2004 subaru forester xt had catastrophic engine and turbo failure while driving on highway. It is clear that my vehicle suffered from subaru service center negligence and a design flaw of a banjo bolt that filters oil to the turbo but easily gets clogged, shutting off oil to the turbo, causing oil deprivation to the turbo, burning out the turbo, and causing fragments to get into the engine, blowing out the engine as well. While I was spared an accident and injury, it was a close call as while I was driving I suddenly had a failure to accelerate, and very nearly was plowed in from behind by a large tractor trailer truck. My car now requires a complete replacement of engine and turbo, costing in excess of $7,000. I have decided to sell the vehicle rather than bearing the huge expense required to repair. The issue with this banjo bolt and subaru turbo / engines of this era are well documented on the internet automobile forums and in social media. Subaru should compensate owners for devaluing their cars, and should have a recall before more drivers are harmed or killed.
2004 Subaru Forester engine complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 39 of 39, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I am experiencing an extremely strong smell of gas. This began winter of 2013, which I had repaired at my expense of $700+, though my mechanic informed me subaru was recalling this and repairing for free on other models. I am absolutely disgusted that this problem is recurring now winter of 2014, in a vehicle which I drive my small children in. The gas smell is horrific, toxic, and dangerous.
Fuel lines crack in cold weather (approx under 25 and under). Strong fuel smell in cabin was enough to make passengers ill, car was not drivable. Fuel was pooling in the engine bay near the hot turbo and exhaust system. Contacted dealership, service writer knew what the issue was as soon as I told him make, model and year - said it's very common. Found pages of complaints on the federal safety agency site and hundreds in forums. Subaru issued a recall for the same issue on the 2003 generation wrx vehicles, but not the foresters. This is a major problems. Subaru's are purchased as ideal snow vehicle, and repairs cost upward of $600. This is a direct safety issue.
Very strong fuel smell in the car with heater on so strong have to roll window down. Happens 2 to 3 times a week on cold days. Strongest when its a cold start.
In very cold weather (less than 10 f) the rubber gas lines leak very significant amounts of gas onto the engine and verynear the hot turbocharger. Another subaru just caught fire in the o'neill tunnel. Http://boston.cbslocal.com/2014/01/27/car-fire-causes-backup-in-oneill-tunnel/
In cold weather (below 20 degrees or so) the fuel lines in the engine compartment come loose and leak raw gasoline onto the hot engine. Obviously there is a good chance of an engine fire with possible loss of life. This has been reported in several forums, there is a tsb out on this for the wrx (same engine, same part numbers), and most dealers (in cold states) know of this problem.
On very cold days while car is warming up, a strong smell of fuel is coming from under the intake manifold. A closer inspection reveals a small fuel leak from the fuel supply lines near the turbo. A subaru impreza enthusiast forum has a "raw fuel smell" log of more than 131 pages and 3,000 posts (http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=131755). Subaru issued a technical service bulletin (tsb) for certain subaru imprezas, but they have not initiated any tsbs for any other cars all using the same or similar engines. See tsb 01-170-09. As leaking fuel onto your engine is a safety hazard, I would like to see subaru initiate some kind of tsb or recall for all engines experiencing this problem. I understand many subaru owners have complained to subaru and the federal safety agency with no results.
Fuel and exhaust line leaks in cold weather. Over the initial three day period - day one children complained of headaches, day two driver experienced severe headache and nausea but did not realize it was due to fuel leak. Day three cabin filled with overpowering fumes coming from heating vent. Had to drive with heat off and all windows open in order to bring car in for service. Have had to bring car in twice this month to repair all of the leaks and rent a car in order to get to work appointments. Certified subaru specialist reported that he has seen quite a few incidences of same issue recently due to extreme cold weather. This is a dangerous safety issue and is not acceptable. 2002-2003 impreza recalled dec 2009 for same issue.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 subaru forester. The contact stated when the temperature dropped, fuel fumes were emitted in and around the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure and current mileage was 117,000. The intake manifold was replaced. Updated 03/12/14 updated 3/12/14*cn the fuel lines, clamps and upper intake gaskets were replaced. The fuel lines were cracked. Updated 04/01/14
Strong smell of gasoline upon starting the car in very cold weather. Inside and outside the vehicle. Only happens when it is cold outside. Really gives me a headache and makes me nervous about igniting.
