2014 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

LETTER FROM CONGRESSWOMAN KATHLEEN M. RICE ON BEHALF OF CONSTITUENT RE RECALL ON EYESIGHT DRIVER ASSIST SYSTEM ON A 2014 SUBARU FORESTER. *SMD THE CONSUMER STATED WHEN THE SYSTEM DETECTED A CAR SLOWING DOWN IN FRONT OF HIM TO GET ONTO AN EXIT RAMP, IT SLOWS DOWN HIS VEHICLE TO A DANGEROUSLY SLOW SPEED. THE CONSUMER HAD TO SLAM ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL IN ORDER TO AVOID BEING REAR-ENDED. *JB

UPON STARTING THE VEHICLE OR WHILE DRIVING IT THE FOLLOWING WARNING MESSAGES APPEAR (IT HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TINES OVER THE PAST FEW MONTHS, THEY WILL GO AWAY AND TEN REAPPEAR DAYS OR WEEKS LATER): VEHICLE DYNAMIC CONTROL SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE CHECKED ABS SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE CHECKED HILL START ASSIST SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE CHECKED TOOK CAR TO DEALERSHIP FOR NORMAL MAINTENANCE IN JULY (BAY RIDGE SUBARU) THEY COULD NOT FIND ANYTHING, MESSAGES STARTED REAPPEARING. ISSUE WITH THESES MESSAGES IS CAR WILL NOT GO INTO GEAR UPON STARTING UNLESS YOU PUMP BREAKS MULTIPLE TIMES.

DRIVING AT ABOUT 60 MPH AND CAR STARTING VIBRATING VIOLENTLY FOR A FEW SECONDS. CONTINUED DRIVING AND 10 MINUTES LATER SAME THING FOR SAME LENGTH OF TIME HAPPENED AGAIN.

PRIOR SURGING OCCURRED WITH THIS VEHICLE. AUTO IS DUE FOR A NORMAL MAINTENANCE AND WE WERE GOING TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. WE TURNED INTO A PARKING LOT WITH WORKERS AT THE CORNER AND SLOWED DOWN. WE CONTINUED INTO THE PARKING LOT AND MADE A TIGHT LEFT HAND TURN INTO A SLOT. THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED AS WE EASED INTO THE SPOT. THE BRAKES WERE HIT PREVENTING FURTHER DAMAGE. THE TRUCK IN THE FRONT PARKING SPOT WAS HIT BUT NOT DAMAGED. OUR VEHICLE RECEIVED A DENT AND SCRAPINGS ON THE FRONT END. THERE WERE NO INJURIES BUT THE BIGGEST CONCERN WAS THE SURGING AND THE POSSIBILITY OF IT HAPPENING AGAIN. DATE OF INCIDENT: 8/7/2015 AT APPROXIMATELY 4:30 P.M.

SUDDEN UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. THE VEHICLE RAPIDLY ACCELERATED AS THOUGH THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL HAD BEEN FLOORED. THIS OCCURRED IMMEDIATELY AFTER I SHIFTED FROM REVERSE TO DRIVE TO LEAVE MY DRIVEWAY WITHOUT MY THE ACCELERATOR. THE VEHICLE WOULDN'T RESPOND TO BRAKING. I HAD TO IMMEDIATELY TURN THE WHEEL TO AVOID GOING INTO THE CULVERT DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM MY DRIVEWAY. THE ROAD THEN IS AN IMMEDIATE RIGHT-HAND TURN BUT THE CAR WAS ALREADY GOING TOO FAST FOR ME TO SUCCESSFULLY STAY ON THE ROAD. THE CAR WENT INTO THE CULVERT ACROSS THAT ROAD, DEPLOYING ALL THE AIRBAGS, AND ESSENTIALLY DEMOLISHING THE CAR (>$20K TO REPAIR). MY WIFE AND I WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL VIA AMBULANCE FOR VARIOUS TESTS AND CT SCANS; FORTUNATELY, NOT TOO MUCH DAMAGE BEYOND WHAT THE SEAT BELTS AND AIRBAGS DID TO US....UPDATED 09/22/15 *BF *CN

CAR ENGINE CONSUMES UNREASONABLE AMOUNTS OF OIL DURING USE REQUIRING CONSTANT MONITORING TO AVOID ENGINE FAILURE. CAR BURNS THROUGH ONE QUART OF OIL PER 2000 MILES. I HAVE TRIED TO WORK WITH THE DEALER AND COMPANY TO RESOLVE THE ISSUE. I WAS TOLD BY THEM THAT IT IS "NORMAL" FOR THE CAR TO BURN UP TO ONE QUART PER 1200 MILES. TO PUT THIS IN PERSPECTIVE, THE CAR HOLDS SEVEN QUARTS OF OIL AND THE MANUFACTURER'S MAINTENANCE SCHEDULED SPECIFIES CHANGING THE OIL EVERY 7500 MILES. THIS MEANS THE CAR WOULD HAVE TO BURN SIX AND A HALF OUT OF SEVEN QUARTS OF OIL BETWEEN SCHEDULED SERVICES TO MEET CRITERIA.

