Front drivers side control arm broke at bracket point and lost control of vehicle steering. And car was damaged hitting a post. Vehicle per recall for control arm had already been “fixed” contacted Subaru if control arms were replaced under recall or the “rust proofing” applied.
The worst 2006 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.
- Engine22
- Acceleration20
- Fuel system13
- Suspension12
- Steering9
- Body7
- Electrical7
- Airbags6
- Lights4
- Tires4
- Transmission4
- Wheels3
- Brakes2
- Driver assistance2
- Locks1
- Seat belts1
- Seats1
Specific symptoms reported on the 2006 Subaru Forester
Ball joint 12Fire or smoke 8Check engine light 6Fuel smell 6Fuel leak 5Jerking 5
Recalls 2
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
Air bags: frontal
- What is wrong
- On certain vehicles, the wiring harness for the air bag occupant detection system in the front passenger seat may have been pinched during production. Pinching of the wiring harness between the floor crossmember and the seat mounting bracket could result in a short circuit.
- Risk
- The passenger's front air bag could become disabled and may not deploy in the event of a crash increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant. Also an electrical short circuit could cause a fire.
- Remedy
- Dealers will inspect to see if the wiring had been incorrectly routed under the seat bracket. If so, the dealer will repair any damaged wiring, reroute and secure the wiring harness in the correct location, and re-calibrate the occupant detection system as necessary. The recall began on march 9, 2007. Owners may contact subaru at 1‑800‑782‑2783.
Recall number 07V043000 · Recall details
See all 2 recalls for the 2006 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 2006 Subaru Forester 150
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.
2006 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 | 24-27 | 20-22 |
What 2006 Subaru Forester owners say
Most recent owner complaints, unedited.
The contact owns a 2006 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that upon purchase of the vehicle, he discovered that the vehicle was included in the federal safety agency Campaign Number: 11V464000 (Suspension). The contact then took the vehicle a dealer where he was informed that the recall was serviced. Less than two months later, the contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the steering wheel began to shake as he began to lose control of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact used excessive force to steer the vehicle off to the highway shoulder. The contact inspected the vehicle and discovered that the front driver’s side lower control arm was fractured. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where the contact discovered that no work was performed on the vehicle. The contact purchased the parts and replaced the control arm himself. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 189,000.
Front control arm failed on car. Which snapped the front axle and sway bar link on right side. Found out it was a known issue that was taken care of by dealer. Waiting to see if they will cover repairs.
It just the airbags light turn on
I was made a turn at roughly 15mph and the front passenger side control arm sheared in half causing me to lose control of the vehicle and then abruptly come to an immediate stop. My family was in the car and at a higher speed this could have been fatal. Had there been any vehicles behind me that could have caused an accident with unknown results. Had this been moments early I would have been in a head on collision. This is a known issue for this year, make, and model that was not properly resolved in the past by the manufacturer. The part should not fail in that manner. There were no warnings. The failure was inspected by the tow truck driver.
Five years ago my "check engine" light came on and the cruise control light came on and it would not work. I took it to Suberu in Fort Worth and they couldn't find the problem bu tsaid my gas cap was not sealing. God new one but didn't help. This year when I went to get it checked for regisration they woudn't pass it. Took it to mechanic who installeda new Evaprotive Vapor Canister for $920. That didn't work but wouldn't try again. Later another mecanic said the problem was "Not enough driving". (less that 100 miles a month. I have been driving the car with the check engine on an no cruise control for 6-7 years with no trouble, so it is a fault of the car's systems. I can't get it registered because of this problem. I can disconnedt the negative battery post briefly and the light goes off for a day or two. So what can you do for me? I love the car but hate the problem. I am 90, but that's not the problem.
As I was going down the road my car sped up and my foot was off the gas pedal as the pedal was stuck-I managed to stop my car but not before it reached 75 mph in a 50 I was originally going 50
I was traveling down a steep two lane road (California route 32) on my way to Chico, CA when my rear drivers side wheel came off. With some difficulty, I was able to pull the car off to the left side of the road (steep embankment on the right side, 50-60 foot ravine on the left side). I had my car safety inspected before I left on this trip at the Missoula, MT Subaru dealer and I suspect that they did not properly tighten the wheel and my spare tire was flat even though that was also supposed to be checked in the safety inspection. The body around the wheel well was slightly damaged, my muffler under the car broke and Chico Subaru refuses to fix any of it. I also contacted Subaru America and am waiting to hear back from them
Rcn 07v043000
While driving my car the passenger control arm failed, snapping in half and I lost control of my vehicle. Upon lookin under my car I could see the snapped control arm, which was completely rusted out. I also observe the driver side control arm is also very rusty. Both control arms are the only isolated rusted parts under my car, the rest of my car does not have any rust. It was alarming to me that both control arms are the only completely rusted parts under my car, so I called the dealership I purchased the care from to inquire about recalled parts. They informed me that the control arm had been recalled, and my car had been "serviced" for this recall in 2012 through rust-proof spaying. The control arms were not replaced at the time of service for the recall. Upon calling subaru of american to have these recalled parts replaced now because they failed in a known location. I was alarmed that rust-proof spray was used to treat a recalled part that has been identified to rust at accelerated rates and the parts were not automatically replaced. The rust proof spray seems like a temporary fix that will eventually where away and then the part will fail in the future (which is what happened to me while driving). Subaru refused to replace the recalled control arms in my car because the parts has been sprayed in 2012.the attempt at servicing the recall did not work, and these parts have still rusted at an accelerated rate, ultimately failing. The control arms are the only rusted parts of my car, and the passenger arm failed causing me to lose control of my car.
Compare the 2006 Subaru Forester
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Other model years
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Questions about the 2006 Subaru Forester
Is the 2006 Subaru Forester reliable?
Owners have filed 88 complaints about the 2006 Subaru Forester, fewer than a typical Forester model year.
What is the 2006 Subaru Forester year score?
The 2006 Subaru Forester scores 82 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 2006 Subaru Forester?
Engine and cooling, with 22 complaints, typically around 54,000 miles. Next is acceleration (20).
How many recalls does the 2006 Subaru Forester have?
2 recalls, covering suspension and air bags.
What year does the Subaru Forester have bad engine?
The Subaru Forester model years with the most engine complaints are 2015 (136 complaints), 2019 (111 complaints) and 2020 (85 complaints).
What gas mileage does the 2006 Subaru Forester get?
Official estimates for the 2006 Subaru Forester range from 20 to 22 mpg combined. The most efficient version (2.5L 4-cyl, 4WD) gets 17-20 city and 24-27 highway.
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