2003 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

2003 SUBARU FORESTER ~114K MILES. DURING PASSING (~70 MPH)ENGINE HAS STALLED 2X IN PAST WEEK. AFTER COMING TO FULL STOP AND TURNING KEY IN IGNITION FULL "OFF", CAR RESTARTS WITH NO DIFFICULTY WILL TAKE TO DEALER THIS WEEK. HAD BATTER INSTALLED ~ 2 MONTHS AGO. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHEN STARTING THE VEHICLE IN COLD WEATHER TEMPERATURES, THE VEHICLE WOULD EXHIBIT AN UNUSUALLY OVERPOWERING GASOLINE FUEL ODOR FROM THE INTERIOR. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER FOR DIAGNOSIS YET THEY WERE UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT UNDER RECALL AND WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 35,000.

WE'RE THE OWNERS OF A 2003 SUBARU FORESTER (ABOUT 90 000 MILES). FOR AT LEAST 6 MONTHS AFTER WE FILL THE GAS TANK, WE DETECT GAS FUMES NEAR THE REAR WHEELS - EXTERIOR ONLY. AS THE TANKS LEVEL GOES DOWN, THE SMELL WILL GO AWAY. WE ARE NOT OVER-FILLING; IN FACT WE WILL FILL BEFORE THE PUMP "CLICKS OFF". THERE IS NO DRIPPING OF GAS AND OUR MECHANIC HAS CHECKED FOR LEAKS/OVERFLOWS ETC AND HAS FOUND NOTHING. OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING IS WRONG AND WE ARE NOT THE ONLY OWNERS WHO HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT THIS EXTERIOR SMELL (IT SEEMS TO HAVE BEEN VERY PREVALENT IN THE 2002 MODEL). THE DEALER HAS BEEN NO HELP. WE HOPE NHTSA CAN HELP US. THANKS. *TR

THE PREVIOUS NIGHT WAS -17, I DIDN'T DRIVE THE CAR ALL DAY. AT 6:30 PM I DROVE THE CAR FOR 1/2HOUR, ALL WAS WELL. 2 HOURS LATER (-3 DEGREES) I GOT IN THE CAR AND DROVE 15 MIN AT WHICH TIME I CAME TO A STOP SIGN AND TURNED RIGHT ONTO ANOTHER ROAD AND THE SMELL OF GAS INSIDE THE CAR BEGAN. I LOOKED UP THE SYMPTOMS ONLINE AND FOUND I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE. NO ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN. *TR

I PURCHASED AND HAD INSTALLED 8 NEW HANKOOK TIRES FOR TWO VEHICLES AT L&M TIRE & WHEEL 185 W. KING ST. ABBOTTSTOWN, PA. 17301, 7172590567. THEY DID NOT RECORD THE TYPE OF VEHICLES, MILEAGE OF THE VEHICLES OR MY ADDRESS. ALL THAT WAS WRITTEN ON THE RECEIPT WAS MY NAME AND PHONE NUMBER. THIS INFORMATION WOULD NOT BE SUFFICIENT FOR ME TO BE NOTIFIED IF THERE WERE A RECALL OF THESE TIRES. THIS SHOULD BE A REQUIREMENT TO PROTECT THE PUBLIC. IF IT IS A REQUIREMENT WHAT AGENCY IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ENFORCING THE RETENTION OF THIS INFORMATION? *TR

FRONTAL IMPACT WHILE STRIKING A DEER AT THIS SPEED SHOULD HAVE DEPLOYED BOTH AIR BAGS. THE AIR BAG LIGHT SOMETIMES WOULD REMAIN ON, BUT MOSTLY IT WAS OFF. FROM WHAT I HAVE FOUND THROUGH OTHER COMPLAINTS IS THAT THIS YEAR VEHICLE IS KNOWN FOR THIS ISSUE, BUT A RECALL HAS NOT BEEN ISSUED. IS IT GOING TO TAKE A DEATH TO FORCE SUBARU TO CORRECT THIS ISSUE? THE OTHER ISSUE FOUND WHILE REPAIRING THE VEHICLE IS THAT BOTH HEAD GASKETS ARE SEEPING COOLANT, THE DRIVERS SIDE IS SEEPING MORE JUST LIKE THE RECALL DESCRIBES ON 1999-2002 MODELS. EVEN THOUGH THIS A 2003 IT WAS PURCHASED IN THE FALL OF 2002, SUBARU FAILED TO CONTACT ME AND ADVISE ME TO ADD THE $1.44 COOLANT ADDITIVE TO SAVE THE HEAD GASKETS. HOW IS A CONSUMER SUPPOSED TO KNOW THESE LITTLE DETAILS? NOW THE VEHICLE HAS TOO MANY MILES FOR THEM TO CARE, STICKING ME WITH THE ESTIMATED $2000 REPAIR.

