My 2015 subaru forester engine failed 3 times during highway driving. Aug 26, 2018. I was in the express lanes when the gas pedal stopped responding and the car quickly decelerated. I merged to the shoulder. The car rolled to a stop. I tried to start it and immediately it turned on. I was not low on gas. Then oct 9, 2018, I was driving downhill on the freeway, with 20 miles to empty when the engine did the same thing. I quickly merged through traffic to the shoulder. Police suggested I ran out of gas. The third time, feb 11, 2019, I was in middle of 5 lanes of highway traffic, driving 75 MPH with 70 miles to empty when the engine shut off. It was night, the lights to the vehicle remained on. I quickly merged right, but there was no shoulder as they were doing construction. I called 911. Everyone around me was going 70-80mph. I was terrified we would be killed by a car who didn't see us at night. The police arrived in 15 minutes and bumped us off the freeway. Aaa arrived in 45 min.. Right before aaa arrived I tried to start the engine again, as I had been doing all along, and the engine started right up. I was told it wasn't a fuel problem because it started again without needing to add gas. Two subaru dealerships have tried to re-create the problem. Neither could. They told me they can't repair anything since they can't determine what is wrong - deeming my warranty useless for this issue. I tried to get buy back from subaru of america. They will not do a buyback because there haven't been repair orders. I have not driven the car since feb 11, 2019. It is a dangerous car. It will fail again on the freeway and whoever is around is in danger of injury or death. The dealership wants me to pick up the car. The forester has 58000 miles when it last failed.
2015 Subaru Forester engine complaints
Page 4 of 6: complaints 71 to 100 of 136, newest first, as owners wrote them.
On 2 separate occasions was driving my 2015 subaru forester (touring edition) at highway speed, 70 MPH, the car lost power and started decelerating. Luckily both times I was able to get over to the shoulder. The car re-started after awhile. The first time the low fuel light was on but I had over 50 miles left according to fuel sensor. The second time, a month or so later, no low fuel light was on. There were 2 bars left on the fuel gauge. Again car totally decelerated and then a few minutes later was able to be driven. Subaru dealership claims they have not heard of this problem but someone did call them about it the day before I called. I am scheduling an appointment where they say they will do a diagnostic on it. I am seeing multiple complaints on this exact car on carcomplaints.com this is an extremely dangerous problem and subaru should not be waiting for fatalities to happen before recalling these cars.
Oil is leaking from timing cover. Also crankshaft sensor is bad. Mechanic tells me $2000.00 repair needed to correct leak.
Twice in the last four months vehicle has run out of gas while traveling on a level highway despite gas gauge indicating that there was 70 miles still to travel and the gas gauge reading one bar. Low fuel warning indicator did not display.
My car dies at highway speed with absolutely no warning. It has happened to me twice and to a technician from a subaru dealership once. I have tried to resolve this with subaru to no avail. Here is a summary: on august 31, 2018 I had been driving at freeway speed for about two hours. The trip computer said I had 70 miles till empty but the low fuel light had not come on. The car behaved as if it had run out of gas. The engine rev'd like it slipped out of gear, then completely quit. Zero warning. For the next 90 minutes I would try to start the car every 20 minutes or so. The engine would turn, but no indication it was getting any fuel. I looked at several forester blogs and found many identical incidents (highway speed, less than a quarter tank, engine revs then dies). One post said that after filling the tank it would start. A tow truck took me to a gas station where I filled it with ~13.5 gallons of gas. That means the tank had about 2.4 gallons left and @30mpg=72 miles just like the trip computer said. That's all I did, and the car started immediately. My local subaru dealer had the car for a few weeks and worked with subaru to diagnose the problem. They detected an error with the fuel pressure sending units and replaced them. Still during multiple test drives after the sensors were replaced their technician had the exact same failure as I did. On january 2, 2019 it died on me again. Going 60 MPH on a two-lane highway with 40 miles till empty. The dealer then had the car for over a month and consulted with subaru again. They test drove it for nearly 300 miles with special instruments attached but couldn't get the problem to happen again. They finally returned it to me but could not determine a root cause. Searching the internet, you can find many reports from other owners of exactly the same type of problem with similar vintage subaru foresters.
