CarComplaints.com Notes: Subaru thinks burning through a quart of oil every 1,000 miles or so is perfectly normal. That's a crude stance if you ask us.

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
2 / 0
Average Mileage:
30,126 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.

2015 Subaru Forester miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2015 Subaru Forester Owner Comments (Page 1 of 4)

problem #65

Oct 212023

Forester

  • miles

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

In the parking lot of my condo/home I was slowly approaching and driving in to my regular assigned parking space. As I applied the brakes preparing to stop, the car suddenly and without warning quickly accelerated and crashed into the building causing extensive damage to the building and the vehicle. The air bag did not react.

- Venice, FL, USA

problem #64

Oct 122023

Forester

  • miles
When pulling up to park behind another car in the street, the car had a burst of acceleration about 5 ft from behind the next car. I slammed on my brakes and stopped the car inches from the next car. I was not gunning the gas at that point. I was just applying lighter pressure as I was pulling up behind that parked car. Scared the heck out of me. I have had surges of acceleration in the Subaru in the past after a lag in acceleration when I first push down the pedal. But this is the first time I-??ve had it surge as I was letting up on the gas pedal.

- La Mesa, CA, USA

problem #63

May 012022

Forester

  • miles
A/C continue not to work. Blowing out warm air followed by bad odor. AC compressor assembly replaced 5/2022 now having the same problem after new repair AC clutch and repair/ placed the A/C pressure switch on 8/25/2023. Not one day went by same problems recurred returned back to Glanzmann Subaru. Has the AC SYSTEM need to be recalled. I researched and found complaints of ac issues with the 2015 Subaru forester a/c

- Wyncote, PA, USA

problem #62

Sep 192021

Forester

  • miles

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

The transmission triggered a warning light suggesting a problem. After taking it to the dealership, it was determined that the valve body solenoid had failed and the entire valve body needed to be replaced. This was a very expensive job for a very inexpensive part. This seems to be a known issue for Subarus of this era (based on internet research) and Subaru has yet to issue a recall.

- Colona, IL, USA

problem #61

Apr 032023

Forester

  • miles
I was parking the car it suddenly accelerated jumped the curb and was heading towards the building entrance dore. I could not stop it. To avoid entering the building I turned the vehicle tight and it collided against the wall. The air bags inflated.

- New Providence, NJ, USA

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problem #60

Jan 132023

Forester

  • miles
I was backing out of a parking spot, and there was a telephone poll behind me in my path. I needed to pull forward to navigate around this poll. After backing up some, I put the car into drive to pull slightly forward, and the car lurched aggressively, so much so that I got out to see if it'd caught on something. It did not -- there was absolutely nothing there. So I got back in and tried to continue forward, and the accelerator went full force. I floored the brake pedal, but the car behaved as though I was flooring the accelerator. The car drove itself over a cement block, through a staircase and into the brick wall of an abandoned building, continuing to accelerate for a few seconds while against the wall. Air bags did not deploy. I walked away without physical injury, thank goodness. There were no warning lights, symptoms of or dashboard indicators of a problem before or during the issue. Upon investigation online, we see that there is a pending class action for this exact issue. The vehicle has been inspected by our insurance carrier and been deemed a total loss. Insurance has asked that we turn the title over to them in order to receive our payout, and I believe they plan to destroy the car.

- Elburn, IL, USA

problem #59

Jan 072023

Forester

  • miles

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

Our steering wheel clock spring is malfunctioning causing the vehicles horn not to work in certain positions (intermittently). more of a preventative to warn others, as we first noticed when we tried using it to help warn a car to stop for the light while we were making a left turn the car nearly ran through the red light which would of hit us. I dont know if the problem has been reproduced but I do see plenty of posts online for the same issue for subarus. the vehicle has nor component has been inspected by anyone else except myself (owner) nothing gave pre-warning just suddenly stopped working

