2015 Subaru Forester: won't start

Filed Nov 28, 2023 · Engine · MD

After driving for about 15 minutes, I was stopped at a stop sign at the intersection of 2 hilly and curvy roads with poor visibility. When I stepped on the accelerator to go, all of the lights on my dash lit up and the car died. I tried several times to restart the car and it wouldn't start. We managed to get the car pushed into someone's yard and had it towed to my mechanic. When my mechanic tried to start it the next day, it started right up. In looking at the codes, it showed a code for an air flow meter sensor, so they replaced that. I got the car back 2 days later. Drove for about 20 minutes, parked my car in my driveway, and when I went to restart it about 30 minutes later the same thing happened. The lights on the dash lit up and the car died. After waiting about another 30 minutes I was able to start the car, and moved it out of the way so it could be towed. Since I live in a very hilly area with 2 lane curvy roads, it's just not safe for me to drive it anywhere with the possibility of it stopping again. The car started up for the tow truck driver, and again for my mechanic. This time there was no error code when my mechanic checked.

Filed Dec 7, 2022 · Electrical, Engine · AR

I parked my car in the Walgreens parking lot while shopping, less than 30 minutes. When I returned, the car would not start. I called AAA for what I thought was a battery jump. When the AAA technician arrived, checked the battery and said his equipment said to replace the battery. After several attempts he was able to finally get the car started. I drove my car to the dealer where I had just had the battery and terminal replaced five months earlier. The service person checked the battery and charged it for more than an hour after having me call a Subaru warranty line and tell them how many times the battery had to be jumped - once. Yesterday, 12/6/2022 I was attempting to leave my home to take my husband to a cancer treatment clinic for an appointment and the car would not start. I called the Subaru technician who told me to bring the car in before 5 pm, which I could not do. Today, 12/07/2022, after several attempts I was able to start the car and take it to the service center. The technician could not find evidence of the battery purchase June 22, 2022. I showed him my paid receipt and he was able to locate the purchase. He told me the service manager wanted him to test the battery before doing anything. This is my only vehicle and I can’t keep going back and forth to the repair center whenever the new battery and connector , still under warranty, do not work. Today the technician told me the recall for coil replacement needed to be done. I was told it was done in June, but the service center has no evidence in their system that it was done. I never received any notice from Subaru that it was recalled.

Filed Sep 30, 2022 · Engine, Steering · NC

Driving in merging four lane traffic 70mph when forward motion stopped due to power loss. Almost wrecked getting to shoulder of road. Stranded in 90+ heat. Vehicle would not crank.

Filed Sep 27, 2022 · Electrical · PA

I own a 2015 Suburu Forester with just under 60,000 miles. i have noticed the engine does not start right off, making me nervous. I drive a lot and don't want to get stranded. On 9/19/2022 I went to the Battery Outlet in Quakertown and they said i have a battery drain. They did not think the battery needed to be replaced but to me, the greater issue is WHY IS MY BATTERY DRAINING TO BEGIN WITH. Of course, the car would be available for inspection. No I am not at risk. I have to ask my mechanic to check it out. I bought the car in 9/2020 and due to covid I did not use it as much as I am now. No warning lights on this; I can hear the engine struggling to start.

Filed Jan 20, 2022 · Electrical · 30,000 miles · CT

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated after turning the vehicle off, the next morning the vehicle would not start. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who diagnosed that the battery was faulty and needed to be replaced. The battery was replaced, and the failure was remedied but reoccurred. The contact indicated that on at least four separate occasions, the battery had failed and had been replaced. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 30,000.

Filed Dec 10, 2020 · Acceleration, Fuel system · 92,000 miles · UT

On 3 separate occasions, my car has shutdown on the highway at speeds around 75-80 MPH. They all happened during road trips while my car was between 1/8 and 1/4 tank. The car has a noticeable drop in power, which feels like the transmission disengages and applying more gas doesn't help. This is incredibly dangerous!!!! Luckily I was in the middle of nowhere on all 3 locations so I was able to pull over without incident. The car will not start, until more gas is put in the car. It's not out of fuel though because I tracked how much gas is in the car and how much I filled up after towing. This only happens after driving for multiple hours. I can run the car to empty if I'm just driving around town. A recall needs to be issued for this issue. I can see there have been tons of complaints around this issue.