During the recent cold snap here in tennessee I got a report from a friend that his 2004 forester xt was leaking fuel into his engine bay. I went out to start my car the next day and mine is doing the same thing. The fuel is slowly leaking onto the engine block. This is an extremely dangerous situation. I did some researching and it seems that almost all forester models from 2002-2006 have this exact same issue! Some have been recalled, but the forester xt hasn't. The engines are the same...I don't understand why this dangerous problem hasn't been resolved by subaru.
There has been a continuous oil leak from my 2004 subaru forester xs. My mechanic diagnosed the problem as a leak in the main seal between the transmission and the engine. This is not normal and it will cost me $1,000 to fix because the transmission will have to be removed. There are other complaints registered about similar oil leaks in this model year. Subaru should investigate.
There was a very strong gasoline smell inside the car (2004 subaru forester xs) that happened in cold weather during january 2012. It happened again just recently in january 2013. It was so strong it made the driver and passenger have a headache and become nauseous. Many other owners have reported the very same thing and have not been successful in getting subaru to at least investigate. Subaru has issued a recall for the wrx model, but not for the forester. This is a health and safety risk that should be taken care of by subaru.
Strong fuel odor inside cabin developed when operating on cold mornings; fuel odor typically went away within 15 minutes of starting the car. Inspection of fuel lines, filter, etc. Revealed no obvious leaks above the intake manifold. Dealer quoted approximately $800 to remove intake manifold and inspect. I have had two independent shops attempt to fix this issue over the past 3 years with varying degrees of success; the most recent (2011) removed the intake manifold and replaced all rubber fuel lines under the manifold, but the problem has recurred this fall and winter and at increasingly warm temperatures. Now, there is a visible and obvious leak from a fuel line just as it goes under the manifold--inaccessible without removing the manifold. Clearly, the problem is with the design of the metal fuel rail to rubber line interface, since this is a common problem in forester xts across several model years. Subaru of america issued a recall for this problem on the wrx, but so far has not acknowledged the problem for the forester or forester xt. This is a costly repair and a huge safety issue: the leaking fuel drips directly onto the engine cylinder heads and in some cases (on passenger-side fuel line leaks) is in close proximity to the turbocharger--representing a significant risk of engine fire. The fuel fumes in the cabin are also a health and safety risk which should be dealt with by subaru.
The engine overheated and seized while on a freeway without a single warning light regarding high temp or check engine. No coolant was visible in the radiator during inspection after the incident. Shouldn't a 21st century driver/owner be notified by some indicator that they are on the verge of heating an engine to the point of failure? And where did the coolant go? Does this vehicle have a history of bad thermostats I'm not aware of? It would have been a lot safer if there were some warning light for high temp so we can pull over to allow the car to cool down in order to prevent an accident and save the engine.
Tl* the contact owns a 2004 subaru forester. The contact stated there was a slight leak of oil coming from the engine that was dripping into the catylitic converter. The vehicle was taken to dealer after learning of the federal safety agency recall campaign id number: 04v473000 (engine and engine cooling). The manufacturer was made aware of the failure who did not offer any assistance since the vehicle was not included in any recalls. The failure mileage was 78,000 and the current mileage was 80,000.
This car has an oil leak coming from the top of the engine. It is exactly the same problem described in your recall number 04v‑473 of september 27, 2004. Because this forester, an xs model, is not listed in the recall 04v‑473, the dealer refused to repair the oil leak. It is the same problem as noted in the recall for the xt model forester.
2004 subaru forester 2.5xs. Consumer writes in regards to a head gasket leaking anti-freeze. *tgw the consumer stated the head gasket had to be replaced twice.
Had timing belt replaced on 2004 forester turbo as recommended on maintenance,schedule, next day on highway, loud screeching noise and lose of power. Stopped driving towed to mechanic. Said it was blown turbo. Never notified of banjo bolt issue, subaru should recall or remedy situation at their cost.
