We found the following complaints for SUBARU FORESTER (2002)
Read complaints for SUBARU FORESTER (2002)
Airbag dashboard light comes on repeatedly. Dealer has replaced the right and left hand front seat air bag harness connector kit twice (in 2006 at 34,000 miles and again in 2009 at 63,000 miles.) airbag light came on again approximately 6 months later. Dealer will not admit to any responsibility for repeated failure of the same part.*ln
Vehicle involved in accident and air bags did not deploy.*mr the consumer was driving 15 mph and hit a patch of black ice striking a truck in the opposite lane.
The airbag that is in the center of the steering wheel has a design flaw. The cover section under the the words srs airbag is a weak point it develops a large crack line on the weak spot. Should the airbag be deployed with this crack, the sharp broken pieces could cause serious lacerations to victims. If the broken pieces were to become airborne, they could puncture the large blood vessel in the neck or enter the eyes.also, should any customers attempt to tape or attempt to repair the cover without replacing it, unknown damage or loss of life could occur, as the airbag could not be able to be deployed properly.
6/15/2009 i was headed home at a rate of ~20-25 mph on pisgah church rd as i was approaching where i turn right onto lawndale ave and i rear ended a vehicle which was pushed forward rear ending a 2nd vehicle to the tune of $16,183.57 erie insurance charge (claim # 010910179459) and 3 nasty points.i was uninjured and contacted the greensboro police department.the arriving officer and the greensboro fire dept both expressed surprise that the air bag did not operate.i'm a nurse & was coming home from working the night shift.the police officer told me "i'm not going to write you a ticket (a professional courtesy, i think) because your insurance company is going to ream you."
Vehicle involved in a frontal collision at approximately 55mph with an elk.both drvr and passenger air bags did not deploy.consumer contacted manufacturer,who advisedconsumer that air bags were not designed to deploy for collisions with animals.
While driving atspeed of 30mph was involved in a frontal collision and neither air bag deployed. Dealer has been notified. If you have any additional information feel free to add/.
Consumer states while driving, the vehicle was in an accident at about 45mph. Vehicle went airborn, the front vehicle axle broke on impact. Both front airbags did not deploy. Dealer notified. Ts
When the consumer applied the brakes to avoid another vehicle, he driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a median wall head on.the driver and passenger sustained head and back injuries and was transported by ambulance to the hospital.the vehicle was totaled by the insurance company.*sc
Airbag light will come on when starting the car and will stay on during the time the ignition is on. It will do this for days and then it will work correctly for a few days before repeatingthe above behavior.*la
My vehicle was broadsided on the left side by another vehicle that failed to stop at a stop sign traveling approximately 30-40 mph. Damage to the left side of my vehicle extended from the driver's door to the rear left side of the vehicle. The force of the impact spun my vehicle into a tree that damaged the right rear quarter panel of the vehicle. The vehicle is a total loss. Neither left nor right side impact airbags deployed. On november 29, 2004 i notified subaru of america of the airbag failure. They assigned case #700-407 and senior representative rick pozniak. On december 3, 2004 subaru of america through rick pozniak informed me that they would not investigate the air bag failure.
I had stopped my forester in the left hand turn lane about 3 to 5 feet behind another vehicle while waiting for the signal to change from red to the green arrow. I put my vehicle into park and took my foot off the brake. I turned to check the pocket of my jacket in the rear seat. I turned back in the driving direction, put my foot on the brake and moved the automatic gear shift into the drive position. My car surged forward with the engine racing and hit the vehicle in front of me. I could not control the speed with the brakes, so i shifted back into park. This stopped my car. There is damage to my front grill and hood. This is not the first time i had this happen. The first time this occurred, i called subaru headquarters and explained the issues to a subaru representative. I was told this was a new issue and no recall was being considered. I took my car into the subaru dealer and they checked it and said they could not find any problems. The same thing occurred at least two more times prior to august 10, 2015. I never had any damage to my subaru or any other vehicle because i was not near any other vehicle when this surging occurred and i could get control of my subaru by putting the automatic gear shift into park. I purchased my subaru forester new and currently have 160,845 miles.
Intermittent engine surging and/loss of power.
When the consumer depresses the fuel pedal the vehicle hesitates and sometimes stall, the dealer has been notified of the problem several time but no remedy has been found.nlm
In very cold conditions. When the car is in idol or running it has a very strong gas smell around the engine and in the cabin area. I have heard the wrx and outback models have also have this problem.i was told it is the fuel line hose the connects to the clamp and contracts in severe cold and extracts when it gets warm then seals its self to the clamp. I think this is a serious issue with subaru and it should be investigated and possible recall on the older models if it has been corrected with newer models.
