2015 Subaru Forester: ball joint or control arm failure

Filed Jan 24, 2026 · Lights, Transmission · TN

I bought a used 2015 subaru forester with 117,000 miles from an auto shop/used car dealer in March of 2024. In September of 2025, 11,000 miles of driving later, a bunch of lights came on my dash. Check engine, traction control, ABS, at oil temp, and incline assist. I took it to Autozone to get the codes read and the part it suggested was the transmission oil pressure sensor. I then took it to a trusted mechanic who said they weren’t able to get the lights to turn back on and told me to come back when the lights reappeared. In December of 2025, the lights came on and they were on long enough to take it back to the mechanic. The mechanic told me that it looked to be the transmission valve body and recommended a local transmission shop. I took it there and the mechanic told me there was a speed sensor that was failing and the transmission and valve body would need to be replaced. He said that they don’t sell the speed sensor anywhere and it is impossible to obtain. I got quoted 9,100 to fix my car (I originally paid around 8,500 for it). I was told it would not be worth my time or money to fix the transmission. The transmission guy told me that Subaru cvt transmissions are horrendous and to take this is a lesson to never buy a Subaru. I heeded to this advice and traded her in for $2000 towards a 2010 rav4. Additional info: It had a rebuilt title and had been in an accident before I got it. Lived its entire life between kentucky and tennessee. I replaced the engine oil and filter every 4,000-6,000 miles. Tire treads were very mismatched for the time I had it (almost two years) which I was told by a subaru dealership can damage the transmission. Back tires had significantly lower tread than front. I had front left lower control arm, rear spring coils, brake switch lamp, and one of the battery terminals replaced during the time I had it. My TPMS light was always on. My front right headlight went out frequently. My brake light assembly also broke and wasn’t worth fixing

Filed Jan 8, 2025 · CA

An off market part from API snapped after just 10 months and 7000 miles of driving on gentle paved roads. It was the lower control arm bolt. (2703-535960) Would have caused a very dangerous situation if happened at speed! We got lucky but this was a very dangerous part to break.

Filed May 1, 2024 · Steering, Suspension · CA

The vehicle is a 2015 Subaru Forester. At that time, the car had 47800 miles on it. I started to sense a shaking or vibration on the steering wheel, especially at highway speeds. I took it to a local Subaru dealer and the dealer technician found the lower control arm bushings to be work/torn. I have been driving for over 40 years and have never had to have the bushings replaced in any of my (Toyota) cars, especially at 47800 miles. I bought the car new. I live in the city and do not do any off road driving. I bought the car because of the Eyesight safety system. I didn't realize Subaru's quality was not at the same level as Toyota. According to J.D. Power, "The bushings prevent metal-to-metal contact (friction) hence safeguarding the metal joints." and "Driving around with worn-out bushings can pose a threat to the driver and other road users. Worn-out bushings may also cause damage to the vehicle when its components snap." (website: [XXX] ) I believe it may be a "lemon". I have had to take it to the dealership regarding the transmission problem of hesitation on acceleration. The technician tested it and (of course) found nothing wrong. The service advisor did inform me, over the phone, that the technician experienced the issue during testing. Subaru denied my request for reimbursement of the defective battery. They indicated that I was not eligible for reimbursement because I did not pay the dealership to replace the battery. I had bought an Interstate battery at Costco and replaced it myself. Replacing a car battery is not rocket science. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Mar 9, 2022 · Suspension · 61,000 miles · MA

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, she noticed an abnormal noise coming from the passenger’s side wheel while the vehicle was shuddering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with a front lower control arm failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 61,000.

Filed Dec 27, 2019 · Steering, Suspension · 38,000 miles · CO

At 38k excessive vibration and noise at highway speeds was noticed. Dealer replaced both of the front lower control arm bushings. At 42k the front right wheel bearing went bad and was replaced. Probably caused by the bad control arm bushings. At 44k the control arm bushings were bad again. This caused a severe loss of control of the car in slick conditions. This time the dealer replaced both of the control arm assemblies. This is a real problem with this vehicle. Time for a recall.

Filed Aug 23, 2019 · Suspension · 41,350 miles · MA

Rear coil spring broke causing spring to slowing work its way down to control arm and car to sag. This happened with the vehicle sitting in the driveway, but it isn't something that could be noticed, until the vehicle is out on the road. I didn't notice the problem until the coil started working its way down the strut, causing the car to handle drastically different, and figured out the issue after driving 30 miles, returning home, seeing the car bottomed out on one corner, and finding the broken piece of coil in my driveway, where the car was parked before I drove the car for the day. This is extremely dangerous, and could cause the car to lose control. After a little research online and speaking with the dealer service department, this seems like a defect and a common problem of 2014 and 2015 subaru foresters. My vehicle only has 41,000 miles on it, and others had the problem around similar mileage. I have not had the car off road, towed with it, nor overloaded it. From the image I uploaded of the broken part of the spring and other photos I have seen from other with the same issue, it looks like these springs are prone to cracking, rusting a little, then snapping. I have seen many similar complaints, and this is obviously a manufacture defect that is a major safety issue. Subaru should have a safety recall on this before many more of these problem start to arise, causing injury or death.

Filed Jul 8, 2019 · Suspension · 42,000 miles · NY

I was pulling out of a parking spot yesterday when I heard a loud bang. I had difficulty driving home on the street with brakes & steering even at a very slow speed. Car had to be towed to subaru today. The control arm was totally rusted through & broke apart.

Filed Feb 18, 2019 · Suspension · 60,000 miles · PA

Drivers side lower control arm have worn out twice with in 24 months. On any street or highhway was getting a knocking noise. First time my private mechanic stated it was bad. Took it to dealer their mechanic said there was no problem. Few weeks later went back to dealer for same reason. Then they admitted it was bad and repaired. Now on 2/18/19 I have the same problem. Went to the dealer their mechanic said everything was fine . Everything nice and tight. Took the vehicle which was still making the noise for state inspection he stated the lower control arm was bad . Now I must go back to the dealer for them to get warranty approval to repair. This is constantly making me do everything twice because the dealer mechanic fails ti be honest.

Filed Jul 23, 2018 · Steering · 59,129 miles · MA

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. While driving 75 MPH, the front of the vehicle shook. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer (cityside subaru, 790 pleasant st, belmont, ma 2478, (617) 826-5000) where it was diagnosed that the tie rod ends needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure recurred. The manufacturer was not notified. The failure mileage was 59,129.

Filed Aug 19, 2016 · Suspension · 40,172 miles · PA

Driver side lower control arm bushing wearing out prematurely poor design.