While driving at low speeds through a parking lot or slow moving traffic the car will stall. It's a 2015 forester turbo with a CVT transmission. If put in park, it will restart and go again. Stalling on the roads and in parking lots is unsafe. It doesn't throw any codes so there's nothing the dealer can do.
Excessive oil loss, 1 qt per 3,000 miles. Started around 90,000 miles. Mileage now 129,000 miles. At 129,000 miles, major engine and transmission issue. Found oil in coolant. At oil temperature light flashing. Evaluating cost of repair this week of feb 12 2019. At 126,000 miles, both front axles were replaced. Heard clicking at 125,000 miles. At 100,000 miles, upper and lower front suspension arms replaced.
Driving at highway speeds when the engine suddenly loses power and the car begins to rapidly decelerate. Engine rpms climb, but no power is available. Have to race to the shoulder to get out of traffics way, where eventually the car will start and drive normally.
My 2015 forester consumes a 1/2 quart of oil every 4000 miles. My oil light comes on.
When driving at highway speeds, the engine will shut down. This has created very dangerous situations when having to cross heavily trafficked lanes without power to enter shoulder. Issue has happened 4 times in the past 2 months. Unknown cause as no codes are thrown. Video showing issue that I am having can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omnp_vkes-k .
Engine uses excessive oil. I change every 6,000 miles with synthetic 0w-20 as required. Before I reach the next 6,000 miles, the oil light comes on and I have to add 1/2 quart or more to return to the appropriate level of oil. I now carry oil bottles in my car at all time so I can act as soon as the light comes on. This has happened for the entire life of the car.
My 2015 forester stalled while driving in the middle lane on the nj parkway (going about 65-70mph.) there were no warning lights or any indications that this would happen. I had about 3/4 of a tank of gas left. When the car stalled, it felt like it downshifted and then completely stopped - almost as if we ran out of gas (but we didn't). The electric (lights, radio, heat) was on the whole time. We were stalled for about 15-20 minutes until the cops came. We put the car in neutral and they bumped us to the shoulder. While waiting for a tow truck, we tried to start the car again and it worked (about 30 minutes after the initial stall.) we then drove to the nearby gas station and filled up the car; it took 12 gallons of gas and I have the receipt. The subaru service center cannot find the issue. They said the computer isn't even showing a stall code. This could have been a fatal accident and I want to know exactly what is wrong and know it is fixed before I drive it again. It looks like other owners have had the similar issues.
My forrester xt2.0 revs very loudly when it is started every time I turn it on. It goes from 0 to 2.5 on the gauge numbered from 1-8 gauge. The car is at a complete stop.
This incident happened 2 weeks and 600 miles of driving after I had taken the car to the dealer to have ECM flash updates installed to address surging and loss of power during light acceleration, especially during high ambient temperatures. We were driving at about 65 MPH on the freeway at night, we heard and felt a very loud 'knock' from the engine and experienced sudden and complete loss of power. When I pressed the accelerator the vehicle would rev and give a little bit of power and then lose all power again. Essentially we were coasting. Fortunately we were near a freeway exit and were able to stop at a shoulder on that exit. We tried turning the vehicle off, waiting and turning it back on. Although the engine turned over, it had a very rough idle and shut off after about 10 seconds. If we turned it on and put the car in gear and tried to drive forward it immediately turned off. I had it towed back to the dealer. They said the air intake hose disconnected from the intercooler. They reconnected the hose, cleared fault codes and it is running normally now. I am skeptical that this is actually the problem, I have a feeling that there is something wrong with these cars from the manufacturer and that subaru is attempting to cover things up to avoid more expensive recalls. This was a catastrophic failure that put our lives in danger and I no longer feel safe driving the car.
