3400 and I took it to dealership as I was told everything is covered in warranty so I went there. They diagnosed my car and after an hour service department told me it was just faulty o2 sensor and my clutch was started roasting and gears were stiff. When I asked them will they fix everything they said no they can’t fix o2 sensor until it completely dead and clutch is not covered as bumper to bumper warranty or my full warranty says everything is covered and they did nothing. They just erased my all the faulty lights and charged me $121 for just looking at car and I had to pay ask them to fix my clutch in few days because they asked me to pay either for parts or labor and they told me they will give me appointment for another day so I can come and show my car again and get estimates. I waited. They never contacted me or called me. Then on 3/12/2018 I was on highway 400 at midnight around 12 am. I was coming from Toronto back to Barrie when I was changing my lane from right to left suddenly there was big blast under hood and my whole motor was blown and it was big black smoke on whole highway. I couldn’t see anything and also smoke was inside car. I was on 100 kph and suddenly motor started making weird noises. I was so scared and was alone. I pulled it over to side and opened my hood. Saw big crack in engine near the alternator and everything was hanging even belts pulleys and was big crack in motor and oil spills coolant everywhere. I called my brother and other friends because I inhaled smoke and then my car was broke and I was alone. I called tow guy had to pay him $200 to tow it back. Next day I Went to Barrie Subaru dealership and they told me they will cover everything as I have full warranty and they will take report to SPP and they said they will contact me but they didn’t. I took all my tools and stuff from my car and got rental car. Since then they didn’t contact me. I had to contact them and now the thing is they said spp checked and they approved my repair and said motor will be replaced. I checked everything online did research and asked my friends as new WRX motor cost from $6500 to $10000 and with transmission and used ones from $4500 to $7000. I called Subaru dealership on 22/12/2018. They said they can’t fix the car. The repair cost they is gonna be $23000 and if I pay $6000 from my Pocket they are ready to fix it. They told me my car market value is on $15000 and that’s wrong. I got my car valued before and from Barrie to Oakville dealerships. My car still value still stands at $20,000 to $22,000 and I’m so pissed hearing it. At this point that it’s been almost 23 days my car is standing at same spot. It’s not neither getting fixed or took cared. It’s snow season and my car is almost started catching rust and other things is how can a car repair cost $23000. I’m mechanic too. I know everything I have 3 yrs experience too worked in 2 different countries. This is my biggest mistake. I bought Subaru. I wish I would’ve never bought it. It’s not getting fixed anytime soon almost gonna be month. I’m moving soon to other province. I tried to reach everyone. No one is ready to hear me so I’m writing this email. Please help me up with something or I will take this to court. I’m already so stressed about my life and then my car. I already have so many problems to deal with. Please do something soon or replace my car or something. I’m totally tired to going to dealership and contacting them again and again. Thank you.
Bought used Subaru Legacy 2.2L manual transmission, 264 000. Had it five years now at 560 000, never given me a problem. Rock solid car, put maybe $2000 in parts into it. I would happily buy another Subaru. All fluids synthetic. Purrs like a kitten.
Okay, first off Id like to comment that generally the 2017 Subaru Outback is an excellent vehicle. Now on to the real subject. The Fujitsu-10 navigation system Subaru installs in these vehicles is Dysfunctional and pretty much AWFUL. I purchased two 2017 Subarus, one Outback and one Crosstrek, in the later part of 2016; both have the NAV system and I think they are both the same. Shortly after purchasing the Outback I began to notice that the nav system, which I use all the time, tends to provide inaccurate directions. I first picked up on the inaccurate directions because no matter what address I plugged into the nav system, 95% of the time the system tells me I have reached my destination when, in fact, I could be 3 to 4 blocks to as much as 1/8 mile from the final destination. So I began to watch more closely.To my amazement I realized that some of the directions, not all but maybe 20%, given by the nav system were–I cannot say this in a politically acceptable manner–not intuitive, stupid and dysfunctional. Two examples are 1) it tells me to exit a major highway, go through a toll booth, then get back on the same highway, and 2) to make a right hand turn it told me to go around the block in a counterclockwise direction when, in fact, there was nothing preventing me to simply turn right.I first reported the erroneous navigation performance to the Service Manager at Bath Subaru in Bath, Maine in May 2017. They took a look and reported the Service Tech could not find anything wrong. The Service Manager asked that if happens again I should document exactly what happened. The issue continued so I documented almost each and every occurrence, some including pictures of the nav screen. In June the Service Manager sent an email asking that I bring the Outback in on June 22, 2017, so a Subaru Field Service Engineer could take a look and provide a remedy. Vehicle went in on June 22 and it was reported per Subaru’s Field Service Engineer, “I am ordering you a new radio head unit. There seems to be a hardware failure making your navigation fail intermittently. Great… or at least I thought so at the time.At the end of July 2017 the new Head Unit was finally installed. The Service Manager said the new head unit will resolve the nav failure and asked that should any further incidents of erroneous performance occur I clearly document them and email them to her. The new head unit did not resolve the defective nav performance and a week later, on August 8, I sent 5 different examples to her. Thereafter, I continued to send her 3-5 different examples for several more weeks. Fact was, the new head unit made the problem worse.Here are two examples: 1) I needed to travel south on Route 95. This is a major highway, not some obscure road in nowhere Maine. The nav unit directed me to enter into the Rt 95 northbound exit, against exiting traffic, drive over both the northbound and southbound lanes on an imaginary overpass that clearly didnt exist, then travel on an imaginary Rt 95 southbound entrance ramp that also did not exist, and get on Rt 95 south. Quite dangerous! 2) In order to get to my final destination the Subaru nav system instructed me to turn right into a field having no road, travel off-road for 2 miles across this roadless field, and meet up with another road on the other side of the field. The Subaru handles different terrains fairly well, but not that well.On or about August 15, 2017 the Service Manager at Bath Subaru asked Subaru of America to step in. I received an email from Subaru of America in which a Subaru representative apologized for my navigation concerns and asked for some time to review the problem. On September 20 I received a follow-up email stating At this time, our Quality Assurance team is still in the processing of reviewing the concerns you are experiencing with your navigation unit with the units vendor, Fijutsu-10. There is no updated feedback that has been provided.It is now October 16th. I took the Outback in for routine service during which time I spoke to the Service Manager about the nav issues. I was told by the Svc Mgr that she has a number of other reports of the same problem, all waiting for Subaru of America and/or Subarus Quality Assurance team and/or Fujitsu-10 to identify the cause of the dysfunctional navigation system and re-mediate the problem.Six months in passing and Subaru cannot provide an answer to the AWFUL and sometimes dangerous performance of the Fujitsu-10 navigation system. Although the performance of the 2017 Subaru Outback is very good, I would never purchase another Subaru, not only because the navigation system is defective and/or dysfunctional and/or dangerous from time to time but because Subaru seems unable or unwilling to fix the problem with the navigation system which I paid upwards of $2,000 for. Buyer beware!
I bought a 2004 Impreza WRX from Grayson Subaru in Knoxville Tennessee , with an extended warranty with only 37,976 miles than at 41,890 miles. Major engine repairs costing $3152 than at 50, 052 miles, major engine repair costing $6,037.93 than an inspection of there work costing only $51.07 than at 58,061 miles. Needed a new turbo costing $1,600 than at 60,824 miles oil leak costing $845.09 than at 62,634 miles same oil leak costing $1,331.40, and now the car has had major engine failure again including the turbo. I change the oil when its needed between 3000 and 4500 miles. And now youre telling me its my fault . Can someone help me out for me to a good east Tennessee lawyer that can help me out to claim my money back from Grayson Subaru in Knoxville Tennessee?
Driving on the interstate, my 2016 Subaru Crosstreks transmission utterly locked up. Without warning, the car ground to a halt in the middle of the freeway and would not move, either in forward, reverse or neutral. Other cars swerved to avoid me. One car hit mine from behind and spun my car 180 degrees, placing me directly in front of oncoming, high-speed traffic. The car has only 18,100 miles. Anyone else experienced such a problem?
My 2015 Subaru WRX was great prior to the Pre-Ignition Recall and ECU reprogramming. They replaced my engine because they thought it was damaged due to the poor programming. After breaking in the new engine, I have significantly less power and the car is totally different. The dealership has been working with Subaru of America technical support and Field Engineers for months and have gotten nowhere! I am also outside of my Statess lemon law, although fully within my manufacturers warranty. I have not driven my car all summer and have been in Subaru Forester loaner for months.I involved Subaru of America customer service early in the process, and have experienced what I can only describe as the worst customer service experience of my life. Not only are they unwilling to help me get into a new vehicle, they provide no information on what theyre actually doing to fix the car. I can get better service from their call centers auto attendant. The truth is, they have no idea how to fix the car, but continue to drag this issue out. The Subaru dealer who has the car is at their wits end, and wants Subaru of America to do something to resolve this. They simply wont and I have absolutely no recourse other than to hire a lawyer and give him half of whatever he gets me. I guess this is what makes a Subaru, a Subaru.
Upon my Dads passing, given a 2008 Subaru Forester (LL Bean-edition). This car has less than 50,000 miles on it and was just diagnosed with a head gasket issue! Contacted Subaru and asked to go through hoops, including having their dealership review the problem. A review of their brand indicates a litany of issues with this company. Yet they want to tow the company line and state that there are no recalls on this model. Would have been made to take time off work to their far flung dealership locations, pay inflated dealership rates to diagnose an issue they (Subaru) states is not an issue. Getting a diagnosis from dealerships and paying for the privilege is what takes the cake. Also, would you pay to have the fox watch the chickens in the hen house???? No integrity with this company and this was not a cheap car. They do not stand behind their product and I have taken this first of many steps to let anyone I know considering buying a Subaru of the substandard product and joke that they refer to as customer service!