Tl* the contact owns 2004 subaru forster. The contact stated that while driving 70 MPH the turbo charger failed and the vehicle lost all power and the contact was unable to drive the vehicle. The vehicle was towed to a local repair facility where it was diagnosed that due to a lack of oil going to the turbo charger. The vehicle was repaired. In addition, the contact stated that the failure recurred after repairs due to a leak in the oil intake resulting in the turbo charger failing. The failure mileage was 69,968 and the current mileage was 84,500.
Consumer writes regarding automobile manufacturer design flaw exclusive dealerships repairs *tgw the consumer stated he experienced a catastrophic failure with his engine due to a blown turbo. The local dealership refused to sell the replacement part to his local mechanic due to the cause of the failure and the installation process. Subaru later responded in writing denying all claims even when the consumer supplied them with valid reasons. The consumer learned subaru was aware of the problem dating back to 2005 and a tsb was issued. The tsb stated that oil starvation to the turbo was the main cause for the turbo failure. The oil starvation happened when the oil feed filter bango became clogged. Subaru realized the design flaw in the turbo system and later redesigned the turbo to address the problem.
I purchased a 2004 subaru forrester xt in february of '09 with 93,008 miles on it. The dealership had all service records relating to the vehicles history, and all guidelines were followed according to the manufacturer's specifications. The current mileage on the vehicle is 102,323 and I was just informed that the turbocharger is coming apart and needs replaced or the vehicle will be non-operational. I contacted subaru of north america and they informed me that there was nothing that they could do, which I understand. My main problem is that the representative that I talked to informed me that the manufacturer changed its guidelines for later models of the vehicle to a shorter recommended interval between services. These models have the same engine and turbocharger as my vehicle and they changed the scheduled maintenance from 7,500 miles to 3,500 miles. I understand the power train coverage expired at 5 years or 60,000 miles but my main concern is that they had changed their service requirement for a reason. The mechanic shop that I have taken the vehicle to has had service bulletins on this problem concerning the turbochargers. It states vehicles that are turbocharged should have the oil changed every 3,750 miles to prevent failure/ damage to the turbo and that I was not to drive it or the engine could seize up and cause a crash.
Engine caught fire while the car was driven. Corresponds to the federal safety agency campaign number: 7v043000.
2004 forester xt stalled, had loss of power during acceleration and jerked violently. *ts the vehicle was taken to the dealer three times but they were unable to diagnose and repair the problem.
When outside temperature falls below 10 degrees f., car will not start or starts only with greatest difficulty. Last year(2004), same sort of starting problem was attributed to a cracked ignition coil. This year dealers service department can not find a problem, also can't explain the problem.
Excessive sulfur dioxide odor (rotten egg). Company refuses to fix converter, blames fuel. Converter should handle the sulfur content of fuel, regardless.
Car producing noxious odor inside. When parking car in garage, accidentally stepped on accelerator rather than brake. Hit and destroyed back wall. Cosmetic damage to car. Dealer claims leaves were sucked into the engine compartment through turbocharge intake. But, odor was of burnt rubber or plastic, not leaves. And, the car is always parked in the garage. Finally, most leaves were down several weeks earlier this year, I.e., by end of november.
Engine compartment fire, resulting from oil leaking in engine compartment. There were no injuries and because of proximity of fire department fire was extinguished within 4-5 minutes. Subaru of america (soa) maintains that oil leaked from oil filter and that this is no fault of theirs. Given the history of recalls of this type of vehicle in japan for leaking oil and fires I am not sure that this point has been demonstrated. Soa refused to fix damage and told me to file an insurance claim... Which I have done. Damage is estimated to be $6-10k. Matter will be subrogated to insurance company for settlement.
The vehicle's transmission made noise while driving. The vehicle was inspected and it was determined that he vehicle was operating as designed. The consumer would like to return the vehicle and receive a refund for the purchase price. *nm the consumer stated that the engine is making a high pitch whining noise. The consumer was told that the noise is from the reduction gear teeth transmission and was normal. The consumer also experienced problems with her 1998 subaru forrester the consumer experienced overheating and engine damage. A faulty thermostat caused the overheating. An initial test show carbon monoxide indicating probable damage to the sleeves between the pistons and cylinders, which would require replacement of the short block. Overheated cams are warped due to the heat.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2004 Subaru Forester?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history