2015 Subaru Forester: fuel pump failure

Filed May 2, 2025 · Fuel system · NC

UNKNOWN. Often when I attempt to accelerate after stopping at a stop sign, the car hesitates, sometimes lunges ahead and then sometimes practically dying before accelerating normally. There have been times when It simply feels like a fuel pump problem and I know that Toyotas with this same Denso fuel pump have had documented problems similar to mine. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 5, 2023 · Fuel system · MD

On six occasions since 2020, our Subaru Forester has lost engine power at highway speeds after being driven for 2 hours on an interstate. On each occasion, we had to pull to the shoulder of the road with no engine power and restart the car. On the last three occasions it has taken 15 minutes to restart. Losing engine power at highway speed could have endangered our family or nearby drivers. We have taken the car to multiple dealers who have not been able to reproduce the failure, but after the latest incident in August 2023 our local dealers now recommends replacement of the fuel pump.

Filed Mar 14, 2021 · 135,000 miles · OR

After 4hrs of driving with 2 pit stops in between, I was in 3 lane traffic and down to 1 bar on fuel gauge stating I had 50mi left of driving remaining in tank.. Low fuel light hadn't even turned on yet, only to find that the car had lost power and reduced speed and wouldn't accelerate when I used has pedal. However the interior lights and power windows still worked. I was able to pull off to the side of road and shut the car off. I looked under the hood and found nothing to be out of sorts. No dash lights went off either such as battery or check engine. I started the car back up in 5mins and fueled my car up. Also, during the trip my fuel mileage was consistently going down which the lowest reading days 17mpg when normally 30mpg. This happened the day after taking my vehicle in for new tires at a corporate tire company. 2 weeks later car having troubles starting. Battery and alternator checked out good, so suspected fuel pump. Car dealership states fuel filter inside the pump and even if there was a way to test the pressure it may not be accurate because it could be intermittent failure and doesn't recommend me replacing it. They wanted me to wait until it happens again before looking into it any further. They checked for dtc codes and found none. Also suggested I just upgrade to a newer vehicle and I stated that at 138,000 the car should still be repairable and driveability otherwise what's the point of purchasing to own the vehicle. Obviously the situation was dangerous and could lead to a slew of problems such as standing, accident or even death.

Filed Oct 14, 2020 · Transmission · 67,809 miles · FL

Using cruise control at 77 MPH in fast lane of i95 northbound from fl when, approx 10 miles south of va border, I felt a snap like pull in vehicle - kind of like a rope breaking when playing tug of war. The rpms increased and car rapidly lost speed and would not accurate. Fortunately, I was able to safely pull off i95. I noticed all lights on dash were on and car was running. I turned it off, approx 15 to 30 seconds after pulling off highway. After I turned car off, it would not restart. I was towed (innerstate towing) to a toyota dealership in roanoke rapids, nc due to no subaru dealership. Toyota tech looked at car and car started fine. The mechanic felt the transmission over heated. I then limped along to subaru dealership in colonial heights, va. I traveled in slow lane on i95, at no more than 70 MPH, with a full tank of gas and no issues. A subaru tech drained fluid and found metal. It was determined the transmission needed replaced. While at toyota dealership, I contacted the location where I purchased my subaru forester and that tech indicated it was a faulty fuel pump or transmission. When car lost speed, I had two fuel bars left. I am now getting the pump tested as well. Fortunately, my car is under warranty due to subaru's extension but I find this unacceptable. I could have easily been killed in an instant. This is my 3rd subaru and I have had more problems with this one than my two previous cars combined. Further, I keep going up in models and price point but the quality has declined. I am a loyal subaru customer but I think this model may be my last. Because nothing seized up and no loud bang, jerking, or rattling; I am beginning to suspect it was the fuel pump and I coincidentally the bad transmission was discovered. No belts were broken and the snap like noise is unknown. I have no invoices yet and police were not called. I am driving a loaner car.

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 24, 2018 · Electrical · 47,000 miles · IL

This vehicle has shut down mid-driving on the expressway 4 times. The battery, fuel sensors, fuel pump, and 'cluster' have been replaced. I received the vehicle back from subaru service on a wednesday afternoon, and on thursday morning as I was pulling out of my garage the fuel gauge was again displaying blank even though there was more than a half tank of gas in the car. I turned the car off and back on and then every warning light on the instrument panel lighted up. There have been 5 repair attempts on this vehicle and it has not corrected the issues. This vehicle is defective and dangerous.

Filed May 21, 2018 · Electrical · 45,000 miles · IL

This vehicle has already shut off while driving on the expressway 4 times. The last time they said it was a bad fuel pump and replaced. I turned the car on in the parking lot after a grocery store trip (with my baby in the backseat) and the vehicle said it could not establish the remaining fuel level and the gauge was blank. Turned vehicle off and back on and fuel gauge reappeared, but while driving down city street, all indicator lights on the instrument panel lit up. I drove directly to dealership. They say that the cluster (odometer, speedometer, tachometer) needs to be replaced. Still waiting for part to come in and for vehicle to be returned to me. I am not confident this will fix my vehicle since they said they were 99% sure of the fix the last two times. This vehicle is faulty and is endangering my family. It is by sheer luck that we haven't gotten into an accident and injured so far.

Filed Jun 23, 2017 · Fuel system · 41,677 miles · NC

Lost complete power at 70mph in center lane of expressway. Shifted to neutral rolled to the side of the road. Gas gauge showed 1/8 tank, 70 miles, no fuel light.. Subaru said fuel pump overheated and that you should never drive with less than 1/4 tank. Complete loss of power with no warning almost caused a catastrophic accident. Vehicle was towed by aaa to subaru dealer. Vehicle was unresponsive to aaa after sitting for 90 minutes waiting. Dealer said fuel pump is cooled by fuel and running it when fuel is low causes pump failure. Very casual, we almost died!. Repair record attached.

Filed Feb 9, 2015 · Fuel system · 240 miles · PA

I had my new vehicle only 4 days with 120 miles or so that I personally put on it. I was out one day and came to a stop sign and stopped. The car just powered down to not running at all. I put it in park, restarted, put it in drive to move on and it did it again. I put it in neutral and had someone push me to the other side of the road where I would be out of the way. This continued for about 5 times when finally it took hold and I managed to get home ok. The next day I had to go out and it seemed to be ok and had to put gas in it. I took it in to the dealers on friday and told them about it so they kept it to find out what the problem was. Got a call back today on monday 2-9-15 and they told me it was a faulty fuel pump. Wow, on a new vehicle! Said the part should be in on thursday due to being the only fuel pump anywhere near our area and the weather being iffy it would take longer. This was so unexpected of a highly rated vehicle. I had my pontiac vibe for 10 years w/ only a A/C problem once. With 130k miles on her I decided to upgrade to all the bells and whistles and now this. I am disheartening for sure. Let's hope this is the problem and nothing more. Thanks for listening.