2003 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

MY 2003 SUBARU FORESTER HAS A FUEL LEAK SMELL THAT ENTERS THE CAR INTERIOR.. IT'S NOT A RICH FUEL MIXTURE EXHAUST SMELL, IT'S THE SMELL OF RAW FUEL INSIDE THE CABIN. IT COMES AND GOES. I SEE ONLINE OTHERS ARE HAVING THIS PROBLEM. SUBARU SHOULD BE HELD ACCOUNTABLE AND FORCED TO HAVE A RECALL TO FIX THE PROBLEM ONCE AND FOR ALL. *TR

I PURCHASED A SUBARU FORRESTER WITH 38 K MILES IN AUGUST. DURING THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY, I NOTICED A RUBBING NOISE, CONSISTENT AND LOUDER WHILE TURNING IN THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE VEHICLE. WARRANTY FROM THE DEALERSHIP ONLY LASTED ONE THOUSAND MILES AND THEY TOLD ME TOUGH LUCK. A FRIEND WHO IS A "SUBARU GUY" TOLD ME I HAD A BAD BEARING, AND TO BE CAREFUL, IT WAS A COMMON PROBLEM THAT COULD GET WORSE QUICK. IT DID, AND I HAVE HAD MY VEHICLE PARKED FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS AS THE NOISE LOUD ONE DAY AND THE WHEEL WAS ACTUALLY LOOSE. THE VEHICLE IS CURRENTLY IN THE SHOP, HAVING THE REAR WHEEL BEARING REPLACED. THE COST OF THE REPAIR IS 390 DOLLARS, POSSIBLY 150 MORE IF THE MECHANIC FINDS OUT THAT A CAP OR SEAL FOR THE AXLE IS PITTED AND NEEDS REPLACEMENT. I HAVE NEVER DRIVEN THE CAR IN ANY EXTREME CIRCUMSTANCES, MOSTLY FOR A THIRTY MILE HIGHWAY COMMUTE TO WORK, NO STOP AND GO OR ANY SORT OF EXTRAORDINARY DRIVING. I HAD HEARD NOTHING BUT GOOD THINGS ABOUT SUBARU, BUT THIS IS NO GOOD AS THE WHEEL SEEMED TO HAVE LOOSENED TO A POINT OF DANGER AND I HAD IT TOWED IN TO THE SHOP. *TR

MY CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON AND I BROUGHT MY CAR TO MY LOCAL SUBARU DEALER. THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN EXAMINED THE CAR AND DETERMINED THAT THE ENGINE LIGHT HAD COME ON BECAUSE OF A PROBLEM WITH MY AIRBAG. HOWEVER, UPON EXAMINATION, HE WAS UNABLE TO FIND ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE AIRBAG AND THE ENGINE LIGHT WENT OFF. I WAS THEN TOLD NOT TO WORRY ABOUT IT SINCE IT WAS PROBABLY NOTHING. LUCKILY, THE MANAGER OVERHEARD THE CONVERSATION AND REMEMBERED A SERVICE BULLETIN (#17-07-04) THAT HAD BEEN ISSUED BY SUBARU REGARDING THIS VERY PROBLEM FOR 2003 SUBARU FORESTERS. HE EXPLAINED TO ME THAT OXIDATION ON THE CONTACTS IN THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE AIRBAG SENSOR WAS CAUSING THE AIRBAG LIGHT TO COME ON AND THAT I NEEDED TO HAVE THE NECESSARY WORK COMPLETED (PER THE SERVICE BULLETIN) OR ELSE THE AIRBAGS MIGHT NOT ACTIVATE IN AN EMERGENCY. SINCE THIS IS A PROTECTED PART LOCATED INSIDE THE VEHICLE I FEEL THAT IT WAS NOT DESIGNED APPROPRIATELY TO RESIST OXIDATION AND THAT SUCH A FACTORY DEFECT COULD POTENTIALLY RESULT IN A VERY SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE TO OWNERS OF THIS MODEL SUBARU CAR. (WE HAVE A 2001 FORESTER WITH 112,000 MILES AND HAVE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY PROBLEM OF THIS NATURE.) I LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND NUMEROUS SIMILAR COMPLAINTS ' ALL RELATED TO THE 2003 FORESTER AND ONLY TO THE 2003 FORESTER. IN FACT, THERE IS A COMPLAINT ON THE NATIONAL HIGHWAY TRANSPORTATION SAFETY ASSOCIATION WEBSITE HTTP://WWW-ODI.NHTSA.DOT.GOV/CARS/PROBLEMS/COMPLAIN/COMPLAINTSUMMARY.CFM?ODI_ID=10' DATING BACK TO 2005, INVOLVING A DEATH WHEN THE AIR BAGS IN A 2003 FORESTER FAILED TO ACTIVATE. BASED UPON ALL THE SIMILAR COMPLAINTS FOR THIS VERY MODEL CAR THAT I SEE ONLINE, I AM CONCERNED THAT THIS COULD POTENTIALLY BE A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE. WHEN I CALLED SUBARU TO EXPLAIN MY CONCERN, THEY REIMBURSED ME FOR THE COST OF THE REPAIR, WHICH WAS $186.47. HOWEVER, I FEEL THAT I NEED TO ADVISE THIS ASSOCIATION OF THE MATTER AS WELL SINCE I FEAR THIS COULD BE MORE WIDESPREAD THAN IS NOW KNOWN. *TR