We bought our Subaru Outback brand new, with about 10 miles on it, we got it because we wanted a reliable car and we loved the fact that it was a dog car. Within a few months I started noticing a vibration when accelerating, I brought it to the dealership no less than 20 times and it could not be duplicated by the technicians. Finally around 38,000 miles we bought 4-new tires, YES, FOUR! This did not help. 40,000 they replaced a rear wheel bearing (felt like vibration was in the front?), I thought this might fix it, but it still shakes.NEXT issue, which is probably far worse! The battery. The first time we had a dead battery we had just shopped at Costco, the entire back of the car was filled with groceries, the car wouldnt start. We called the Subaru tow service, they started it but it promptly died. We had to have someone come and get our groceries, then have our car towed to the dealership. Yes, we got a loaner car for the weekend, but on Monday they said there was nothing wrong. Repeat this 2, 3, 4, 5 TIMES! I would be stuck in the garage, the car wouldnt start, my husband at work, wouldnt start. Would take off after a sluggish start, stop at a stop sign, then boom, it dies right there. Dealership response- Hummm, looks fine, must be because you are not driving it enough, or you are leaving the lights on, or the hatch open. We just had our 4th NEW battery put in, the last brand new battery was exactly 3-months ago. This car is a lemon. I started researching online, WOW, we are not the only ones out there with this problem, Subaru has a real problem, the battery has got to be an electrical issue. The vibration is a mystery. I used to love my Subaru, now I really dislike it.
We service this car properly. Ive never had problems with Subarus and have been a loyal customer since 1994. So at 110,000 miles the six cylinder engine starts overheating erratically. A tow to Subaru dealer to replace the thermostat and were on our way. Two to three weeks later it happens again. We are provided a new thermostat under warranty installed at a different dealer (because we were on a long trip and were forced to tow the vehicle). Each time the claim was the thermostat was sticking. It happens again within a few weeks after we return home with yet another thermostat. $6,000 later we get resurfaced heads and a valve job, complete with all the marked-up engine components, supplies, disposal fees, and so on. Did we get a refund or credit on the supposed faulty thermostats? No. The servicing dealer proclaims there was an internal engine leak due to bad head gaskets. I asked to see them, but they were never given to me. Ive never heard of an engine failure of that gravity in a Subaru (unless of course the vehicle was abused). My wife babies this car and uses it for errands. I have a 1994 SVX with 140,000 miles, and had a 2002 Outback and neither had engine issues, ever. My confidence in the Subaru product is gradually waning.
I average 12,000 miles a year on my car. I drive 20 miles rt daily with 85% of my trip being 45 mph. I do not drive this car hard. At 62K miles, I took my 07 Outback to the dealer for a scheduled oil change. I mentioned the car seemed to be getting loud as the technician asked if I had any concerns. When I picked up my car, no mention was made of the noise so I attributed it to new tires. As the car has become louder, on my internet research, I have noticed several complaints and even called Subaru when I had seen an extended warranty on 05, 06, and 08s that covered the car for 100K miles or 8 years. I called the dealer and my car didnt qualify. I have also noticed my car had a recall for a piece to the brake. I havent moved since we purchased the car and had no written notice as to the failure... At nearly 80K, I am faced now with rebuilding my rear differential. No recalls had been made for the 07s. I took it to a mechanic and he told me Subarus are known for that. I have found this website and encourage all Subaru owners with problems to please file complaints.
Subaru Forester 2015 - I have tried many times to get SOA to fix my bumpy and nauseating CVT. The dealerships I have brought it to dont seem to do much to investigate. The mileage is exactly the same as when I drop it off and they cant find anything. SOA Corporate refuses to return my phone calls. I am left with a car that is pronounced and bumpy especially around 1500 rpms and deceleration. Im angry that theyve done nothing to correct the issues and I am left driving around a horribly functioning car, with the dealerships doing nothing but treating me badly.
I heard a wind sound at speeds of 120 km/hr or more and fine dust between the doors and car body and I went to the service center. The service center told me it`s normal, that all Subaru XV model 2012 have the same issue after we tried another car.
My engine all of a sudden started to sputter and shake. No lights came on and I pulled it into a parking spot immediately and shut it off. I then checked my oil and my level was so low it did not even read. I was exactly 3,000 miles from my last oil change. I then had two places check out my car before attempting to drive it home. I made it halfway and then had to call to get towed because my engine was giving out. I have had problems with my Subaru Forester 2010 in regards to the drivers side window getting stuck and not closing properly, the radio changes stations without any reason, the window washer fluid container leaking but leaving no trace a mile away after I refilled it, and finally the interior lights not working at all after a year of having the car. I am just very frustrated with this car and makes me wonder why I didnt chose a Honda when I had a choice and chance. Thought I was going for the safer and better car because it had a great track record. I will never choose a Subaru again.
I purchased a brand new 2017 Subaru WRX roughly three months ago. Upon immediately driving onward I was noticing a really bad smell shifting gears and I brought it into a shop nearby. I had the service manager come for a ride-along to view my driving habits and he told me it was OK and that the smell would go away. Now, a couple of weeks ago, I was noticing the gear was tougher to shift into first, and then eventually the gears werent selecting properly. Id be in gear 3 and itd say gear 2, and so forth. Also, the biting point became completely non-existent. I took it into the nearest dealership with only 7800 km on the odometer and the clutch was completely gone.I called Subaru of Canada about it and as they reiterated many times throughout the conversation, the clutch was not covered under warranty since it was a wearable item. The dealership also said it was due to driving error. Upon doing research into this, Im seeing a lot of the earlier models are having the exact same issue and its the highest complaint on record for the 4th gen wrx in both the 2015/16 models - that cant be coincidence. Anyways, Im having to fork 1000+ out of pocket for the expenses and more for the rental Im using since the dealership didnt have any loaners on hand.The lady I was speaking to even said the clutch will go out that quickly depending on driving habits but Im a spirited driver, at best. And theres no reason a clutch should go out in less than 10,000km. Hopefully this helps anyone think twice about their next big purchase, especially the wrx, to actually do some homework and check into any policies or warranty information. This is my first Subaru and probably my last.
2014 Subaru WRX - Blown rod bearing at 8000 miles. Car was not modded in any way. Honestly, not sure what happened. I am 40, and do not race or mod cars. I had several cars, and never had any issues like this. Car is in the shop, and they replaced the short block only. I do not want the car any more, so will see if Subaru will do the right thing. Very disappointed in this brand. My first Subaru, and maybe the last.
My first car was a 2005 Subaru STi. I drove it throughout college, about 100 miles a day, from work, school and back home again. It never let me down, and I drove the crap out of it. I sold it right before I got married and got a brand new 2013 Crosstrek for the wife (future) and a used 2010 Outback for myself. In just about one year I began noticing how low the oil level was when changing the oil on the Crosstrek. I change my oil every 3500 miles with full synthetic oil and a OEM filter. It was never low enough to set off the oil light, but I would have to add about 1.5 quarts between oil changes, which is not normal for any low performance naturally aspirated car. I brought it to the dealer and they said oil consumption at that level was normal. So I accepted the fact that I would just add 1.5 quarts between my 3500k mile oil change interval. At 30K miles on the Crosstrek, the blower motor started acting up, there was a hard start issue (probably crank sensor) and passenger rear wheel bearing was noisy. The dealer did not want to replace any of the parts under warranty. They did not even want to diagnose it. At that point I did not want this car anymore. Who knows what else might go wrong another 30k miles later. So I traded the Crosstrek in for a 2017 Forester Touring. Now the CVT on the Forester is acting up at highway speeds. I am waiting to see what the dealer has to say about this issue. Whether they are going to dismiss it and say its normal, or actually look into the service bulletins issued to see if something is applicable. This is quality and service I did not expect from what-used-to-be my favorite car manufacturer. So in short, the three (3) stars is for my old 2005 STi and my 2010 Outback. Everything Subaru produced after that is and was Junk. I will never purchase another Subaru again. Back to Honda/Toyota.
I love my Subaru Legacy. It handles like a much more expensive car. The color is awesome and the overall look sleek and modern. It gets compliments wherever I drive it. 3 y/o and 113000 miles and it doesnt feel broken in yet. Go Subaru!!
As many other reviews I read and contained in this page, a 2007 Subaru Outback did not give any warnings, did not overheat, just all of a sudden a clunk sound, and it had to be towed away to the mechanic who says that it needs a new engine. After reading all the other reviews, it has help me to make the choice of giving it up and cut my losses now. I have to say that purchasing this vehicle brand new was a very poor investment. I thought I was going to be able to have it for many more years, not just 7 years. It is too bad Subaru doesnt take any responsibility for its faulty mechanism. NEVER AGAIN WILL I BUY OR RECOMMEND ANOTHER SUBARU.
I recently purchased 2015 Subaru Forester. The EPA stated mileage is 28-32 MPG. I now have 3000 miles on my new Forester and I have not gotten anything better than 25 MPG. My split between city and freeway driving is 75% city and 25% freeway. It is misleading to state the EPA MPG rating of 28-32 MPG. I should get at least 28 MPG which I am not getting. Is this a common amongst all 2015 Forester buyers?
Subaru of America resolved this issue.
My wife and I bought a brand new Subaru Forrester, our second one. Had no complaints with the first one 250,000 miles. The new one is a complete **. Around 30k miles started burning oil at the rate of about a quart every 2k miles, we jumped through all their hoops and did their ridiculous oil consumption test. We were treated like morons, told this is acceptable with a boxer engine which is ridiculous! My boss owns a Porsche which also has a boxer engine and doesnt burn a drop. Anyways they finally admitted there was a defect and replaced the top end (short block). Now with less than 20k since the replacement having the same issues, wife went back to dealer today! Its a shame because we really loved the first one but at this point no matter what they do, we will NEVER, EVER, own another Subaru!!!