Soa is not being forthcoming about a major defect affecting many of its vehicles. On wednesday july 11, 2007 i spoke to soa and explained my concerns about the chronic leaking head gasket problems on many of your vehicles.iowna 2002 subaru foresterwhich was diagnosed with a leaking head gasket in december 2006 and68000 miles by a teape subaru technician in arlington tx.this repair would cost $1900.00.as i had to save up the money i did not get the work done until 07/10/07 at75,000 miles. I considered this a major safety problem. Had soa brought me in for a repair i might have avoided this expensive repair.my car could easily have overheated, resultingin an injury to myself and others.research revealed that thiswas a huge problem with their vehicles that frequently occurred again after being repaired/replaced.soa's representative told me that not only was my vehicle out of warranty for this problem but that there was no recall for it. He did, however, give me a case #1017178.subaru neededto step up and handle this problem.i am encouraging you to make them do that. The final cost for my gasket replacement work was 1725.42.i am mailing soa an itemized list of parts and labor along with my paid receipt, andi want a full refund for this work which included the labor.
External coolant leak due to failure of head gaskets in engine ona 2002 subaru forester with 50,000 miles.results in coolant dripping onto exhaust system and other components resulting in strong odor. Also creates possibility of low coolant causing overheating, engine damage and possible engine fire due to excessive heat. This problem is known to subaru however, the only recommendation offered is to add a sealer to the radiator coolant. According to several mechanics i have consulted, this will result in clogging of the radiator and heater core passages further causing overheating problems. The only fix for this problem is replacement of the head gaskets something subaru refuses to do.
On three occasions when placing my 2002 subaru forester in reverse, the engine has begun to race uncontrollably.in each instance, because i had my foot on the brake and was able to shift into neutral, i was able to maintain control of the vehicle and avoid a crash.
Consumer stated the engine started hesitating during acceleration from a complete stop, hesitation occurs one second to a few seconds after acceleration and can lat approximately three seconds.since the problems have been happening with the hesitation, the transmission now shifts with a slight thump to a loud bang, during acceleration the automatic transmission misses a shift and goes into neutral causing the engine to instantly over speed to 2,000 rpm's the transmission searches for different gears while gently accelerating, on 2 occasions the dealer has reprogrammed the computer modifications which has made the problems less intense, but still exists.*scc
In the last week, my heater started working sporadically, putting out cool air and hot air intermittently.then my temperature gauge started climbing quickly to the hot end.i turned my heater on full-blast to cool down the engine and this worked for about a mile, then the temperature gauge went all the way to the top in the red.i pulled over immediately, let the engine cool, and added coolant (it was slightly low, but not that low).the problem got worse when the heater was on all the way, so we looked in the engine compartment and saw there was a leak.i took it to my mechanic and found out that there was an "external coolant leak from the head gasket" just like in the courtesy recall of the same year, make and model of my car.however, when i called subaru, it was for "phase 1" engines only, and mine was a "phase 2" engine, therefore my car is not covered under the same recall.i am the second owner of the vehicle and have had my car serviced every 3,000 to 5,000 miles.the previous owner kept a log of all the work on the car in the owner's manual, and he too, had it serviced regularly.i believe that this is too much of a coincidence for it not to be a faulty part, like in the same year, make and model of my car with the same problem, but with the phase 1 engine.i would like to know if other 2002 subaru forresters, with a phase 2 engine, have had this problem and if so, what subaru is going to do to rectify this problem?my car is five years old with less than 85,000 miles on it, and it has been serviced at the recommended times.it shouldn't have a problem this major ($2,500 to fix!) given these facts unless it was a faulty system to begin with!
Defective head gasket.
2002 subaru forester hesitates and lurches dangerously as if fuel is not getting to the engine.when pulling on to a street or highway, the vehicle won't pick up speed and creates a safely hazard and potential rear end accidents.
Intermitent backfire after shifting on manual transmission foresters. Manufacturer notified, confirmed that engine backfires but said backfiring was not a problem, hence no fix was neccessary and non would be provided. How many of you out there consider ba.
Consumer experiences vehicle stalling.please provide any further information.*mr
Vehicle does not immediately start up. Dealer has replaced ecm box, howeverproblem still exists.. Consumer stated the vehicle has overheated and seized up.*mj
In very cold conditions. When the car is in idol or running it has a very strong gas smell around the engine and in the cabin area. I have heard the wrx and outback models have also have this problem.i was told it is the fuel line hose the connects to the clamp and contracts in severe cold and extracts when it gets warm then seals its self to the clamp. I think this is a serious issue with subaru and it should be investigated and possible recall on the older models if it has been corrected with newer models.
After a period of cold weather (below freezing), i drove my car for about 20 minutes. After exiting the car, i smelled a strong odor of gasoline at the front of the car. During the trip when using the heat inside the vehicle, i also smelled a strong odor of gasoline and exhaust and shut off the heat. (i thought it was coming from the cars in front of me in traffic.)after leaving the car in the garage all day, i drove it to my regular mechanic to see if there might be a fuel line leak. The next day, he advised me that there had been a technical service bulletin issued by suburu about cold weather and fuel smell. He said that indeed the fuel lines in the engine compartment exhibited signs of gas leakage. When the fuel leaked, it leaked onto the engine and manifold (which i think is normally gets hot). Given the potential for fire, he replaced all of the fuel hoses in the car with new hoses and the fuel filter. On the same day, another suburu customer had the identical problem with smelling gasoline in the engine compartment, and he had to have the same repairs done. I should add that on the day i first smelled gasoline near the front of the car and when i had turned the heat on in the cab, it was about 22 degrees fahrenheit, with a wind chill in the single digits. This is unusually cold for our area. I had just filled up my gas tank the evening before. My mileage is a little more than 70,000 miles, and the car has been very well maintained.
