Subaru Forester pulling problems

Filed May 16, 2026 · WA

Car swirving as if someone grabbed the steering and pulled right left quickly when applying breaks. First incident happened on interstate which nearly caused an accident. Carriage makes a “clunk” sound when moving forward or backwards and you feel the cabin continue in motion when first stopping. When taken to Subaru, “trailing arm” was not attached to vehicle. Car is currently being fixed at Subaru of Olympia.

Filed Oct 28, 2025 · Steering · 15,000 miles · CA · crash · 2 injuries

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 15-20 MPH and attempting to make a right turn into the right lane, the steering wheel failed to respond as needed and pulled to the left direction, causing the vehicle to drive over the dividing lane concrete and hit an unknown object. The contact was able to pull into a driveway partially. The air bags did not deploy. A police officer later informed the contact that the vehicle had hit another vehicle, but the other driver did not sustain injury. Triple A transported both the contact and the contact's sister, who was occupying the front passenger's seat, to the residence, and the vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an autobody repair shop, where it was being repaired for body damage. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a swollen right foot, knee, and ankle, and the contact received medical assistance at the urgent care center. The contact's sister, who was occupying the front passenger's seat, sustained a heart-related injury and sought medical assistance at the ER. The dealer later informed the contact that several warning lights had flashed on the dealer's connected system. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

Filed Nov 18, 2024 · Driver assistance · CA · crash · 1 injury

I was driving on a two lane highway in the mountains and came around a small right-veering turn in the road. I straightened out the wheel to resume traveling straight, and my car’s auto-steer kicked in and pulled left into the center divider, and then right across two lanes and crashed into the side of the mountain. The auto-steer has pulled me out of lanes prior to this incident as well.

Filed Jan 25, 2024 · Steering · 5,000 miles · PA

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, the steering wheel was pulling to the right. The contact stated that the vehicle lost power steering functionality. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle had not been taken to the dealer. The vehicle had not been diagnosed. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 5,000. The VIN was not available.

Filed Sep 12, 2021 · Fuel system · CA · crash

On 9/11/2021, i was pulling into a vacant parking spot. I backed into an open area and applied the brakes and shifted from reverse to forward, The car accelerated full open, initially the brakes did not stop the car, I pulled to the left trying to avoid hitting the auto in front of me. I hit the auto on the left bumper, the car continued to race full open while my foot was on the brake, we moved forward five foot or so and then the car stopped. The air bags did not deploy. The auto that we hit was not occupied and there we no injuries. note; we have not yet made a police report but will soon, so the line is now marked no. we have looked on line and similar incidents have been reported going back 20 years' we are waiting for Monday to have the car towed from our house to ther repair shop, no estimates yet. but the entire front is pushed in.

Filed Nov 20, 2015 · Suspension · 155,000 miles · MO

Tl* the contact owns a 2002 subaru forester. While driving at 50 MPH, the vehicle vibrated and pulled to the right without warning. The contact slowed down and drove to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the front lower control arm of the suspension was fractured and needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 155,000. The VIN was not provided.

Filed Feb 12, 2015 · Steering · 113,000 miles · CA

We had the oil changed and car inspected at the vista automotive group subaru of silverthone, colorado on december 29, 2014. Everything about the car was reported to be in good condition. Upon departing for california on january 2, we were on interstate 70 when the car began to yaw (pull to left and then pull to right) in both directions. There was some residual snow in the center of and on the sides of the lane but the pavement under the tires was dry. After about one hour of this phenomenon, and after the pavement was completely clear, the yawing ceased. We took the vehicle to mccrae subaru in eureka, california upon our return and were told the following day that the speed difference in the drivetrain was apparently caused by the rear tires having less tread than the front tires. After contacting subaru national headquarters, we were told the rear tire wear resulted from the failure to rotate the tires. Subaru referred us to yokohama tires for replacements. We purchased two new yokohama tires and when mounted by tp tires in arcata, california, were advised that the rear wheels were out of alignment. We then had the car aligned by simply performance automotive of arcata, ca and they confirmed the rear two wheels were out of alignment, causing the tires to wear unevenly. We still are concerned that the yawing could be the result of the car's computer system, but have no confidence that subaru will diagnose the problem honestly, as they continue to maintain it's a tire rotation issue.