I read about the Imprezza in Consumer Reports as it was their top car of the year 2016. It is an average car. It drove nice and at the time I was looking for an inexpensive car. Ive had it for 2 years with some minor problems and I will be looking for a better car this year. It doesnt have all the features I would have liked and cant expect more. I also had a poor experience with the dealership. Also, I dont like that when I unlock the car it only unlocks the driver side door. I saw in an ad that they changed this for the next model year and you can now program it to unlock whatever doors you want. Lastly, I dont like that it doesnt have rain sensing windshield wipers.
Subaru made net profits of $480,000,000 (Reuter.com) in 2012, billions of dollars in gross profit and yet, Mr. Takeshi Tachimori, Chairman, President, and CEO of Subaru of America, refuses to provide me with some oil. I purchased a new 2011 Subaru Forester. The computer system crashed at night in the rain on the freeway with 5 passengers. The engine failed in the Joshua Tree desert. Subaru finally replaced the engine short block after great time, energy and resources expended by me. The seat belts were recalled, parts (gas door opener) fell off; etc. Car has a horrible overheating problem that they cannot fix. Car continues to consume oil such that I have to add oil between oil changes. After many failed efforts, I wrote on Dec. 24, 2012 to Takeshi Tachimori, Chairman, President, and CEO of Subaru of America, stating that: engine short block malfunctioned; ECM reprogramming required the vehicle emission recall campaign (Nissan Subaru dealership claimed that they had reprogrammed ECM on 24 Feb. 12, & on 25 July 12. Mazda Subaru dealership claimed that the reprogramming had not, in fact, fulfilled this recall malfunction, and that they had to fulfill this reprogramming on Dec 21, 2012); seat belt recall; tank lever broke within first 100 miles (See repair, 26 Apr. 2012); replaced motor is still, as of Dec 21, consuming oil. In conclusion, 100% of authorized Subaru repair shops/mechanics spoken with state that it is not normal for a new Subaru with less than 15,000 miles to consume any oil at all, period. I asked billionaire Tachimori, for simply, I am requesting of you, that you authorize the local Subaru dealerships I have used (copies enclosed) to add oil to my car between oil changes without a cost to me. So little is asked of the Subaru billionaires, yet they refused. I will provide free advertising to any Toyota dealership. I wish so much that I had purchased a Toyota again, not a Subaru. If Mr. Tachimori will allow oil to be added when low, I will graciously provide a retraction.
Heading to the highway, going about 35-40 MPH, the hood flew open and hit my windshield. Thankfully, it did not shatter it, but did crack it all the way across. I call Subaru headquarters and they pretty much said, Too bad for you! I called the dealership and they pretty much said the same thing. The tech at the dealership said I must have opened the latch from inside. Not sure why I would want to do that while I was driving! The car had been parked and locked in my driveway before I drove it so there was no chance of it being tampered with. I feel there should be an investigation into a recall, as it seems I am not the only one this has happened to!
My car is a 2008, I bought it in November 2007. I have never had a problem with this vehicle and it has never left me on the side of the road. When I buy a new car, it will definitely be a Subaru.
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.
I bought a 2012 Outback in February 2012. When I rotated the tires at 10,000 miles, I noticed that both rear tires were severely worn at the outer edges. The dealer had the wheels aligned. They were out quite a bit. But now after about 11,000 miles, the tires are worn to the tread gauges in the outer tracks. I dont think I will get 20,000 miles out of them. I think Subaru should replace these two tires. The other two tires are fine but at 20,000 miles, I may have to replace all four tires because it is a four wheel drive.
I have been taking my Subaru Legacy 2011 to the Subaru service center for the fifth time with the same problem, hard shifting from park to reverse, engine shakes and lights dim, put into drive and get a flutter like cold start after engine warms up for five minutes, also while driving come to a stop and engine shuts off. Service center kept my car for four days and still am having the same problem.
I bought a brand new 2013 Subaru Crosstrek in April of 2013. The first week I owned the car the oil light came on. I took the car back to the dealership and they advised it is just a break-in period, and it is expected. I found it a little odd, because I previously owned a brand new Nissan Xterra for 9 years, and not once did the oil light come on, nor did I EVER have to add any oil. Also, my brother-in-law, who is a Toyota mechanic, just recently advised me that a brand new car should not burn any oil and they should have replaced the engine when the problem was first noticed. Anyway, my vehicle now has 79,000 miles on it and I have had to add 1 quart of oil every 1200 miles. There are no signs of oil leaks anywhere. I just took it to the dealership last week to find out why I am going through so much oil and they told me that there was no oil in my engine. The oil light didnt even come on. So, the dealership advised they would need to monitor the oil. They put fresh oil in and told me to call when I drove it 850-900 miles so they could get me in to take a look at it. I called at 850 miles and they told me they could not get me in for 4 days. Well, that will put me over the 1200 mile limit because they have to check the levels between 1000-1200 miles. I advised the very rude service rep, Chuck, of the situation and he advised if I go over 1200 miles that I will have to start over, which means I will have to pay another $73 for an oil change and that just so conveniently puts me over my extended warranty of 80,000. So, either way I am screwed. I will never ever as long as I live buy another Subaru. And Southern States Subaru in Raleigh, NC needs to seriously hire individuals with better telephone manners and customer service skills. He would not work with me in any way. They are the idiots that told me to call after I drove it 850 miles and now they wont even get me in. Everything about my Subaru experience has sucked! I will definitely go back to Nissan when I buy my next vehicle.
Its a Subaru. Really close to the safest car on the planet. Its our fourth. Saabs including an Aero convertible, Nissan 350Z. Fast (at least to 50mph). And safe, safe, safe.
Very expensive repairs, poor gas mileage, the battery was a major issue, left us stranded at least 10 times in 2 years! Finally replaced by Subaru, but frustrating. There is no vent in the back so the backseat is sweltering during the summer. The service department at the dealership is great, the best part of owning the car!!!
I have owned three Subarus and just recently purchased my fourth which was a 2019 Certified Pre-owned Subaru Ascent Touring. I have had the car for a month when the transmission starting acting up. Upon taking it to the dealership twice to look at it the second time they have had it going on two weeks. Randy Marion Subaru technicians have been very helpful and they are just as aggravated as I am with how Subaru is handling my situation. The technician states he knows exactly what is going on with my car as he has witnessed it and I have provided them with videos of what is going on. The technician states that the chain is slipping on the transmission. Having a two year old in the car I find this extremely unsafe and if not fixed and something happens I will sue Subaru for all that they are worth.My car is still under warranty having only 32,000 miles on it. I am still paying a payment on a car that I have not had in two weeks because Subaru is stating that the technician has to catch it on their computers for them to replace anything. Subaru has all these ratings for being such a good company that cares about their customers but I am highly encouraging people to stay away from Subaru after this incident which is not resolved. I have contacted the customer care line only to be told the support specialist would reach out to the dealership and get back to me which has yet to happen. I am so beyond irritated at this point. I just want my car back and I want it fixed.
I love my Subaru BRZ! It is perfect in every way. Only 500 were made in 2016! I didnt mean to buy a brand new car but am so glad that I did. It is my baby. Kick ** engine and spot package. However, I would like to have the windows tinted and all wheel drive option.
As I said, I lease this vehicle. Checked the passenger side, soaked. Brought to Quality Subaru, 3 days later, still leaking. Call SOA to file complaint. Goes back to dealer tomorrow, 2nd time. Give new car/or out of lease.
Love the 2015 Crosstrek! Eyesight is great when it works. Had the car in for the recall and three additional times, in two different states. Last time, took 1-1/2 days, had a great, brand new loaner (Courtesy Subaru in Rapid City) turned out to be a right rear brake assembly. Have another appointment tomorrow, on again, off again Eyesight. This morning, car started right up, no Eyesight and stuck in park, neutral or brakes locked up. Dont know, might have to be towed in. Glad it was in the garage at home.
About 5 minutes after I left the Subaru dealership I knew that my 2014 Forester that I owned for 3 years was not running properly. Eventually I found out the dealership upgraded some software because of an imaginary idle problem. Now Im left with a car with much less acceleration and power, and to boot a 20-30% reduction in mpg. There are several other problems too. Subarus was response was not acceptable: Nothing we can do. The person handling the case had no interest from second one. In the past they have helped with serious issues. This is their software, they are responsible for getting the car back to the previous running condition.
Ive owned 5 Subarus including 2 Foresters. Three of my Subarus had 105,000; 121,000; and 167,000 miles respectively. Absolutely no problems. Youd think I could expect more than 90,000 miles on my 2009 Forester. No such luck. It experienced not just an engine failure, but a catastrophic engine failure. It was a total engine disintegration - crank, rods, cam journal, etc. All this with Mobil 1 synthetic oil and Subaru oil filters every 4,500-6,000 miles.Repair estimate is $6,200. Attaway Subaru. Well see what assistance Subaru corporate will offer. Other Asian manufacturers, GM and Chrysler, offer 5-year/100,000-mile warranty. I guess Subaru is so proud of its products it only offers a 60,000-mile drive train warranty. Also, the interior finish on the doors and dash is wearing off. Both fog lamp lenses cracked within a month and the auto dimming mirror failed outside of the warranty. I get parts at cost and its still $147. More to come with Subaru.
After contacting Subaru corporate I was given a couple of probable causes for the doink sound.The local dealership was also instructed to call me with a fix for this problem. It turns out that the navigation system has a setting that alerts you with the doink sound, if there is an accident or a traffic problem near you.The alert functions whether you have the navigation system on or not.The setting can be disabled by changing the alarm parameters in the navigation system.
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.
