2005 Subaru Forester owner complaints

Strong gasoline smell in the cabin of the vehicle when temperature drops below 30f. No smell when engine riches normal working temperature. No smell in the warm weather. Possible issue rubber fuel lines. Car is not to old to have rubber parts defected. *tr

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Subaru forester. The contact stated that a strong gasoline odor was in the interior cabin of the vehicle. Upon inspection, it was discovered that the fuel lines failed. The vehicle was not taken to a mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted about the failure. The failure mileage was 44,260.

In cold weather, around 20 degrees fahrenheit and below, I am experiencing a fuel leak under the intake manifold caused by contracted fuel lines. This is a known issue with 03-05 foresters, especially those with turbos. Subaru should be help accountable for this, as it is a manufacturer defect that was recalled on similar vehicles around the same model year.

Strong fuel smell in cold days in cabin, leaking fuel

I noticed smoke and flames in the engine compartment as I was parking at my home. Flames dripped down onto the drivers side axle. As I returned quickly with no water the entire undercarriage was engulfed in flames. I ran a mile to the neighbors house and called 911. We then heard the boom of the exploding fuel tank. We returned to the scene within 20 minutes of the incident and the car was ablaze. Nothing survived the fire. The heat melted through the motor straight through the top of the transmission. The motor oil was boiling. Lost all valuables and vehicle. The motor swap was done two and a half years ago with a factory motor from manufacturer. This motor has a active recal. Subaru is buring me in paperwork and so far offered no compensation or help since the fire on 11/26/16.

Fuel lines are leaking due to cold weather the same thing that was recalled for the wrx once already.s when it gets cold the lines constrict and the connections aren't right enough allowing liquid gasoline to leak out onto the hot engine. This is not an uncommon thing. Subaru needs to own up for this one like they did the wrx. *tr

I can see gas running down my engine block. The leak is on passenger side under the intake manifold of my ej255. Smells of gas very strongly. I am worried a fire might start because it is very near the turbocharger. It happens when the vehicle is in motion and stationary. Both on a city street and highway. And also when turning

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Subaru forester. The contact stated that the catalytic converter was replaced three times. The warning light for the check engine and the vehicle speed control indicators were constantly illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer at least three times for the failure and each time, the dealer would replace the catalytic converter but the failure would recur shortly thereafter. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and advised that they would return his call within 24 hours. The VIN was unavailable. The failure mileage was 110,000 and the current mileage was 130,000.

I've experienced the leaking fuel line when temperatures dropped below 20 degrees and get terrible gas fumes inside the cabin especially during cold and damp weather. It is more prominent with the heat on. This smell/leak can be noticed while parked, driving, anytime with the engine running with fuel pressure.

My car is burning up oil. I just did an oil change 400miles ago, and my car started making a knocking noise and driving real funny yesterday. I took the oil when I got home and there wasn't any this is the second time it's happened. There's no leak there's no oil in the water no oil coming out of the exhaust period what is going on

Front right lower control arm and axle broke with no warning while in motion. My significant other bought this car brand new from the showroom floor and returned it in 2011 for a recall "wvx34" NHTSA campaign 11v464000 for 03-08 forester front lower control arm recall-for this same issue. However, the bowser Subaru garage failed to fulfill their obligation cause they failed to replace the rusted out parts and they argued it was fine after they did a spring tension test by hitting only one area- the thickest part of the metal and they refused to check any other spot. My significant other, who has experience in auto mechanics after having been a mechanic in the service, knew this bowser Subaru was wrong so he went across the street to firestone, obtained evidence/proof with documentation fro

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Subaru forester. While driving at an unknown highway speed, a burning rubber odor emitted into the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle was driven to the contact's residence and parked. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the bucket suspension plate under the shock absorber failed, which impacted the suspension assembly on the rear passenger side and caused the strut to fracture on the tire. The dealer replaced the struts, shock assemblies, and both rear tires. The manufacturer was notified of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 89,000. Updated 02/03/17*lj updated 7/11/18*jb *tr

The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop at approximately 25 MPH, the front passenger's side subframe emitted an abnormally loud sound, and the front passenger's side tire detached from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road where he noticed that the front passenger's side lower control arm was fractured. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer where it remained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 210,000.

