I have a subaru 2009 that I bought last yeay with around 25000 miles under an extended warranty . Vin [xxx] . And this as happened te times so far . While driving or just starting of the car shakes very hard , and the stability control light comes on the check engine ad cruise control and as the car tries to shift the whole car shakes . Then as you are driving down the highway it loses power almost as if it is stalling out . It did this to me on interstate 85 at 65 MPH and I barely missed a truck. I have contacted the dealer ship twice and taken it in once and they said nothing was wrong ? Now that I almost wrecked last night I am contacting you . Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u.s.c. 552(b)(6).
2009 Subaru Forester electrical complaints
Page 2 of 2: complaints 11 to 22 of 22, newest first, as owners wrote them.
I was going around a cup-de-sac to stop to a have my passenger exit the car to her house, I heard engine rev and push forward into her hollow tile wall, garden and down the other side of her property and stop on the wall before I thought of turning the engine off.
While traveling at highway speeds in rainy weather, vehicle began to misfire and lost power, forcing driver into an unsafe situation of coaxing car to shoulder. Check engine, stability control lights came on, and cruise light flashed. After shutting engine off and restarting, same lights remained on but engine ran normally. We have also another 2009 forester which experiences misfires, same lights, after starting cold on a rainy day. Although we have received recall notices from subaru on other less critical topics, there does not seem to be an inclination on their part to address this engine electrical malfunction which could have resulted in disaster. Our online researches suggest that many other subaru owners are experiencing similar malfunctions, and we don't detect any serious effort by the manufacturer to fix this.
While vehicle was parked outside, noticed side lights were on, car was not on. After entering the vehicle noticed a smell of burned plastic. Tried multiple ways to shut off the side lights, couldn't do it. Finally traced the smell of the burning plastic to the rear of the vehicle, by the lift gate, by the spare tire. The electrical cable that connects the vehicle to the trailer hitch wiring harness was burning and smoking. Disconnected it and the power failure stopped, by then the wiring harness had melted and wires burnt. Took photos of the wiring to show it, problem seems to be with the condensation in the area and moisture caused a short in the harness. Without intervening car could have caught fire and burnt down.
While driving I noticed the center dash display was dark: radio and cd changer, outside temp, ave mpg, clock. The wind shield wipers would not work. After stopping the car, turning off the ignition and restarting, everything worked ok. There has been a total of 3 additional occurrences since. Also see one similar reported case: http://www.arfc.org/complaints/2009/subaru/forester/electrical_system/problem.aspx.
Compass display in rear view mirror went out, no longer displays direction. My friend has the same vehicle and his went out also. I believe this is a safety feature because it helps tell the driver what direction he's traveling when traveling in unfamiliar place.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 subaru forester. The contact received a recall notice several months ago but was informed that the parts were not available. The manufacturer was notified, but could not provide a date that the parts would be available. There are no failures at this time. The VIN was not available.
I went to the grocery store today; it was off and on rainy weather, so I had been running my windshield wipers a little. Turned off car; went in store, came back out, started car up - I noticed the time/temp/mileage display was black, then, I noticed the radio had lost power; then I noticed the wind shield wipers did not work, but not until I was out in the highway and needed to use them. This was dangerous and should never have happened. I made another stop, turned off car, went in store, came back out, started up car - at that time, the wipers, radio and display were back to normal ??? This undependable will not do. Subaru needs to repair my car at no charge. I believe my love affair with subaru is over, especially after reading all these complaints and what I experienced.
2009 subaru forester. Consumer states vehicle was remote started an within seconds, the wire harness burnt, melting some plastic parts *tgw the consumer was able to turn off the vehicle. However, it wouldn't start again. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and upon inspection, it was determined that the electrical wire harness going to the seat belts, air bags and other components had burned out. According to the dealer the vehicle caught fire.
Fire erupted without warning from the driver side panel below the trunk cover on 2009 subaru forester with less than 3,500 miles. The wire harness burnt. This happened almost 2 months ago and subaru is in discussions with the insurance as it seems to be a total loss.
Vehicle: 2009 subaru forester limited, on 6/20/09 I experienced an incident of unintended acceleration. Cruise control was on. Before our exit I canceled the cruise control but left it "on". On the ramp, I let the car slow. At about 40 MPH I moved the shift lever into 'sport' mode, downshifted to 3rd gear, then 2nd, then braked to a stop. The car was stopped, in gear, idling. My foot was on the brake. Without warning, the engine raced and the car jolted forward about a foot; it would have continued but I increased pressure on the brake and stopped the car. The engine, with the car stopped and in gear, ran up over 2000 RPM. I immediately shifted into regular drive mode and then into neutral. Once in neutral, the engine briefly raced higher but then dropped to idle at about 700 RPM. I switched the cruise control off. Please note: to stop the car I did not move my foot; it was already on the brake, and I merely pressed harder. This is not a case of pedal confusion. The floor mats are in place. This is not a case of a floor mat interfering with the accelerator. At the time of the incident, we were not moving. I was not on the phone. I was not looking over my shoulder. I was not otherwise distracted. I was sitting still, waiting for the light to change, with my focus on the traffic stopped in front of me. In my view, this represents a dangerous defect in the vehicle, and needs to be corrected immediately. Please advise regarding your proposed resolution. I have advised subaru via their website today but have not heard back. I am happy to be contacted for further details if needed.
Ignition doesn't recognize valet key, "security" light on dash comes on, key won't turn and car won't start.
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