The ECO system on my 2015 Legacy isnt working properly. I have been to their shop several times and phoned several other times. Have received 5 different explanation how it works and none matched the handbook. Finally a man spoke with me, the foremen I think, he told me they could not fix it and could not or would not replace it. I BOUGHT THE CAR IN Oct 2014. EVEN NOW I only have just over 14000 miles on it. This has been going on since the first week of May. I know it has nothing to do with the drivability of the vehicle but its on there and I paid for it so it should work. I received no paperwork as they only drove it and turned the system on an off
One of my Outbacks tires were punctured. I had to go to a tire shop to fix it. They said I need tires from the same company and I have to change two at a time. I agreed and two tires were replaced. In a month the difference between front and back tires caused the power train to become damaged. The dealership said that whole transmission needs to be replaced, but because the manual says that no more than a 0.25 should difference is allowed between tire thickness, there was no manufacturer guarantee. They said that there is a light on the Subaru dashboard that signifies it: If the AWD is flashing, driving can damage the power train. As soon as you can, park in a safe place and check your tires to make sure theyre all properly inflated and the same size. It never went flashing.Subaru is the kind of car that is supposed to drive in rural areas, farms, forests. If there is a difference in tire diameter in such a small amount – it should not damage the car to a point of a price that is a third out of the cost of the car. If there is that possibility, a warning should be posted on the dashboard, because it is major a damage to car. In this field – Subaru failed completely.
For a long time, I wanted a Subaru Legacy car, being fascinated primarily with the reliability of the Japanese cars and also with this brand (studying the history of the brand, the beginnings, the technology, ...) and now I managed to buy one In second hand (because I could not afford a new one, though, with that money, I could have bought another car brand almost nine). I took it from a known, serious person, knowing the history of the car. Its a Legacy, a 2008, 2.0-liter, 150cp diesel boxer that has 220,000 km. Series: ** / 2008. Nr. Identification: **. Engine: Tip EE 20; Series **. I was glad that the person she bought her took care of her, he invested heavily in her (at that moment thinking he was unlucky), but it seems that bad luck continues to me and not only, But to all who have this Subaru model; After I was interested in the Romanian specialty forums, I found out that all the owners of this model are talking about a serious problem with this type of engine and even if it had a proper use and proper maintenance, none have ever reached More than 200,000 km without total engine failure. The mechanics say there is a fault in vibrochen, which breaks and it in turn destroys the entire engine block, and the whole engine becomes unusable. This is what happened with more than 90% of these market engines in Romania. I, even though I have not bought it for too long, have rectified the turbine, replaced an injector and it seems that I will have to replace the other injectors, including the turbine again (repair kits are not in Romania, as well The other parts, special mechanics, are no longer there, there is only one representative in the capital city of Bucharest and which does not represent the interests of the clients, let alone the authorities) and yet the engine is not heard at all and I am Afraid to go a long distance with her (I do not have the courage to leave the city), for fear of happening to me the same way, to break the vibrochen and to stay who knows where in the field... discouraging! What is the value of the description on the official website? This engine is not just a new evolution of diesel models - its a revolution! Its the first time that a diesel engine with horizontal roller mounted is installed on a SUBARU BOXER DIESEL... the revolution lies in the fact that it does not last (while other manufacturers guarantee these km) more than 200,000 km. The answer I received from the representative was that I did not document myself before, I did not know what I was up to! The guarantee is 200,000 km, which she does not guarantee “and we All the owners had to change their engines or give them old beasts, losing money!” I would have liked to have sent a letter of appreciation to represent Romania or to Europe or directly to Japan (where it is impossible) and to express my gratitude for having this brand and the joy to lead it but I have spent More time in repair centers than to use it, but it seems that things will not stop here, as it is already compromised. I would have liked this mail to be sent directly to Subaru Corporation, the Customer Consumer Division, or in the worst case to the Romanian authorities, not to you, but no email address is available for you. Japan and send to the Romanian representatives, proved to be equal to ZERO. If you can help me with a Subaru Corporation mailing address, Customer Consumer Division, to find a compromise solution.
My 2014 Forester sucks down oil. When you call Subaru corporate they deny the problem, even though theres class action lawsuit and the dealer told me they had to replace the engines. I have to keep driving it back to the dealer every time the oil light goes on for the oil consumption test. I now have a lemon law attorney going after them. Its a shame because I really like the car, but Subaru plain ol lying to me has soured me for good. Never again. Oh, and btw, they sent their dealers a manifesto to fix for the problem. Ya know, the one they nothing of, and basically stated that whenever you do anything but park the car, youll burn oil. Subaru must be Japanese for jokesters or liars I guess.
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.
Power liftgate issues on my 2016 Forester and not sure who can assist.
We have a 2009 Outback. At approx. 70000 miles (just past warranty) a vibration was becoming noticeable from the drivetrain. The Subaru dealership said it was from bad boots on the front end. We had the work done. The vibration remained so we took the car to an independent shop. They said that it could be the transfer case. To really examine it the transmission has to be dropped. We scheduled the service. When they opened the case there were bits of metal in the fluid and it was clear something had failed. Approx. $2000 later we were on the road again. The head mechanic said he had seen several failures like this. I would like Subaru to face up to this reoccurring problem and cover all repairs..
00 Outback wagon keeps on keepin on. Just flipped 220k and recently completed the dreaded head gasket job on this beast. Both drivers side cylinders were venting into the coolant and I took on this task very soon after diagnosing the blown head gasket. $300 and 40 hours later, mission accomplished...about $1,200 cheaper than having the dealership do it. This problem I anticipated and with this many miles, not a complaint. Things wear out...nuff said. I have two gripes, the first being the engine noise...the work I did had little impact on this embarrassing feature which is common on these cars. Second and biggest issue is the ho-hum mileage this car delivers... best Ive had was 25 mpg. Its just too heavy for the engine and the final drive ratio doesnt deliver what it should on the highway. Then again, this thing is a tank and considered a mid-sized car, pushing nearly 2 tons with a couple of passengers and a light load.
Outstanding vehicle. There is no better symmetrical all wheel drive vehicle in this price range. Approximately $30,000. Handles brilliantly regardless of road condition.
We bought two Subaru Outbacks in January of 2012, and they both had windshields that cracked in the same place under the same conditions about four months apart. It was a cold day and while sitting there warming up the car, there was a pop and a crack from left to right about five inches up a long crack appeared. The first time the dealer claimed that there was a rock hit when he ran a ballpoint pen across the crack and found a pit, which I knew wasnt there before he dug his pen across the glass. This second time, I made sure that there was no pit along the glass before I brought it to the dealer, but he insisted hed be able to check it with a pen. I watched as he dug the ballpoint across the crack until he found a microscopic spot where I saw him pop out a minuscule piece of glass and claimed it was a rock hit and therefore not covered under warranty again. Anytime glass cracks, you cannot conclusively say that the crack will stay intact without finding a microscopic pit or weakness where the glass expels itself. This is a scam. We have seen other Outbacks on the road with the same crack. We even pulled one over and asked the owner, and she said the same thing happened to her windshield. This needs to be investigated.
2014 Forester with 35k miles. Our Bluetooth is not working properly. I thought this would be an easy fix, and I was not too stressed by it. In my error, I forgot to mention it to the service department when I brought the car in last time. Three months later I had the car in to the service dept. for a standard check up and mentioned it to them... The whole radio unit needs to be replaced in order for the failed Bluetooth to work again! If only I had mentioned it during my previous checkup it would have been covered under warranty. Subaru is charging over $500 for this replacement. I will go without. My chief question is, why is the Bluetooth failing? Its not that old and its not as if it is an item (i.e. brakes, or tires) that might get wear down from overuse.In addition, when you press the accelerator on the 2014 Forester, a small delay and then it takes off. Very disconcerting. We have many family members who own Subaru and at our last family reunion everyone was grumbling about their Subaru and saying they will not buy another. Its a shame. This was our first Subaru purchase after many years with Honda. We were tempted to try a new car and had heard such great things about the Subaru. We will be going back to Honda.
The car is terrible -- poor construction, poor interior. Defect in the steering wheel, door panel. There was a scratch on the bumper that I showed the Service Dept. They said I did it when it was washed. It is not a scratch. It is a defect in the paint. They would not deal with my complaints. I called Subaru and trying to get them to be available is very difficult. I will never buy another Subaru again. These people who love their Subarus are blind or naive. If you damage one tire you need to buy 4 tires because of the symmetrical AWD. High maintenance.
I leased a new Impreza from Ganley Subaru of Bedford, OH, three weeks ago and have been there for service four times already with still more safety issues hovering over my head. I discovered (the hard way) that all Imprezas have at least these problems: 1) The wheels are wobbly causing shakes and vibration. I have been to service three times to get them fixed, though it got better, it is still shaky. 2) The automatic unlock switch cannot unlock any door if the lock key at the door is in mid-way position. This is a severe safety risk in case of accidents if a person has to exit the car quickly after fire or flooding.3) The information gauges for gas mileage and distance of travel are practically useless and are off by 50% or more which means you can run out of gas if you rely on these gauges. 4) The advertised gas mileage of 32 MPG is questionable, since all information gauges give you the wrong readings. 5) After parking, the steering wheel gets jammed and locked and requires some wiggling effort to unlock it.
