2014 Subaru Forester: multiple warning lights

Filed Mar 13, 2025 · Transmission · CA

When cruising about 25mph the car gave a jolt, stalled, and then would speed back up again. All lights then flashed on. I brought it to the dealer and they did a diagnostic check coming back for CVT transmission. They also confirmed it is a known problem and had extended the warranty to when 100,000 miles or 10 years which is around or prior to when most people confirm the issue. There was no warning signs I was aware of leading up to the failure of the transmission.

Filed Feb 6, 2023 · Transmission · IL

2014 Forester @ 150k miles, CVT Failure. Check Engine Lights, AT Oil Temp Warning, Diagnostic Trouble Codes P0700 (Transmission Control Module) & P2764 - (Torque Converter Clutch Pressure Control Solenoid Control Circuit Low) Sect 11-16 of Owners Manual states: "It is not necessary to check the transmission fluid level." But Subaru Warranty & Maintenance guide recommends inspection of CVT fluid @ 30/60/90/120k miles. Mine was never low or bad. There is no owner serviceable parts to the CVT. No dipstick to check fluid level. Page 37 of Warr & Maint guide Notes 4 & 9 state: "4. When the vehicle is frequently operated under severe driving conditions**...CVT fluid replacement should be performed every 24,855 miles." and "9. The ATF filter is a maintenance free part." Under "Examples of severe driving conditions" only item "g. Repeated trailer towing." applies to Note #4. I do not even have a trailer hitch, therefore, no extreme driving conditions. I noticed hesitation, slipping, lull in forward movement, shaking at idle, lurching. Because of this, I requested CVT fluid change at 138k miles even though service technician had previously said fluid was ok. No noticeable improvement after this fluid service. At 150k miles, dashboard warning lights came on for Check Engine, AT Oil Temp, Traction Control Light, Hill Assist, Cruise Control, AntiLock Brake System. Took vehicle to Subaru dealership service immediately. First they recommended CVT fluid change, which I agreed to. Upon completion, all warning lights came back on. They now recommend replacing CVT valve body unit for $2200. SoA has issued a recall (Dec 2019) only on Subaru Ascent vehicles for faulty CVT transmissions, but not for other vehicles with the same problems. CVT failure can lead to safety issues such as vehicle stalling, lurching forward, going in reverse, and shifting unexpectedly while driving. Subaru of America should issue a recall for all vehicles with faulty CVT transmissions.

Filed Jul 29, 2020 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 121,425 miles · NY

Started car all warning lights came on and started flashing oil, and,awd, emission control need to be checked, check engine light on, cruise control indicator stays on. Had been driving on a hot day stopped to get gas when I started the car all the check engine light came I checked gas cap it was tight, I started driving and all the lights started flashing

Filed Oct 9, 2017 · Driver assistance · 28,800 miles · NC

While driving my vehicle several lights came on in the instrument panel, ABS, and a picture of an auto on a hill. I then pulled over and put the auto in park. It locked up in park and I couldn't get it out of park. I called the dealer, they walked me thru a series of steps to get the car out of park. Not an easy task. I took the auto into the dealer and they replaced a switch stop, I knew there had been a service bulletion put out on this problem and was informed the switch had been redesigned. Of course it was out of warranty and I had to pay for the switch and labor, although it was only out of warranty for a month. I feel this is dangerous! What would I have done if it had been on the interstate or I wasn't able to contact a dealer. There are many complaints on the internet with this same problem and I was told at the dealership they had replace many of these switches. There should be a safety recall on this switch. It's dangerous. When this happened I was aon a city street, pulled over and put it in park. It would not release and come out of park

Filed Sep 30, 2016 · Engine, Fuel system · 34,000 miles · CA

I was on an on ramp onto the highway when the computer in the center of the dash started alerting that several systems needed check. All the dashboard indicators went off and the vehicle lost power even when I pressed the gas pedal. After turning the car off and then back on again it was idling hard and it several warning lights remained on. The car was towed under warranty to the nearest dealership. Upon investigation the dealer said there was a bad coil. After replacing the coil the vehicle still didn't work. Now they claimed there was a bad fuel injector. After replacing that the car continued not to work. The problem they kept seeing was a misfire in cylinder 4. They changed o-rings, they cleaned the engine, they even ordered a new engine and replaced the engine and it still suffers from the misfire. The car has now been in the shop for 34 days and they have no idea what is wrong or how to fix it.

Filed Sep 7, 2014 · Electrical, Engine · 6,800 miles · WA

This problem has been getting progressively worst. The car has been having troubles turning over on cold starts, and has experienced a loss of propulsion and stall going up hill including a loss of brakes since I bought it a year ago. On 9/6/2014 the car was started and was idling high (approximately 4000rpm), check engine light was on, speed control light was on, incline alert light on, sport mode light was on and check emissions system light was on. Had to move the car out of the garage and it barely made it up the incline in the underground garage as it was not responding to the accelerator, called for a tow which never arrived and tried to restart out of frustration all lights were off and car I made it to the dealer which was not far away. Have already had the dealer inspect the car once to get to the bottom of the problem and they reported their diagnostics showed nothing was wrong and that car electrical\computer problems cannot be fixed until they break completely (or someone is hurt or injured perhaps). There was one more report similar to this on carcomplaints.com that occurred at high speed. Seems to me that car is not safe at this point.

Filed Mar 24, 2014 · Acceleration, Electrical · 7,700 miles · FL

This vehicle is a forester xt turbo. I was operating on cruise control at 78 MPH, approximately 900 miles from home, when a sudden loss of propulsion occurred. Dashboard had multiple warning lights. Engine was still operating, though at very low RPM so I was able to maintain steering and braking control. After maneuvering to the side of the road, I noticed the tachometer was fluctuating between 500-800 RPM. I turned off the engine and was able to restart. The following warning lights were still illuminated: check engine, hill control, cruise control, and operating mode. Operating mode was stuck in "sport" mode. I was able to drive vehicle at normal speed to nearest dealer approximately 10 miles away. The service technician stated I had an error code of p0606. This is a voltage issue on the engine control module, (ECM). The corrective action is to re-flash the ECM computer chip. This is a restricted action, requiring a field service engineer to come to the dealer to do the procedure. The technician stated they had already experienced this with a vehicle they sold but the problem with the module usually occurs on engine start. The technician cleared the error codes and I continued on my trip. Upon returning to my home, I took the vehicle to my dealer to be serviced. My dealer stated they were one of the first to experience this issue. I am wondering why there has been no recall/notice to owners of this problem since it has been known for a while. It is frightening to lose power when cruising at highway speed.