Car started and backed out of parking space in a parking garage. When gear shift was placed in drive the car lurched forward 50 feet and drove thru an aluminum rail and mesh over head electric activated door. At 81 more feet the car hit a 4 x 4 steel column holding up two 27 foot steel beams of a carport roof structure and collapsed the column. The southerly beam fell on top of the car and pulled the northerly beam with it. The car continued forward 9 feet striking the first parked car in the rear quarter. The car continued about 4 feet more and struck a second parked car in its hind quarter and pushed it until it was against the next carport support column. The two occupants in the car were able to exit from the car at each of the front doors which opened without problem. Experiencing limited bruising on their legs below the knee. A miracle. The car traveled about 145 feet not under the control of the driver. The car dealer had been questioned on why the car did not move frequently during a stop at a stop light or stop sign every time it was taken in for service at the dealer who sold us the car. The service review was five times and nothing could be found. I was told 'it was the way the car worked'. I was not provided with test results for this condition. The car had the eyesight device and did not stop the car at either at the door or the column. The air bags did not implode on either impact location. One recall wta-62 for subaru forester 2015 and 2016. Engine, march 21, 2016. Turbocharger air intake duct crack stalls engine (16v162000). I was not informed about this recall. I think the car was defective from the beginning and a fix was not initiated to correct a faulty condition. Fortunately it did not happen on a busy street or highway. This accident should not have happened. I have pictures that I can forward for your use on jpg format. *bf
Dashboard warning lights lit up "like a christmas tree"! Safety features are disabled. No eye sight, traction control, lane deviation. I have been to the dealer multiple times with no success. This has been going on for several months. Lights come on and go off, seemingly at random. Mostly stay on now.
When driving at speed and constant acceleration the car will jerk and the rpms appear to bounce up and down. Last weekend when merging onto the highway the car did not accelerate normally. The rpms spiked, but there was limited acceleration/response. This happened several times before and their seems to be no way to predict when this will happen.
Occasionally stalls when accelerating (usually to get on freeway or speed up drastically while on freeway). Doesnt completely lose power, only occurs for about 1-4 seconds but during that time car does not speed up even when pressing gas (actually acts as if foot was taken off gas), and makes a clicking noise. Has happened ever since purchasing car new, and mentioned at every service but they can never recreate the issue and therefore cant fix it. Saw a similar stalling issue on a recall for same type of car but not my VIN. Dealership wont check unless I pay fee.
Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. While pulling into a parking space at a very low rate of speed, the engine began to rev. The vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into a brick wall. After the collision, the engine continued to rev very high while the brake pedal was being depressed. The contact stated that the front end of the vehicle sustained severe damage; however, the air bags did not deploy. No injuries were reported and no police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an undisclosed location. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified. The failure mileage was 39,000.
From a stop, car hesitates when turning left crossing incoming traffic. Initial coasting, then accepting accelerator pressure, taking a second or two to respond. Dealer found no codes and offered no fix, other than to leave my car for additional test driving. In three years and 21,000 miles, there has been six left turn hestitions from a stop position. Very scary event that could be fatal with a stall in an incoming lane.
I bought the car a month ago around march 10,2018 from glanzmann subaru. After 2 weeks of driving, the car was shaking and had trouble accelerating intermittently when at stop signs or at low speeds. After words I noticed when the car is around 80 MPH, sometimes the rpms go up but there is no torque. I was told to drop the car off at the service station which I did and after 4 days got the car back but they said they "could not replicate" the issue that I was having. I also get 18mpg while the advertised mpg is around 25. I should atleast get 22mpg. I have a very good feeling I was sold a car with a clutch that was on its way out. The dealer is not acknowledging the issue but I was able to replicate the issue on my way from the service center. I was told I would be able to drive the car with a tech but on the day of the pickup , the tech was unavailable. It has become a safety issue because sometimes when merging into a highway or turning into streets from a center lane the car does not have good pick uplike it is suppose. I know my car is an issue because the loaner that I got from glanzsmann was also a forester and I could tell the difference right away. Thank you.
2015 subaru forester. Consumer writes in regards to vehicle excessive oil consumption. *smd the consumer stated that the vehicle consumes 16 ounces of oil in 50000. The manufacturer was notified and stated the vehicle was operating as designed, but did offer a rebate to cover additional charges. The consumer declined.
On acceleration from idle or slow speed, engine looses power and does not respond to throttle inputs. Several times stall happens during merging or crossing traffic. Seems to occur on left turns.
