2015 Subaru Forester Engine

Retailer failed VSI due to a defective cracked catalytic converter under warranty. Part is still in use because retailer refuses to service vehicle forcing me to operate my unsafe vehicle endangering myself and family including my then [XXX] son. Dealer confirmed defect and warranty coverage yet still refuses to address the issue. The vehicle has become notably louder as a result of the exhaust leak. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owned a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the contact heard a cracking sound coming from the engine compartment. The vehicle lost motive power. The vehicle was driven to the shoulder of the roadway. The low oil pressure warning light illuminated, and the engine seized. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed engine and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was sold to the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact that the repair would not be covered under warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 59,000.

Oil consumption issue starting within the first 3 years of owning the vehicle. Oil light comes on generally after driving 2,000 miles or less from the last oil change or oil fill up, but prior to the light turning on there are acceleration issues. Vehicle bucks and lunges when accelerating. Lunging seems to occur after vehicle seems to loose power to accelerate and then lunges forward shuddering as power returns. These issue worsen after oil light has come on. Vehicle feels very unsafe when trying to merge if acceleration is needed. Also almost hit from behind when car seems to lose power when trying to accelerate after stopping for a red light. Vehicle has been serviced repeatedly at dealership and oil consumption issues documented. Vehicle’s make/model with known oil consumption issues, but this vehicles VIN has not been included in recalls.

After driving for about 15 minutes, I was stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of 2 hilly and curvy roads with poor visibility. When I stepped on the accelerator to go, all of the lights on my dash lit up and the car died. I tried several times to restart the car and it wouldn't start. We managed to get the car pushed into someone's yard and had it towed to my mechanic. When my mechanic tried to start it the next day, it started right up. In looking at the codes, it showed a code for an air flow meter sensor, so they replaced that. I got the car back 2 days later. Drove for about 20 minutes, parked my car in my driveway, and when I went to restart it about 30 minutes later the same thing happened. The lights on the dash lit up and the car died. After waiting about another 30 minutes I was able to start the car, and moved it out of the way so it could be towed. Since I live in a very hilly area with 2 lane curvy roads, it's just not safe for me to drive it anywhere with the possibility of it stopping again. The car started up for the tow truck driver, and again for my mechanic. This time there was no error code when my mechanic checked.

My 2015 Suburb Forester accelerates by itself.

The vehicle engine revved higher and would not stop even while applying the brakes. I was stopped in a parking lot waiting to take a left. As I took the turn, a mother and her two children exited the store quickly in my path. I took my foot off the gas and pressed on the brakes. The engine continued to accelerate and did not slow with the brake being applied. I slipped it into neutral while pressing harder on the brakes to avoid striking the family in front of me. The problem was not able to be confirmed or duplicated by the dealer service center. No other inspections have been made. A similar incident happened two weeks prior. There were no warning lamps or messages.

The engine on my 2015 Subaru Forester consumes oil at a very high rate. I use fully synthetic oil and within 1,000-2,000 miles, I have to top it off due to excessive "burn off". I have done on-line research, and this seems to be a common problem for this year/make/model. I have been unable to get any action but wanted to report the issue to support a general recall, if applicable. I recently took a road trip of just over 2,000 miles and changed the oil the day before we left. I checked the oil at every fuel-up and could watch the oil level fall. By the end of the trip, I had to top off the oil level to keep it within acceptable range.

