2006 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

MY WIFE AND LEASED TWO NEW 2006 SUBARU FORESTERS IN MAY 2006. SINCE WE OBTAINED THE VEHICLES BOTH EXHIBITED A HESITATION WHEN ATTEMPTING TO ACCELERATE. WE BROUGHT THE VEHICLES TO THE DEALERSHIP THREE TIMES TO HAVE THE PROBLEM CORRECTED, BUT THEY WERE UNABLE TO DO SO. I THEN CONTACTED SUBARU CUSTOMER SERVICE TO REPORT THE PROBLEM. I DID NOT GET ANY SATISFACTION. I THEN SENT TWO LETTERS TO THE PRESIDENT OF SUBARU. CUSTOMER SERVICE CONTACTED ME AGAIN AND SAID THAT MY PROBLEM WAS CHARACTERISTIC OF THIS VEHICLE, AND THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THEM SINCE TESTS SHOWED EVERYTHING OPERATING ACCORDING TO SPECIFICATION. I FINALLY GOT THE FACTORY REPRESENTATIVE TO EXAMINE BOTH OF MY VEHICLES AND HE STATED THE SAME AS CUSTOMER SERVICE. NEEDLESS TO SAY I FIND THIS UNACCEPTABLE. SUBARU SAYS THAT THEY CANNOT CORRECT THIS PROBLEM AND THEY WILL NOT REPLACE THE VEHICLES. THEY OFFERED ME $1,500 PER VEHICLE IF I WERE TO TRADE THEM IN FOR NEW SUBARUS. I FIND THIS UNACCEPTABLE SINCE THIS AMONT WOULD NOT COVER THE EXPENSES OF BREAKING THE EXISTING LEASES AND LEASING TWO NEW VEHICLES. I FEEL THAT THIS HESITATION PROBLE IS A SAFETY HAZARD SINCE YOU HAVE TO CONCERN YOURRSELF WITH THE HESITATION WHEN ACCELERATING IN TRAFFIC. *AK

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED TO MORE THAN 30 MPH WHEN GENTLY DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP WHEN THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED. AFTER MANEUVERING THE VEHICLE AROUND A BUILDING THREE TIMES THE IGNITION WAS ABLE TO BE SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER , FIRST TEAM AUTO MALL, AND NO FAILURE COULD BE FOUND. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 4,000.*AK

ON COLD START THE ENGINE RACES UNCONTROLLABY UP TO APPROXIMATELY 3500 RPMS AFTER CLUTCH WAS DEPRESSED. IT RACED UP AND DOWN UNTIL IT WARMED FULLY UP. IT SOMETIMES RACES LIKE THIS AFTER HIGH SPEED DRIVING WHEN YOU COME TO A STOP. *AK

IN LATE 2006 I NOTICED THAT WHEN MY VEHICLE IS STOPPED AND IDLING THERE IS A STRONG RAW FUEL SMELL COMING INTO THE PASSENGER CABIN WHEN THE CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM IS "ON" AND THE RECIRCULATION BUTTON IS OFF. DURING A DECEMBER 05, 2006 SERVICE (30,000 MI @ THIS TIME) VISIT AT THE MANUFACTURER'S DEALERSHIP, THE SERVICE DEPT. STATED THAT THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH THE VEHICLE REGARDING THE FUEL SMELL. MY VEHICLE CURRENTLY HAS ABOUT 33,000 MI AND THE PROBLEM CONTINUES. I FEEL THAT SINCE THIS ISSUE INVOLVE A FLAMMABLE FLUID THIS COULD RESULT IN A SUBSTANTIAL SAFETY ISSUE. *JB

THERE ARE TWO PROBLEMS WITH THE 2006 SUBARU FORESTER THAT I HAVE. IT HAS LESS THAN 5000 MILES ON IT AND CONTINUALLY FAILS TO START, WHETHER FROM A COLD START OR A WARM START. THE ENGINE WILL ATTEMPT TO CRANK BUT WILL NOT CATCH AND ACTUALLY TURN OVER. THIS ISSUE HAS HAPPENED MULTIPLE TIMES. I TOOK THE CAR INTO THE DEALERSHIP AND THEY STATED THAT I HAD TO HOLD THE IGNITION SWITCH IN THE ACC POSITION TO "PRIME THE LINES." I'VE NEVER HEAD OF HAVING TO PRIME A CAR IN THIS DAY AND AGE. HOWEVER, I SINCE HAVE TRIED DOING THAT AND THE ISSUE STILL PERSISTS. ALSO, THE CARE WILL SURGE IN POWER AT VARIOUS SPEEDS. WHEN I LET UP ON THE GAS WHEN TRYING TO SLOW DOWN ,THE CAR WILL ACTUALLY REV UP. THIS HAPPENED IN THE SNOW THE OTHER DAY AND I ALMOST COMPLETELY LOST CONTROL OF THE CAR. IF THAT CAR IS GOING TO SURGE LIKE THIS IT COMPLETELY NEGATES THE PURPOSE OF HAVING ALL WHEEL DRIVE. THIS IS A GRAVE SAFETY CONCERN. I THOUGHT SUBARU'S WERE SUPPOSED TO BE GOOD CARS. I GUESS I THOUGHT WRONG. I'VE TAKEN THE CAR IN FOR THE SURGE ISSUE AND THE DEALERSHIP SAID THERE WAS NOTHING THEY COULD DO AND THAT THERE WERE NO RECALLS FOR THE PROBLEM. *NM