The contact owns a 2002 subaru forester. The contact stated that the vehicle would struggle to accelerate up inclines and the check engine light illuminated while the failures occurred. The vehicle was inspected by a local mechanic. The failure was located at the fuel sensor module. The vehicle was not taken to an authorized dealer to have a diagnostic test performed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,898 and the current mileage was 135,000.
A very strong fuel smell comes into the cab of my 2002 subaru forester when temperatures drop below 35.i recently moved to montana and hadn't noticed it before because portland doesn't get this cold. .after researching the issue online, found out several others are having the same problem.subaru is recalling wmx for this issue, but not foresters.
During a very cold day i felt very strong gasoline smell right after start in my 2002 subaru forester s. I looked in the engine compartment and i saw gasoline o one of the rubber hoses connecting 2 fuel lines. The smell disappeared after the engine warmed up, but reappeared after the car stayed outside for a couple of hours. The car did the same thing a few years ago during very cold temperatures. At that time, the mechanic at the dealership tightened the clamps holding the rubber hose. Rubber hose.
From a stand still vehicle will hesitate or once getting started will lunge forward.dealership looked over vehicle,and contacted subaru which tolddealership that vehicle met all requirements, and returned vehicle toconsumerwith no modifications.please describe details.
2002 subaru forester.for the past few winters i have noticed a very strong raw gas small inside the car when the car is idled, or sitting still and the temperature is 20 degrees f or lower.obviously something contracts below that temperature and by doing a google search i am apparently not the only one experiencing this issue.the smell is so strong it will give you a headache. So i just don't drive the car if the temps are going to be below 20f.
Fuel leak under the hood. Could not see actual leak but a strong fuel odor filled the vehicle upon idling with the heater on. This also happen today after driving a short distance(~4 miles) a strong fuel odor was detected upon stopping the vehicle the odor seem to come from the intake manifold area on the passenger side.
Fuel lines in engine leak in cold weather. This is a serious hazard that i and multiple other subaru owners that i know have had occurring and recurring. I called subaru and they were uninterested in issuing a safety recall despite the extreme hazard leaking gasoline in the engine poses. This has now happened to me twice in two different fuel hoses in the past two years.
On a very cold morning with temps in the teens, after driving the car less than 10 miles and parking it in the driveway i noticed a strong raw gas smell. I opened the hood and saw gas leaking around two metal clamps on a small rubber hose to the left and below the power steering fluid cap. After doing some research online and seeing how common this problem is, we went out about an hour later and turned on the engine with the hood up and we could see the gas around the clamps after just a couple of minutes. We tightened the screws on the clamps, they went at least three turns each. Hoping this solves the problem since leaking gasoline in the engine area seems pretty dangerous.
Takata recall my car has a strong smell of gasoline when walking up to the car after it has sat and it is even stronger when you shut the car off after driving. In the warmer weather the smell has increased.
After the recall for the parking rod 02 v 282 000 was performed, there is very loud noise from the brakes. The dealership indicated that this is caused by the brake line rusting, because car is not being driven enough.
After purchasing a 2002 subaru forester, the vehicle was driven for a very short period of time prior to noticing that the front end of the vehicle began to feel loose and unstable while steering, and the vehicle began to pull to one side while accelerating and braking. After noticing the instability and swaying action, i conducted cursory inspections of the front end and suspension areas of the vehicle. As a result of inspections, i didn't notice anything wrong with the undercarriage. While driving the vehicle on 20 september 2014, without warning, the right front lower control arm broke. It could be observed that there was a failure in the weld between the hanger bracket and the main portion of the control arm. After the control arm broke, it caused the control arm to move towards the rear of the vehicle; it caused the right front tire to slam abruptly into the rear portion of the tire well; it then caused the right front tire to lock up, which subsequently caused the tire to immediately begin to skid. Contributing factors which minimized results: vehicle was only traveling at about 45 mph; it occurred on secondary road; road was straight and level; there was no oncoming traffic; and road surface was dry. There was additional vehicle damage. Upon checking the recalls for the 2002 subaru forester, i discovered that the 2003-2008 foresters were recalled for this exact reason (recall id # 70673.) there were other additional recalls as well for similar issue. After contacting subaru customer service, i was advised that they would not cover the front lower control arm under the recall even though the characteristics of the recall were the same. I believe that the failure of the control arm is very obvious and it should be covered similar to the other recalled years. I would be happy to provide pictures of the front lower control arm failure. Thank you.