I just bought a 2007 Outback in December of 2015. The car had just over 68,000 miles and was immaculate on the inside and out. The engine looked superb and it drove like a dream. 2 weeks after purchasing my new little dream, (now nightmare) it started to overheat. I took it to my mechanic who inspected it and came back with list of problems and these are just to name a few: rack and pinion (aftermarket) had been replaced and was again leaking; stop leak in the coolant system; leaking all kinds of oil underneath the car. My mechanic explained that the previous owner had to have known about the coolant issue because of the stop leak in the radiator. End of the story - the overheating issue has gotten worse (much worse). Despite our best efforts to buy some time, the head gaskets must be replaced and 71,000 miles. I am utterly disappointed with the lack of integrity from the person that sold this car knowing about the issue and making it my problem to deal with. And equally as disappointed by the poor design and horrible issues with the head gasket and Subaru engines. The worst part is what stop leak does to an engine. DO NOT put stop leak in your engine if you are experiencing the overheating issues - chances are, it is only a matter of time before the gaskets blow. Save your engine and get them fixed. I will never buy another Subaru.
While I love the car I purchased in November 2013, I have yet to have the dealership iron out my motor vehicle tags. Id like to escalate it to the CEO because Im tired of wasting my time. If you have located the email, please send it to me.
5 speed manual transmission on a 2007 Forester 2.5X failed at 80,000 miles and had to be replaced (~$2600). Car servicing followed Subaru recommendations. I have driven manual transmissions my entire life and never had a problem with a transmission in any other car. Checking the web I see a fair amount of discussion that Subaru does not have the best built transmissions. While I like the car in almost all other respects, I will not invest in another given the apparent design weaknesses of Subaru transmissions.
We bought a brand new 2004 Subaru Legacy back in December of 2003. It was running fine until 2008 when the catalytic converters gave up and had to be replaced by the dealership (free of charge then since they say it was still covered under warranty). The new cats were working fine until around June of 2011; then, it gave out again. This time it was not covered by warranty, so we bought aftermarket cats which work for 6 months. Right now, April 2012, the auto parts store is in the process of replacing the cats. Its has been a miserable and stressful situation since the cats can fail the car for emission test. Come on now, how many times do we have to change a catalytic converter for a car in its lifetime considering that it’s only an 8 1/2 year old car? We drove Toyotas, Nissans and other car brands before and never had to experience these problems. There must be something wrong in this picture and we need an answer from Subaru. Or maybe there are other people out there who are having the same issues with their Subarus as well. We would appreciate if these issues are addressed since we already spent so much time, effort and money for such dilemma.
I have had to repair a leaking head gasket when car had 180,000 kilometers and also replaced back axle when had 160,000 kilometers. These were both very costly repairs. I am disappointed with Subaru and dont think their reputation is deserved.
Note: This is my 4th New Subaru and mostly like my last. I have had my car in at the Subaru dealer 6 times since 12/6/14 for the SAME issue and most recently 7/6/15. The issue is with Low Oil Levels. They performed 3 oil consumption tests and I have been told twice that they replaced a sensor and performed an upgrade on the software. Note: Each time I took my car in for this issue, the Oil Can Light was on and the info screen on the dash information window displayed Check Engine Oil Levels System detects low engine oil levels.The 1st time the low oil lights came on was on 12/6/14, I was on the highway, and I stopped at a nearby auto repair shop to have them check the oil. They did the check, they told me that the dipstick was dry... I requested they put oil in the car. I then drove to dealership Service Dept. that same day, 12/6/14 (Invoice # **), with miles at 18,554 (difference of 4,605 from last oil change). Note: The date of the previous oil change was on 8/16/14 (Invoice # **) with mileage at 13,949. The Subaru owners manual indicates that the car should go 7,500 miles between oil changes. 12/6/14 - start of 1st oil consumption test. The subsequent dates of these services for this same issue were: 1/3/15 (Invoice # **) mileage 19,906 in for results of 1st consumption test, they also started a second oil consumption test on 1/3/15 - same date as the 1st results, they topped off the oil. On 1/31/15 (invoice **) mileage 21,380 returned for the results of the 2nd Oil Consumption test, they also charged me for an oil change. On 3/24/15 - Oil Level Low message displayed, mile at 23,755, Invoice ** - Service covered the start of a 3rd oil consumption test, and topped off the oil. Miles since last oil change were 2,375.4/18/15 - the car displayed the oil can light and displayed the system detects low oil level message. I was told by the service advisor that they were going to replace the sensor and upgrade the software, and top off the oil. The invoice # for 4/18/15 is **, mile at 25,020 - 33,640 since the last oil change, 1,265 miles since the dealer service dept. topped off the oil.7/6/15 the car displayed the oil can light and displayed the system detects low oil level message. Invoice # **. Upon arrival, I showed the message displayed in my running car to the Service Advisor, he repeated the issue back to me and then the Service Manager took over. The service manager asked what service was performed last time. I told him that the service advisor indicated that they replaced sensor and they updated the software. After being at the dealership service department for over 1 hours the Service Manager informed me that they did NOT replace the sensor or upgrade the software on 4/18/15. They were going to do that today (7/6/15). Mile at on 7/6/15 27,470 - 2,450 since previous oil top off by dealership and 6,090 miles since last oil change including two oil top offs by the dealership.I will be requesting Subaru open a claim for this issue with 2014 Subaru Forester (as soon as the website will accept my vin #) as the dealership service department has failed to request Subaru, even though I have requested them to do so 3 times. Note: On July 6th, 2015 I heard a service advisor talking with another customer about his older Subaru that was in for an oil change. The customer asked the service advisor if the oil in his car would take a 3,000 mile trip, the answer was yes. I turned to the Subaru Service Manager and asked if my 2014 Subaru Forester would be good for a 3,000 mile trip without the Low Oil Level lights coming on, he said I dont think so.
I have a 2011 Outback and I first had to add a quart of oil around 95K miles. My son in law said that they probably didnt fill it full when my oil was changed last. So I think anything of it although I told them about it and brought it for an oil change. They didnt bother to tell me about excess oil consumption while I was under an extended warranty. So I got the full synthetic oil change and was told the next change is due in 7K miles. At 4000 mi. the oil light came on and it was 2 quarts low! I am furious that I was not told about this while was under a warranty! Now I have 103K mi. and they probably wont offer any assistance.Also, it almost dies (like a slow idle?) when I stop for a stop light or even a stop sign. It has done this since 39K and they can never diagnose it. It is getting pretty persistent. Does anyone know what this could be? They say it doesnt happen when they test drive it and the computer does not show anything. My guess is, now the warranty is over, they can diagnose it right away! Never another Subaru!!
NOTE: I do NOT work for Subaru, nor have I ever or have ever known anyone who has on a personal basis. I own a 2015 Forster 2.5L Base Model that i have already logged 18,000 miles on! I have experienced the oil burn issue everyone is complaining about, BUT since I have a formal education in mechanics I did some research before jumping to an assumption based on internet complaints and so called rude dealerships.These cars and many, many, many other brands are having similar issues due to having to run these new high MPG rated synthetic oils in the motors. The EPA has been pushing the use of it on manufactures in order to get the MPG ratings up and is pushing for development of 0w5 oil (that will burn like crazy). This oil is almost like water and gets past the low tension piston rings that are being used to also reduce friction and increase mileage. This is why it is called oil consumption and not oil burning. Oil burning is usually referred to as leak from the valve guide seals into the combustion chamber, oil consumption is oil getting past the piston rings and is actually pretty normal for any motor because if the oil did not work its way around the rings they would not get lubricated and would cause engine failure.Keep this very important thing in mind, new cars call for service every 6,000+ miles, as opposed to the old standards of 3,000 miles. Every vehicle I have ever owned that I pushed over 4,000 miles between services has been down a half to full quart of oil by the time I changed it. Motors by nature consume oil, there is NO way around it. Pushing the service intervals further apart has only exposed this to uneducated consumers.The mistake that Subaru made was setting the oil level sensor too sensitive and premature, they have updated the ECM programing now to fix this. My light comes on at about 6,000 miles and I am about 3/4 of quart low. This is totally acceptable and expected. My 2003 Chevy truck was always a quart low by the suggested service intervals, yet the light NEVER came on.I hope this helps those of concerned with this and please pass on this info to anyone concerned about the same thing in their car, no matter what brand it is. And please, always remember that Service staff at dealerships are having to deal with sometimes 100+ people per day all upset about their vehicle having an issue. Give them a little lead way before you jump on them, kindness will always get you further with customer service staff.Have a nice day!
Do you want an engine with that car? That is my feeling towards being charged about $1200 to replace my bumper. It was a minor fender-bender and I went to a reputable collision repair shop. The $700 cost they originally estimated seemed reasonable, but when the bumper came in the cost jumped another $463, because it had to be painted!!! Seems like a rip-off to me.
I used to think Subaru is a good and reliable brand name, but I change my mind now after the transmission failed after only 6 yrs on the road. The mileage is just around 98,000. Luckily that Subaru has extended the powertrain warranty that I dont have to pay a costly repair. This failure on CVT transmission should be a recall rather than giving out extended warranty. They said that the reason for this warranty extension is that it is not a safety concern!! Really??? What if my outback got stalled on a highway, would this cause an accident. For sure in my opinion. What if my car transmission failed just after the warranty expires?I own a 2011 Subaru Outback, by the way. I also own a 1998 Sienna van from Toyota. And the transmission is still fine. Toyota has put money in Subaru, I think they should reconsider their take. And luckily that last summer I bought a second hand Toyota RAV4 for my daughter instead of Subaru. I was looking for a used Subaru, but thank God I changed my mind for a Toyota. NEVER BUY A SUBARU AGAIN!!!
