2010 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2010 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT APPROXIMATELY 30 MPH, THE FRONT DRIVER SIDE SEAT FRACTURED CAUSING THE CONTACT TO SLIDE DOWNWARD. THE CONTACT STATED THAT HE HAD TO HOLD HIMSELF UP USING THE STEERING WHEEL IN ORDER TO DRIVE. THE FAILURE RECURRED CONTINUOUSLY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 86,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.

WHILE FASTENING SEATBELT, DRIVERS SEAT, FRONT LEFT CORNER, MADE A "SNAP" NOISE AND DROPPED SLIGHTLY UNDER DRIVER'S LEG; NOW IS UNSTABLE, DOES NOT SUPPORT DRIVER'S LEFT LEG PROPERLY, FEELS UNEVEN AND OFF BALANCE. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY, IN PARKING LOT.

THE DRIVER'S SIDE POWER SEAT COLLAPSED FOR THE SECOND TIME. A FEW MONTHS AGO THE RIGHT SIDE COLLAPSED. I FOUND THAT THE TOGGLE BRACKET ON THE UPPER RIGHT SEAT FRAME BROKE LOOSE FROM THE LOWER SCISSOR ASSEMBLY THAT RAISES AND LOWERS THE SEAT. THE TOGGLE BRACKET IS HELD THE THE SCISSOR ASSEMBLY BY TWO SPOT WELDS. THE SPOT WELDS BROKE LOOSE CAUSING THE SEAT TO FAIL. THERE WAS NO SUBARU TSB OR WARRANTY COVERAGE SO I REMOVED THE SEAT AND REWELDED IT. TODAY I NOTICED THAT THE LEFT SIDE TOGGLE HAS BROKEN LOOSE AT THE SAME TWO SPOT WELDS. THESE WELDS ARE TOO WEAK FOR THE APPLICATION AND SUBARU CORP SHOULD ISSUE A RECALL. I ASK YOU: WHERE'S THE LOVE FROM SUBARU FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS. THERE ARE MANY COMPLAINTS FOR THIS PROBLEM ON THIS GOVT WEBSITE AND A SEARCH ON-LINE WILL REVEAL A LOT MORE INSTANCES OF THIS PROBLEM!

WHILE SITTING ON THE DRIVER'S SEAT, THE FRONT LEFT PORTION OF THE SEAT COLLAPSED DOWNWARD, AND NOW HAS NO SUPPORT FROM THE FRAME OF THE SEAT. DEALER HAS CONFIRMED THAT THE WELDS ON THE SEAT BRACKET HAVE FAILED. THIS SEEMS LIKELY TO BE THE RESULT OF A FACTORY DEFECT, AS THIS SEAT HAS NOT BEEN ABUSED OR HAD AN ABNORMAL AMOUNT OF WEIGHT SUPPORTED ON IT. MY CONCERN NOW IS IN THE SAFETY OF THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM.

AFTER WORK, I GOT IN MY CAR AND STARTED IT UP. CHECK ENGINE LIGHT CAME ON, FOLLOWED BY TRACTION CONTROL AND TIRE PRESSURE LIGHTS. THIS WAS ODD BECAUSE THESE LIGHTS HAD NEVER BEEN ON BEFORE. I STARTED TO DRIVE HOME--IT WAS TOO LATE TO BRING THE CAR TO HAVE IT CHECKED OUT. I LIVE A MINUTE AND A HALF FROM WORK. THE CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT THEN CAME ON AND FLICKERED IN NO PARTICULAR PATTERN. THEN, ABOUT 45 SECONDS INTO MY 90 SECOND DRIVE, THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE LIGHT CAME ON. THE WEATHER WAS ABOUT 50 DEGREES AND RAINY. WHEN I GOT HOME THE ENGINE FAN WAS SPINNING REALLY FAST. I POPPED THE HOOD. NO SMOKE OR ANYTHING VISIBLY WRONG. AT ROUGHLY 2:10AM THERE WAS NO WAY I COULD BRING IT TO GET THE ISSUES LOOKED INTO. SO I LEFT THE HOOD OPEN TO LET SOME HEAT OUT AND WHEN THE FAN SLOWED AND THEN STOPPED, I CLOSED THE HOOD AND WENT INSIDE. ABOUT 10-15 MINUTES LATER, DURING WHICH TIME THE CAR HAD BEEN STATIONARY AND THE ENGINE HAD BEEN SHUT OFF, I HEARD A POP SOUND. IT WAS A STRANGE NOISE AND I GOT UP TO CHECK IT OUT. IT WAS A MASSIVE ENGINE FIRE. IT TOASTED THE ENGINE AND MELTED A GOOD PORTION OF THE FRONT END. THE FIRE DEPT SHATTERED THE WINDOWS AND PEELED THE HOOD BACK. THE CAR IS TOTALED. THE FIRE WAS JUST FEET AWAY FROM MY HOUSE ON ONE SIDE, AND THE NEIGHBOR ON THE OTHER SIDE. HAD I BEEN ASLEEP THE FIRE COULD HAVE SPREAD TO MY HOUSE OR MY NEIGHBOR'S, POTENTIALLY KILLING PEOPLE. IT WAS ONE OF THE SCARIEST THINGS I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED. THERE IS A VIDEO ON YOUTUBE WITH SOMETHING SIMILAR (SEARCH SUBARU ENGINE FIRE). THE CAR IS A 2010 FORESTER XT, COMPLETELY STOCK. IT HAS BEEN VERY WELL MAINTAINED AND HAS ABOUT 85,000 MILES ON IT. MY MOTHER ORIGINALLY OWNED IT. SHE BOUGHT IT BRAND NEW FROM THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND I BOUGHT IT FROM HER.