On the green traffic signal i accelerated and the car surged into the vehicle in front of me. I jammed my foot on the brake and threw the shift into park when the car stopped, then with my foot on the brake and shift in park, the car surged in reverse hitting the car behind me. I previously experienced surging twice before this. My 2002 subaru forrester was recalled for the parking rod replacedment in april 2003.
Car hesitates then lurches forward after pressing the gas pedal. Vehicle then hestiates as if losing power. Had the same probelem in august of 2003 and dealer reset the vehicle's computer and said no problem. Dealer tried to have me pay for a fuel injector cleaning service this time. Car has 29,000 miles. I spoke a another customer at the dealership who was having the same problem and noticed the numerous complaints on the web site. Shouldn't this matter be looked at for a possible recall?
Transmission hesitates from a dead stop. You depress the accelerator and nothing happens for 2 seconds or so, then the car lurches forward.
On the green traffic signal i accelerated and the car surged into the vehicle in front of me. I jammed my foot on the brake and threw the shift into park when the car stopped, then with my foot on the brake and shift in park, the car surged in reverse hitting the car behind me. I previously experienced surging twice before this. My 2002 subaru forrester was recalled for the parking rod replacedment in april 2003.
When parking vehicle in garage, engine revved and car drove forward causing damage to car and garage even though car had been placed into park.
Consumer stated the engine started hesitating during acceleration from a complete stop, hesitation occurs one second to a few seconds after acceleration and can lat approximately three seconds.since the problems have been happening with the hesitation, the transmission now shifts with a slight thump to a loud bang, during acceleration the automatic transmission misses a shift and goes into neutral causing the engine to instantly over speed to 2,000 rpm's the transmission searches for different gears while gently accelerating, on 2 occasions the dealer has reprogrammed the computer modifications which has made the problems less intense, but still exists.*scc
Multiple times i have stepped on the brake and the car lurches forward.
This situation was taken care of by replacing "the brains" of the transmission but the idle speed has remained below 300 without the service light coming on since. One other comment is that the shifter does not lock into drive like most cars it locks into 3rd. I do not know what the idle speed is supposed to be but it can't be 220. Put back in service on dec 8th.
Car "hesitates" occasionally, 1-2 second delay after you press the gas pedal until the car responds.also, the car shifts inappropriately. Mostly this occurs on hills. You will attempt to accelerate,and the car downshifts; or you attempt to pass someone on highway and car will hesitate, then begin to accelerate, then will suddenly downshift. I have had car to dealer, first i was told there was no problem. Then, they realized there was a problem, and had the computer reset. This seemed to improve handling for only about a week. The car is now hesitating and downshifting on a regular basis.
When traveling 60 mph the car suddenly looses acceleration, like it is slipping into neutral.at first, i could remove my foot from the gas, allow the car to coast and slow, and then re-apply gas, and it would accelerate again.now when it occurs, i have to stop, normally on the side of a rural highway, put it in park, then back to drive for it to work properly.i am afraid this is going to leave me stranded somewhere out in the 'sticks.'the car has less than 25k miles, and has had its scheduled maintenance.any info?
Automatic transmission gears lock inpark position on an intermittent basis. Dealer has been contacted. Please provide further details.
While driving 55 mph on the highway there was a hummingwinding sound coming from underneath the vehicle. Driver took the vehicle to the dealershipfor analysis, and mechanic told the driver that front differential came apart, and piece of metal wasinside of transmission, causing transmission to fail.
Intermitent backfire after shifting on manual transmission foresters. Manufacturer notified, confirmed that engine backfires but said backfiring was not a problem, hence no fix was neccessary and non would be provided. How many of you out there consider ba.
Problems getting recall repair performed.*mrconsumer received recall notice 02v-282 to replace failed transmission park mechanism.consumer has problem with the amount of time it takes to perform recall repairs.the notice states repairs will take an 1-1/2 hour, however dealership needs vehicle for the entire day and will not authorize a loaner car for the entire day.*nlm
While driving the clutch intermittently fails causing the vehicle to shake and delay engagment.
There was not any warning or indication prior to the vehicles failure and all schedule maintenance and inspections were completed and up to date.without any prior warning the transmission failed on our 2002 subaru forester while we were driving on the freeway at approximately 70 miles an hour.the only indication of the failure was a sudden rise in rpms on the tachometer followed by the failure of the transmission.we had a sudden loss of power and had to inch our way along the freeway shoulder to the nearest off ramp and proceeded several miles, coasting down hill ,until the vehicle would no longer move under its own power.the entire clutch assembly had to be replaced.
While driving 55 mph on the highway there was a hummingwinding sound coming from underneath the vehicle. Driver took the vehicle to the dealershipfor analysis, and mechanic told the driver that front differential came apart, and piece of metal wasinside of transmission, causing transmission to fail.