Sorry to say this is turning out to be the worst car buying experience that either of us has ever encountered in over four decades of driving. First off the sales person lied to us about the accessories options available for our vehicle, and the finance guy was condescending. So I went to the parts department and began ordering the accessories that I was told were not available. The L E D side view mirrors were installed by the supervisor of the service department. He admitted damaging the inner workings of the mirrors and ordered replacements. Another trip back to the dealership and the problem was even worse. He tried to convince me that it was normal to see through only half of the mirrors as they could not be adjusted properly to be able to see the lanes to either side of me. He eventually got frustrated with my insisting that they be fixed to the way they originally worked, and told me to go home to my wife. I called the corporate office and it has been over two weeks with no resolution in sight. A week ago I try to remote start before I left to work. The STARLINK system would not connect. When I went out to the car to start it. The dashboard and ignition lights were blinking and it would not start. I had it towed to the dealership, they gave us a small dirty loaner car and yesterday, a week later, they called to say it was fixed and ready to be picked up. We made the trip there to find that it was not true, the vehicle was not ready as the STARLINK was still not working. Were back in the loaner vehicle, its the next day and we have not received another call about the status of our car. This car is two months old and its their top of the line SUV. Do I have a lemon? More to come.
2011 STI 41k miles and it blew a head gasket. Subaru wont warranty it because of a aftermarket turbo back exhaust. I had my VW longer with way more mod and never had an issue. Subarus have head gasket issues and for them to deny my warranty because of some dumb mod so they dont have to fix their issues is a bunch of garbage. Ill buy an Audi or BMW next time.
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 had a 2003 Subaru Forester. Like so many people, I purchased it based upon its reputation. Car ran fine for many years. At 129,000 miles the head gasket went. This cost several thousand dollars to repair. If you google Subaru Head Gasket Problems you will find many people with the same problem. Subaru claims to have fixed the problem in 2007. At 170,000 the car started leaking oil. At 184,000 miles car developed another oil leak from the engine. The cost of repairs for the leaks was in the thousands. I finally decided to trade in the car for another brand. Some things that you may not know about Subaru: Subaru has a reputation for leaking oil. There are 2 class action suits against Subaru because the newer Subarus burn oil. Subaru claims that it is normal for a car to burn a quart of oil every 1000 miles. Google Subaru Class Action Suit.Many of my friends that talked me into buying a Subaru have also abounded the brand for having similar problems. We have discovered that Subaru oil problems are difficult to fix whether you bring the car to the dealer or an independent mechanic. One other quirky item I learned when being a Subaru owner - tires must be replaced in sets of 4. I had good tires with 20,000 miles on them. One got ruined by a nail. I ended up having to buy 4 new tires otherwise I would have run the risk of damaging the car.
First, let me say that I have a 2010 Subaru Forester that I have had no problems with it. Bought it new and now has 71K on it. Because I had no problems with it, and I can put insane amounts of mileage on a car, I bought a hail damaged 2013 Subaru Forester Premium with about 16K on it, have driven on east coast, Alaska, Yukon, west coast, with no problems consistently getting 30+ mpg. This June, while in Yosemite and on my way to LA, the low oil pressure light started flickering at around 47K miles. Subaru said it was a bad oil pressure sensor. Changed to a new one and then in the middle of nowhere South Dakota, at 10:00 p.m. it came on. I then tried to go really slow in case there was something really wrong with my car. I went 35 mph on the highway until I got to Bismarck, ND, where I went straight to the Subaru dealer. My cousins live there, so if my car got stuck there, at least they were there.I got no sleep that night because I was so worried about my car and the fact that I had promised to drive my cousins kid who has Hodgkins lymphoma and a tumor on his heart and spine to the Mayo clinic in Rochester, MN for chemo twice to take the load off of family members for a couple of weeks. I was doubly upset about the low-pressure light coming on, especially since I had just replaced the switch. I am a single woman who is always out on the road alone. I only buy cars that are reliable, up until my 2010 Subaru, its been nothing but Hondas and Toyotas.I had an Oldsmobile Achieva once, and that was the biggest POS Ive ever owned, whoever designed the front brakes that needed changing like clockwork at 22K, the whole serpentine belt and having to support the engine and undoing the engine bolts should be credited for Oldsmobile going out of business. I work on my own cars, so I know the quality of oil, gear oil, brakes, etc. going on them. When people ** me, I know. This car may be the one mistake I have made. It remains to be seen if Subaru will make it right. If not, I will be the Poster Girl for the anti-Subaru campaign.Bismarck, ND has one Subaru dealer in town. They scanned my car and said no problem, ignore the light, and drive on. I dont know what else they did, but my mileage dropped from 30 mpg to 25.5 mpg on the way to Rochester, and 27 mpg on the way back. I changed the oil, new filter. Called the Bismarck dealership and asked why my mileage dropped, told me it was the gas. Called SOA, no help there either. Mileage was similar on second trip to Rochester, and the low-pressure light came on during the trip back from Rochester. I ignored it but checked the oil. 1/2 qt low. Called Bismarck dealership again, and got the ** about the gas again (because consumers are stupid, right?).As if I wasnt getting sketchy gas in some of the places I went in Alaska and in the boonies in Canada and my mileage didnt tank like this. On my way back to Denver (home) my mileage came up to 27.6, but my low oil pressure light would come on after about 10 hours and I could smell a faint burning smell. When the engine cooled off and started back up, light is off, goes on about 10 hours later. Went through Missouri on my way home, about 1200 miles, checked oil when I got home, at the low line on dipstick. I also had ordered the new part that Subaru said I need for the low oil level light. Its installed, along with the rubber cap. Guess that is to keep the light off, while my engine burns up... I am still in denial, but its becoming clearer and I think I have one of the bad engines that burns oil in large quantities. It remains to be seen if they will fix the engine. Im still under 60K.There is nothing worse than being on the road when your car is malfunctioning, especially when you are carrying sick cancer patients that cannot be exposed to excessive germs and environment. So, when I am reading about all the Subaru complaints, believe them. My strong advice is to avoid Subaru until they start putting quality cars back on the market. What I just went through is disgusting. Problems on the road. I am not happy and am wondering how much this is going to cost me and I have talked with enough idiots at dealerships and at SOA to believe that this ** will kill the Subaru name if they dont correct it.I have also warned my friends that were influenced by my love of Subarus (before this incident), Hondas, and Toyotas. They bought a 2015 Subaru Forester and a 2016 Honda Accord because of my cars. I have faith in the Honda, but NOT the Forester. I am also now telling everyone else I know to stay away from Subarus. Perhaps their success has made them greedy and uncaring. VW did the same thing, they lost market share. Make it right Subaru!!! I will be the Poster Child you dont want!!!
K of Lonsdale, MN on Oct. 22, 2010 wrote something that is nearly identical to my experience, except mine is a 2010! I have two warranties on my Subaru. Major engine failure requires new block. Before I get to the complaint, I would like to offer a quick current real-life analogy that applies in this case. I needed an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) scan of my left leg this week, with the cost resulting to approximately $2,000. My insurance company did not need any pre-authorization, it was all fine, and they are paying x percent. Now imagine if something completely different transpires. What if the insurance company said no, we are not paying anything. You have to pay for it all unless you can prove for the last 2 years with records, you have been taking vitamins. It is extremely unlikely that vitamins had anything to do with a stress fracture, but I am swindled out of my money unless I either come up with the records that will satisfy them or fight them on their denial.That is nearly my exact position with Doug Smith Subaru in Utah. I am not unfamiliar to fighting when companies do bad things. I had a cement contractor try to make off with $2500 of my deposit and not do any work. I was highlighted on a local television news episode of Get Gephardt and I got the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing involved. I prevailed in that incident. I have a 2010 Subaru Forester, with approximately 44k miles on it. I had picked up my 10-year old son from school, was getting on the freeway on ramp and accelerating to 65mph with the engine revolutions between 4000-5000 (it is an automatic). All of a sudden, a clicking sound started - not too loud, but noticeable. I got off the next ramp and examined the engine. Nothing unusual could be seen, nothing leaking, nothing loose, no engine lights, no warning lights, nothing. I proceeded home, but the noise got much worse by arrival. I didnt want to drive it further, so it was my idea to have AAA tow it to Doug Smith Subaru, where I had purchased the vehicle. At the time of purchase, I was strongly encouraged to also get the extended warranty for 6 years/100,000 miles, which I did at rather substantial cost. I was told 2 days ago by the service department at Doug Smith that bad things had happened inside the engine. It was broken rod, I would need a new block and Subaru is not going to pay unless I could produce every single oil change record since I purchased the vehicle. They said they had no oil change records, so I would need to produce those. I said, wait a minute, I had the oil changed a lot by other people, but I know for a fact you guys changed it once as I had a coupon for it. They said, hold for a minute. Then they came back to the phone, oh yeah, we found that one and we also saw that you had a sticker on your windshield from last year, but we need more than that. They are refusing to pay anything. I have had it changed in Seattle, changed in Sacramento and here in Utah and I am scrambling to find records. This is outrageous, absurd and smacks of what can be seen in some legal defense firms - deny everything and assert reasons no matter how farfetched, ridiculous, unlikely or impossible. I have started networking to the people I know. Everybody I have talked to is stunned and shocked. I work with someone who was an auto mechanic for 20 years (they are in computers now) who said that is just ridiculous. Since I have purchased the vehicle, never has even one engine warning light comes on. It only has 44k miles on it. No check engine, no oil, no temperature, nothing. I checked all fluid levels usually once a month and also before going on any trip. This vehicle is not some turbo-charged teenage car that is abused. I am nearly 55 years old, this is a station wagon and I had my 10-year old son in the car. I have owned and maintained dozens of cars in my lifetime and this is absolutely crazy. I scrambled to produce the records back to the beginning of purchase because not in my wildest dreams would I have imagined that Subaru of America and Doug Smith would look for any reason not to pay. I have owned between 20 and 30 vehicles in my lifetime and had warranty work done from Dodge, Ford, BMW, Porsche, Nissan, GMC. Never, never was I asked to produce every single service record before any warranty work would be done. Doug Smith and Subaru cannot prove that there was an engine failure due to negligent service. They are only citing a phrase in a book to get out of paying. I have a huge list of people following this event and what the outcome is. I have a complaint on file with the BBB, but the dealership and SOA is refusing to budge. To people who want to purchase a Subaru, buyer beware!