Filed Oct 7, 2014 · Steering, Suspension · 170,701 miles · NY · crash

After purchasing a 2002 subaru forester, the vehicle was driven for a very short period of time prior to noticing that the front end of the vehicle began to feel loose and unstable while steering, and the vehicle began to pull to one side while accelerating and braking. After noticing the instability and swaying action, I conducted cursory inspections of the front end and suspension areas of the vehicle. As a result of inspections, I didn't notice anything wrong with the undercarriage. While driving the vehicle on 20 september 2014, without warning, the right front lower control arm broke. It could be observed that there was a failure in the weld between the hanger bracket and the main portion of the control arm. After the control arm broke, it caused the control arm to move towards the rear of the vehicle; it caused the right front tire to slam abruptly into the rear portion of the tire well; it then caused the right front tire to lock up, which subsequently caused the tire to immediately begin to skid. Contributing factors which minimized results: vehicle was only traveling at about 45 MPH; it occurred on secondary road; road was straight and level; there was no oncoming traffic; and road surface was dry. There was additional vehicle damage. Upon checking the recalls for the 2002 subaru forester, I discovered that the 2003-2008 foresters were recalled for this exact reason (recall id # 70673.) there were other additional recalls as well for similar issue. After contacting subaru customer service, I was advised that they would not cover the front lower control arm under the recall even though the characteristics of the recall were the same. I believe that the failure of the control arm is very obvious and it should be covered similar to the other recalled years. I would be happy to provide pictures of the front lower control arm failure. Thank you.

Filed Mar 5, 2013 · Brakes · 18,960 miles · NY

We were driving on a level interstate highway. A noise began. It was like we were on coarse pavement. I pulled over thinking there was a flat tire. Instead the front right brake was overheated and seizing. We completed our trip at greatly reduced speed because this occurred at night when we were unable to get service, and finding a motel which would allow our 100 lb german shepherd seemed unlikely. We did not drive the car again until we could get a service appointment with the dealer. The brakes were serviced on 3/1/13 by the dealer, who had just replaced rear pads and turned rotors 2 weeks earlier. The dealer said our problem was due to rust attributable to use of road salt, and that this work would not be covered by our warranty and that we should have had the brakes serviced every year to remove rust. We had never been told this before, even when the same dealer serviced the rear brakes on 2/14/13. The next day, after a 10 mile drive, alerted by the "hot brake smell", I checked temperatures. Right front still overheating. Now after being serviced, the right front brake rotor runs hot still. I took the car back, and at the dealership, a laser-aimed infrared thermometer shows right front rotor is 147 degrees, left front 128, right rear 82, left rear 97 after 15 to 20 miles of highway driving (ambient temperature 20 degrees). Dealer again checked, says all wheels spin freely, and does not know why the right front runs hot. Another brake seizure seems inevitable. Brakes should not have these problems on a car which has less than 19,000 miles and less than 3 years of use. The car does not pull to the right. Maybe the left rear is compensating.

Filed Oct 13, 2010 · Engine, Steering · 6 miles · CO

I have a 2010 subaru forester. The vehicle has an issue with (1) the steering pulls to the right, (2) the engine loses power intermittently and (3) the car shakes and shimmies when driving at highway speeds. All three of the issues have been with the car since I purchased it at 6 miles on the odometer. The steering issue is dangerous because it makes it hard to keep the car on the road. I have taken the car in 2 times for an alignment and the issue persists still at 2750 miles. The engine issue has been with the car since the beginning. While driving, the driver hears a click sound come from the engine compartment and the car will momentarily lose power. The issue happens as frequently as 6 times a minute and sometimes every other minute of driving. It happens when the air conditioner is turned on or off, but exacerbated when driving in 3rd gear and when the air conditioner compressor is engaged. The dealer has tried to say that this is a normal feature of the car. I have owned other subaru foresters and driven many other 2010 subaru forester's and this issue does not happen. I have taken the car into the dealership for the steering issue and the shaking issue. The dealer has balanced the tires three times now and re-aligned the tires twice. This has done nothing to correct the issue. The issue remains. Concerning the engine issue, I have taken the car in three times now and the dealer has check the car and stated that the issue ir normal. The issue is not normal when compared to other vehicles from the manufacturer of the same make and model.