Consumer Complaints

Fail datemilesoccurencesPurchase date
SERVICE BRAKES
02/25/201318960
 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.
11/05/2012248701
 My brakes were checked by my regular mechanic/repair shop @ 21,788 miles. they indicated that i had 70% left on both front and rear units. when i took my car in for an oil change and check up @ 24,870 miles the same shop indicated that while my front brakes still had 65% left on them the rear units had only 15% left. they recommended that i replace the rear disc brake pads, which i did. i am not hard on my brakes and don't understand why the rear brakes should wear out so quickly over such a short period of time. i also do not understand why there should be such a great difference in the wear between the front and rear brakes. i notice that two other people have complained about needing early rear brake replacements on 2010 foresters. i have never had to replace brakes on any other car i owned after so few miles. my shop is aaa approved and highly rated in my community and are very trustworthy. this should not happen and should be looked into. *tr
11/05/201224870
 My breaks were checked by my regular mechanic/repair shop @ 21,788 miles. they indicated that i had 70% left on both front and rear units. when i took my car in for an oil change and check up @ 24,870 miles the same shop indicated that while my front breaks still had 65% left on them the rear units had only 15% left. they recommended that i replace the rear disc break pads, which i did. i am not hard on my breaks and don't understand why the rear breaks should wear out so quickly over such a short period of time. i also do not understand why there should be such a great difference in the wear between the front and rear breaks. i notice that two other people have complained about needing early rear break replacements on 2010 foresters. i have never had to replace breaks on any other car i owned after so few miles. my shop is aaa approved and highly rated in my community and are very trustworthy. this should not happen and should be looked into.
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC
10/15/201232715
 At 32,715 miles rear brakes failed. both the brakes pads and rotor had completely rotted or fallen apart. the front brakes and rotors also needed to be replaces. at 25,000 miles i had a complete inspection of the braking system where it was determined that the brakes were worn down to about 50%. so in less than 8000 miles the the rear brakes had completely failed, and the front brakes where almost completely gone.
10/15/201132000
 Rear brakes started scraping slightly on a saturday (so slightly that they couldn't be heard with the windows up). that following monday we took it to our mechanic who told us that the rear brakes pads were completely shot (metal on metal were his exact words). front brakes needed new pads. it's realistic to replace front brake pads at 32000 as we do mostly city driving, however rear brakes should last twice as long as the front pads. we had no warning that such a severe rear brake issue existed and had we not gone to the mechanic at the first sign of any issue, we could have had a serious problem resulting in injury or death. we believe this is a design or manufacturing defect on subaru's part and needs to be looked into more closely.
10/08/201125000
 During a routine state inspection it was discovered that the rear disc brake rotors and pads were no longer acceptable and had to be replaced. the brakes were still functional at this point but only barely. there was no wear indicator sound that ever emanated from the brakes. there was no warning light on the dash board indicating a brake problem. there was longer braking detected but only that associated with normal wear of a vehicle. there were no signs of any issue with the brakes. a routine recent inspection of the front brakes by the owner to assess the vehicle prior to inspection revealed no issues with normal wear of the front pads and rotors. the rear disc brakes were not examined at the time as the assumption was that brake wear would be nominally the same as the front. the yearly state inspection revealed the excessive wear of the rear brakes relative to the front brakes. this indicates a vehicle flaw, possible design or component, as the vehicle only had 25,000 miles on it and the front disk pads and rotors indicate only normal wear. the rotors were worn too thin to be used. there was excessive rust on the brake components. the pads were were past acceptable wear. the rear brakes/pads/rotors were either defective, improperly working, or improperly designed. there could have been a serious brake failure resulting in an accident as a result of the excessive wear of the rear disc brakes. this should be red flagged as a serious issue of concern.
02/15/20094000
 On icy downhill grades when braking or slowing abs system will cause a rock hard pedal and complete loss of brakes. all four wheels will lockup. this causes loss of directional control and loss of braking. this failure occurs when abs fails to prevent wheels from locking up on slick surfaces. consequences include rear end collision, loss of control, unexpected exit from the roadway and loss of control of vehicle attitude. vehicle was take to dealer and brakes were inspected. nothing was found to be wrong. brakes were operating as designed. this is a design defect in the antilock braking system in that the system causes unexpected drastic changes in the feel of the brake pedal, allows the wheels to lock and does not give the driver clear expectation of how to regain control of the vehicle. on low coefficient of friction surfaces the abs system cannot differentiate between the vehicle moving with wheels locked and vehicle stationary with brakes engaged. vehicle must be accelerated to start wheels turning in order for the abs to release the pedal.