Several months after purchasing my 2016 Outback I experienced an occasion when my engine stalled when I was trying to move into moving traffic. At first I assumed it was just a one time incident but I had the same thing happen a couple more times over the next few weeks. I drove the car to Armstrong Subaru and discussed the issue with Terry the service manager who told me that Subaru is aware of the problem that is in the computer module. He said they were expecting to come up with a solution within the next five months but in the meantime there is nothing they can do. The problem has continued to plague me and I fear that it could possibly cause an accident. I called Subaru America and the lady at that number pretty much told me the same thing. I waited several months and called Terry again only to learn that they are still working on the problem.In todays internet issue of Consumer Affairs I learned that the Impreza has been recalled for the same issue but there is not mention of the Outback. I am very disgruntled to say the least. I guess I will be forced to wait until all the Imprezas are fixed before a recall is issued on the Outback. Ill just continue to keep my fingers crossed because I have to have my car for transportation and cant just park it indefinitely. No more Subarus for me.
Worst experience with this car. I had many other cars that never gave me problems. Decided to buy a brand new 2016 WRX STI. After 3500 km driving it, it had to have a $2500 fix on the car and now I wake up to the car not cranking. Tried boosting it but its not a battery problem. I should have gone for a Hyundai, at least it wont give that issue at 5000 km. Not complaining about the dealership, they have been helpful but complaining about the car.
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...
Our well maintained 2006 Subaru Outback with 75,000 miles needs the head gaskets and rear main replaced. There is no excuse for this. We have 3 Subaru wagons including a 1999 with approx 200,000 miles that has never required this. We have always told people how great they are - will no longer do so! Afraid our 2007 will end up with the same issue! We have discovered this to be a common defect with them. There should be a recall!
My wife and I purchased this car and purchased the extended warranty, just in case. While on a long trip, the check engine light came on and within 10 minutes, I had lost all power from the turbocharger. The dealer informed me that the oil feed tube filter was clogged and caused the failure. This is not listed anywhere as to maintenance or inspection. Bottom line is, the dealer stated that my warranty is expired by three months and they wont be covering the costs. Ive owned several Subaru cars and was thinking of buying/trading up, but if your systems are not capable of even lasting to 100 thousand miles without a catastrophic failure, surely I wont be making any further purchases from your company. I change my oil personally every 3k, and the car has only 94k miles. What kind of product do you call this? So, what youre saying in your email is, Yes, were aware of the problem but were not responsible since we didnt issue a recall or even a TSB concerning this filter screen and we absolved ourselves of all responsibility regardless of impeccable maintenance per factory recommendations. Therefore, **. Really? Just how long do you plan to remain in business if this is how you operate? Sort of an already got your money, dude attitude? This car didnt even make it to its first timing belt change and thats somehow OK with you? I cannot believe a corporation as big as Subaru absolutely will not stand behind its product! As an ASE-certified master technician with over 25 years in this business, Ive been repeatedly asked about who makes a good car and without question, the answer wont be you, quite the opposite. Im absolutely appalled! Ninety-four thousand miles and a hidden, non-serviceable filter takes out a turbo and possibly the engine with it, and you say tough **!
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.
I bought Subaru Ascent 2021. It’s my biggest mistake I did the wrong decision. My SUV have issues with seats. My driving seat is shaking while driving especially when you stop on signal or stop signs. When you move driving seats is shaking feel me be. I fell down backside so it’s scary and my SUV 2nd row right side seat is give bad noise when you are driving bumpy street like rough road. It’s only 10000 miles and feel I drove old car. I take my SUV on Subaru service center twice. They are not able to fixed that issue. I guess they don’t have experienced technicians. They tried to fix and said it’s manufactured fault. Right now I am confused. What I gonna do. This SUV is not value to money so I decide to give review about my experience for helping people be careful before buying this suv make sure first check the seats in this SUV. After buying no one take responsibility. My car is under warranty but they didn’t fix. I go every week in service center and request them please fix my car.
2016 Subaru Outback limited - As my first Subaru and all the serious hype about how great this car is, I was personally very disappointed. Initially I was disappointed the limited had neither a panoramic sunroof, heated steering wheel and power folding mirrors. The interior pocket room is very minimal. Glove and center compartment very small. I did not find it works for me as a parent of young kids. The backseat is small. The spacing barely contains a convertible reverse facing child safety seat. The materials are cheap and feel cheap.MY MAJOR COMPLAINTS and reasons I am offloading my Subaru are: THE BATTERY my car came with a 325 amp battery out of the factory. I live in NE. Its cold. The car is high electronics. The crank power of that battery was not sufficient. Imagine my amusement when the day before Xmas eve in a snowstorm. I am stuck at work because my car wont start. Upon replacing the battery in my practically brand new car the passenger side window stopped working. Easy fix at dealer but still the inconvenience of getting to the dealer. THE STARTER the remote starter is AWFUL.The range is very poor and it only works 50% of the time. Dealer refuses to replace. THE ACCELERATION Sometimes, when its cold the car does not accelerate as it should. It seems to really struggle. THE SOFTWARE UPDATES my car started stalling and chugging. It turned out to need some software fix. Yet another trip to the dealer with a brand new car. THE BLUETOOTH extremely finicky. Sometimes it just drops connection mid call and wont reconnect. No idea why.
I purchased a 2013 new Forester in 2014. Almost from the start my oil light was on. The service department told me it was my imagination so that should have been a red flag. After complaining at every oil change for months they finally replaced the sensor. Oil light still was on. Fast forward to 2017 replaced sensor again and the light is off. However, now it seems I have no oil ever! I always bring my car in for service exactly when its scheduled. Every time now for the entire 2017 and 2018 period I have been out of oil. They did an oil consumption test and happily said all was good. Last time it was in they put a statement on my invoice that says I need to check my oil at least twice a month! I have 50,000 miles, the car is 4 years old and Should not have to do that! I have gone 900 miles since the last oil change and Im out of oil! Plus the light hasnt come on. I think they just disconnected it. Im done!
Purchased a new Outback in April 2016. Noticed the GPS map was from Q3 2014, so I asked the salesman if it could be updated. The salesman checked with the service department and told me that it could be updated by the service department just as soon as an update was available...but an update was not available at that time. A few months later after moving to another state, I asked Subaru Customer Service if my map could be updated. They informed me that the Subaru policy would not allow me to get an update before I owned the Outback for 12 months. So my map would be almost three years old before I could get it updated by a Subaru service department. I wasted much too much time sending emails to them attempting to get an update approved and after too many...I gave up and was lucky enough to find a way to update it myself.
We have a 2009 Suburu Forester with 8,790 miles on it. We drive relatively little compared to many families, and have taken excellent care of the car, meeting all of the required inspections. Last Sunday (Oct. 31st) ,as I backed out of a shopping mall parking place and started down the aisle toward the exit, the car gave a sudden sharp, powerful acceleration, as if the accelerator was pushed down hard. It lasted only a couple of seconds, and did not cause a problem. It did not reoccur the next day. However, on Tuesday (Nov. 1st), it happened again, this time causing a small accident. My wife pulled out of a parking lot on to a small side street, immediately making a left turn toward the main thoroughfare. The car gave the same sudden, sharp acceleration as she was making the turn and, as a consequence, the right front tire slammed into the curb on the far side of the side street, before she could brake, slashing the front tire. Although only one tire was involved, we had to buy 4 new tires (at a cost of $616).We are making two requests: 1. Reimbursement of the cost of the new tires 2. Investigation of this potentially dangerous condition to be sure that it doesnt happen to others.
My girlfriend bought a Certified Pre-Owned 2013 Subaru Outback from Kendall Subaru in Fairbanks in December of 2013. Within 1,000 miles of purchasing the vehicle the oil light came on. We brought the vehicle back to the dealer with the complaint of oil consumption. They told us that a quart of oil every 1,000 miles is Normal. But they would conduct an oil consumption test. Their test showed that the car was consuming a quart every 1,000 miles. Subsequently the oil light has come on 3 times. We called Kendall again and the service manager said this I did speak to one of the Subaru mechanics back there. And he said they are designed a bit differently from other vehicles. And he used the term the crankcase doesnt quite hold the same amount of oil as other vehicles. He compared it with the Toyota. So he said yes you would burn a little more oil faster because you just dont have the amount in the crankcase that other vehicles may have. When you come in I would ask the advisor to please let a mechanic explain it to you, because when he explained it to me it totally made sense. You have got to be kidding me? Do they think we are that stupid? I have the recording of the service representative on my phone. People need to hear this. We are talking a 2 year old car with 22,000 miles on it!
We have owned three Subarus. The 2017 Forester being the latest. I was very excited about my new Forester until I was driving and it kept dying on me. Then a light showed up showing low oil, had only had the vehicle two months, called dealer they said bring it in they will check it out they stated nothing showed up about low oil, again two months later same problem while we were on our way to vacation again. Dealer said bring in. Same response, my husband talked to them and explained the other problems about it dying, transmission not shifting properly, rattling in motor. They told him to bring it in. They test drove it and told him nothing was wrong but did say they would charge us $95.00 an hour to fix it, now again same problems no response. The only reason we had stayed with Subaru is because we purchased a 2003 Baja and it has almost 300,000 miles on so we decided to buy another one in 2014. We purchased a Crosstrek. Had so much trouble with that car. Traded it in for a Jeep which by the way is fantastic, guess if we cant get my Forester fixed we will be trading it in also. Wondering if anyone else has had so much going on with their Subarus.