2003 SUBARU FORESTER XS - FUEL SMELL IN CABIN DURING COLD WEATHER. SIMILAR TO THE MANY POSTS OUT THERE, THERE IS AN UNBEARABLE SMELL OF GAS IN THE CABIN OF MY CAR. I HAVE TO ROLL WINDOWS DOWN IN THE FREEZING WEATHER TO CONTINUE TO DRIVE. I'VE READ IT IS DUE TO CONTRACTING FUEL LINES THAT THEN LEAK. FIRE HAZARDS ARE OBVIOUS, BUT THE NOXIOUS GAS IS ENOUGH TO AT LEAST DISTRACT YOUR DRIVING IF NOT KNOCK YOU UNCONSCIOUS. I WILL VISIT MY DEALER THIS WEEK TO COMPLAIN. *TR

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2003 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE PULLING OUT OF THE DRIVEWAY, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY BEGAN TO ACCELERATE UP TO 35 MPH AFTER THE CONTACT RELEASED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO A TREE AND WAS TOTALED. THE CONTACT WAS INJURED AS A RESULT OF THE CRASH. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN INSPECTED AT THE TIME OF THE COMPLAINT. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 71,000.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNED A 2003 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF LESS THAN 20 MPH AND ENTERING HER DRIVEWAY, THE VEHICLE ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AT A RAPID SPEED. THE VEHICLE CRASHED INTO HER HOME CAUSING CONSIDERABLE DAMAGES TO THE VEHICLE AND HER HOME. THE AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AT THE TIME OF IMPACT, HOWEVER SHE DID NOT SUSTAIN ANY INJURIES. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT CONTACTED AND REPAIRS WERE PAID BY HER INSURANCE COMPANY. ON A SEPARATE OCCASION, WHILE DRIVING AT SPEEDS OF LESS THAN 15 MPH AND ENTERING HER DRIVEWAY FROM THE MAIN STREET, THE VEHICLE AGAIN ABNORMALLY ACCELERATED AT A RAPID RATE OF SPEED, CRASHING INTO THE REAR WALL OF HER HOME. THE VEHICLE DID NOT STOP AND PROCEEDED TO CRASH INTO HER GARAGE AND INTO THE REAR WALL OF A NEIGHBORING HOME. SHE DID NOT RECALL IF SHE ATTEMPTED TO DEPRESS THE BRAKE PEDAL AT THE TIME BECAUSE THE INCIDENT HAPPENED WITHIN A MATTER OF SECONDS. THE POLICE WERE CALLED TO THE SCENE AND A REPORT WAS FILED ACCORDINGLY. THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE NIGHT BEFORE THE INCIDENT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN IN FOR REGULAR SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. SHE WAS NOT ADVISED THAT THERE WERE ANY ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE. THE INITIAL FAILURE MILEAGE WAS UNKNOWN, HOWEVER THE MILEAGE WAS 49,000 WHEN THE VEHICLE WAS DESTROYED. THE VIN WAS NOT AVAILABLE.

ON MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22, 2010, I HAD AN INCIDENT OF "UNINTENDED ACCELERATION" ON POOKS HILL ROAD AND WISCONSIN AVENUE. I WAS STOPPING FOR A RED LIGHT WHEN I PUT ON THE BRAKES AND THE CAR ACCELERATED INSTEAD OF SLOWING AND STOPPING. TO AVOID HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME, I SWERVED INSTEAD TO MY RIGHT INTO A SNOW BANK. IT WAS APPROXIMATELY 2:45 P.M. I WAS DRIVING A SUBARU FORESTER "ALL WHEEL DRIVE" 2003 VEHICLE. DESPITE THE ALL WHEEL DRIVE, I COULD NOT GET OUT OF THE ICY SNOW BANK AND HAD TO BE TOWED OUT BY AAA. IT WAS A FRIGHTENING EXPERIENCE. *TR