Subaru Forester

My 2016 Subaru Forester XT needs a new radio/navigation unit at a cost of $2308.00 plus a few hundred more for installation. I don't want to spend that much every seven years. My daughters newer Crosstrek needed $4000.00 plus for engine work which took more tha five weeks to complete. It was just past the warranty period.

I’m not a mechanic but have done basic repair on older vehicles. Tune ups, brakes, oil, radiator flush, alternator, etc. So I’m not completely ignorant on autos. Before giving my review on a new Subaru Forester, I would like to list the vehicles I’ve driven and how I compared to my Subaru.

2016 Forester- Anthony Subaru; Kelowna Canada. Faulty wiring harness required replacement within first 3 years. Fast forward: LESS Than 2 years later told I need a new one again. 62508 kl on vehicle. Have had to replace pedal throttle, battery and now the wiring harness again. Subaru Canada- EPIC fail on reviewing situation. Vehicle off warranty. Dealership well oops these things happen. They actually don’t! Vehicle left me stranded multiple times due to loss of power- vehicle still running while on major highway and city driving, potentially a life threatening situation. Power drops from 120kl to clunking 50kl to get off road. Solution: pay the $4000.00 and book a new harness install every 2 years. Shame on SUBARU. Consumer beware: because they don’t care. Sales first, safety last!!!

Endless repairs. At 47k. $500 broken horn button. Have you ever had a horn break? $750 new starter. Front end bushings. They paid for the repair. Fuse cover door fell off. Side panel over left seat controls broke. Oil consumption. The usual leak at the head gasket. That is another huge bill. Subaru said their new gasket will be the fix, to which my mechanic said the new gasket does not fix the problem. I’ve owned a lot of different cars in my life. By far my Forester is the worst overall. My beat up 64 VW beetle was more reliable. I'm waiting to see what else will fall off or go wrong. I admit, it’s a mess and a dealer will just wholesale it out. I just need to bite the bullet and get rid of my hot mess Forester for a RAV4. My Subaru mechanic agreed and Recommended a RAV4.

Just now. NEW-Edit. I purchased a used 2018 Forester Subaru in 2018. The rear lights kept getting condensation in them. Subaru replaced them yet it kept happening. I then purchased a new 2019 Forester. One year later the top of the console got indentation marks. The back of the console fell off and the date would roll at noon not midnight. Subaru would not replace the top of the console. (The date and time part was replaced). I had to get in touch with corporate. I made an issue of this and they finally said they would replace the top of the console. This should have been the dealer's job to battle corporate not mine.

HEAD GASKET, if you are familiar with Subaru, then you should know, your head gasket will most likely go out, and that will cost you maybe 3,000 to fix or if it's under warranty then Subaru will get it for you. This has been a problem since 2003 we are now in 2020. My husband really wanted the new 2020 Forester. Let me preface that we had the 2007 outback and had rebuilt the engine 2 times, yes you heard that 2 times. We were out close to 5,000 after paying for it... So back to the recent story, we have had the brand new Forester less than a year and we had to rebuild this engine... 2 months later car died again... More problems.... The tow truck even mentioned that he tows a lot of these cars. Sooo, if you want an all wheel drive car go somewhere else, Subaru can't seem to solve a 17 year old problem... But there are plenty reliable cars out there that won't need an engine rebuild.

My 2012 Subaru Forester had serious engine failure and has required a large amount of money to repair the short block and all the related parts. After some internet searching, I immediate found an extensive amount of information regarding the reliability and quality of these specific engines. So much that there was a Class Action Lawsuit (my vin # seemed to be eligible at the time) regarding this engine model. Subaru had acknowledged these engines have a known defect and should have replaced them or at the very least Subaru should have informed every buyer, especially if purchased from a Subaru dealership, as my vehicle was.

We have/had a 2012 Subaru Forrester. Never a sign of an oil leak, however it did use excessive oil for not leaking or burning oil. My wife driving home today, 9/8/20, about 2 miles from home, calls and tell me her Forrester was on fire. I got there in just a few minute to see her car totally engulfed in flames. The Forrester had left about a 1/4 mile long oil spray on the road. She said that the car slowed down and wouldn't go into gear. At that time a passerby told her the car was smoking and as she got out, a young man by the side of the road told her there was fire coming out from under the front, let's run.

Would like to buy another, if it is as good as the 2007. One problem for me, was the loud cab. Too much noise for me to enjoy the music or a conversation. I maintained the gas and oil at 5K and never went near the dealership. For mountain driving, I only get 23 mpg. Last Fall, at 162,000 miles, I had to replace a wheel bearing, as it was used to carry heavy purchases, wood, steel, dogs and you name it. My local mechanic takes care of the oil change, tire rotation, inspection and wheel bearing. It doesn't owe me a thing!

I own a Subaru Forester 2014 and it has about 106K miles and is falling apart. I had to spend $$$$ to put entire new AC system. The problem I have with Subaru is its commercial and I believed in everything they said. But when I called Subaru Customer Care in NJ, the supervisor said, "Oh you are out of warranty- GOOD LUCK and SORRY." I think Subaru commercial are cute but very misleading.