We finally decided on a new car after buying used for well over 20 years. Finally narrowed it down to a Subaru based on customer satisfaction. Well let me tell you this customer is FAR from satisfied. Started at 14000 miles, when the dealer tells us the tires are down to the warning tread and need to be replaced. REALLY? Mind you all services had been performed at the dealer. So the dealer went to bat for me and got Subaru to replace all 4 tires no charge. Ok cool. So here we are 15000 miles later and guess what? Yep the tires are shot again, this time they check alignment and frame etc. nothing wrong. This time I have to call Subaru customer care. They balk, I argue, they finally agree to replace 3 of the 4 tires. I have to pay for the 4th one. So in 1 year and 30000 miles this Outback is on its 3rd set of tires!!They still cannot tell me why the tires are wearing out every 15000 miles. Tried to blame driving habits. Sorry, but if it was that then my other vehicles would be chewing up tires too! (They are not.) I cannot afford $800+ worth of tires every 6 months!! As soon as I can I will be trading in this hunk of junk for a Ford or Toyota. Never buying a Subaru again!
The safety features and its so fun to drive! I really liked how it handled and reasonably priced. They have several models to choose from, but I am partial to the Crosstrek Sport, it has all of the things I am looking for and then some!
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.
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.
Recently purchased a new 2015 Outback 2.5i premium. We test drove dealer car 3 times to confirm we wanted to order one, none available at any local dealers at the time. About 3wks after receiving our car, it developed a clicking noise coming from the gear shifter knob every time you went below or above 5mph, EVERY TIME. Nonstop, every light, every stop sign, all day every day. Dealer says its normal and refuse to fix. I keep reminding them it did not do it on any test car and it took weeks for it to show up on our car. How can that be normal? I would not have purchased the car had it made this annoying noise on the test drive and I certainly would not have paid for the car when I went to pick it up. (I did test drive our car prior to paying for it once it came in and there was no noise at all.) I am at the point of wanting to sell my brand new car because I just cant stand this constant annoyance. Wrote several emails directly to Subaru company rep, with them refusing to take any responsibility.
2014 SUBARU FORESTER LIMITED 2.5 - This is the 4th Subaru I have owned! I come from a family of Subaru owners. Purchased my SUV and within 5,000 miles the tires were SHOT. Its first winter was white knuckled, WHAT? I purchased this Subaru because they were great in the winter, but NOT this time. The dealer told me the car was so out of line it had to come off the assembly line like that. 15,000 miles burning oil like crazy, but the oil consumption test - passed.Hardware less than fair, door weather stripping crumbling already. 35,000 battery has dead cell, battery replaced. This was a brand new car I bought, seemed like some used car I bought off a lot! WHAT HAPPENED TO THIS BRAND? As sad as it is for me to say it, UNLESS SUBARU can give me a incentive to have my next car purchase BE a SUBARU brand, Honda and Toyota may be getting my business and my families!
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.
The Subaru Outback 2010 has been trouble from day 1. Constantly worrying about what will happen next. Uses oil, all lights replaced, AC and radio quit working, torque converter, and on and on and on. Worst car I have ever purchased by me or anyone in my family.
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.
The car chargers are faulty. They keep blowing up now twice in few months. Every time I have to waste a whole day to fix them. They keep trying to convince me that the problem is with my adaptor but thats not true. I have used the same adaptor for 10 years with my last Toyota with no problems. Needs to be fixed permanently. What an annoyance.
I have own 25 cars in my life, I am 54 years old. Never had any engine failures. But my 2008 STI just blew up.
I purchased a used 2008 WRX Sti with 20,000 miles back in February of 2012. The person I bought it from was Dave **. Dave was at the time (until very recently) a member of the Subaru USA rally team and this car served as his daily driver. Never raced or rallied in the slightest. Just a fun car to drive around town. At 17,000 miles under his ownership he blew an engine. Apparently he was doing some donuts in the snow and redlined it a little too long causing the engine to pop. He had some mods done to the vehicle which would technically void the warranty. Keep in mind this car is made to be modded as its not the everyday thing you take to the grocery store. Anyways.... Subaru agreed to warranty his engine under the pretense that they put most of it back to stock. So the new engine is put it and the car is back to normal. I buy it 3k miles later with the impression that I am getting a car with 20,000 miles but an engine with very little miles. Great right? Well no... not so much.Flash forward exactly 20,000 miles to December of 2013. I had just changed the oil as I was about to leave from North Carolina and drive to Minnesota for the holidays to see family. Made it all the way there with no problems. Stay the first night and then the next morning (Christmas Eve) I leave from my aunts home to my grandmothers with my young brother and sister in the car with me. No racing, no donuts, no hard driving whatsoever. Simply a morning commute to my grandmas with the family in tow. I get a quarter mile from my destination and the car shuts off and is blowing smoke out the back. I literally coasted into my grandmas driveway, thankfully. This now begins my so far month long battle with Subaru and getting a fair deal out of this.I had it towed to the closest Subaru dealership (200 dollars) where it sat for a solid week and a half before it was addressed. The dealership guessed what was wrong with it and told Subaru it had been previously modded and flashed. Subaru, based on simply that alone, denied my warranty claim. Speaking of warranty.... The car has a 5 year/60k mile warranty on the powertrain. I was 3 months out of the 5 year warranty yet still 20k miles below. Back and forth with Subaru and eventually I get to someone higher up on the chain who says the car needs to be torn down in order for them to truly decide. Im skeptical to authorize the dealership to tear it down as I dont want to get stuck with the bill when Subaru potentially leaves me in the dust after. So the lady (Linda **) was very helpful in the sense she offered to split the cost of the tear down with me granted they deny me any further warranty claim after it was diagnosed. I reluctantly agreed to this based on the fact that I thought for sure they wouldnt just leave me hanging.Well upon tearing it down... the dealership indeed found out that it was a blown engine. Again. Who would have thought that the same faulty engine they replaced the last faulty engine with would have blown again? This car is absolutely notorious for blowing motors AND especially in cylinder 4. Where did mine blow? You guessed it... cylinder 4. Where did it blow the first time when Dave had it? Again... cylinder 4. Subaru comes back with a complete denial of any responsibility and refuse to help with any sort of help with the repairs. To their credit, they still were standing by their word of splitting the cost of the tear down. The labor was 1300 dollars. Leaving me with a 650 bill and them a 650 dollar bill. Now after the 200 dollar tow, the 300 dollar rental car charge, a last minute plane ticket to get me home while it stayed there... Im at my wits end. Next up will be to ship it to North Carolina (900 dollars) and begin the fix myself (another 3,000 or 4,000?). I am not a rich man and simply cannot afford to dump this much money into a car I still owe money on. I bought a Subaru worry free and never in a million years would expect to be going through this at 40,000 miles. Its just plain unacceptable.Anyway, Point of the matter is I am out of warranty technically but then again... Im still WELL within my miles limit. A quick blown motor Subaru Google search will show you that they have countless amounts of cases where their engines blow. It is not uncommon for their cars to blow 2 engines in under 50,000 miles. The fact that this is so common only leads me to believe that there has to be some sort of lawsuit I can look into to forcing them to make this right? I am absolutely blown (no pun intended) away that such a massive companys reputation is only worth 650 dollars to them. I have since accepted that Im going to get stuck with the cost of the repairs and I offered them an easy way to compromise. I asked simply that they pay the full tear down price and offer the OLI (owner loyalty incentive) of 1500 that they originally tried buying my best interests with. Not that I ever plan to use it, Subaru might as well be dead to me as a company... but I still want to them to own up to that.To recap, they offered 650 of the 1300 tear down and the OLI. Im simply asking for them to pony up, attempt to save face of their awful company and make things right in the simplest of ways. 650 dollars more? Come on, Subaru. Really? Does anyone have any similar stories they could share that have or havent ended up in their favor? A company as big as Subaru should be ashamed of this mistreatment. This engine issue has been publicly acknowledged by them through press releases and this is most definitely not an isolated issue. Thanks for reading and I look forward to any replies or comments. My email is ** if you would like to share anything privately that way.
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.
Gas mileage rated 27/36. I am getting 21/27. What is going on? I got rid of a 2011 Kia for the same reason. Now, what do I do? You can contact me by email. Thank you.
Spent a great deal of time looking for a car. Have had Hondas and one Toyota in the past- usually bought when two years old and kept till 200,000 miles- all still running when sold and great cars. This is a new car, too many electrical gadgets and little education on how to use them. Now major replacement is needed that was not caught before the car was on the market- poor quality control. Now I know why they tried to sell me repair add on insurance and sign something about lemons- I’ll have to review that. A new screen or computer: music, phone, etc is needed, supposedly affecting the battery. The “eye” (car correction) doesn’t work if there’s a little frost or snow on the upper shield covering the camera (the dealer says it’s fine- why have it if you can’t rely on it in storms?), occasionally doesn’t turn over first time and struggles the first time especially if the temperature is below 30 degrees (I live where it gets much colder), it’s kept in a garage and outside temp is 20-30 degrees and struggles starting. The restarting when stopped at lights feels like the starter will be run down in no time and sometimes it sounds like the transmission will fall out and there’s a grinding sound. The Subaru app says all is fine on its check up- not reliable or accurate.After several hours diagnosing at the dealer, they ordered a part (the screen) of which they failed to call me to schedule a time when it came in... After waiting over two weeks, I emailed. No words of confidence or apology about this. The purchasing was simple, but after the sale, this is a different experience with them. I’ll take my simple, reliable Honda. (I dislike Hondas dealerships usually- high pressure, but the used car dealer’s owner passed away and closed- where I purchased my cars in the past, so I thought a new car would be the best choice and I liked Subaru’s low selling pressure.) How do I get rid of a new car (now almost two months old) with a history? I thought it was a great car when I bought it- first new car in 30 years, but who knows what will happen next, I don’t feel safe driving distances in it and I travel a great deal, so this is a serious concern.