12/13/201018000
 At low speeds near intersections with light snow or slush on the road vehicle's abs system causes loss of stopping ability and loss of directional control. partial or complete loss of braking and/or directional control at stop signs and on slick roads. premature activation of abs system in snowy and slushy conditions. potential consequences include striking pedestrians, leaving the road unexpectedly and stopping in not before an intersection. dealer inspected braking system and stated that it is performing as intended. dealer further documented that oem tires had low traction rating causing abs system to operate incorrectly in certain driving conditions. in particular abs causes drastically increased stopping distance with loss of directional control with oem bridgestone dueller h/t 687 tires with 7/32 tread depth and correct inflation pressure. dealer states that tires should be changed to improve drivability and abs function in snow and ice conditions. bridgestone dueller h/t 687 tires will be replaced with a different brand. these tires will be put in storage and will be available.
02/15/20094000
 On icy downhill grades when braking or slowing abs system will cause a rock hard pedal and complete loss of brakes. all four wheels will lockup. this causes loss of directional control and loss of braking. this failure occurs when abs fails to prevent wheels from locking up on slick surfaces. consequences include rear end collision, loss of control, unexpected exit from the roadway and loss of control of vehicle attitude. vehicle was take to dealer and brakes were inspected. nothing was found to be wrong. brakes were operating as designed. this is a design defect in the antilock braking system in that the system causes unexpected drastic changes in the feel of the brake pedal, allows the wheels to lock and does not give the driver clear expectation of how to regain control of the vehicle. on low coefficient of friction surfaces the abs system cannot differentiate between the vehicle moving with wheels locked and vehicle stationary with brakes engaged. vehicle must be accelerated to start wheels turning in order for the abs to release the pedal.
12/13/201018000
 At low speeds near intersections with light snow or slush on the road vehicle's abs system causes loss of stopping ability and loss of directional control. partial or complete loss of braking and/or directional control at stop signs and on slick roads. premature activation of abs system in snowy and slushy conditions. potential consequences include striking pedestrians, leaving the road unexpectedly and stopping in not before an intersection. dealer inspected braking system and stated that it is performing as intended. dealer further documented that oem tires had low traction rating causing abs system to operate incorrectly in certain driving conditions. in particular abs causes drastically increased stopping distance with loss of directional control with oem bridgestone dueller h/t 687 tires with 7/32 tread depth and correct inflation pressure. dealer states that tires should be changed to improve drivability and abs function in snow and ice conditions. bridgestone dueller h/t 687 tires will be replaced with a different brand. these tires will be put in storage and will be available.
02/15/20094000
 On icy downhill grades when braking or slowing abs system will cause a rock hard pedal and complete loss of brakes. all four wheels will lockup. this causes loss of directional control and loss of braking. this failure occurs when abs fails to prevent wheels from locking up on slick surfaces. consequences include rear end collision, loss of control, unexpected exit from the roadway and loss of control of vehicle attitude. vehicle was take to dealer and brakes were inspected. nothing was found to be wrong. brakes were operating as designed. this is a design defect in the antilock braking system in that the system causes unexpected drastic changes in the feel of the brake pedal, allows the wheels to lock and does not give the driver clear expectation of how to regain control of the vehicle. on low coefficient of friction surfaces the abs system cannot differentiate between the vehicle moving with wheels locked and vehicle stationary with brakes engaged. vehicle must be accelerated to start wheels turning in order for the abs to release the pedal.
12/13/201018000
 At low speeds near intersections with light snow or slush on the road vehicle's abs system causes loss of stopping ability and loss of directional control. partial or complete loss of braking and/or directional control at stop signs and on slick roads. premature activation of abs system in snowy and slushy conditions. potential consequences include striking pedestrians, leaving the road unexpectedly and stopping in not before an intersection. dealer inspected braking system and stated that it is performing as intended. dealer further documented that oem tires had low traction rating causing abs system to operate incorrectly in certain driving conditions. in particular abs causes drastically increased stopping distance with loss of directional control with oem bridgestone dueller h/t 687 tires with 7/32 tread depth and correct inflation pressure. dealer states that tires should be changed to improve drivability and abs function in snow and ice conditions. bridgestone dueller h/t 687 tires will be replaced with a different brand. these tires will be put in storage and will be available.
02/15/20094000
 On icy downhill grades when braking or slowing abs system will cause a rock hard pedal and complete loss of brakes. all four wheels will lockup. this causes loss of directional control and loss of braking. this failure occurs when abs fails to prevent wheels from locking up on slick surfaces. consequences include rear end collision, loss of control, unexpected exit from the roadway and loss of control of vehicle attitude. vehicle was take to dealer and brakes were inspected. nothing was found to be wrong. brakes were operating as designed. this is a design defect in the antilock braking system in that the system causes unexpected drastic changes in the feel of the brake pedal, allows the wheels to lock and does not give the driver clear expectation of how to regain control of the vehicle. on low coefficient of friction surfaces the abs system cannot differentiate between the vehicle moving with wheels locked and vehicle stationary with brakes engaged. vehicle must be accelerated to start wheels turning in order for the abs to release the pedal.