- Huntsville, UT, USA

problem #58

Dec 062022

Forester

  • miles
I parked my car in the Walgreens parking lot while shopping, less than 30 minutes. When I returned, the car would not start. I called AAA for what I thought was a battery jump. When the AAA technician arrived, checked the battery and said his equipment said to replace the battery. After several attempts he was able to finally get the car started. I drove my car to the dealer where I had just had the battery and terminal replaced five months earlier. The service person checked the battery and charged it for more than an hour after having me call a Subaru warranty line and tell them how many times the battery had to be jumped - once. Yesterday, 12/6/2022 I was attempting to leave my home to take my husband to a cancer treatment clinic for an appointment and the car would not start. I called the Subaru technician who told me to bring the car in before 5 pm, which I could not do. Today, 12/07/2022, after several attempts I was able to start the car and take it to the service center. The technician could not find evidence of the battery purchase June 22, 2022. I showed him my paid receipt and he was able to locate the purchase. He told me the service manager wanted him to test the battery before doing anything. This is my only vehicle and I can-€™t keep going back and forth to the repair center whenever the new battery and connector, still under warranty, do not work. Today the technician told me the recall for coil replacement needed to be done. I was told it was done in June, but the service center has no evidence in their system that it was done. I never received any notice from Subaru that it was recalled.

- Little Rock, AR, USA

problem #57

Nov 142022

Forester

  • miles
Check engine light keeps coming on for an O2 sensor that has been recently replaced.

- Lexington, KY, USA

problem #56

May 302022

Forester

  • miles
My Vehicle's horn stop working about six months ago, not long after I had to replace the battery. I took it to dealership and they had to replace the clock spring, roll connector. I use the horn only when absolutely necessary. I have never had a cars horn go out. I think they ought to last at least ten years if not longer. Is this a defect? I just wanted to let you know.

- Tiverton, RI, USA

problem #55

Jun 102022

Forester

  • miles

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

Car does not respond when accelerating/attempting to accelerate. Takes 3-5 seconds to engage when press on gas from stopped/brake position, also very slow to accelerate when changing speeds. Took car in for service and was told not transmission, but still having issue. Dealer stated they couldn't reproduce issue when was in for service, but nearly immediately upon driving away, it had same issue. No warming lights, sounds or smells occur when this happens. Nearly got T-boned on road due to slowness to respond. Unknown component causing issue.

- Norwalk, CT, USA

problem #54

Feb 112022

Forester

  • miles
Vehicle was in a front end collision, vehicle was able to safely pull over to the shoulder and be shut down. Impact did not result in airbag deployment and damage to vehicle appeared to be moderate. Within minutes of the accident while waiting for police to arrive on the scene, smoke became visible followed by vehicle becoming engulfed in flames leading to a complete vehicle fire and total loss of vehicle.

- Lakewood Ranch , FL, USA

problem #53

Nov 012020

Forester

  • 29,000 miles
My wife and I were looking specifically for the 2014-2018 Subaru Forester. We looked over 25 of the same car and most of them had this noise coming from the ac compressor. The one we bought was 27000 miles only and did not have the loud noise on the ac compressor when we bought it, but about 2000 miles later the noise started, and after a little research we found that is super common on those years models to have the issue, and eventually it causes ac compressor to failure. I would attach a video if possible.

- Herriman, UT, USA

problem #52

Jan 302021

Forester

  • 135,000 miles
After 4hrs of driving with 2 pit stops in between, I was in 3 lane traffic and down to 1 bar on fuel gauge stating I had 50mi left of driving remaining in tank.. low fuel light hadn't even turned on yet, only to find that the car had lost power and reduced speed and wouldn't accelerate when I used has pedal. However the interior lights and power windows still worked. I was able to pull off to the side of road and shut the car off. I looked under the hood and found nothing to be out of sorts. No dash lights went off either such as battery or check engine. I started the car back up in 5mins and fueled my car up. Also, during the trip my fuel mileage was consistently going down which the lowest reading days 17mpg when normally 30mpg. This happened the day after taking my vehicle in for new tires at a corporate tire company. 2 weeks later car having troubles starting. Battery and alternator checked out good, so suspected fuel pump. Car dealership states fuel filter inside the pump and even if there was a way to test the pressure it may not be accurate because it could be intermittent failure and doesn't recommend me replacing it. They wanted me to wait until it happens again before looking into it any further. They checked for dtc codes and found none. Also suggested I just upgrade to a newer vehicle and I stated that at 138,000 the car should still be repairable and driveability otherwise what's the point of purchasing to own the vehicle. Obviously the situation was dangerous and could lead to a slew of problems such as standing, accident or even death.