Car has raw fuel/gas smell on cold starts when idling. Fumes can be noticed both outside and inside the vehicle. Occurs only when the outside air temperature is below 30 degrees fahrenheit. Fumes disappear once the engine reaches normal operating temperature. Fuel line leak(s) are occurring under the manifold where the screws to tighten can not be reached. Subaru dealer has informed me that the cost to repair for parts and labor would be $750 as the manifold needs to be removed in order to make the needed repair. I have driven cars to 180k and 155k in the same geographical footprint and have never had a fuel line leak. This is a common problem for Subaru and needs to be recalled like they did on the 02-03 wrx!!! This is a major life safety issue. I'm going to Subaru north america to see if

Tl* the contact owns a 2005 Subaru forester. The contact stated there is a strong fuel smell when the heat is turned on in her vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who stated that they will replace the fuel rail assembly at the contact expense. There are no recalls or warranties on this problem. The failure mileage was 77,029. Updated 02/17/10. *lj updated 02/18/10

The brake light came on two days prior. Checked fluid and was a bit low. I hadn't noticed and fluids under car so did not give it a second thought. I was driving on sunday and had loss of pedal and the brake light came on and I nursed it home. I added fluid and pumped pedal in driveway. The pedal went to floor. I pulled it up on the internet and found some Subaru vehicles same age had brake line issues that were involved in a recall. I to a local shop and the service manger told me it would be very expensive. I contacted Subaru and that as a goodwill gesture that they would credit $500 toward the $1850 bill which I thought was gracious. The dealer said the recall did not include the brake lines, but it did. I don't want to jeopardize what they are going to do for me, but could

Dt: the ABS stuck on the vehicle on september 27, 2005. The consumer was driving down hill slowly and had to stop to wait on another vehicle. It took a while, she put on the emergency brake and turned off the engine. When the other vehicle moved the consumer started the engine, then put vehicle in first gear, and released the emergency brake. When starting to go down hill and trying to use the brake it would not work. It was stuck in the up position. She was able to coast safely to a parking lot. She had turned the engine off for a little while and then it worked fine. The transmission is manual. The vehicle has a hill hold. *ak the vehicle was taken to the dealer but they were unable to duplicate the problem. The problem has not recurred, the consumer hasn't been in

While driving, the car experienced: -loss in power (stuttered a couple times), then completely stalled -we had to coast it to the side of the road -a few hours later we tried starting it again and it ran fine -immediately before the problem, the car had been driven for ~15 minutes with no issues, there was no rain, it was a dry day, no other potential causes to be noticed -this exact issue occurred about a year ago and the problem could not be identified, it has been driving fine ever since, except in the winter the idle will sometimes fluctuate (unsure if this is related) this stall condition could be very dangerous if it occurs on the highway, at an intersection, etc. It produced a check engine light and code p2138 when read with a obdii scanner. Unfortunately the problem w

Windshield wipers and radio will not operate after turning on the engine. Intermittent problem. Sometimes they work when the vehicle is started. Problem does not resolve itself while driving. Have been unable to get wipers to work at all for an entire day. Problem developed in the spring time in the lake tahoe and sacramento regions of california and nevada. Have not experienced the problem over the dry summer in the mountains. Subaru has not been able to fix the problem and doesn't know if they can fix the problem since it is difficult to create. *jb

Vehicle broke down during hurricane evacuation thereby endangering me and my family for 32 hours. 2005 Subaru forester has a built-in defect where the alternator automatically shuts down during engine idle, so only the battery runs until out of power, thereby leaving driver and passengers stranded on roadway. *jb