Brake pads are good and most of the time work right. When road is icy or wet and i push the pedalthe car startsshuttering, brake lets loose and won't stop the car. I try to let off the pedal and barely push it again and it still won't quit shuttering or stop. If i go to low gear real fast or pull the emergency brake two clicks then i can stop. Has this ever been a recall on this auto?
When parking and brakes applied vehicle surged forward. This has happened 3 times. On 27 june 2002 while parking vehicle surged forward, brakes were applied, and vehicle hit a post, consumer suffered minor injury. Vehicle at dealer at this time.
When the consumer applied the brakes to avoid another vehicle, he driver lost control of the vehicle and hit a median wall head on.the driver and passenger sustained head and back injuries and was transported by ambulance to the hospital.the vehicle was totaled by the insurance company.*sc
While applying the brakes pedal went to the floor.consumer pressed the accelerate pedalon numerous occasions,causingvehicle to stop and accelerate at the sametime. Consumerwas concerned this could become a potential dangerous situation.consumer drove the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that this vehicle was operating as designed.
When applying brakes vehicle continues to accelerate until consumer pushes the brake pedal to the floor, causing extended stopping distance. Dealer notified.
2002 subaru forester s - dealer claims that northeast climate (salt & wet roads) will corrode disc brakes, causing pads to fail to retract completely and therefor continuously rub on the rotors, heating them and causing warping. Dealer claims brakes should be inspected and cleaned every 15,000 miles. Manufacturer's maintenance schedule makes no mention of this potential problem. Repairs cost $600.00.
When the brakes were applied there was a delay before the vehiclestopped.vehicle was taken to the dealer,and technician indicated vehicle was operating as designed by the manufacturer. Independent shop replaced the master cylinder, and it wasworkingproperly.the problem the consumer experienced was similar to a recall issued for 1998 and 1999 models. After the master cylinder was replaced the problem subsided.
Consumer stated brake pedal and gas pedal are too close.sometimes when braking the driver presses the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal, almost resulting incrashes. *mr
Brake pedal did not function, had to use hand pedal to stop vehicle. Ts.
I almost had a bad accident, and i think it would have been due to a design flaw in our subaru forester.i came to a red light, began to slow using the brake, and found the car trying to surge ahead into the passing traffic: my foot had contacted the accelerator as well as the brake.fortunately, i was able to shift my foot off the accelerator, but it was a scary moment.
After purchasing a 2002 subaru forester, the vehicle was driven for a very short period of time prior to noticing that the front end of the vehicle began to feel loose and unstable while steering, and the vehicle began to pull to one side while accelerating and braking. After noticing the instability and swaying action, i conducted cursory inspections of the front end and suspension areas of the vehicle. As a result of inspections, i didn't notice anything wrong with the undercarriage. While driving the vehicle on 20 september 2014, without warning, the right front lower control arm broke. It could be observed that there was a failure in the weld between the hanger bracket and the main portion of the control arm. After the control arm broke, it caused the control arm to move towards the rear of the vehicle; it caused the right front tire to slam abruptly into the rear portion of the tire well; it then caused the right front tire to lock up, which subsequently caused the tire to immediately begin to skid. Contributing factors which minimized results: vehicle was only traveling at about 45 mph; it occurred on secondary road; road was straight and level; there was no oncoming traffic; and road surface was dry. There was additional vehicle damage. Upon checking the recalls for the 2002 subaru forester, i discovered that the 2003-2008 foresters were recalled for this exact reason (recall id # 70673.) there were other additional recalls as well for similar issue. After contacting subaru customer service, i was advised that they would not cover the front lower control arm under the recall even though the characteristics of the recall were the same. I believe that the failure of the control arm is very obvious and it should be covered similar to the other recalled years. I would be happy to provide pictures of the front lower control arm failure. Thank you.
6/15/2009 i was headed home at a rate of ~20-25 mph on pisgah church rd as i was approaching where i turn right onto lawndale ave and i rear ended a vehicle which was pushed forward rear ending a 2nd vehicle to the tune of $16,183.57 erie insurance charge (claim # 010910179459) and 3 nasty points.i was uninjured and contacted the greensboro police department.the arriving officer and the greensboro fire dept both expressed surprise that the air bag did not operate.i'm a nurse & was coming home from working the night shift.the police officer told me "i'm not going to write you a ticket (a professional courtesy, i think) because your insurance company is going to ream you."
Hoodis too high and allows water to run ontoengine. Dealer has been contacted. Please provide further details.
The contact owns a 2002 subaru forester. The contact took the vehicle for state inspection and was advised that the vehicle could not pass due to extreme frame rust and corrosion. The manufacturer advised that because the vehicle was primarily housed in pennsylvania, a salt belt state, that the failure was normal. The manufacturer would not provide any assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileages were approximately 138,000.
I was driving on the highway 1 mile from my home when the control arm suddenly failed sending my car veering across the road almost hitting oncoming traffic.
