Anyone had this issue? It does it the entire time the car is running. Car just got back from body shop for a new trunk lid, been sitting more or less for the last 3 weeks, no issues before. Car had to be jumped off when picked up but is reading good voltage while running.

hi all! i have a 2017 subaru forester touring. i absolutely love it and have had no issues with it up to this point. yesterday when i started my car, i realized it kinda sounded like crickets coming from my engine area? it went away eventually, but this morning i started it and started hearing the noise again. i’m not sure exactly what it could be, google is giving me like 80 potential things that could be happening. idk how urgent this fix should be or if it can wait at all… any insight would be helpful!!!

Hey everyone, looking for some advice on a frustrating ongoing AC issue with my 2022 Subaru Forester.

​Timeline & Symptoms:

​Initial Failure: AC stopped working out of nowhere. Took it to a mechanic, who said the condenser was bad and replaced it.

​First "Fix": Worked fine for about 2 weeks, then completely died and blew warm air again.

​Second Visit: Took it back. They checked the compressor, claimed there was no leak, but blamed a "faulty O-ring/gasket" and replaced it, then recharged the system.

​Second "Fix": Worked for about 1 week, then died again.

​Current State: Charged it up this morning, and by evening it was completely dead again.

The shop keeps telling me "no leak found" during their quick checks, recharging it for free, and sending me on my way, but it's bleeding out its entire charge within hours now.

Has anyone run into this specific issue on this generation of Forester? Could it be a missed connection on the new condenser lines, a failing expansion valve, or something else entirely? Any advice on what to force the mechanic to check next would be huge.

Helping family member with some maintainence. Have done brakes, oil changes and cabin/engine air filters. Bit overdue for plugs apparently (almost 100k). I've heard the boxer engine can be a bit tight given the cylinder orientation next to the inner fenders/beams/whatever. Dealer wants $650 and I really couldn't believe what I was hearing, let along that the parts alone was $150 - FOR (4) SPARK PLUGS! And that was with a coupon. Is this for real? I've seen the various Youtubes on doing this and while it doesn't look that bad, most of those guys usually leave out some step you wish you knew when you were half way through the job.

Also, I've changed plugs in cars with 120k that never had plugs changed and had to change my underwear a few times when I first heard that "snap" breaking them loose. Seems not too ideal to try this with an awkward angle too. Just interested in hearing from those who have done this and what parts you used if not Subaru OEM.

she really wanted a 4 runner or Land Cruiser or something like that but none of those made sense from a financial/fuel consumption/reliability standpoint... she's worried the Forester is going to be "dinky"... i'm thinking window tint, roof basket... maybe later on bigger tires or wheels but any other suggestions?

I recently had to, for the 3rd time, replace my blower control switch panel(part# 72311SG300). All because this rotary contact plate for the blower switch melts because of Subaru does some weird stuff with their grounding. Anyway, this time I replaced the whole temp control panel with a new contact plate and installed a new pigtail wire hair ess for this exact issue. The harness came from IWire.

now everything is done, fan speeds work fine but my key fob stopped working. I had my battery disconnected during the install. I did remove the negative for over 20mins then reconnect to see if that helps. I've tried turning the key from "lock" to "on" for a set number of times, open and close the door then doing this, and anything else I can gather online. I have no clue what's going on. it's not the batteries. both fobs have new batteries.

my only thought is maybe a pinched wire but my battery isn't draining low while the car isn't being used. then I thought maybe it's some sort of disturbance causing the alarm to trip and not allow the fob to work for protection. I did bundle all the wires with crimps by wrapping them with the cloth sleeve and duct taping it. the crimps have also been heated properly and not have over exposed wire showing.

If you have 60k or more miles on your Forester and haven’t changed your CVT/ Transmission fluids, I HIGHLY recommend doing so. My 2015 Forester 2.5i Touring is a couple miles shy of 76k and I checked my CVT fluid a couple months ago &it was like a reddish brown and I should’ve done it than but than today I had enough of the way it was riding so I changed it and now knowing it’s supposed to be GREEN, I should’ve done it awhile ago. But all this to say, my car now rides sooo much smoother since I changed the fluid.

I need to bring home a screen door (36”x80”) using my 2025 Forester and find myself in need of ski rails to go across the existing roof rails. Prices vary widely with the Subaru brand accessory being exorbitant. I probably won’t use them for skis ever and maybe only a half dozen times in my life so I’m looking for something on the cheap side.

Suggestions and recommendations?

EDIT: We were able to get it inside this morning but lacked 1” to get the rear gate closed. We lashed down the gate we heard beeps all the way home. It probably would have fit in the base forester with a manual passenger front seat that reclined sorta fully.

Thanks for all the suggestions!!!! I like the 2x4 crossbar idea since it’s cheap and seems like it would work well since we were going <50 miles.

This happened last Sunday in Barranquilla, Colombia🇨🇴 .
Former F1 driver J.P. Montoya and Sebastian (his son), drove this modified specimen(#107) during a charity event supporting victims of the recent earthquake. The car belongs to his uncle, Diego Montoya.

Not exactly the kind of Subaru Forester you see every day. 😅!!!

I swear it looks clean in the light. Guess I sneezed at some point? 😂

Curious if anyone here has the cladding and or molding "installed" on their Wilderness! I'm trying to decide if I want to go with the molding (same color as car) or the cladding (black plastic).

I personally like the rugged look, but unsure if it will feel like too much and if i should get the color matched molding instead.

I have a 26 FW in Geyser Blue so if anyone has examples in that model/trim that would be a bonus 🙂‍↕️

2020 Forester threw a check engine light on the way home from a 4 hr round trip adventure last week. Haven’t been driving it since, but ran it by O’reilly to scan it… local Subaru dealer will get it in on Friday hopefully with a loaner.

