2009 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

DRIVER SEAT FAILED/COLLAPSED ON LEFT SIDE WHILE DRIVING AT 35 MPH, I WEIGH 165 POUND WITH MY CLOTHES ON! *TR

THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON WHILE DRIVING AND STAYED ON. THAT MEANT SOMETHING WAS AMISS WITH THE EMISSIONS CONTROL SYSTEM, PROBABLY A LOOSE GAS CAP. I CHECKED THE CAP, TOOK IT OFF AND RETIGHTENED IT UNTIL I HEARD THE PROPER CLICKING SOUND. THE LIGHT REMAINED ON THE REST OF THE TRIP HOME. TWICE MORE BEFORE SERVICING, I REPEATED THE PROCESS OF CHECKING THE CAP. BOTH TIMES I HEARD THE CLICKING SOUND. THE LIGHT REMAINED ON. I HAD THE PROBLEM LOOKED AT BY A SUBARU DEALER. AFTER 2 HOURS THEY TOLD ME I WAS EITHER OVERFILLING THE TANK - I NEVER TOP OFF - OR NOT PUTTING THE CAP ON PROPERLY. I TOLD THEM I KNOW HOW TO PUT A GAS CAP ON, EXPLAINED HOW I DO IT, AND IF THERE IS A BETTER WAY, PLEASE SHOW ME. THEY ONLY REPEATED THAT IT MUST BE ME BECAUSE THE CAP WAS LOOSE ENOUGH TO BE LEAKING GAS. DESPITE MY INSISTING THAT SOMETHING ELSE WAS WRONG, THEY SAID BRING IT BACK IF IT HAPPENS AGAIN. I WILL REPEAT THAT THE GAS CAP WAS PUT ON AS PROPERLY AS IT CAN BE DONE. THERE IS SOMETHING ELSE GOING ON HERE AND IT IS POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS. I REPLACED THE OLD CAP WITH A NEW ONE AND HAVE NOT HAD A PROBLEM. *TR

IN A 2009 SUBARU FORESTER WHILE IN A SMALL PARKING LOT, AFTER BACKING OUT OF PARKING SPACE AND PREPARING TO MOVE FORWARD, THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED, SHOT ACROSS THE LOT AND CRASHED INTO A PARKED CAR WHICH WAS SEVERELY DAMAGED AND DEEMED TOTALED. THE DRIVER WAS ONLY ABLE TO ATTEMPT TO STEER THE OUT-OF-CONTROL FORESTER AWAY FROM THE PARKING LOT EXIT TO AVOID IT LEAVING THE LOT, CROSSING THE SIDEWALK AND ENTERING THE ROADWAY.THE FORESTER SUSTAINED CONSIDERABLE DAMAGES WHICH WERE REPAIRED. THE OWNER (DRIVER) DROVE THE FORESTER ONLY ONE TIME SINCE THE ACCIDENT AND WOULD NOT CONTINUE TO USE IT FOR FEAR OF A REPETITION OF WHAT APPEARED TO HIM TO BE A SERIOUS DEFECT IN THE SPEED CONTROL. THIS HAS BEEN REPORTED BY OTHERS FOR THIS MAKE AND MODEL FOR 2009 AND OTHER YEARS.

LOUD KNOCKING SOUND NOTED COMING FORM ENGINE WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY. PULLED OFF OF HIGHWAY THEN ALL THE WARNING LIGHTS ON DASHBOARD FLICKERED ON AND ENGINE DIED. HAD TO TOW TO DEALER. INFORMED THAT A ROD HAD KNOCKED LOOSE RELATED TO FAULTY BEARINGS HAD TO HAVE ENGINE REPLACED. *TR

SINCE FROM THE BEGINNING, I HAVE TO PUSH MY BRAKE PEDAL TOO DOWN TO APPLY THE BRAKES, I REPORTED IT SEVERAL TIMES TO MY SUBARU DEALER BUT THEY SEEMS TO BE NOT SERIOUS IN DEALING THIS. *TR

DRIVERS SEAT BELT WILL NOT RELEASE . YOU HAVE TO KEEP WORKING WITH IT & PULLING ON IT TO FINALLY GET IT TO RELEASE . THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE VEHICLE IS STOPPED AT 0 MPH . THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR THE LAST 4 MONTHS .I FELL THIS IS VERY UNSAFE INCASE OF FIRE, OR FOR ANOTHER REASON YOU NEED TO GET OUT OF THE VEHICLE IN A HURRY . *TR