Sudden, without any warning, complete engine failure. Luckily I was in the right hand lane while ascending a major mountain pass. We were in the midst of a "atmospheric river" with rain coming from all directions when the engine just stopped. I muscled the car onto a very narrow shoulder and called for help, I knew we were in a very dangerous situation as this was the Saturday after Thanksgiving 2021, and the highway was full of cars and semi trucks whizzing past our Forester, we stayed put in the car. The State Patrol eventually appeared behind my Subaru, we conversed, and the officer used his front push bumpers to move my car up the remaining 2.5 miles up the the pass summit and onto a parking lot away from the freeway. Eventually AAA tow truck driver arrived, loaded our Subaru onto the platform carrier, with my wife and me in the cab, he drove 157 miles to our dealership parking lot. When we arrived, he again checked the battery, it was dead. He then proceeded to use an external storage to charge up our battery, and after a short time he successfully started our Subaru. I chose to leave the car at the dealership lot so they could check the systems the next morning. They could find no problem whatsoever with the engine, drive train, fuel system, or electrical system. The told us to report any problem to them, but stated our Forrester was safe to drive. The next day our trusted mechanic confirmed they could find no problem in our car. We have been driving our Forester per normal since this incident happened, the problem has not repeated. In summary no warning lights appeared on our dashboard before the incident; we used our lights to warn other drivers while we waited for help and eventually all lights went off; the problem has not been reproduced by dealer, mechanic, or us. What I believed occurred is: Driving through the "atmospheric river" the volume and intensity of the rain caused an electrical short, that was removed during the tow

Cam carrier/front cover seal failed on our 2015 Forester with the 6 speed MT. This oil leak has ruined the O2 sensor, the drivers side VVT solenoid and according to the dealer has caused oil to run down the wiring harness which will cause further sensor failures if not corrected. All told the dealer wants over $3700 to fix the issues and will not warranty any parts unless the oil leak is fixed. The car currently has ~105k miles on it, out of warranty, but we had mentioned oil loss issues to our mechanic and local Subaru dealer when the car was serviced for the 2019 airbag sensor recall. The car was 4 yrs old, had ~65k miles and was "consuming" about 1 qt per 2500 miles at which time the low oil light would come on, but not the check engine. The concern was dismissed by the dealer as minor and likely oil consumption common on this engine. This is concerning as I now know that a service bulletin for this leak was issued in 2019. Now the car "consumes," leaks, about 1 qt every 1500 miles with no visible signs under when parked, but does have a distinct smell of burned oil in the car when idling in the driveway or stopped in traffic. The check engine light is no on constantly and cruise control does not function.

CAR BURNS OIL. NO LEAKS AND OIL LIGHT COMES ON EVERY 2,000-3,000 MILES WHEN IT SHOULDN'T BE CHANGED BUT EVERY 5000. AC MAKES HORRIBLE NOISE AND INTERMITTENTLY WORKS BUT HARDLY EVER. WILL RUN FOR A COUPLE MIN THEN NOT WORK THE REST OF THE DRIVE TIME

CAR ACCELERATES BOTH WHEN IN MOTION AND STATIONARY. SOMETIMES WHEN STARTING THE CAR IT SHOOTS STRAIGHT UP TO 2 ON IT'S ON. CAR HAS ACCELERATED WHEN EASING IN AND OUT OF PARKING SPACES, I HAVE BEEN VERY CLOSE TO HITTING OTHER CARS BECAUSE OF THIS.

I have done research and noticed that the engine is a problem with the 2015 Subaru Forester. The engine consumes oil at a very high rate. I get my oil changed (fully synthetic) every 5,000 miles. However, at about 3,000 miles of use, my oil light comes on at the dash. I then have to take my vehicle to the dealership to get the oil "topped off" to hold me over until my oil change date. This engine burns off oil at a very high rate. Also, the vehicle has consistently smelled like a burning or burnt oil type smell in the cabin of the car after driving it. After I park the vehicle in the garage and get out, you can smell the "burning/hot" smell of the engine or oil. This has been an issue for over 2 years and I have notified the dealership where I bought the vehicle. They said there is nothing that they can do, because there is no recall and that these cars just burn oil fast. The dealership also stated they don't know what the "burning" smell is. I feel that this is an insufficient engine and can be dangerous. I'm not sure how toxic the fumes are from the engine to be smelling it on a consistent basis, but also burning oil at a fast rate could cause more expensive and dangerous issues with other parts of the vehicle.