MY 2003 SUBARU FORESTER - PURCHASED NEW - CURRENTLY HAS 55,000 MILES ON IT. IT WAS LAST SERVICED 3 MONTHS AGO. AT THAT TIME, NOTHING WAS MENTIONED ABOUT COOLANT PROBLEMS OR LEAKS. LAST WEEK, ON THE TURNPIKE, THE RPM NEEDLE STARTED SWINGING WILDLY AND I LOST POWER. I MANAGED TO GET TO THE SHOULDER OF THE TURNPIKE AND SHUT DOWN AND BY THAT TIME SMOKE WAS POURING OUT FROM THE ENGINE. THE PROBLEM DIAGNOSED IS THAT THE COOLANT HAD LEAKED AT THE HEAD GASKETS - A PROBLEM THAT I AM NOW LEARNING SUBARU HAS KNOWN ABOUT FOR SOME TIME. I HAVE TO REPLACE THE ENGINE AT A COST OF AT LEAST $2600. I WAS NEVER CONTACTED BY SUBARU OR THE DEALERSHIP TO INFORM ME THAT THIS MAY BE A PROBLEM ALTHOUGH I CONSISTENTLY HAVE RECEIVED NOTIFICATIONS ABOUT REPURCHASING AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. OBVIOUSLY, A 2003 VEHICLE WITH 55,000 MILES ON IT HAS NOT BEEN DRIVEN EXCESSIVELY. COMMENTS I HAVE HEARD ARE THAT "YOU'RE STILL BREAKING IN THE ENGINE". *TR

I PURCHASED A NEW SUBARU FORESTER XS IN JULY 2003 AND HAD IT SERVICED REGULARLY AT NOW DEFUNCT SUBARU DEALERSHIPS. WHILE I WAS DRIVING ONE DAY, THE CAR SUDDENLY OVERHEATED. THE FOREIGN AND DOMESTIC AUTO SERVICE MECHANIC I WAS ABLE TO REACH SHOWED ME THAT THE ENGINE WAS LEAKING COOLANT IN 3 PLACES, REQUIRING A COSTLY REPAIR OF THE HEAD GASKET. I LEARNED FROM HIM THAT THIS HEAD GASKET FAILURE WAS A COMMON PROBLEM WITH SUBARUS. I HAD THE CAR UNDER WARRANTY WITH SUBARU FOR 60,000 MILES. AT NO TIME WAS I NOTIFIED BY THE DEALER FROM WHOM I PURCHASED THE CAR OR BY ANY SUBARU SERVICE CENTER, THAT SPECIAL COOLANT WAS REQUIRED TO MITIGATE THIS DEFECT. I HAD THE CAR REPAIRED AT A COST OF OVER $2,000. *TR

CABIN HAS STRONG FUEL SMELL WHEN STARTING IN THE MORNING. THE SMELL IS LIKE SOMEONE POURED A CUP OF FUEL ON THE FRONT SEAT. THE DEALER STATED THERE WAS AN ISSUE WITH THE FUEL LINE LEAKING. MANY OTHER SUBARU OWNERS ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT THIS ISSUE ON THE SUBARU OWNER WEBSITES. *TR

TODAY, I STARTED MY 2003 SUBARU FORESTED, AND LET THE CAR RUN WITH THE HEAT ON FOR ABOUT 15 MINUTES WHILE I SCRAPED THE FROST OFF OF MY WINDOWS. WHEN I OPENED THE DOOR TO GET IN, THE CABIN WREAKED OF GAS FUMES. THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THIS HAS HAPPENED. ONCE EACH IN JAN 2006 AND JAN 2007 I REPORTED THIS TO THE DEALERSHIP. IN 2006 THEY ATTEMPTED TO REPLACE THE CLAMPS, IN '07 THEY REPLACED SOME HOSES. APPARENTLY THESE FIXES ARE STILL NOT SUFFICIENT TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. THE ONLY CURRENT SOLUTION TO THE PROBLEM IS TO OPERATE THE CAR AT WARM TEMPERATURES OR LET IT WARM UP BEFORE DRIVING. THE GAS FUMES ARE STILL GETTING IN TO THE CABIN WHEN IT IDLES, THOUGH. *TR

I HAD REGULAR SERVICE DONE TO MY CAR AT CLAY SUBARU OF NORWOOD MASSACHUSETTS. THE REPRESENTATIVE STATED THAT THE MECHANIC NOTICED SOME OIL SEEPAGE FROM THE HEAD GASKET. THEY RECOMMENDED THAT I GET THE HEAD GASKETS REPLACED WITHIN A YEAR. SINCE THAT TIME I HAVE MONITORED THE OIL LEVEL AND HAVE HAD TO REPLACE ABOUT A QUART IN BETWEEN REGULAR OIL CHANGE INTERVALS. I AM CONCERNED BECAUSE I KNOW THIS REPRESENTS MAJOR ENGINE WORK. THEY QUOTED THAT IT WOULD COST ABOUT $2,000.00 TO REPLACE THE HEAD GASKETS. THE CAR ONLY HAD ABOUT 115,000 MILES ON IT. IT IS A 2003 SUBARU FORESTER THAT I PURCHASED NEW IN DEC 2002. *TR

EXHAUST/FUEL SMELL IN INTERIOR CAB DURING USE IN COLD WEATHER/ USE OF HEATER IN 2003 SUBARU FORESTER. *TR

STRONG FUEL SMELL INSIDE THE CABIN DURING COLD WEATHER. IT GETS SO BAD AT TIMES THAT IT CAUSES IRRITATION IN MY THROAT AND A BURNING SENSATION IN MY EYES. IT ALSO LEAVES A FOUL TASTE IN MY MOUTH THAT LASTS WELL AFTER I EXIT THE VEHICLE. *TR