Was luckily only traveling at about 30 mph when failure occurred. Got out of the car to discover the driver side wheel correctly pointed straight and passenger side front wheel pointed inward. Upon inspection, the control had without warning snapped in half taking the cv axle and stabilizer linkage with it. Hoping to get it fixed for under $500.
I was driving i was making a right hand turn from one road to another and i hit a slight bump and then the whole thing starts swaying only to find out that my rear subframe completely rotted out and detached itself from the car due to the rust and the breaking of the subframe in the rear
The contact owns a 2002 subaru forester. The contact stated that the suspension failed. While driving 55 mph, the sound of a tire squealing was heard. The contact was able to maintain control of the steering wheel to drive to a safe location. The contact inspected the vehicle and found that the front passenger tire was bent towards the left, the cv joint and transaxle were damaged, and the lower control arm was fractured. The vehicle was towed to an unknown auto garage for further inspection. The manufacturer and the dealer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 132,000.updated 11/07/17*ljconsumer stated suddenly without warning the car jerked violently to the left(instantly sending us into the left-hand lane) with a simultaneous screaming loud squealing tire sound. Lower control arm had snapped, and while the left front tire was pointed straight ahead, the right front tire was steering left ar approximately a 45 degree angle. There is corrosion where bracket fractured. Updated 7/20/18
After purchasing a 2002 subaru forester, the vehicle was driven for a very short period of time prior to noticing that the front end of the vehicle began to feel loose and unstable while steering, and the vehicle began to pull to one side while accelerating and braking. After noticing the instability and swaying action, i conducted cursory inspections of the front end and suspension areas of the vehicle. As a result of inspections, i didn't notice anything wrong with the undercarriage. While driving the vehicle on 20 september 2014, without warning, the right front lower control arm broke. It could be observed that there was a failure in the weld between the hanger bracket and the main portion of the control arm. After the control arm broke, it caused the control arm to move towards the rear of the vehicle; it caused the right front tire to slam abruptly into the rear portion of the tire well; it then caused the right front tire to lock up, which subsequently caused the tire to immediately begin to skid. Contributing factors which minimized results: vehicle was only traveling at about 45 mph; it occurred on secondary road; road was straight and level; there was no oncoming traffic; and road surface was dry. There was additional vehicle damage. Upon checking the recalls for the 2002 subaru forester, i discovered that the 2003-2008 foresters were recalled for this exact reason (recall id # 70673.) there were other additional recalls as well for similar issue. After contacting subaru customer service, i was advised that they would not cover the front lower control arm under the recall even though the characteristics of the recall were the same. I believe that the failure of the control arm is very obvious and it should be covered similar to the other recalled years. I would be happy to provide pictures of the front lower control arm failure. Thank you.
Put vehicle in reverse after being at bank and heard a huge clunk. Gentleman ran up to me and said not to move it. Got out and left front tire was about laying flat on ground. Had brother bring tow dolly and then took it apart. Ended up spending 600 just on parts as the control arms were rotted horribly. Left one as stated, was rotted in half, right was in such bad shape my brother said it would not be safe if not replaced also. So 600.00 later and now i have it at kocur krew and will have another 750.00 bill as the subframe and cradel assembly are rotted bad. Like wow all in 2.5 months. I think i am lucky to be alive as i have driven this vehicle to ohio numerous times in last 1.5 years.
Subaru forester 2002 rear wheel bearings keep failing and have to be replaced!
The contact owns a 2002 subaru forester. While driving at 50 mph, the vehicle vibrated and pulled to the right without warning. The contact slowed down and drove to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front lower control arm of the suspension was fractured and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 155,000. The vin was not provided.
Metallic, grinding noise from right rear wheel.when parked for a week, refused to move - frozen in place.after much acceleration, the car was able to move.noise grew and grew to a shrieking pitch.technician diagnosed it as a failure of the right rear wheel bearing.
Subaru forester has "surged" several times, during parking maneouvres.
Subaru has not contacted us or let consumers know there is a problem with 2002 foresters.dt
I was backing my 2002 subaru forester out of my driveway when it suddenly accelerated out of control, causing it to cross the road heading for my neighbors' house.flooring the brake did not help but i managed to turn the car slightly, hitting a tree, where it came to a stop.this had happened to me twice before in this car, and once to another regular driver of this car.all incidents were when maneuvering slowly, but some were while in reverse and others while moving forward. In all the earlier incidents, we were somehow able to bring the car under control and to a stop before hitting anything. This has also happened to a friend who owns a 2002 forester. None of us have ever had it happen in any other car, and we have all been driving regularly for 35 years.
I was driving i was making a right hand turn from one road to another and i hit a slight bump and then the whole thing starts swaying only to find out that my rear subframe completely rotted out and detached itself from the car due to the rust and the breaking of the subframe in the rear
The subframe completely fell off my car.this is my second subaru is has happened to i had to scrap the first one.i didn't notice it till i came home, i checked it because it was driving funny.