- Athena, OR, USA

problem #51

Dec 212020

Forester

  • 83,000 miles
I have experienced on occasion to what I believe to be spontaneous acceleration. I will be driving down hill, my foot is already on the brake the whole way but before my vehicle reaches the stop sign, it will stop braking and go. My foot never left the brake pedal. Never changed the pressure on the pedal. When this happens it almost feels like my vehicle is releasing some sort of pressure. It has happened numerous times, fortunately I have been able to come to a complete stop before oncoming traffic.

- Hancock, MI, USA

problem #50

Jan 062021

Forester

  • 70,000 miles
Windshield crack appeared in my 2015 Subaru Forester does not appear to be from a stone or object striking the glass. Not driving much due to covid. This is the second windshield that has to be replaced in the five years I've owned this car.

- Crofton, MD, USA

problem #49

Sep 222020

Forester

  • 85,000 miles
My horn is not working unless my steering wheel is turned all the way to the left/right. I was told it was a clock spring in the steering wheel.. the internet said this was a common problem. I believe this is big safety issue. When I called Subaru they told me there was no recall for this issue.

- Bemus Point, NY, USA

problem #48

Jul 192020

Forester

  • 88,000 miles
I had two instances where my car stalled on the highway while doing 50-60 miles an hour. The engine runs fine and revs go up when I push the accelerator, however the car does not speed up. Both the times I was able to move the car to the side of the highway, narrowly avoiding accidents. The engine died both times and after a period of time stranded on the side of the highway I was able to start the car and drive to my destination. I took it to a local dealership to get it checked out. The dealership claims they could not find what the issue is with the car. According to them, they idled the car for about an hour to warm it up and drove it for an hour. They repeated this one more time. However, they could not replicate the issue and cannot fix it. Apparently they performed a throttle body service on the car and charged me for it. Looking at the mileages on the invoice, the car went into the dealership at 91223 miles and went out of the dealership at 91255 miles. However when I picked up the car, the mileage on it was 91241 miles. So basically they drove the car for a total of 18 miles in 2 hours? I have two issues here. 1. I have a car that has a potential to put the safety of my family and I at risk in the middle of the highway. 2. the dealership claimed they tried to diagnose it but evidently have not even tried, if you look at the mileage. I would like to know how I can get this issue fixed and feel safe in the car.

- New Winsdor, NY, USA

problem #47

Jul 312020

Forester

  • 36,000 miles
Always the drains on the moon roof get clogged and in a heavy rain, the back of the car roof seriously leaks into the car. We do not use the roof. This is a design flaw. Now the electronics box (controls remote key locks, tire pressure gauge, etc) needs to be replaced because it has been wet. This is a $500+ repair that has happened because the roof leaks in serious rain. We believe Subaru should reimburse us for the cost of the electronic box replacement.we also have to pay to get the roof drain unglogged.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA

problem #46

Sep 082019

Forester

  • 58,000 miles
On two occasions while driving roughly 65 mph the acceleration completely gave out in my car, as though the car went into neutral. I could press down on the accelerator and the RPM's would shoot up in the gauge cluster, but the car simply continued to slow down. I drifted into the shoulder, turned off the car, waited a few minutes, and turned the ignition. Both times, the car resumed driving normally. Both times I brought the car into a Subaru dealership, and both times they kept the car for a few days before saying they couldn't replicate the problem, and that there was nothing they could do. This has happened to other owners of Subaru Foresters from this period (~2015), and we have connected online to try and solve this dangerous defect. A link to our discussion is here: Https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/2015-2016-lose-power-as-if-transmission-goes-into-neutral-merged-thread.627562/

- Providence, RI, USA

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