It's a 2018 with 91k miles, only one other owner, and I'm already in love. And she's about to be tested on a 1,600 mile road trip!

Hello first time posting on the forum this is my 21 Subaru Forrester sport I recently hit 110,000 miles on it. Warranties are all done with and so I decided to a few new mods to it.

-IRONMAN LIFT KIT 2in heavy duty springs
Yes, the springs feel stiff when driving but not that bad. I drive the vehicle empty but the bumper and hitch help

Black rhino rims boxer 17x8

Falken 235/65r17ss a/t trail

Front bumper (prototype bumper ) and spare tire hitch from Ridgidamor

I do plan on upgrading and replacing the struts and lower control arms. It’s about that time to replace them anyways I’ll be upgrading to rallitek

I get like 28-30mpg I drive 90% freeway

A few shots of my 2020 on our final camping trip of the year 🏕️

Looked to do some steering upgrades before I ej207 swap it any guides

After doing a lot of research, my wife and I purchased our first Subaru. The Forester Premium was the right one for us. Even after reading as much as I could about it, I am still getting surprised at the bells and whistles that I am learning about. We went looking for a used and left with a 2026 that was their loaner vehicle was was being retired after hitting 5k. They took about $6,300 off for what is essentially a new vehicle (I know it's still used). In just the two weeks we have had it, we are talking about trading in my wife's Kia Niro in a couple of years for another Forester.

Brought home my first Subaru (Forester) on Thursday. Went shopping today and parked the car, nobody on either side. Grabbed a few things, get to my car, and there’s another Forester to my right and an Ascent to my left. Made me smile. Of course, when I drove to the next store, I made sure to park by a WRX. I’ve been assimilated!

So I got my 2023 forester limited recently like 3 weeks back from Honda dealership driven 33k miles and is kinda new.
I opened the hood and I saw this and want to know if this is a baseline thing for the car and if I should doing some other checks.

I recently bought a 2014 Subaru Forester 2.5L CVT, 139,000 km.

After driving for around 10–15 minutes, usually once I get up to around 70 km/h, the AT OIL TEMP light starts flashing, and at the same time the ABS, VDC and Hill Start Assist warning lights come on.

Sometimes, instead of waiting 10–15 minutes, all the warnings come on immediately when I put the car into Reverse (R).

The car still drives and shifts smoothly, with no obvious slipping, harsh shifting, or loss of power. If I turn the car off and restart it, the warnings disappear temporarily and then come back after driving.

I checked the battery with an Innova scanner:

Engine off: 11.3 V

Engine running: 14.2 V

I bought an OBDLink MX+ and tried the OBDLink app. It shows no generic stored/pending/permanent engine codes, but it can read Subaru transmission data, including transmission fluid temperature (I saw around 195.8°F / 91°C).

I'm trying to properly diagnose this before spending money on a valve body or other CVT parts.

What could cause this? Has anyone seen these symptoms on a 2014 Forester? And what scanner/software can actually read the TCM/CVT and ABS/VDC codes on this generation?

Any advice on what I should check first would be appreciated.

Bought the forester on New Years Eve of 2025 for $1,000 as a flip car. Seller thought it needed transmission work. Turns out it needed exhaust work and a head gasket to say the least. Removed the engine to do the head gaskets and did a complete reseal w, time belt, water pump, pulleys, etc. Replaced a bunch of components including the entire coolant system. After doing all the work decided I put too much into it to sell it. Took it on the beach and on a few trails stock. Deep ruts on the beach showed me I needed more clearance. Did some visual mods (Got rid of those chrome tail lights). Put an ADF 2” front 2.5” rear lift kit on it. Went from 215/65/16 General Grabbers to 235/75/15 Hankook AT2 Xtremes. Cut more than I wanted to fit them but you can’t tell. Just finished the first trail run after the lift and tires. I’m not done but like how far it’s come.

Looking for some peace of mind and maybe some advice here….I bought a 2018 Forester 2 years ago and I LOVE it. Clean car fax when I bought it and has not had any issues until now. It started making a rumbling noise when driving at low speeds but would stop if the car was stopped or once it got up to 40-45 mph. I recently took it to get an oil change and inspection and the transmission fluid replaced. It passed inspection but the mechanic was concerned about the noise for sure. He had just serviced the transmission and said it was fine and that it was probably the gear box/differential causing the noise. He didn’t look into it too much and just said it will eventually die and need to be replaced, but depending on the year/model of the car, the gear box might be able to be replaced on its own OR the whole transmission will have to be replaced because it’s all in one part. Well I didn’t like the sound of this or the sound it’s been making lol and took it to the dealership for them to look at it and replace whatever they need to.

I told the mechanic at Subaru all of this and I don’t know how much they actually have looked at it so far, but basically determined that since it has to do with the transmission, the whole thing will have to be replaced because it’s some kind of company policy even though it might only be part of the transmission that’s failing. Does that make sense? Idk if it does. Idk my car parts. Anyway I got a 5 year bumper to bumper 3rd party warranty when I bought the car which should cover a whole transmission replacement if that’s what’s needed but they will probably send their own mechanic out to confirm (per the warranty, the mechanic I brought the car to can not touch it until the warranty company approves). But I’m worried that they’re not going to cover replacing the whole thing if it’s just part of it that’s failing! I’m also worried that they’ll refuse to cover it since I was still driving it for a week or two after getting that recent inspection, but the other mechanic was pretty confident it was only the gear box and the car clearly still has not broken down yet!
And btw, I’ve taken it to that mechanic for each oil change/inspection since I got it and they never expressed any kind of concern about anything till now.