Filed Jun 29, 2020 · Engine · 43,500 miles · CA

Driving on the highway at roughly 70 MPH, engine suddenly revved and then car essentially went into neutral. Engine didn't seem connected to the transmission. Coasted to the shoulder, then engine died. Shifted back to park and tried to restart, all lights on dashboard lit up and engine turned over, but would not start. Had to be towed to dealer. Found many similar experiences online. Some found fuel pump and pump relay failure. I have not received a diagnosis from the dealer yet. This was a potentially deadly failure.

Filed May 6, 2020 · Acceleration, Engine · 82,300 miles · TN

While driving in the highway at 75 MPH with cruise control on the car suddenly went to 5000 RPM and at the same time started to brake all the lights in the dashboard came on I pulled over and the car's engine shut down. I tried to started about 5 06 times the car wouldn't star and after that the car was completely dead. I had it tow to a shop. The next morning it started like nothing the mechanic at the shop said it was the battery.after changing the battery I took it to the gas station after putting gas it wouldn't start again after several tries it started.at this point I don't think the battery was the issue but I am glad I got home. This happened in starkville ms 200 miles from where I live.

Filed May 22, 2019 · Engine · 39,500 miles · MS

While traveling on an interstate highway, the engine died for no apparent reason. I was driving at approximately 75 MPH at the time. I had to coast to stop on the inside median during very heavy traffic. This event occurred on april 19, 2019. The car would not start so it had to be towed. This has happened twice before: sept. 17, 2016 and oct. 9, 2016. This event has been previously reported: complaint number: 10919048

Filed May 11, 2019 · Transmission · NY

Vehicle won't start unless gearshift lever is moved forward while already in the park position - with just hand pressure on the handle.

Filed Sep 18, 2017 · Electrical · 32,000 miles · CA

I have a 2015 subaru forester (less than 32k miles) and my car has not started on 3 different occasions this last year. This last time I was with a friend and we parked on a somewhat darker city street late at night where I turned off the engine to not waste gas and talk. The only thing I remember doing was turning on the upper car light for 60 seconds to find my friend's phone and adjusting the driver window with key in accessory mode I believe (engine was not running). We did not use the radio because embarrassingly, the same friend had waited with me the time before when I played my radio for 10 minutes one time. So again, my car didn't start, and she had to wait with me once again 30-45 minutes until help came to give the battery a jump. It seems to happen either when I sit in the car with the key out and use the internal light (even for only 60 seconds like this last time) or if keys are in, listen to the radio for a few minutes only without engine running. Anything turned on after the car has stopped running seems to mess with the battery and I'm afraid it won't start. This last time when it wouldn't start the engine, I noticed that my drivers window did not roll up (even though the other windows did) and then it started to grind when I tried to start it multiple times, waiting a little time in between before trying to start it ...then it seems to slowly drain until no lights at all in car. The tow company tested the battery and said it is still good, there was no problem with it, but mentioned maybe it's not getting both cells to charge equally or has something to do with starter, not sure. When I first bought my car, I remember dealership mentioning the electrical and not holding them responsible (?) I think if they knew about this, they need to recall and fix, or give us a portable car jumper. Sad because I love my SUV otherwise. :(

Filed Jun 26, 2017 · Brakes, Engine · 34,000 miles · CO

In august of 2015 my wife was driving the vehicle. All dash lights came on and the vehicle became inoperable as a result. After several attempts she was able to restart the vehicle. However, after about 150 ft all warning lights came on again saying that is was disabling several safety features (ABS, eyesight, hill assist, etc.). She again pulled over, and the vehicle would not re-start (flat-out would not come on, the power would come on but the vehicle would not start [has a key less ignition system]). She called road side assist and they came to try and help her with the car. They were able to get it started and she drove it to the dealership. They took the vehicle in and looked at it. Their servicing notes indicate that they were unable to replicate the issue, however, while my wife was there they were unable to start the vehicle as well. In review of these notes they indicate the following error codes were present p1531 and b2809 and they also replaced the following part [83311fj000]. On june 25, 2017, the problem occurred again while driving. All safety features disabled, all systems shut-off. Once I turned the vehicle off I was unable to start it again. It seemed as if I was unable to depress the brake pedal far enough to trigger the keyless start feature. So, the vehicle was unusable and unsafe. I contacted subaru and they have towed the vehicle to the dealership as all attempts to start the vehicle have failed (all power works, but no start and all safety features indicate they are disabled). I spoke with the dealership and expressed all of these concerns as well as several others. The vehicle is at the dealership at this time. In all instances when the vehicle had issues we were either driving on a city street, a local highway, or unable to start the vehicle due to these problems. This is the second occurrence in less than three years.