VEHICLE HAD 82,401 MILES WHEN ON JANUARY 19, 2021 THE "ENGINE LOW LEVEL WARNING LIGHT" ILLUMINATED. OIL LEVEL ON DIP-STICK MEASURED AT VERY END OF STICK. ADDED 1QT 0-20W SYNTHETIC OIL, SCHEDULED A COMPLETE "LEAK-DOWN TEST" AT DAN O'BRIEN SUBARU IN VERMONT. THE SERVICE ALSO PERFORMED A 2K MILE "CONSOLIDATED ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION TEST". THE RESULTS MEASURED NO OIL CONSUMPTION BUT THE "COMPRESSION & LEAK-DOWN TEST" MEASURED: CYLINDER #1 = 160PSI & 5%, #2 = 148PSI & 25%, #3 = 165PSI & 5%, #4 = 153PSI & 20%. THEY REPORTED MOST OF "LEAKAGE WAS GOING INTO BLOCK PAST PISTONS AND SOME WAS "LEAKING" BY INTAKE VALVES. RECOMMEND REPLACING SHORT-BLOCK". TO DATE, DUE TO THE "OIL CONSUMPTION TEST" AND NOT THE "COMPRESSION AND LEAK-DOWN TEST" RESULTS, THE DEALER IS NOT WILLING TO REPAIR AND/OR REMEDY THE PROBLEM, EVEN THOUGH, THE COMPRESSION AND LEAK-DOWN TEST INDICATES A "SEVERE" DEGRADATION TO THE ENGINE WITH ONLY 84,770 MILES. THIS IS WELL BELOW SUBARU'S ADVERTISED 100,000 MILE DRIVE-TRAIN WARRANTY PUBLICIZED. NOTE: THIS VEHICLE HAS BEEN SERVICED REGULARLY BY ONLY SUBARU DEALERSHIPS SINCE IT WAS PURCHASED IN 2017, AND THE CARFAX REPORT STATED IT WAS ONLY USED BY SUBARU DEALERSHIP AS A CORPORATE PERSONNEL RENTAL BEFORE THEN. ADDITIONALLY THE CURRENT CARFAX REPORT SHOWED NO INCIDENTS OR ACCIDENTS AND ALL VEHICLE SERVICES MAINTAINED PROPERLY.

WHEN APPLYING THE BRAKES AT LOW SPEED AND ATTEMPTING TO COME TO A STOP THE VEHICLE OCCASIONALLY ACCELERATES REQUIRING A MUCH HARDER BRAKE PEDAL PRESSURE TO STOP THE VEHICLE. THIS HAS HAPPENED ON CITY STREETS WHEN PULLING INTO A PARKING PLACE OR COMING TO A STOP SIGN. WHILE NOT A COMMON OCCURRENCE I HAVE EXPERIENCED THIS MORE THAN A DOZEN TIMES OVER THE 5 YEARS I HAVE HAD THE VEHICLE.

SMELL OF BURNING OIL FROM THE ENGINE. DEALER SAYS HEAD GASKET NEEDS TO BE REPLACED AT A COST OF $5500.

DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ROUGHLY 70 MPH, ENGINE SUDDENLY REVVED AND THEN CAR ESSENTIALLY WENT INTO NEUTRAL. ENGINE DIDN'T SEEM CONNECTED TO THE TRANSMISSION. COASTED TO THE SHOULDER, THEN ENGINE DIED. SHIFTED BACK TO PARK AND TRIED TO RESTART, ALL LIGHTS ON DASHBOARD LIT UP AND ENGINE TURNED OVER, BUT WOULD NOT START. HAD TO BE TOWED TO DEALER. FOUND MANY SIMILAR EXPERIENCES ONLINE. SOME FOUND FUEL PUMP AND PUMP RELAY FAILURE. I HAVE NOT RECEIVED A DIAGNOSIS FROM THE DEALER YET. THIS WAS A POTENTIALLY DEADLY FAILURE.