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED UPON OPENING THE DRIVER DOOR, THERE WAS A SMELL OF BURNING PLASTIC INSIDE THE VEHICLE. THE INTERIOR DOME LIGHT ALSO DID NOT ILLUMINATE UPON OPENING THE DOOR. UPON OPENING THE PASSENGER DOOR, THE CONTACT NOTICED THAT THE FLOOR OF THE FRONT PASSENGER SIDE APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN CHARRED. THE CONTACT ALSO NOTICED THAT THE PLASTIC AROUND THE MANUAL GEARSHIFT HAD MELTED AND RESOLIDIFIED. THE FABRIC OF BOTH THE DRIVER AND PASSENGER SEATS APPEARED CHARRED AS WELL. THERE WERE NO VISIBLE FLAMES OR SMOKE. ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE WAS CONTACTED, AND TOWED THE VEHICLE TO A SERVICE DEALER, WHO WAS UNABLE TO DETERMINE THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS ALSO NOTIFIED, WHO STATED THAT THEY WOULD SEND A REPRESENTATIVE OUT TO INSPECT THE VEHICLE.*AK

WE PURCHASED A 2006 SUBARU FORESTER TAKING DELIVERY OF THE CAR WE NOTED THAT SUBARU INCLUDED YOKOHAMA TIRES TO WHICH WE COMPLAINED WE FELT THAT THESE TIRES WERE LESS THAN ADEQUATE. THE DEALER COUNTERED THAT THESE WERE GOOD TIRES AND THAT THEY WOULD SERVE OUR NEEDS. WE FOOLISHLY BELIEVED THE DEALER AND ON 29 JULY WE EXPERIENCED A SIDE WALL BLOWOUT. AFTER REPAIRS WERE MADE WE TRAVELED TO A TIRE DEALER WHO AGREED TO REPAIR THE TIRE BUT AFTER DISMOUNTING THE TIRE THE MECHANIC REPORTED THAT THE TIRE WAS NG AND COULD NOT BE RE-MOUNTED. HE THEN PLACED A USED TIRE ON THE CAR, ASSUMING THAT SUBARU WOULD TAKE YOKOHAMA TO TASK AND THE TIRE WOULD BE REPLACED. SUBARU REPORTED THAT THEY HAVE NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TIRES MOUNTED ON THE CAR, THAT THESE TIRES MATCHED THEIR SPECIFICATIONS, THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO REPLACE THE TIRE OR TIRES AS REQUESTED AT TIME OF SALE. RETURNED TO THE DEALER FOR INSPECTION OF THE YOKOHAMA TIRE AND HE STATED THAT THE FAILURE WAS DUE TO ROAD HAZARD, THAT THERE CAN BE NO REPLACEMENT. THE DEALER THEN ADDED THAT HE DOES NOT STOCK THIS TIRE, THAT HE WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THAT TIRE TO A CUSTOMER BUT IF THE CUSTOMER INSISTED HE WOULD ORDER THE TIRE, HE DOES NOT KEEP THEM IN STOCK. SUBARU WAS WILLING TO HELP TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY CONTACTED THE DEALER AND ASKED IF THEY WERE WILLING TO MAKE THE DESIRED CHANGE IN TIRES. THE DEALER WAS WILLING TO UNDERWRITE A PORTION OF A NEW SET OF TIRES IF I WAS WILLING TO PAY A PART OF COSTS. YES, BUT THIS IS NOT THE ISSUE. THE ISSUE IS OUR DISAGREEMENT WITH THE SUBARU CO AND THEIR LACK OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR PLACING A SAFE TIRE ON THEIR VEHICLE. THEIR CLAIM IS THEIR DESIRE TO PROVIDE A SAFE VEHICLE FOR THEIR CUSTOMER. OUR FIRST SUBARU FILLED THIS NEED COMPLETELY BUT OUR. WE ARE SEEKING FROM SUBARU AND YOUR AGENCY HOW THEY CONCLUDE THAT THIS IS A SAFE TIRE FOR THIS CAR? WE FEEL STRONGLY THAT THE SUBARU COMPANY IS FAILING THEIR CUSTOMER BY PLACING THE DOLLAR BEFORE SAFETY. *JB

WHAT IDIOT DETERMINED THAT A YELLOW WARNING LIGHT CONCERNING THE STATUS OF THE PASSENGER-SEAT AIRBAG SHOULD BE ON 100% OF THE TIME? WHAT POSSESSED THAT SAME IDIOT TO REQUIRE THE COLOR YELLOW FOR SUCH LIGHT(S)? WHY CAN'T THE LIGHT BE DIMMED, OR EVEN ABLE TO BE SWITCHED OFF? AT NIGHT, SUCH A LIGHT ON THE DASHBOARD IS A VISUAL DISTRACTION. IT CONSTANTLY PULLS THE DRIVER'S ATTENTION FROM THE ROAD AHEAD. THE LIGHTS ARE A SAFETY HAZARD. ONCE THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, NO ONE IS JUMPING IN. IF THERE IS A PASSENGER WHEN THE VEHICLE IS IN MOTION, THAT SOUL IS NOT JUMPING OUT UNTIL THE VEHICLE COMES TO A HALT. LOGICALLY, THERE IS NO NEED FOR THE LIGHT TO BE ON ALL THE TIME. *JB

DT*: THE CONTACT STATED WHILE PULLING OUT AT VARIOUS SPEEDS THE VEHICLE HESITATED WITHOUT WARNING. THE HESITATION OCCURRED INTERMITTENTLY EACH TIME. UPON INSPECTION THE DEALERSHIP WAS UNABLE TO REMEDY THE PROBLEM. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT ALERTED.

2006 FORESTER LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS FAILED TO PROVIDE SUFFICIENT LIGHT FOR SAFE TRAVEL. *TS ***TRANSFERRED TO NVS220**** THE HEAD LIGHT UNIT HAS A GROOVED, STRAIGHT-LINE DESIGNED AT THE TOP OF THE GLASS AREA THAT APPARENTLY CAUSES THE ROOM DARKENING EFFECT IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. *JB