Vehicle was standing with motor running in drive and i had the foot on the brake when the car started slowly moving forward. When i pushed the brake further, the car incurred a sudden acceleration forward and hit another vehicle. I just could do nothing to stop it. Subaru of america did not admit there is a malfunction and asked to take the car to the dealer to confirm such failure. However i am reluctant to do so, since the dealer would not represent my interests as well. I do not drive the car anymore as it is unsafe to do so and i do not know how should i proceed. Any advice? please tell me how were the other complains of these type resolved. I have seen similar complains against forester 2001 and 2000. Thank you.
I was entering a parking space at a local grocery store when the vehicle surged forward into another parked car.i had my foot on the brake and had placed the vehicle in park when it suddenly and unexpectedly lurched forward.i damaged the parked car and my own.this has happened previously when backing out of a parking space going from the park position. Am contacting subaru to see if this has anything to do with the recall.
We purchased this low-mileage vehicle (~11k miles) 2nd hand from local subaru dealer mid-feb 2006, & noticed only rough shifting when engine is cold- no other problems.today, while turning left at low speed, the car suddenly accelerated, & seemed to do so for a short time after braking harder. I assumed i had inadvertently stepped on the gas & brake at the same time, & resolved to be more careful. After turning the car off & restarting, i turned right at low speed. As i rounded the corner (maybe as the wheel turned back to the left??), the vehicle again accelerated, continuing to rev as i stood on the brake. The car stopped after striking the bumper of the truck in front of me. Low-speed impact, no air bag deployment, no observable damage to either vehicle. Before i moved my feet, i looked down: my foot was not on the gas pedal. As the gas pedal is somewhat recessed, it would be quite difficult to hit it while braking.cruise control had been on earlier in the day, but is supposed to shut off when the car is turned off, & so should have been off during both of these incidents. Afterward, i did not look at the cruise control to verify that it was off.the dealer will look at this in 2 days.
Transmission hesitates from a dead stop. You depress the accelerator and nothing happens for 2 seconds or so, then the car lurches forward.
Consumer stated the engine started hesitating during acceleration from a complete stop, hesitation occurs one second to a few seconds after acceleration and can lat approximately three seconds.since the problems have been happening with the hesitation, the transmission now shifts with a slight thump to a loud bang, during acceleration the automatic transmission misses a shift and goes into neutral causing the engine to instantly over speed to 2,000 rpm's the transmission searches for different gears while gently accelerating, on 2 occasions the dealer has reprogrammed the computer modifications which has made the problems less intense, but still exists.*scc
When applying brakes vehicle continues to accelerate until consumer pushes the brake pedal to the floor, causing extended stopping distance. Dealer notified.
Driver of forester was stopped at a red light about 10 feet away from car in front.driver took foot away from brake pedal for a moment and car surged forward on its own.driver slammed brake pedal to the floor, but forester continued to surge forward.driver swerved to try to avoid accident but still clipped bumper of car in front and caused damage.forester continued to surge and buck forward for another moment before finally stopping (driver's foot had remained firmly on brake the entire time).i took the vehicle to the dealer i had bought it from just two weeks ago, but they claimed they had never heard of this happening in a subaru and refused to even investigate if there was a mechanical error that would be under warranty because of legal fears.they implied the accident was my fault and i was looking to blame them.despite minor damage, the car was still drivable, yet i had it towed to the dealer because i was scared of driving it ever again.i was lucky i only hit another car's bumper-- it could've been a bicyclist or pedestrian who was struck!my insurance company is investigating the claim at this point, but i refuse to drive that car unless someone finds the exact cause of the out of control surging and fixes it.i am appalled subaru is denying this problem even exists.
Car "hesitates" occasionally, 1-2 second delay after you press the gas pedal until the car responds.also, the car shifts inappropriately. Mostly this occurs on hills. You will attempt to accelerate,and the car downshifts; or you attempt to pass someone on highway and car will hesitate, then begin to accelerate, then will suddenly downshift. I have had car to dealer, first i was told there was no problem. Then, they realized there was a problem, and had the computer reset. This seemed to improve handling for only about a week. The car is now hesitating and downshifting on a regular basis.
The contact owns a 2002 subaru forester. While driving in reverse at speeds of less than 3 mph, the vehicle suddenly and abnormally accelerated and crashed into the side of a house and proceeded to crash into a wooden fence. The vehicle failed to stop and the contact was forced to put the vehicle into neutral gear to stop it from accelerating. The dealer was contacted, however they stated that they had not heard of that type of failure in her model vehicle. Repairs were made at the expense of her insurance company. The manufacturer did not assist. There were no recalls. The failure mileage was 23,000 and the current was 25,000. Updated 3/16/10 updated 07/07/10.
When the vehicle came to a stop, it accelerated forward and the only way to slow it down was to put the vehicle into neutral.scc
The vehicle was parked and idling before the consumer got in the vehicle and shifts it into reverse while the foot were on the brake pedal. The vehicle commences to accelerate and lurch backward and ran into the entrance of the drug store. Consumer shift the vehicle into drive and the vehicle took off again and hit a metal pole. No injuries was reported and both the driver and the passenger were restrained in their seat belts. The vehicle was tow to a repair shop. The dealer was notified and pick up the vehicle from the repair shop.
