2014 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

MY 2014 SUBARU FORRESTER WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY WHEN A VERY LOUD SOUND OCCURRED. THE REAR, DRIVER COIL SPRING BROKE AND THREE PIECES OF METAL WERE ON THE FLOOR. THE CAR BODY DROPPED AND THE TIRE WAS ALMOST HITTING THE WHEEL WELL. I TOOK IT TO MY LOCAL MECHANIC WHO WAS VERY SURPRISED THAT ON A RELATIVELY NEW CAR THE COIL SPRING BROKE. I DID AN INTERNET SEARCH AND DISCOVERED THAT THIS WAS A VERY COMMON COMPLAINT ABOUT THE 2014 FORRESTER COIL SPRINGS. THEY WERE CLEARLY DEFECTIVE BUT SUBARU WAS NOT HELPFUL IN COVERING ANY OF THE REPLACEMENT COSTS ESPECIALLY BECAUSE BOTH HAD TO BE REPLACED.

I WALKED BEHIND THE VEHICLE THAT WAS PARKED ON SIDE OF THE STREET, AND PRESSED THE BUTTON THAT ACTIVATES THE POWERED TAILGATE AND CAUSES IT TO OPEN. AS THE TAILGATE WAS OPENING, THE LEFT TAILGATE GAS LIFT SUPPORT BROKE OFF FROM THE TAILGATE. WHEN THE TAILGATE REACHED ITS MAXIMUM HEIGHT, IT SLAMMED DOWN IN AN UNRESTRAINED MANNER. NOW WHENEVER I TRY TO USE THE AUTOMATIC TAILGATE, IT OPENS TO THE MAXIMUM HEIGHT, THEN ABRUPTLY AND WITHOUT WARNING SLAMS DOWN WITH GREAT FORCE, WITH A POTENTIAL TO INJURE SOMEONE.*DT CONSUMER STATED PUSHED BUTTON TO RAISE LIFTGATE; APPEARED THAT WHEN LIFTGATE REACHED MAXIMUM HEIGHT, IT CAME CRASHING DOWN. COMPLAINANT WAS STANDING BACK WAITING FOR THE LIFTGATE TO OPEN WHEN INCIDENT HAPPENED. TRIED TO OPEN THE LIFTGATE USING BUTTON AGAIN A COUPLE MORE TIMES; LIFTGATE WOULD OPEN, BUT WOULD COME CRASHING DOWN AGAIN WHEN IT REACHED MAXIMUM HEIGHT. LOOKED TO SEE WHAT WAS THE PROBLEM AND SAW ON DRIVER'S SIDE THAT THE STRUT WAS BROKEN AT THE SIDE WHERE THE BALL JOINT CONNECTS TO THE VEHICLE. SAW RUST ALL AROUND THE BALL AND THE TOP PART OF THE BALL HAD SHEARED OFF. UNSCREWED THE REMAINDER OF THE STRUT TO REMOVE. USED THE PROGRAM ON THE VEHICLE TO ADJUST THE MAXIMUM HEIGHT OF THE LIFTGATE SO THAT IT DIDN'T OPEN AS MUCH (APPROXIMATELY 3-5' LOWER) AND THEN IT WOULD OPEN WITHOUT CRASHING DOWN. ORDERED A LIFTGATE REPLACEMENT PART ONLINE AND REPAIRED HIMSELF. NO PROBLEMS SINCE. DID NOT REPLACE THE PASSENGER SIDE STRUT. CONSUMER WILL SEND PHOTOS OF NEW DRIVER'S SIDE AND ORIGINAL PASSENGER SIDE REAR LIFTGATE STRUTS AT CONNECTOR POINTS. *JB *DT *TR

THE RIGHT REAR SUSPENSION ON THE CAR COLLAPSED SOMETIME BETWEEN 6/29/19 AND 7/4/19. WE DID NOT PUT WEIGHT ON THE CAR. THE COIL SPRING JUST SHEARED SOMEHOW. THE CAR HAS 76K MILES ON IT AND HAS BEEN IN MI FOR THE LAST 3 YEARS. THE MECHANIC COULD NOT FIGURE OUT HOW THIS HAPPENED, AND WE ARE FRANKLY PUZZLED TOO. WE ARE NOT THE ONLY ONES WHO THIS HAS HAPPENED TO. HTTPS://WWW.CARGURUS.COM/CARS/DISCUSSION-T61866_DS789686

MY 2014 SUBARU ACCELERATED AS I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPOT HITTING A TREE. MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE WHEN THIS HAPPENED.MY AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY .

MY 2014 SUBARU FORRESTER ACCELERATED AND HIT A TREE AS I PULLED INTO A PARKING SPACE. IT TBONED THE FRONT END AND AND THE AIR BAGS DID NOT DEPLOY..I WAS GOING INTO THE SPACE VERY SLOWLY AND IT WAS WHEN IT ACCELERATED.

REAR PASSENGER SIDE SPRING COIL WAS BROKEN I DON'T KNOW WHEN. MY MECHANIC SAW IT WHEN SHE WAS REPLACING MY BREAKS. EVERY PERSON I SPOKE TO ABOUT THIS SAID IT HAD NEVER HAPPENED TO THEM, EVEN WITH CARS THEY BASICALLY RAN INTO THE GROUND, LET ALONE A 5 YEAR OLD CAR. MOST OF THE COMPLAINTS ABOUT 2014 FORESTERS ON NHTSA SEEMED TO BE ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE. I BROUGHT IT TO THE DEALER, SINCE MOST GARAGES DIDN'T HAVE THE PARTS NEEDED, AND I WAS HOPING THAT SUBARU WOULD PAY SINCE THEY SEEMED TO USE SHODDY STEAL ON THE SPRINGS THAT RUSTED PREMATURELY. SUBARU OF WAKEFIELD IN MA GAVE ME THE BEST DEAL OF ANY IN MA THAT I TALKED TO, I PAY FOR ONE SIDE ($750 FOR WHEEL BEARINGS, STRUT AND COIL) AND SUBARU PAID FOR THE OTHER. MAKE SURE TO MENTION ALL THE COMPLAINTS ON NHSTA THAT SEEMED TO HELP ME GET THIS DEAL.

AIR BAG SENSOR FOR THE PASSENGER SEAT DOES NOT ALWAY RECOGNIZE WHEN THERE IS A PASSENGER IN THE SEAT, OR GIVES A WARNING THAT IT DOES RECOGNIZE, BUT IS NOT ACTIVE. THIS HAS BEEN ONGOING FOR TWO YEARS. I THINK SUBARU SHOULD WARRANTY THEIR AIRBAG SYSTEMS MUCH LONGER THAN 3 YEARS, 36K MILES

REAR DRIVER'S SIDE COIL SPRING BROKE WHILE VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. IT BROKE IN THE SAME SPOT AS SO MANY OTHERS HAVE REPORTED RECENTLY, HAVING COMPLETELY RUSTED FROM THE INSIDE OUT IN A SMALL SPOT ON THE BOTTOM. UNACCEPTABLE TO HAPPEN WITH A 5 YEAR OLD VEHICLE AND VERY, VERY DANGEROUS AS THIS COULD HAVE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING CAUSING A LOSS OF CONTROL OVER THE VEHICLE AND/OR A TIRE BLOWOUT FROM THE SPRING BREAKING. THIS IS A DEFECTIVE PART ON THE 2014 SUBARU FORESTER AND REALLY SHOULD BE AN OFFICIAL RECALL ASAP BEFORE SOMEONE GETS SERIOUSLY HURT.

PASSENGER SIDE REAR COIL SPRING BROKE. THIS DIDN'T SEEM TO HAPPEN WHILE I WAS DRIVING, AT LEAST NOT IN A WHAT THAT WAS NOTICEABLE. I WALKED OUT OF WORK AND NOTICED THAT THE REAR PASSENGER SIDE OF THE CAR WAS SITTING A COUPLE INCHES LOWER THAN IT SHOULD. I TOOK IT TO THE SHOP AND THEY FOUND THAT ONE OF THE COILS OF THE SPRING HAD SNAPPED, CAUSING THE SAGGING.

WHILE DRIVING ON A STRAIGHT FLAT ROAD, THE TWO REAR COIL SPRINGS BROKE. THE BROKEN SPRINGS CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO RAPIDLY LOSE RIDE HEIGHT AND MADE IT DIFFICULT TO STEER. SEARCHING ONLINE FOR REPLACEMENT PARTS SHOWED THAT HUNDREDS OF OTHER SUBARU FORESTER OWNERS MODEL YEARS 2014-2016 HAVE HAD SIMILAR REAR COIL SPRING FAILURES. THE SERVICE WRITER AT THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THEY HAD SEEN ENOUGH SIMILAR FAILURES THAT HE EXPECTED A RECALL.