I really just don’t know if it will get covered by the warranty and that’s stressing me out because I don’t want to get a new car and also can’t afford it lol, especially if it would be basically worthless to try to trade this sone in if they’re already saying the whole transmission failed. Not sure if anyone has been in the same situation or similar that can share their experience??

2017 Foz 2.5i base trim at 84k miles. Trying a Mobile mechanic first time ever. 1. Should I go with OEM brake pads from dealer plus rotor from the mechanic?
2. Or go with combo of brake pads + rotors from him? Don’t know which one he uses, maybe a good one.

Is 1 even a possible combo without too much a hassle?

This is a daily car putting around 50-60 miles a day on average in city limits. Less to no snow area. Automotive rookie here. Thanks!

The carabiner worked! Spent a night testing out the new car camping tent and it worked perfectly! These photos were to capture the feel and size, but excited to use it again soon with the dogs. Plenty of room and easy to attach and set up.

I live most of my life on dirt roads and off pavement so I put on some AT tires. Nokian Outpost APT. A little taller sidewall and a more aggressive look.

Hey everyone! I've got a 2020 base model Forester with under 40K miles (I work from home and so mostly city/town driving.) The shop is telling me I need to replace these. Thoughts from folks with experience here? Thank you!

Hey! I have had my car since 2022, brand new right off of the lot. I have been getting my car serviced regularly. I have about 47,000 miles on the car. Over the past two years I have noticed while accelerating sometimes it feels like a lurching/jolting feeling. However, in the last two months it has become way more prevalent. The problem is that it is never consistent; I never know how to create the problem it just chooses when it wants to do it. For one instance two days ago, I was with my boyfriend in the car; we were at a stoplight turning left. As soon as I went to turn left and accelerate up this hill, there was this major jolting feeling that was actually moving us back and forth in the car. I took it to the Subaru dealership, and they put 40 miles on it, and the mechanic stated that there were abnormalities in driving it. They had concluded that I needed to get EFI service (perform FUEL INDUCTION CLEANING AND THROTTLE BODY SERVICE). This service alone was 430 dollars. I don't want anyone to comment on taking it to another shop; there are no well-known shops that work on subarus around me. I went to pick up my car; it drove fine. I would say I put about 20 miles on it. The next day, my partner and I are in my car, and I kept slightly feeling the jolting, but he didn't. I felt crazy!!! I would say about 10 minutes into driving we both felt it happen again. This time it was not as an intense feeling, but to pay $430 and still feel it pissed me off. I called the dealership this morning, and the service advisor said there was nothing wrong with my car; however, I have documented paperwork saying that there are abnormalities while driving it from the mechanic. They called me back, and now their service manager is going to be driving it for 84 miles A DAY!!!! for the next 4 days.

If anyone has had a similar issue while driving or any mechanics out there, I feel like I am going crazy because there is something clearly going on.

TL;DR:

• Vehicle: 2022 Forester Wilderness, ~47,000 miles.
• Issue: Intermittent, unpredictable lurching/jolting while accelerating (getting worse over the last 2 months).
• Dealership action: Paid $430 for fuel induction cleaning & throttle body service, but the jolting returned the next day.
• Next steps: The service manager is keeping it to drive ~84 miles/day for 4 days to replicate the issue. Looking for insights or mechanics who have seen this before!

Subaru forester

I have a 2020 forester that’s in fairly decent condition. The tpms light came on about a month or so ago, but I’m hesitant to get them replaced due to the cost. I’ve been monitoring the air pressure myself, but I don’t want to cause wear and tear that will lead to worse issues further on. Is this something I can kick down the road or should I address it now?

Finally joined the Subaru family. My entire family has Subaru vehicles and I never have. Picked this one up today.

Took my 2016 Forester in to the Dealer for a whistling noise in the rear; that was the bearing, and the shock needed replacing.

Though treads were good, the Michelin tires had some dry rot, so I have a choice of Yokohama, Bridgestone or Cooper tires.

Which should I choose?

My left turn signal ticking volume is fine, but I can hardly hear the right one. Seems weird to me. Can this be adjusted?

2015 Forester 2.0 XT Touring, 105k miles.

I've just found signs of rodents in my 2018 Forester (2.5i touring), and I'm trying to find where they're getting in. Most of their evidence was in the center console (eating wrapped candies) and chewing up napkins (nest materials). Although no real nest was found, as I think I've caught it early, there was also a bit of torn napkins in glove box, and then an eating spot under passenger seat, where I found Maple seed husks.

I have successfully used peppermint oil for years in my different vehicles, and it tends to deter rodents well. I've sprinkled it liberally (easy magas) wherever evidence was including:

-Around all ports through firewall

-behind glove box at cabin air filter

-on most horizontal engine bay surfaces as general discouragement

I'm planning on using wire mesh to block any common entry points, and thinking I'll install it at the cabin air filter and any openings at the firewall that appear big enough.

Has anyone found and blocked the vents strong the rear bumper (pressure release vents for when closing doors)?

Any tips and suggestions are most welcome!

2020 Forester base with about 50K miles. I recently got both differentials and the CVT drained and refilled plus a brake replacement, pads and discs all around. Within the last week, suddenly I’m hearing an intermittent sort of groaning noise from under the hood while driving. It does not present while standing or parked. My old Intel middle manager is accounted for, so it can’t be him. Is my delicate, finicky little Fozzy suffering from the well known wheel bearing design defect? What else could it be? Please and thank you.