The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle failed to respond to the steering wheel turning. The contact stated that upon depressing the brake pedal, the vehicle decelerated but the front passenger's side of the vehicle was sliding. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side control arm had fractured, and the axle was damaged. The dealer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 11V464000 (Suspension), which he related to the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they could assist because of the age of the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 175,000.
The worst 2005 Subaru Forester problems
Ranked by number of owner complaints. Mileage and cost come from what owners wrote.
Problems by type
Tap a problem to see which part fails, at what mileage and in which other years.
- Fuel system22
- Suspension21
- Acceleration17
- Engine10
- Brakes7
- Airbags5
- Transmission5
- Body4
- Electrical3
- Visibility3
- Steering2
- Wheels2
Specific symptoms reported on the 2005 Subaru Forester
Recalls 1
Suspension: front: control arm: lower arm
- What is wrong
- Subaru is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 impreza, model year 2003-2008 forester, and model year 2005-2006 saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured from september 5, 2000 through november 26, 2007 originally sold, or currently registered in, massachusetts, maryland, michigan, new hampshire, new york, pennsylvania, vermont, wisconsin, connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, maine, minnesota, missouri, new jersey, ohio, rhode island, west virginia and the district of columbia. The front lower control arms may break at the hanger brackets due to corrosion if the hanger bracket is exposed to salty and humid environments such as roads containing snow melting agent.
- Risk
- A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
- Remedy
- Subaru will handle their vehicles and saab will handle theirs. Dealers will inspect the degree of corrosion of the front lower control arms, and will either rustproof or replace them. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during december 2011. Owners may contact subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783. Owners may contact saab at 1‑800‑955‑9007.
Recall number 11V464000 · Recall details
See all 1 recalls for the 2005 Subaru Forester
Defect investigations
Front suspension control arm failure
On September 6, 2011, Fuji Heavy Industries USA, Inc, on behalf of Subaru of America, Inc notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) it would be conducting a safety recall of certain model year (MY) 2002 through 2007 Subaru Impreza, MY 2003 through 2008 Subaru Forester, and MY 2005 through 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold or currently registered in one the salt belt states including the District of Columbia (DC). For the purpose of this investigation, salt belt states include Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia, Wisconsin and DC.ODI's analysis of consumer complaint data identified 11 reports alleging failure of either the right or left lower control arm due to excessive corrosion. All of these complaints were associated with vehicles currently registered or originally sold in a salt belt state. Through a similar analysis of complaint and warranty data submitted to ODI by Subaru, ODI identified 18 consumer complaints and 6 warranty claims associated with failure of the left or right front lower control arm due to excessive corrosion. All of these consumer complaints associated with vehicles either currently registered of originally sold in a salt belt state.Accordingly, this investigation is closed.
PE11011
Technical service bulletins for the 2005 Subaru Forester 153
Bulletins tell dealers how to fix known problems. A warranty extension means the manufacturer pays for that repair for longer.
- This is an update announcement regarding the TechShare & NorthStar Integration
- This announcement provides information on the connected services platform for Subaru EVs.
- This bulletin provides a step-by-step diagnostic procedure for resolving Remote Engine Start (RES)...
- This Service Information Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but...
- This announcement provides information on DCM replacememts due to a parasitic draw.
- This announcement provides information on an outage affecting the Subaru Select Monitor 5 application.
- This Service Information Bulletin announces the availability of ThreeBond 1216J (SOA868V9640) designed for...
- This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.
- This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a...
- This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
2005 Subaru Forester fuel economy
Official EPA estimates in miles per gallon (MPGe for electric). Ranges cover trims that share the same engine.
| Engine | Drive | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4‑cyl | 4WD | 17-20 | 22-27 | 19-23 |
What 2005 Subaru Forester owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
Moved car 30’ from gas pumps to air pump. Slowed to almost complete stop to move closer to air tank. Car accelerated at extremely high speed over curb, knocking over air pump. Car proceeded to smash through landscaping shrubs and hit a tree and nearby pole which stopped the car dead. Felt like a fighter plane pushed me. Entire incident probably lasted a minute. Air bags failed to deploy. Car was totaled. I suffered severe facial and othet bruising and have ongoing fatigue and am eadily winded.