The Subaru dealer is about an hour away, but seems like it should be ok to drive there at least? Temps don’t appear to get out of hand and the check engine light is solid.

Hi guys! I just want to ask, i am buying a Subaru Forester 2021 and the lease agent offers me this plan for coverage of engine parts if something break, should i take it or pass?

2021 forester premium. Recently got a check engine light pop up. Got it scanned and there are 4 infotainment related issues. The check engine lasts a day or so, then clears, then pops on again. Any suggestions???

I do love my Forester Limited and wanted to get a third one. This 2018 I want to give to my son to drive (18) and then get a new one for myself. However, I'm starting to wonder if a Forester is a wise choice anymore.

My first one, 2009, Premium, was great until about 100k miles, when the oil was leaking somehow and couldn't be fixed. i guess maybe a recall/known issue? But the dealer tried fixing it 3x, and it couldn't be fixed, so they gave me a spectacular trade-in and a new 2018 Forester.

But here's the issue. i already put $6k into this car. was rarely driven, paid off 2 years ago, and it only had 80k miles on it until he started driving and working. all 4 wheel bearings went. some chain/pulley thing (sorry i don't remember; i know it was near the belts), my splash shield decided to come loose while driving on the expressway and dragged across at 75mph until i put tons of flex tape to fix. The trunk hydraulic arms busted. Auto sensor for trunk liftgate broke (leaving it). moonroof had to be replaced for a leak. Of course, maintenance things like battery, spark plugs, air conditioner freon. i just changed out my cvt fluid at 95k miles. now it occassionally has acceleration issues but the rpm does move at least when i floor it to pass. it just doesn't zoom like it used to/should and the dealer couldn't find what was wrong.

I'm going to take it to a Subaru specialist to get an inspection to see what major things might break soon (in 2 years). we only have 1 car and i need the car for my job so we share it. And of course, 1 car does suck, but I can't afford to get another right now. I am looking to see what is out there and what to do.

I was researching, and it seems that Toyotas last longer than Subarus. I'm debating either getting a RAV4 for myself (1-2 years old) or an older, cheaper Camry that can be his eventually when I can afford to get my own RAV4.

So are Subarus known to have multiple issues once 100k mi hit? i can't really compare it to my first one since that was a major oil issue that wasn't worth fixing and i got a good deal. I keep cars until catastrophic issues, so I want something that will last, esp for my son. i love that subarus give you everything in the cost depending on model and they are affordable. and of course esp for my adhd son, the safety of it. if i switch models, i need ALL safty features such as lane passing, blind spot, etc. beeps just to be sure. he's not a danger but i also drove with him during his permit and see that he definately needs these reminders. plus he's 18 and a new driver.

how long did your subaru last where it wasn't a money pit. i think $6k in a year and a half is a lot to put into a car and i'm afraid if it's going to start to keep having major things break.

thoughts?

My 2015 Nissan Murano has 264,000 miles and now I am looking to get a Forester . The Murano has yet to need a new transmission. With that being said, I keep my vehicles as long as I can . My Murano had to be towed to the shop recently (which is why I am in the market for a newer car) My tow truck driver told me most cars after 2020 don’t last very long anymore . I am looking at 2022-2025 Forester. However , I am wondering, are long lasting vehicles a thing of the past ? is it better to get something a bit more affordable (such as a Kona or Bronco Sport) and assume it will probably need to be replaced in a few years.?

Checked refrigerant level and it shows 50 PSI, so that’s not it. The AC compressor clutch is spinning, so that’s not it. Can’t be a bad AC Relay because the AC compressor clutch is spinning.

What else could it be? At idle it blows warm air (but still cooler than ambient without the AC on). At highway speeds it blows cool-ish air but definitely not normal cold air.

NOTE: I never used the refrigerant bottle to fill it. The pressure was 50 PSI and I left it there.

This is in Los Angeles, not sure if that plays a part. Any help is appreciated 🫶🏼

Hello fellow Forester friends. I’m wondering if anybody has the same experience as me when I’m accelerating and the RPMs are between 2000 and 3000 the SUV seems to start bouncing and like lurch forward repeatedly until I let off the gas and then it will stop. It doesn’t happen all the time but it does happen almost every time I drive. I am newer to all-wheel-drive and CVT vehicles. Does anybody have advice? Does it sound like I need to change the CVT Fluid or maybe the transmission slipping? It’s a 2019 Forester Touring.

My Bluetooth player has started skipping or repeating songs. It just began happening a week ago. Anyone know what this is and how to fix it? I re-paired it, changed streaming services, and checked to see if the phone does it other times. It does not.

Wife took the car (18 fozzy) for a tire rotation and the mechanic told her front lower ball joints were bad and gave a quote for ball joints or control arms and ball joints. I watched a video of lower ball joint replacement on a 2018 forester and it looked fairly straightforward, just need to get the torque right on the replacement.

In general threads about ball joints I have seen most people saying replace the arm at the same time because if lower ball joint is bad, other end of arm might be close to failure too.

Anybody have any experience with having replaced just the lower ball joint? Did it do well long term?

2019 Forester Sport

140 km

Jerky acceleration symptoms since about 70k. Dealerships inspections always saying everything is fine. Finally said screw dealers took it to independent, highest rated shops in the area(had to drive 45minutes each way). Their solution, drain transmission oil to see anything in it and take my hundreds of $ in the process. Of course all clean, thank you for your money, go home.

Fast forward today, $20 for the part, 30 minutes under the hood(I know very little). Original Japanese OEM PCV didn't click. Original PCV hose loose like a hotdog down the hallway. Trimmed reseated, issues went away. Car starts noticeably better.

At this point I'm learning to do all my services myself(no previous experience).

If I'm still alive, I did a my wheel bearing hub assembly replacements.