2016 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG SENSORS ERRATICALLY REPORT A MALFUNCTION AND SUGGEST AN INSPECTION. THIS HAS HAPPENED BOTH WHEN VEHICLE IS IN MOTION AS WELL AS STATIONARY. IT HAS HAPPENED BOTH WITH AND WITHOUT A FRONT SEAT OCCUPANT. I CALLED SUBARU AMERICA AND BROUGHT THE CAR INTO NAPLETON SUBARU ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, IL ON JULY 24, 2019. ON THAT DATE I COULD NOT RECREATE THE ERROR MESSAGES. NAPLETON INSPECTED AND TOLD ME SYSTEM NEEDED A RESET WHICH THEY DID FREE OF CHARGE. SINCE THERE WAS NO ERROR MESSAGE EITHER IMMEDIATELY BEFORE OR AFTER THE VISIT, I HAD NO WAY OF KNOWING WHETHER RESET WAS EFFECTIVE. THE NEXT DAY THE ERROR MESSAGE WAS BACK. PICTURES ATTACHED AS WELL AS RECEIPT FROM NAPLETON DESCRIBING WORK PERFORMED. *TT CONSUMER STATED VEHICLE WAS TAKEN INTO THE DEALER TWICE AND IS CURRENTLY WORKING PROPERLY, BUT CANNOT DETERMINE WHETHER THE AIR BAG ERROR MESSAGE HAS BEEN FALSELY ACTIVATED. OR IF THERE IS A REAL MALFUNCTION.*JB

THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG DOES NOT FUNCTION. THE SENSOR CANNOT TELL WHEN A PASSENGER IS PRESENT. THIS BEGAN HAPPENING INTERMITTENTLY, SHORTLY AFTER I PURCHASED THE VEHICLE NEW. IN THE PAST MONTH, THE AIRBAGS HAVE NOT BEEN ON AT ALL.

WHEN IN MOTION, THE OCCUPANCY DETECTOR SENSOR LIGHT INTERMITTENTLY ILLUMINATES EVEN WHEN THERE IS NO PASSENGER IN THE SEAT. THIS IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING IN MY 2016 FORESTER AND ALSO HAPPENED IN MY 2014 FORESTER.

IN EARLY MAY 2019, THE VEHICLE STARTED GIVING AIRBAG WARNINGS AND DISABLING THE FRONT PASSENGER AIRBAG WHEN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT WAS OCCUPIED. I REPORTED THE PROBLEM TO MY SUBARU DEALER'S SERVICE DEPARTMENT WHEN I TOOK IT IN FOR ROUTINE SERVICE A COUPLE WEEKS LATER. IT TOOK A MONTH TO GET AN APPOINTMENT TO HAVE THE WARNING DIAGNOSED. FINALLY THEY DID THE ANALYSIS AND TOLD ME THE PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR HAD FAILED, AND CLAIMED IT WAS BECAUSE THE SEAT GOT WET (IT DIDN'T). AFTER I COMPLAINED TO MANAGEMENT THEY COMP'D THE REPAIR AND REPLACED THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT CUSHION AT THE END OF JUNE. THE PROBLEM HASN'T RECURRED.