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. An unknown dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The failure mileage was 183,000.
A part of the front frame was recalled because of rusting and was breaking on 3-20-12 they put a rust proof on the part knowing it would only last a few years instead of replacing the parts. The part is broken and they say the recall was complete but really they only put a bandaid on a serous problem knowing it wouldn’t last . They said they don’t have to replace and fix the damage caused to my car Subaru gave me a case number 230206-1400191
The contact owns a 2005 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop at approximately 25 MPH, the front passenger's side subframe emitted an abnormally loud sound, and the front passenger's side tire detached from the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact was able to veer to the side of the road where he noticed that the front passenger's side lower control arm was fractured. The vehicle was towed to the contact's residence. The vehicle was then towed to the local dealer where it remained. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 210,000.
Raw fuel smell inside cabin of card when cold outside
I was driving down the highway when my front drivers side control arm broke causing me to completely lose control of my vehicle. I was thrown down an embankment and into a cornfield where my vehicle came to a stop. I narrowly missed a telephone pole and culvert. I am extremely fortunate that my car went into a field rather than into oncoming traffic as this happened during rush hour traffic on a Thursday night around 5-530pm. I’m glad that I was able to walk away from this and wasn’t killed. I had no warning lights, no laxity in steering, no warning at all-absolutely NOTHING that would’ve allowed me time to avoid this. The part failure has been recalled previously, and when I called Subaru I was told that the recall had been “taken care of” which concerns me that this part was “fixed” and still put my life in danger. Police were called to the scene and a report was written. My car was towed to a local shop to be evaluated and was considered a total loss due to the extent of the damage. I am still waiting to hear back from Subaru if there is anything they are willing or wanting to do. I don’t want this to happen to anyone else. I take amazing care of my vehicles, and haven’t even owned this car for a year. Now I am stuck in a completely unfair situation and having to carry the financial burden for something I was not responsible for. The vehicle is still available to be looked at as well, and I am more than happy to have someone look at the damage. I don’t want anyone to lose their life over this part malfunction, and I hope you are able to help me do something about this to keep everyone on the road safe.
I've experienced the leaking fuel line when temperatures dropped below 20 degrees and get terrible gas fumes inside the cabin especially during cold and damp weather. It is more prominent with the heat on. This smell/leak can be noticed while parked, driving, anytime with the engine running with fuel pressure.
My car is burning up oil. I just did an oil change 400miles ago, and my car started making a knocking noise and driving real funny yesterday. I took the oil when I got home and there wasn't any this is the second time it's happened. There's no leak there's no oil in the water no oil coming out of the exhaust period what is going on
Tl* the contact owns a 2005 subaru forester. The contact stated that he took the vehicle to an independent mechanic and was informed that the lower control arm was damaged. The air conditioner unit produced condensation that caused the lower control arm to rust through along with road salt during the winter months. The damage was on both left and right side control arm. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was previously repaired under the federal safety agency campaign number: 11v464000 (suspension) in 2012 as a one-time free repair. The contact requested to speak with an upper level manager which was still pending. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was 66,709.*bf
Compare the 2005 Subaru Forester
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Other model years
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Questions about the 2005 Subaru Forester
Is the 2005 Subaru Forester reliable?
Owners have filed 93 complaints about the 2005 Subaru Forester, fewer than a typical Forester model year.
What is the 2005 Subaru Forester year score?
The 2005 Subaru Forester scores 81 out of 100 (good). The score compares it with the other model years of the Subaru Forester: 75 is a typical year, 50 means twice the usual complaints, and serious complaints and recalls lower it.
What is the most common problem with the 2005 Subaru Forester?
Fuel and propulsion system, with 22 complaints, typically around 93,000 miles. Next is suspension (21).
How many recalls does the 2005 Subaru Forester have?
1 recall, covering suspension.
What gas mileage does the 2005 Subaru Forester get?
Official estimates for the 2005 Subaru Forester range from 19 to 23 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.5L 4-cyl, 4WD) gets 17-20 city and 22-27 highway.
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