10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
73,555 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2010 Subaru Forester engine problems

engine problem

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2010 Subaru Forester Owner Comments (Page 1 of 2)

problem #32

Nov 052021

Forester

  • 99,552 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving, the check engine warning light had illuminated. The vehicle was taken to a dealer who advised him that the fuel tank was rusted and needed to be repaired as well as fuel lines. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that he contacted the manufacturer who gave him a goodwill help credit to help contribute to the repair of the vehicle. The failure mileage was 99,552.

- Thiells, NY, USA

problem #31

Oct 302021

Forester

  • miles
I bought a 2010 Subaru Forester vehicle on 05/22/2021 from AutoFair Subaru dealer at 503 Broadway, Haverhill, MA 01832. The car engine was making noises from the day 1 of this purchase. I reported this to the dealership but they denied the facts. Rather they said that I did not know how to drive and was making jokes at me. In month 3 (07/17/21), there was a warning sign on the dashboard. I took the car to them. There was a leak in the tire. It got fixed. I returned with the engine noise still in the car. In month 4 (08/21/21), again there was a safety sign on the dashboard. There was a oil leak in the engine. They charged me a huge amount of bill to repair this. Last Saturday on 10/30/2021, I was going to Walmart. I was on highway I-495 just a could of miles away from the exit, the car engine light was flashing. The engine sound gets louder. As soon as I pulled the car to the roadside, the engine stopped and the whole car was full of smoke. My life was on danger last Saturday. I called the dealer on Monday (11/01/2021). Again, they denied the facts. I demand a full refund of this purchase to avoid any life threatening car accidents in the future.

- Lawrence, MA, USA

problem #30

Aug 022021

Forester

  • miles
Head gasket suddenly failed on the highway. This is a known problem Subaru has yet to address and has been present on all their models up to 2010. This is something that Subaru should have addressed years ago but are allowing people to put the safety at risk due to negligence

- Ware, MA, USA

problem #29

Aug 202021

Forester

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

At 90,000 miles the head gaskets need replacing (a $2600 repair) on a 2010 car that has been taken care of, all oil changes, all maintenance has been done to. Seems like a failed part. Noticed others have complained about the same issue. Just curious how long head gaskets should last under normal use?

- Ada, MI, USA

problem #28

Apr 192021

Forester

  • miles
I purchased this 2010 Subaru Forester from a private party in 2/2021. It had about 98500 miles, ran smoothly, had service records and was up to date in maintenance. It stalled out in traffic due to low fuel and oil issues. There was oil showing on the dipstick but also oil leaking under the engine when checked at a Subaru service dept. I now found that oil leaks and problems are common according to articles on line. It will cost thousands to either replace the seals or the engine!! For a vehicle of this caliber I expected years of services not immediate oil issues. This is a potential seizing of the engine issue. It consumes too much oil due to the leaks. Is there any pending lawsuits I can join to cover these repairs? Secondly the low tire light is on at all times. Air pressure has been triple checked to no avail.

- Ravenswood , WV, USA

problem #27

Aug 012020

Forester

  • 110,000 miles
Both head gaskets are leaking. 110,000 miles driver electric seat no longer goes up/down in height

- Asheville, NC, USA

problem #26

Aug 102019

Forester

  • 89,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Hesitates when driving off or slowing down, goes dead when pulling into traffic.sometimes the engine jerks and shakes. Plugs have 30,000 on them after tuning up.yellow lights will not come on and nothing shows up on diagnostic check. Extremely dangerous.

- Salisbury, NC, USA

problem #25

Apr 012019

Forester

  • miles
Leaky headgaskets...

- Guysville, OH, USA

problem #24

Apr 222019

Forester

  • 115,000 miles
While driving, "check engine" light, cruise light & traction light began flashing. Dealer said catalytic converter had to be replaced. Repair done & dealer said, "if it doesn't 'take, ' we'll know soon." Three weeks later, same thing happened. This repair is on top of a major gasket replacement done just a few months earlier because the gaskets were leaking. Car has about 115,000 miles & has been serviced regularly.

- Collierville, TN, USA

problem #23

Dec 062018

Forester

  • 107,000 miles
On routine oil visit change, dealership informed me the head gaskets were leaking slightly but didn't need immediate repair. I had noticed no symptoms. On next visit for an unrelated problem, was told they needed immediate repair at a cost of more than $2,000. A quick online search confirmed that this is a common complaint among Forester owners. I let the dealer make the repair but complained to Subaru corporate, which wrote off some of the cost but still cost me hundreds to fix.

- Collierville, TN, USA

problem #22

Jan 182019

Forester

  • 85,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Left side head gasket leaking oil onto the exhaust manifold. Subaru faulty head gaskets. Something needs to be done about the faulty head gaskets. Only 85000 miles on the engine.

- Medical Lake, WA, USA

problem #21

Oct 102018

Forester

  • miles
Dear Subaru, I own a Subaru 2.0 diesel EE20. I bought this car from germany. The car engine broke in romania after 10000 K. not even resist until the revision. I was to Subaru romania ( subarumotors bucharest ) to mr daniel simion before engine break. He told me that the car will break because of crankshaft failure. The car broke after 1 mounth. ( 2000 km). I spoked with daniel simion to take my car and apply goodwill Subaru law'. he told me to go to german dealer. I spoke with mr Subaru deutschland gmbh michael cada-vasquez kundendienst emil-frey-strasse 6 61169 friedberg E-mail: [xxx] [xxx] told me that Subaru romania bucharest can solve this problem and told me that if my car it is register in romania they can apply goodwill. I spoke again to [xxx] consilier service Subaru motors trading srl theodor pallady nr. 47, sector 3 bucuresti, romania tel.: +040 21 345.55.35 fax: +040 21 345.55.40 mobil: 0752.28.77.83 E-mail : [xxx] but mr simion told me that is difficult to apply goodwill..and that he will come back with a response. His response was that is responsability of the original dealer to apply goodwill. My car have all service book in germany. And last revision was at Subaru authorised service. Auto kempinger Subaru.de track nb for this car is : [xxx] can you please help me? it is a sad situation and I don T know who can help me. With respect, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6).