AT THE MOMENT TO STOP ON A PARKING SPOT, PRESS BRAKES AND ENGINE RPM IDLES UP AND RUNS, CAUSING ME TO PRESS BRAKES HARDER AND SO I DON'T HIT WHATEVER IS IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE. *TR

IN SEPTEMBER 2017, I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY WHEN MY SUBARU FORESTER LOST POWER COMPLETELY AND WITHOUT WARNING. I WAS BARELY ABLE TO GET TO THE SHOULDER AND HAVE THE VEHICLE TOWED. IT RESTARTED AFTER ONLY APPROXIMATELY 2 HOURS. LUCKILY THIS OCCURRED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT WITH LITTLE TRAFFIC, OR I LIKELY WOULD HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN A CATASTROPHIC ACCIDENT. I CONTACTED SUBARU AND LEARNED I WAS ELIGIBLE FOR AN EXTENDED WARRANTY DUE TO POSSIBLE CVT ISSUES, BUT SUBARU REFUSED TO ASSIST ME WHEN I EXPLAINED THAT I WAS OVERSEAS WITH THE VEHICLE ON OFFICIAL U.S. GOVERNMENT ASSIGNMENT AND THAT THE LOCAL AUTHORIZED SUBARU SHOP NEEDED AUTHORIZATION FROM SUBARU TO COMPLETE WORK ON MY U.S.-SPEC VEHICLE. I NOTED MY ALARM THAT SEVERAL OTHERS HAD REPORTED SIMILAR INCIDENTS, WHICH COULD RESULT IN MY, MY CHILDREN'S OR OTHERS DEATHS, BUT SUBARU STILL DID NOT ASSIST IN FINDING A SOLUTION. I BELIEVE THE SERIOUSNESS OF THIS FAULT, AS WELL AS THE FACT THAT OTHER SUBARU OWNERS ARE REPORTING THE SAME PROBLEM UP UNTIL THIS DAY (LATE 2019) SHOULD CALL FOR AN ACTUAL RECALL OF THE VEHICLE, NOT ONLY AN EXTENDED WARRANTY. I AM A THREE-TIME SUBARU OWNER AND AM SHOCKED BY THE LACK OF CUSTOMER LOYALTY REGARDING THIS SERIOUS VEHICLE ISSUE. I CONTINUE TO BE ON U.S. GOVERNMENT ASSIGNMENT OVERSEAS SO AM UNABLE TO TAKE THE VEHICLE TO A U.S. SUBARU SERVICE CENTER. IRRESPECTIVE OF THAT SITUATION, THE FACT THAT I AND THE OTHER OWNERS WHO HAVE REPORTED THIS DANGEROUS ISSUE SHOULD RESULT IN VEHICLE RECALL BEFORE LIVES ARE LOST.

THE CAM CARRIERS ON THE ENGINE BEGAN LEAKING OIL, DRIPPING ONTO OTHER COMPONENTS. INCLUDED A SENSOR AND THE CATALYTIC CONVERTER. DUE TO THE SENSOR BEING DRENCHED IN OIL, THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO HAVE ISSUES WHILE IN MOTION ON ROADS WITH BUCKING AND POWER BECAUSE THE SYSTEM THOUGHT IT WAS RUNNING LEAN. RESEARCHING THE INTERNET SHOWS THIS IS A COMMON ISSUE WITH THE BOXER ENGINE STYLE CHOSEN FOR FORESTERS AND CAN OCCUR ANY TIME WITHIN 100,000 MILES. IF I HAD KNOWN THIS WAS A COMMON ISSUE, A MECHANIC COULD HAVE REPAIRED IT PRIOR TO FURTHER DAMAGE BUT NO RECALL INFORMATION WAS AVAILABLE. REMOVING THE ENGINE TO FIX THE CAM CARRIERS IS AN EXTENSIVE, LABOR-INTENSIVE REPAIR FOR SOMETHING SUBARU KNOWS ABOUT. NOT AN EXPERT BUT IF A CATALYTIC CONVERTER OR SENSOR FAILS WHILE THE CAR IS IN MOTION, PROBABLY NOT A GOOD SITUATION FOR THE DRIVER OR OTHER VEHICLES.

