2010 Subaru Forester: engine overheating

Filed Mar 4, 2020 · Acceleration, Driver assistance · 208,000 miles · PA

At highway speed above 60 MPH suddenly several dash warning lights illuminate. Traction control, cruise, transmission overheat, check engine all became illuminated. No affects to the operation of the vehicle. Disconnect the battery overnight resolves the problem for a day or two. Situation repeats on dry or wet roadways for no apparent reason. Online google-yahoo chat rooms has hundreds of similar issues discussed with no fixes from dealer or corporate subaru. Its a bit unnerving when at highway speed all or most of the warning lights illuminate. Any assistance is most appreciated.

Filed Aug 27, 2016 · Brakes · 55,000 miles · ME

Rear brakes wore out at 55k miles. Front brakes still had 7mm wear on them. Technician said it was probably due to corrosion of the calipers. The calipers rusted, causing the brake pads to be in constant contact with the rotors, wearing them out prematurely. This could have caused a fire in the vehicle due to overheating of the rotors. Same thing happened on my 2009 subaru forester. Rear brakes wore out at 85k miles, with 6mm left on the front brakes. This sounds like a design problem to me.

Filed Jun 13, 2016 · Engine · 94,000 miles · AK

The subaru forester 2010 failed the oil consumption test performed by subaru. The cause from a subaru bulletin states that the #1 and/or #4 intake valve guide insertion hole was improperly machined, permitting oil to enter the combustion chamber. This occurred on the subaru forester 2010 models as well as 2011 legacy/outback, and 2011 impreza. This is a safety issue because more than 1.5 quarts of oil is consumed after only 1100 miles driven. In alaska you could be stuck in the frozen interior if this defect caused the engine to overheat and malfunction while traveling. Subaru will not fix the known defect. Subaru states it's out of warranty and the bulletin doesn't apply to my VIN number. This should be a recall issue and subaru should be required to fix the problem. They will only provide $500.00 for a $5,000 fix.

Filed Mar 5, 2013 · Brakes · 18,960 miles · NY

We were driving on a level interstate highway. A noise began. It was like we were on coarse pavement. I pulled over thinking there was a flat tire. Instead the front right brake was overheated and seizing. We completed our trip at greatly reduced speed because this occurred at night when we were unable to get service, and finding a motel which would allow our 100 lb german shepherd seemed unlikely. We did not drive the car again until we could get a service appointment with the dealer. The brakes were serviced on 3/1/13 by the dealer, who had just replaced rear pads and turned rotors 2 weeks earlier. The dealer said our problem was due to rust attributable to use of road salt, and that this work would not be covered by our warranty and that we should have had the brakes serviced every year to remove rust. We had never been told this before, even when the same dealer serviced the rear brakes on 2/14/13. The next day, after a 10 mile drive, alerted by the "hot brake smell", I checked temperatures. Right front still overheating. Now after being serviced, the right front brake rotor runs hot still. I took the car back, and at the dealership, a laser-aimed infrared thermometer shows right front rotor is 147 degrees, left front 128, right rear 82, left rear 97 after 15 to 20 miles of highway driving (ambient temperature 20 degrees). Dealer again checked, says all wheels spin freely, and does not know why the right front runs hot. Another brake seizure seems inevitable. Brakes should not have these problems on a car which has less than 19,000 miles and less than 3 years of use. The car does not pull to the right. Maybe the left rear is compensating.

Filed Jul 21, 2011 · Engine · 1,412 miles · NJ · fire

Tl* the contact owns a 2010 subaru forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 60 MPH, she noticed that the temperature gauge was displaying a high reading and the temperature light began to illuminate on the instrument panel. In addition, the contact could also smell a burning odor. The vehicle was towed to an authorized dealer, where the technicians stated that a bolt came loose in the engine while the vehicle was being manufactured. As a result, the engine overheated. Also, there was an engine coolant leak. The technicians replaced the engine short block. The approximate failure mileage was 1,412. Updated 09/08/11*lj the dealer replaced the short block. Updated 01/20/12