12/13/201018000
 At low speeds near intersections with light snow or slush on the road vehicle's abs system causes loss of stopping ability and loss of directional control. partial or complete loss of braking and/or directional control at stop signs and on slick roads. premature activation of abs system in snowy and slushy conditions. potential consequences include striking pedestrians, leaving the road unexpectedly and stopping in not before an intersection. dealer inspected braking system and stated that it is performing as intended. dealer further documented that oem tires had low traction rating causing abs system to operate incorrectly in certain driving conditions. in particular abs causes drastically increased stopping distance with loss of directional control with oem bridgestone dueller h/t 687 tires with 7/32 tread depth and correct inflation pressure. dealer states that tires should be changed to improve drivability and abs function in snow and ice conditions. bridgestone dueller h/t 687 tires will be replaced with a different brand. these tires will be put in storage and will be available.
02/15/20094000
 On icy downhill grades when braking or slowing abs system will cause a rock hard pedal and complete loss of brakes. all four wheels will lockup. this causes loss of directional control and loss of braking. this failure occurs when abs fails to prevent wheels from locking up on slick surfaces. consequences include rear end collision, loss of control, unexpected exit from the roadway and loss of control of vehicle attitude. vehicle was take to dealer and brakes were inspected. nothing was found to be wrong. brakes were operating as designed. this is a design defect in the antilock braking system in that the system causes unexpected drastic changes in the feel of the brake pedal, allows the wheels to lock and does not give the driver clear expectation of how to regain control of the vehicle. on low coefficient of friction surfaces the abs system cannot differentiate between the vehicle moving with wheels locked and vehicle stationary with brakes engaged. vehicle must be accelerated to start wheels turning in order for the abs to release the pedal.
12/13/201018000
 At low speeds near intersections with light snow or slush on the road vehicle's abs system causes loss of stopping ability and loss of directional control. partial or complete loss of braking and/or directional control at stop signs and on slick roads. premature activation of abs system in snowy and slushy conditions. potential consequences include striking pedestrians, leaving the road unexpectedly and stopping in not before an intersection. dealer inspected braking system and stated that it is performing as intended. dealer further documented that oem tires had low traction rating causing abs system to operate incorrectly in certain driving conditions. in particular abs causes drastically increased stopping distance with loss of directional control with oem bridgestone dueller h/t 687 tires with 7/32 tread depth and correct inflation pressure. dealer states that tires should be changed to improve drivability and abs function in snow and ice conditions. bridgestone dueller h/t 687 tires will be replaced with a different brand. these tires will be put in storage and will be available.
11/06/201021797
 We experienced brake failure twice on a trip 11/4/10 - 11/6/10. the first incident occurred on 11/4 while using cruise control. to slow for a vehicle in front of us, i hit the brake pedal. the brakes were not responsive and the cruise control remained active. pumping the brake pedal in a few seconds deactivated the cruise control and the brakes returned. this occurred with a noticeable jerk. the second incident occurred 11/6 while on heading east on rt 30 coming down sidling hill. the cruise control was not in use. while attempting to brake to reduce speed going down the hill, the brakes completely failed. repeated attempts to use the brake pedal failed to provide any braking. i used the parking brake to slow us down; however, the parking brake did not seem very effective. it took a considerable distance to come to a stop. i proceeded down the hill in a lower gear and at some point the brakes returned to use. there does not appear to be any reason as to why they failed or how or why they returned. the car has over 20,000 miles on it and this was the first incident of brake failure; although the situation with the cruise not deactivating had occurred once before. the car was taken to the dealer on 11/7. the dealer checked both the cruise and the braking system and found no problems. the dealer reported consulting with subaru on the problem as well. on 11/12 at the suggestion of the dealer, i contacted subaru customer service (ref#1-1157948155). subaru's follow up was that the car was checked and found to be ok and we should drive it and see if it happens again. this was not acceptable and we opted for a replacement vehicle at considerable out of pocket expense. this vehicle should not be sold to someone else. it should be returned to subaru to determine what caused the failures described.
09/28/2010200
 While driving a 2010 subaru forester around a corner up a steep driveway i encountered a vehicle coming down the driveway. the forester is manual and there was a shoulder in the driveway behind the corner i had rounded; i applied the clutch and brake when i saw the vehicle and released the brake while continuing to hold the clutch when i saw that i could roll back onto the shoulder directly behind me to get out of the way of the oncoming vehicle. the subaru did not move and i began to panic as the oncoming vehicle approached and my service brake had apparently ceased (the car would not move by gravity yet the service and hand brakes were both off). i put the car in reverse and revved the engine unusually hard while aggressively releasing the clutch to overcome the apparently frozen brake and avoid the head on collision, at which point the brake released and the car flew backwards toward a stone embankment behind the turn-off in the driveway. i stopped in time and avoided the vehicle exiting the driveway. i contacted the dealer and was told that this is some sort of safety feature on subarus whereby the service brake will not release when the clutch is depressed on a hill. the forester i was driving gives no indication to the operator that the service brake will behave in an unexpected way and there is apparently no way to disable this behavior in this model. as a seasoned driver with hundreds of thousands of miles of experience in many makes and models with manual transmissions i find this highly unsafe and totally unacceptable.

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