THIS VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN ANY ACCIDENTS. I AM OF AVERAGE HEIGHT AND WEIGHT. UPON ENTERING MY VEHICLE AT A PARKING LOT ONE NIGHT, THE SEAT BOTTOM COLLAPSED AND FELL TO THE FLOOR. I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE THE VEHICLE HOME, BUT WAS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TRYING TO REMAIN POSITIONED PROPERLY IN THE SEAT. CLOSER EXAMINATION OF THE SITUATION PERFORMED THE NEXT MORNING REVEALED A PORTION OF THE SEAT FRAME WAS BROKEN. LOU FUSZ SUBARU IN CREVE COEUR, MO CONFIRMED THE BROKEN FRAME AND TRACED TO FAILURE OF A SPOT WELD. THEY WANTED $1,000. TO REPLACE THE SEAT BOTTOM PORTION OF THE SEAT. ALL THE CONTROLS ARE STILL FUNCTIONAL, ALBEIT NOT FLAWLESSLY DUE TO MISALIGNMENT OF THE STRUCTURE. WHEN ASKED IF THE FRAME COULD BE WELDED THE SERVICE ADVISER SAID THIS WOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE TO ASSESS UNLESS WE AGREED TO PAY FOR SEVERAL HOURS LABOR TO DISSEMBLE THE SEAT SO THE WELDER COULD INSPECT THE FRAME DESPITE THE SERVICE TECHNICIAN BEING ABLE TO SEE AND DIAGNOSE THE DAMAGE WITHOUT DIS-ASSEMBLY. WE HAVE ASKED THE SERVICE ADVISER TO CONTACT THE FACTORY REPRESENTATIVE TO RESOLVE WHAT WE BELIEVE IS A SAFETY SITUATION. WE BELIEVE THE SEAT FAILURE DIRECTLY AFFECTS OUR ABILITY TO MAINTAIN THE REQUIRED LEVEL OF COMFORTABLE CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE - ESPECIALLY IF ANOTHER PORTION OF THE SEAT STRUCTURE FAILS. INDEPENDENT RESEARCH ON THE SUBARU OWNERS WEBSITE HAS REVEALED THAT OURS IS NOT AN ISOLATED INCIDENT. SIMILAR FAILURES, AT APPROXIMATELY THE SAME MILEAGE POINT, LEAD US TO QUESTION IF THERE WAS A FAULT IN THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS OF THE STEEL SEAT FRAME. *TR

I AM 195 LBS AND BEGAN ENTERING THE VEHICLE IN MY GARAGE AND SAT DOWN ON THE DRIVERS SEAT AND HEARD A SOUND FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE LEFT FRONT SIDE OF THE SEAT. FELT THAT THE SEAT WAS LOWER THAN THE RIGHT SIDE AS WELL. INSPECTED TO FIND THAT THE FRONT LEFT BRACKET THAT SUPPORTS THE BOTTOM OF THE SEAT HAD BROKEN. IT APPEARS THAT TWO VERY SMALL WELDS HOLD THE BRACKET TO THE SEAT AND BOTH HAD BROKEN AND ARE UNABLE TO SUFFICIENTLY SUPPORT THE SEAT. ATTEMPTING TO RAISE AND/OR LOWER THE SEAT DOES NOT WORK AS WELL SINCE THE LEFT FRONT SIDE CANNOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY. *TR

WE ARE 15,000 MILES INTO 4 NEW (APRIL 2012 PURCHASED, MOUNTED MAY 2012) P225/55ZR -17 PIRELLI P6 ALL-ROAD 2007 PRODUCTION TIRES. I HAVE HAD THE TIRES INSPECTED AND BALANCED AT REGULAR SERVICE INTERVALS AND ON THIS OCCASION (FEB2013) WAS ASKED HOW OLD MY TIRES WERE BECAUSE THEY WERE IN NEED OF REPLACEMENT AND WOULD LIKELY RESULT IN A TICKET BY GERMAN POLICE IF STOPPED. BY OUR MECHANICS ESTIMATE OUR TIRES LOOKED THREE-FOUR YEARS OLD. BECAUSE WE LIVE OCONUS WE PURCHASED OUR TIRES THROUGH TIRERACK.COM. HE RECOMMENDED WE TRY WORKING WITH THEM TO SEEK RESOLUTION, BECAUSE OUR TIRES ARE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH GERMAN LAW AND POTENTIALLY UNSAFE. *TR

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2009 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, A VIBRATION HARMONIC BUZZ WAS HEARD FROM UNDERNEATH THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER FOR REPAIR. THE TECHNICIAN STATED THE HEAT SHIELD NEEDED TO BE REPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER A SECOND TIME FOR THE SAME FAILURE AND SAME REPAIRS WERE DONE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND STATED THE VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED IN ANY RECALLS. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 85,000 AND THE CURRENT MILEAGE WAS 90,000...UPDATED 01/14/13 *BF UPDATED 1/15/2013 *JS