TL* THE CONTACT CALLED ON BEHALF OF HER FATHER WHO OWNS A 2015 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT A SLOW SPEED, THE VEHICLE STALLED WITH THE CHECK ENGINE WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE CONTACT WAS UNABLE TO RESTART THE VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THREE DIFFERENT DEALERS WERE CONTACTED INCLUDING FRANK SUBARU LOCATED AT (2829 NATIONAL CITY BLVD, NATIONAL CITY, CA 91950), KEARNY MESA SUBARU LOCATED AT (4797 CONVOY ST, SAN DIEGO, CA 92111), AND SUBARU OF EL CAJON LOCATED AT (900 ARNELE AVE, EL CAJON, CA 92020) AND INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS NOT SUBJECTED TO A RECALL. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 120,000. *BF*JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE STARTED TO CONSUME AN EXCESSIVE AMOUNT OF OIL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO TOM WOOD SUBARU (3300 E 96TH ST, INDIANAPOLIS , IN 46240) FOUR TIMES AND THEY ADVISED THE CONTACT TO MONITOR THE OIL CONSUMPTION. AFTER THE LATEST FAILURE, THE DEALER DETERMINED THAT A NEW ENGINE WAS NEEDED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 78,000.

FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS I HAVE BEEN HAVING MAJOR ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE SHAKES AS IF IT IS GOING TO STALL. WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY OR THE STREET THE RPMS AND POWER WILL SUDDENLY DROP AND WHEN I PUSH ON THE ACCELERATOR THE RPM REVS UP TO A 5 OR 6 BUT WITH LITTLE POWER AND THE ENGINE SHAKES FOR THE VEHICLE TO EVEN START MOVING FORWARD. THERE APPEARS TO BE SLIPPAGE AS WELL. THIS IS A SAFETY HAZARD NOT ONLY FOR THE DRIVER, BUT PASSENGERS AND OTHER DRIVERS ON THE ROAD. THE VEHICLE FEELS AS IF IT WILL COMPLETELY STOP ON THE ROAD. I HAVE CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA AND THEY TOLD ME THAT SINCE I'M OVER MY WARRANTY BY 24K MILES THEY WILL NOT DO ANYTHING. SO SUBARU WILL ONLY WARRANTY THEIR CARS FOR A MAX OF 100K? THIS IS VERY UNPROFESSIONAL AND POOR SERVICE, NOT TO MENTION PUTTING DRIVERS LIVES IN HAZARD.

VEHICLE CONSUMES OIL AT IRREGULAR PACE. 1 QUART NEEDS TO BE ADDED EVERY 1,500-2,000 MILES. THIS MEANS USING 3 ADDITIONAL QUARTS OF OIL IN BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND FOR CATASTROPHIC ENGINE FAILURE.

CAR WILL STALL AT LIGHT AND STALL ON FREEWAY CAUSING ME TOO LOOSE CONTROL IT WILL ALSO JUST TURN OFF AT HIGH SPEED AND SOMETIMES WHEN STOPED

CAR HESITATES WHEN ACCELERATING FROM A STOP. LASTS 2-3 SECONDS, THEN SLOWLY RESUMES SPEED. VERY DANGEROUS WHEN MERGING, TURNING IN FRONT OF TRAFFIC. INTERMITTENT. HAVE TAKEN IT TO SUBARU DEALER AND TWO OTHER MECHANICS AND THEY HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO REPLICATE THE PROBLEM. ONE MECHANIC SAID OXYGEN WAS LOW AND TO TRY PREMIUM GAS. DIDN'T MAKE ANY DIFFERENCE.