I HAD JUST GASSED UP AT BJ'S IN FARMINGDALE AND WAS PULLING INTO A PARKING SPOT ADJACENT TO AND FACING THE PUMP AREA I HAD JUST LEFT. SEPARATING MY PARKING SPACE AND THE PUMP I JUST LEFT WAS A CURB AND A SHORT UPHILL EMBANKMENT OF ABOUT 45 DEGREES , AND 20 FEET TO THE ROADWAWAY IN FRONT OF THE PUMP I HAD JUST LEFT. AS I "STOPPED" THE CAR, IT INSTEAD LURCHED FORWARD , UP AND OVER THE EMBANKMENT, RIPPING OUT THE UNDERCARRIAGE PROTECTIVE SHIELD. THIS WAS ALL A DISTANCE OF ABOUT 30 FEET. WITH MY BRAKING IT, THE CAR STOPPED AND I WAS ABLE TO DRIVE TO A SAFE AREA AND INSPECT THE DAMAGE. THERE WAS NO LEAKAGE, BUT SCRAPING ON THE UNDERSIDE OF THE FRONT BUMPER, AND I THEN REALIZED THE PROTECTIVE PLASTIC SHROUD HAD REMAINED AT THE EMBANKMENT SCENE, SO I RETRIEVED IT. THE SPEED I NOTED IS A GUESS, BUT THE CAR HAD TO CLIMB A HEIGHT OF PERHAPS 8 FEET IN A 20 FOOT DISTANCE! VERY FORTUNATELY, THERE WERE NO INJURIES, BUT, MY "LANDING SPOT" WAS 20 FEET IN FRONT OF THE CAR GASSING UP IN THE SPOT I HAD JUST LEFT, ADJACENT TO 6 DOUBLE ROWS OF GAS PUMPS! HAD I SELECTED 1 OR 2 PARKING SPOTS ADJACENT, MY CAR WOULD HAVE CRASHED INTO THEM ALL! I HAVE BROUGHT THE CAR TO HICKSVILLE NY SUBURU THIS AM AND THEY FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH THE CAR, OTHER THAN TO REATTACH THE SHROUD. I AND THEY HAVE NO EXPLANATION, OTHER THAN POSSIBLY THE DRIVER FLOOR MAT, WHICH HAD A RECALL BUT APPEARS TO BE IN ITS PROPER PLACE, AND I HAVE PICTURES OF SAME WHICH I TOOK UPON RETIRING HOME AFTER THE INCIDENT.

THIS SUBARU OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM IN MY 2014 FORESTER IS DEFECTIVE. IT DOES NOT DETECT MY WIFE AND THE PASSENGER AIR BAG DOES NOT TURN ON. WE HAVE BEEN TOLD BY SUBARU THAT THEY HAVE RECENTLY CHANGED TO AN "ELECTROSTATIC CAPACITANCE SENSOR" TO REPLACE THE PREVIOUS "WEIGHT SENSOR". MY WIFE NEEDS TO SIT ON A SEAT CUSHION AS THE SEATS ARE TOO HARD FOR HER MEDICAL CONDITION. SUBARU TOLD US THE SEAT CUSHION WILL NOT ALLOW THE ODS TO VERIFY A PERSON IS SITTING IN THE SEAT AND WILL NOT TURN ON THE PASSENGER AIRBAG. I ALSO DISCOVERED THAT WET CLOTHING (WET RAINCOAT) WILL ALSO DEFEAT THE SENSOR AND THE AIRBAG WILL NOT BE TURNED ON. THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE AND DANGEROUS TO ALL PASSENGERS. THE ONLY SUGGESTION FROM SUBARU WAS FOR MY WIFE TO SIT IN THE BACK SEAT. SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE ADVISED ME THAT YOUR DEPARTMENT IS MANDATING THAT ALL VEHICLES USE THIS ELECTROSTATIC CAPACITANCE SENSOR. I STRONGLY URGE YOUR DEPARTMENT TO RECONSIDER MANDATING THIS SENSOR AS THE OLD "WEIGHT SENSOR " IN MY 2011 OUTBACK WORKS JUST FINE WITH A CUSHION.

VEHICLE HESITATES UPON ACCELERATION FROM A STOP WITH SLIGHT SHUTTERING. CAR NOW HAS 6,600 MILE AND STILL HAS THE PROBLEM. DEALER ACKNOWLEDGES THE PROBLEM BUT CLAIMS THIS IS THE WAY THE CAR WAS DESIGNED.

YOKOHAMA G-91 TIRES- ON A SUBRAU FORRESTER 225-60-17 WITH LESS THAN 30K MILES THE TIRES WERE BALDING. ROTATIONS WERE DOWN BETWEEN 6000 AND 7000 MILES- LIKE CLOCKWORK. I WROTE YOKOHAMA. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A RESPONSE. I HAVE SPOKEN WITH OTHER OWNERS, (SUBRAU USING G91) AND THEY HAVE NOTICED THIS PROBLEM,TOO. I HAVE PURCHASED ANOTHER BRAND OF TIRE AS THESE ARE DANGEROUS-