I had stopped my forester in the left hand turn lane about 3 to 5 feet behind another vehicle while waiting for the signal to change from red to the green arrow. I put my vehicle into park and took my foot off the brake. I turned to check the pocket of my jacket in the rear seat. I turned back in the driving direction, put my foot on the brake and moved the automatic gear shift into the drive position. My car surged forward with the engine racing and hit the vehicle in front of me. I could not control the speed with the brakes, so i shifted back into park. This stopped my car. There is damage to my front grill and hood. This is not the first time i had this happen. The first time this occurred, i called subaru headquarters and explained the issues to a subaru representative. I was told this was a new issue and no recall was being considered. I took my car into the subaru dealer and they checked it and said they could not find any problems. The same thing occurred at least two more times prior to august 10, 2015. I never had any damage to my subaru or any other vehicle because i was not near any other vehicle when this surging occurred and i could get control of my subaru by putting the automatic gear shift into park. I purchased my subaru forester new and currently have 160,845 miles.
No summary listed for above vehicle.
Intermittent engine surging and/loss of power.
When parking vehicle in garage, engine revved and car drove forward causing damage to car and garage even though car had been placed into park.
The engine intermittently stalls during acceleration often in fast moving cross traffic causing our hearts to stop as we fear of getting hit broadside. The engine intermittently accelerates at high speeds causing the driver to brake. I had one incident.
The contact owns a 2002 subaru forester.while driving approximately 20 mph the driver side removable floor mat trapped the accelerator pedal to the floor.consequentlythere was an unintended increase of vehicle acceleration.she was able to regain vehicle operation.the vehicle has not been inspected for the malfunction.the failure mileage was 160,000.the current mileage was 163,000.the vin was unavailable.
Myself, as well as many others, have a problem with our subaru vehicle hesitating upon pressing the accelerator, for as much as 2-3 seconds, followed by sudden acceleration.this happens in drive as well as reverse.subaru acknowledges the problem (really depends on who you talk to at any dealership) but says that it is normal and there is no fix.when and if a reply is sent, i will forward a copy of the letters sent to subaru.thank you for your time.
When parking and brakes applied vehicle surged forward. This has happened 3 times. On 27 june 2002 while parking vehicle surged forward, brakes were applied, and vehicle hit a post, consumer suffered minor injury. Vehicle at dealer at this time.
The contact owns a 2002 subaru forester. The contact stated that while making a u-turn the accelerator pedal went straight to the floor and his foot got stuck causing him to crash into a building. The contact nor his passenger were injured. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic and the investigation was pending. The vehicle was not repaired and neither was the dealer contacted. The failure and current mileages were approximately 94,000.updated 3/8/11updated 12/20/11
Consumer stated brake pedal and gas pedal are too close.sometimes when braking the driver presses the gas pedal instead of the brake pedal, almost resulting incrashes. *mr
I almost had a bad accident, and i think it would have been due to a design flaw in our subaru forester.i came to a red light, began to slow using the brake, and found the car trying to surge ahead into the passing traffic: my foot had contacted the accelerator as well as the brake.fortunately, i was able to shift my foot off the accelerator, but it was a scary moment.
While applying the brakes pedal went to the floor.consumer pressed the accelerate pedalon numerous occasions,causingvehicle to stop and accelerate at the sametime. Consumerwas concerned this could become a potential dangerous situation.consumer drove the vehicle to the dealer for inspection, and mechanic determined that this vehicle was operating as designed.
Most of the time both outside mirrors on vehicle are covered with condensation.
The open wheel design allows snow, silt, mud to easily pack in grooves inside the wheels.this causes all wheels to become immediately out of balance causing, of course, extreme shimmying.the company is aware of the problem but does not consider it important.i consider driving a vehicle with out of balance wheels and important if not dangerous situation.also, to clean the wheels entails getting down on hands and knees with a screwdriver and scraping the deposits from the outside groove, behind the wheel "spokes" and around the inside groove.the only access to this is thru the small openings in the "spokes".it always takes at least three such cleaning of all effected wheels before one can get all the deposits removed and the wheels back in balance.when you are on the way to church during the middle of winter this situation becomes untolerable and results in having to drive with unbalanced wheels to destination or at least a location where removal of deposits can be done safely.explaining this problem is difficult and i do not know the technical terms of wheel parts/construction.in all vehicles i have owned the outside of the wheel is solid, no openings, other than for lug bolts therefore there is no place for deposits to stick and of course hubcaps further protect for this.on the subaru the wheel is not solid but of an open spoked design allowing sand, mud, snow to easily settle inside the wheel.there are no hubcaps available to at least protect the outside of the wheel.even if there was that wouldn't stop stuff from getting in from the inside.i'm no expert but it seems to me that subaru just needs to provide a solid wheel replacement to solve this problem.thanks.
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