I WAS DRIVING WHEN SUDDENLY I FELT A CRACK OR SNAP IN THE LOWER FRONT LEFT PORTION OF MY DRIVER'S SEAT. THE FRONT LEFT PORTION OF THE SEAT FELT SOFT, WHEN GETTING OUT OF THE CAR THE SEAT SAGGING AND SHIFTING (UNLIKE THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SEAT). ACCORDING TO THE DEALER, IT WAS DUE TO THE FAILURE OF A BROKEN BRACKET OR BOLT AND THEY WILL HAVE TO REPLACE THE FRONT SEAT FRAME BRACKET FOR 381.00. THERE HAVE BEEN MANY REPORTS OF THIS DEFECT IN 2010 FORESTERS ON THE INTERNET AND ON THIS SAFETY COMPLAINT LOG.

A FAMILY MEMBER WAS RE-PARKING OUR CAR NEXT TO THE HOUSE. SHE PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE, PRESSED THE ACCELERATOR LIGHTLY, AND THE CAR SUDDENLY LURCHED BACKWARDS AND KEPT GOING EVEN AFTER SHE TOOK HER FOOT OFF THE ACCELERATOR, AND HIT THE HOUSE, CAUSING DAMAGE TO BOTH THE CAR AND THE HOUSE (AND CAUSING MY DAUGHTER A CONCUSSION). EARLIER, MY SON HAD A SIMILAR EXPERIENCE WITH THE SAME CAR. HE HAD THE CAR IN REVERSE, LIGHTLY TAPPED THE ACCELERATOR, THE CAR JOLTED BACKWARD BUT HE DID NOT HIT ANYTHING BECAUSE HE WAS NOT CLOSE TO ANY OBJECTS OR STRUCTURES.

CHECK ENGINE LIGHT, CRUISE CONTROL LIGHT AND OIL LIGHT CAME ON 10 MILES OUTSIDE OF MY DESTINATION TO BALTIMORE,MD (65 MILE FROM HOME TO DESTINATION) HAD VEHICLE TOWED TO A DEALERSHIP. I WAS INFORMED THAT MY TRANS COOLER LINE HAD RUSTED OUT AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.($707.86). PICKED UP VEHICLE ON 9/15/2015 AND DRIVE APPROXIMATELY 10 MILES AND ISSUES REOCCURRED AND I RETURNED THE CAR BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP, WHERE THEY RAN A SECOND SCAN OF THE VEHICLE AND TOLD ME THAT THE 3 AND 4TH GEAR HAD GONE OUT AND THAT I NEEDED A NEW TRANSMISSION ($7000.00) AND THAT MAY NOT FIX THE ISSUE.

DRIVERS SIDE SEAT CUSHION COLLAPSED ON LEFT SIDE AND BECAME LOOSE DUE TO A WELD FAILURE ON THE SEAT FRAME. I BELIEVE THAT THE LOOSE SEAT CUSHION COMPROMISES THE INTEGRITY OF THE RESTRAINT SYSTEM AND WARRANTS A SAFETY RECALL.

THE FRONT LEFT CORNER OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT HAS BROKEN AND NO LONGER PROVIDES SUPPORT FOR YOUR LEFT LEG. THIS CORNER OF THE SEAT COLLAPSES TOWARDS THE FLOOR WHEN MINIMAL FORCE IS APPLIED. AFTER INVESTIGATING, TWO SPOT WELDS UNDERNEATH THE FRONT LEFT CORNER OF THE DRIVER'S SEAT HAVE FAILED AND HAVE DETACHED.