THERE WERE 5 MAJOR ISSUES WITH MY VEHICLE THAT I WANT INVESTIGATED. I WAS DRIVING STRAIGHT NB ON US-101 IN THE #1 LANE OF TRAFFIC, GOING APPROXIMATELY 75 MPH, WHEN FOR NO EXPLAINABLE REASON, THE REAR TIRES OF MY 2016 SUBARU FORESTER BEGAN TO SKID ME ACROSS THE #2 LANE OF TRAFFIC. I WILL NOTE THAT IT HAD JUST STOPPED SPRINKLING AND THE ROAD WAS DAMP. ISSUE 1: DURING MY SKID, THE SKID CONTROL FEATURE NEVER ENGAGED (WHICH IS A MARKETED FEATURE AND A REASON I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE). I HAD TO FIGHT THE SKID ON MY OWN. ISSUE 2: THE ROLL OVER FEATURE NEVER ENGAGED (WHICH IS A MARKETED FEATURE AND ANOTHER REASON I PURCHASED THIS VEHICLE). AFTER FIGHTING TO PREVENT MY VEHICLE FROM ROLLING OVER AND SKIDDING OUT OF CONTROL, I ULTIMATELY CRASH ON THE SHOULDER OF THE FREEWAY, HITTING A LIGHT POST. ISSUE 3: UPON HITTING THE LIGHT POST, MY SEAT BELT FLEW OFF. (BOTH MY HANDS WERE ON THE WHEEL AT THE TIME AND THERE WERE NO LOOSE OBJECTS IN THE AREA. UNLESS THIS IS SOME "FEATURE" IT IS EXTREMELY DANGEROUS FOR THE SEAT BELT TO DISENGAGE AUTOMATICALLY.) ISSUE 4: THE CRASH NOTIFICATION FEATURE, THAT I PAID EXTRA FOR, DID NOT DO IT'S JOB. EVEN WITH MY CELL PHONE LINKED TO THE VEHICLE, THE CRASH NOTIFICATION NEVER CALLED 9-1-1 ON MY BEHALF. I IMMEDIATELY CALLED 9-1-1 TO NOTIFY CHP OF MY ACCIDENT BECAUSE I WAS FEARFUL OF ANOTHER VEHICLE ALSO SPINNING OUT OF CONTROL AND HITTING ME. CHP TOOK A REPORT. ** ISSUE 5 **: THE AIR BAGS NEVER DEPLOYED. NONE OF THE AIR BAGS DEPLOYED. MY CAR WAS DEEMED TOTALED BY THE INSURANCE COMPANY AND AUTO BODY SHOP. THE AUTO BODY SHOP STATED VEHICLE HIT THE POLE SO HARD ALL BOLTS WERE BENT INTO A 45 DEGREE ANGLE. HOW DOES A CRASH THAT SEVERE NOT ENGAGE THE AIR BAGS? I HAD A SCAR ON MY COLLAR BONE FOR A MONTH AFTER THE CRASH. NONE OF THE MARKETED OR REQUIRED SAFETY FEATURES WORKED TO PREVENT THE CRASH NOR ASSIST AFTER THE CRASH.

SENSOR IN THE PASSENGER SEAT WENT BAD UNDER NORMAL USE AND SUBARU DOES NOT WANT TO COVER EXPENSE TO REPLACE, AND THIS SENSOR LETS DRIVER KNOW IF AIRBAG IS ENGAGED (ON) OR NOT.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 65 MPH, THE ENGINE SHUT OFF. THE CONTACT COASTED THE VEHICLE TO THE SIDE OF THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE DID NOT RESTART AND ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS CALLED; HOWEVER, THEY COULD NOT DETERMINE THE CAUSE OF THE FAILURE. FUEL WAS ADDED TO THE VEHICLE AND IT WAS ABLE TO RESTART. THE FUEL GAUGE DISPLAYED 70 MILES BEFORE EMPTY. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO BLAISE ALEXANDER SUBARU (1703 W COLLEGE AVE, STATE COLLEGE, PA 16801) TO BE DIAGNOSED, BUT NO FAILURE WAS FOUND. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 38,000.

KEY STUCK IN IGNITION CARMUST BE LEFT UNLOCKED WITH KEY IN IT WHEN PARKED - THIS CREATES A SAFETY PROBLEM BECAUSE CAR CAN BE STOLEN OR INTRUDER CAN COME INTO CAR. DEALER ACKNOWLEDGED IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND HAD A REVISED PART 35122FJ033 TO FIX THE PROBLEM. DESPITE BEING A KNOWN DESIGN DEFECT WITH SAFETY IMPLICATIONS THERE IS NO RECALL AND THE CONSUMER MUST PAY THE $400 FOR THE REPAIR.

SUBARU IS AWARE OF FAULTY COMPONENTS IN THEIR AC COMPRESSOR/CLUTCH ASSEMBLY BUT REFUSE TO ISSUE A RECALL. THE COMPONENTS FALL APART AFTER A CERTAIN TIME. THEY ISSUED A TSB TO THEIR DEALERS AND TECHNICIANS ABOUT THE ISSUE BUT NEVER NOTIFIED ME ABOUT THE ISSUE WHEN THE TICKET WAS CREATED ONLY 4 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING MY VEHICLE.

THE CAR HAS HAD INTERMITTENT SRS ERRORS STARTING SHORTLY AFTER BUYING THE CAR IN SUMMER OF 2016. WE HAVE HAD IT CHECKED OUT AND NOTHING WAS EVER FOUND. THERE DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE ANY CONSISTANCY AS TO WHEN THE "SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE CHECKED" MESSAGE APPEARS. SOMETIMES WEEKS GO BY WITH NO ERRORS. SOMETIMES IT WILL GO ON AND NOT APPEAR THE NEXT TIME THE CAR IS STARTED. MY CONCERN IS THE SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM IS NOT FUNCTION WHEN NEEDED. I AM LISTING THE MOST RECENT DATE THIS HAS HAPPENED BELOW BUT AS STATED IT HAS BEEN INTERMITTENT FOR YEARS.