- Bucharest, WI, USA

problem #20

Nov 152018

Forester

  • 184,320 miles
When driving the car starts to jerk and hesitate alot when accelerating happens quite frequently which causes the check engine light to come on so then you take it get it plugged in on little machine tells you something so you fix that issue thinking it's all better but nope still continues to happen might be good for a few weeks to a month but always continues to happen and makes it impossible to go up hills or anything because there is barely any acceleration.

- Castile, NY, USA

problem #19

Nov 172017

Forester

  • 83,000 miles
I had pulled into my company parking lot and was backing into my parking space. I pulled forward, applied the brake to shift into reverse. As soon as I took my foot off the brake pedal, the car zoomed backward. I jumped a curb, went through very thick bushes and landed on top of a small Audi parked in the lot behind ours. I had to turn off the car to stop the engine. I was too in shock to take photos but others did and I can add later, with the police report when it's completed, if that's possible. I have no idea how fast the car was going. Much too fast to be backing into a parking space. Auto body shop across the street helped to disengage the cars. No towing nec.

- West Hempstead, NY, USA

problem #18

Sep 202015

Forester

  • 138,900 miles
Dashboard warning lights (traction control, cruise control and engine light) are lit because of a problem with the catalytic converter. It is very costly to fix the catalytic converter. Because we cannot afford to fix the catalytic converter, we are left with no traction control or cruise control. Also, if something horrible happens to the car, we will not be warned about it since the engine light is on for the catalytic converter. I am not alone. So many people have the same problem - just look at the hundreds and hundreds of people on the online Subaru forum. This is totally unacceptable. When so many people are having the same problem through no fault of their own, then it is the manufacturer's responsibility to solve the problem. I am requesting for this problem to be addressed in a recall of the catalytic converter for the 2010 Subaru Forester.

- Virginia Beach, VA, USA

problem #17

Jul 052017

Forester

  • 94,733 miles
Problem of sudden acceleration while stopped in traffic with vehicle in gear. This happened twice. Both on city roads. Once at a traffic light. And again while waiting for traffic ahead of me. Feared I would collide with cars ahead of me, but extremely firm pressure on brake pedal avoided this. Also have cel on. Code indicates misfire on cylinder 4. that was determined at the service center of burdick's drivers village in cicero, where I purchased the car used almost 2 years ago. The service advisor at drivers village told me there was nothing further they could do. He recommended I take it to romano Subaru, which I did. The service center at romano Subaru replaced an ignition coil, but the problem remains. Romano wanted to drop the exhaust system and inspect the engine, but I declined. Spark plugs and wires were also replaced by my mechanic. I have also switched to top tier fuel, which hasn't had an effect. I like my Forester, but the issues with the cel and sudden acceleration make me ponder a trade. The car is a 2010, with 96,300 miles.

- Cicero, NY, USA

problem #16

Feb 152017

Forester

  • 80,000 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that he had to change the oil every 5,000 miles and noticed that the oil level was low. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where an oil consumption test was performed. The vehicle failed and it was determined that the short block needed to be repaired. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 80,000.

- Descanso, CA, USA

problem #15

Mar 032017

Forester

  • 74,000 miles
I respectfully request that the Subaru Forester 2010 be investigated for defective head gaskets as they appear to blow suddenly and unexpectedly, rendering the vehicle unsafe for driving. My vehicle has approximately 74000 miles on it and has been serviced regularly and nearly exclusively by the dealer. While driving the car, I noticed the coolant light came on and immediately pulled into an oil change service station to have them check on and replace the coolant and change the oil. Afterward, I drove the car home but noticed that when I was nearly home the coolant light came on again and I could hear a low whistling noise. It was too late that evening to take the car to the dealer. The next morning, on my way to get the car checked/serviced, the lights for coolant, check engine, traction control and cruise control began flashing intermittently. Was advised of blown head gasket(s) and that the car was unsafe to drive. Dealer did repairs, including replacement of engine block, which took approx 6 weeks. This issue happened suddenly and without warning, in a car that has been well cared for and has relatively low mileage for its age. This issue rendered the car unsafe to drive at the time it occurred. I am unsure if the issues have been fully resolved yet as I got the car back and the check engine light came back on 2 days later. It is currently back at the dealer for analysis. However, I wanted to report this because I am hoping other car owners might be protected from any potential accidents/safety incidents due to faulty head gaskets. Thank you and please feel free to contact me with any further questions.

- San Diego, CA, USA

problem #14

Mar 152017

Forester

  • 55,000 miles
Leaking oil at 55,000 miles, have read online that there are problems with head gaskets in this model

- Fresno, CA, USA

problem #13

Jan 302017

Forester

  • 71,662 miles
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Forester. While driving approximately 65 mph and down shifting from fifth to fourth gear, the engine revved very high without warning. The contact stated that the gear was shifted into neutral and the engine made a knocking sound. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road. The contact checked the oil, but it was depleted. The dealer diagnosed that the engine failed and recommended replacing the vehicle. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that the dealer would be contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 71,662.

- Walpole, MA, USA

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