Engine shut off while driving on interstate at 70 MPH. No warning or engine sputtering. Plenty of fuel. Foggy weather and 37degrees f. Dash lights stayed on same as if it was in the on position. After 1 1/2 hours vehicle restarted and hasn't shut down while driving since. Took in to the dealer and they said battery was weak and replaced that. They said other engine codes pointed to power supply. I have never heard of a vehicle quitting while driving because of a weak battery so am suspicious about this as a good repair. This is potentially a very dangerous problem.
On two occasions: traveling at approx 65-70mph the engine suddenly stalls and we have been forced to stop on the shoulder. The steering works, but there is no power going to the engine which eventually stalls. It starts after 2 attempts and then drives normally. First occasion, it was raining and the 'eyesight cameras; were on. At first we thought this was the issue. The second occasion, it was again raining and I turned the cameras off (thinking that may have been the problem before) and it stalled again. Very dangerous to be traveling at such a high rate of speed in traffic to have engine stall.
I bought the car and less than a month later the engine light came on. I took it into the dealership that I bought it from and they told me to take it to the subaru dealership if the engine light came back on. It never came back on. Four days later I was driving and the gas pedal quit working. I looked down to see if any lights were on and they weren't. I pulled over to the side of the highway to turn the car off. Before I could turn the car off I saw flames coming out of the front passenger side of the hood near the lights. Then all of the warming lights came on. I quickly turned off the vehicle. Before I could get out of the vehicle the whole front end of the vehicle was in flames.
The car lost all power in the middle of interstate 95 heading south approx 17 miles north of the ga fl state line. The fuel indicator showed 30 miles until I had to refuel. This was on 12/3/2017. I was at speed(75 MPH) and managed to go through traffic and go to shoulder. There was no power and the engine had quit. I waited a couple of minutes and the car restarted. I drove to the second exit and refueled. A few days later on 12/06/2017 on the way back to atlanta on I-95 south of savannah and the fuel gage reading 30 miles until I had to refuel, the very same thing happened. Except, this time it would not restart. I called aaa and continued to try to restart. After 45 minutes, the car restarted. I drove approx 10 miles and refueled. I have had no incident since but, I have not driven the car with low fuel. This could have had a very different result if I had not been able to get through the traffic on a busy interstate. Both me and my wife could be dead. I believe there is a flaw in the low fuel warning software and something shuts the power. I have driven this car with lower fuel levels. The instrument panel shows miles to you have to refuel, I.e., 50 miles, 40 miles, 30 miles, 20 miles then ------. You have access to data on these cars, I don't. Please have some advise me what is your thinking on this matter.
While backing up a winding hill on a hard packed gravel driveway I backed into a seven inch diameter tree on the edge of the road. Did not hit it hard enough to damage the back bumper. I put the car in drive and in an instant the motor went wide open. I hit the brakes, but no noticable effect. I narrowly missed the corner of the garage. The car dug four depressions in the driveway when it took off. And threw gravel all the way down the hill and on the flat until it hit a large tree, the motor still racing. The runaway happened in seconds. The car was totaled. My wife suffered a badly broken right wrist. I was nearly knocked out. I have been a safe driver for 60 years. Drove professionally for about four and a half years. I also have over 175,000 miles and counting on motorcycles. This car definitely did malfunction. Fortunately the house security camera captured the action. I don't know if I can upload the video to your site. Please advise. Sabaru canada and the my subaru dealer ignored my complaint, with the dealer rep saying, 'the floor mat was probably on the gas petal.'
Car burning oil at substantial rate between oil changes. Need to top up oil twice between 6000 mile oil change intervals. Car is an automatic transmission. Subaru provides engine block replacement for issue for 2015 foresters with manual transmission and for previous model years with automatic transmissions. 2015 auto transmissions are obviously also affected -- our car is affected.
The vehicles stutters when accelerating. The issue will go for a few days to a few weeks then disappear and return a few weeks later. Have tried changing to sport and sport + modes and also using the paddle shifters and none of them had any change in the stuttering. The car has 25,000 miles on it and the issue has been happening since about 10k miles. When I brought the vehicle in for a recall it was functioning fine and the techs could not find any issues. I have another appointment scheduled for 2 weeks from now.
VIN decoder
See the problems and recalls for an exact car
Buying a used 2015 Subaru Forester?
Check the exact car before you pay: accidents, salvage or flood titles, odometer readings and previous owners.
Check its history