2008 Subaru Forester — Known Issues & Recalls

While driving at 35 MPH, you heard abnormal clanking from the steering wheel and the steering wheel became loose without warning. When you inspected the vehicle, the front lower control arm had completely broken due to severe corrosion. This issue is linked to NHTSA recall campaign 11V464000, though the dealer confirmed the recall had already been completed on your vehicle previously. The repair will likely involve replacing the corroded front lower control arm.

Your lower control arm detached while you were driving, and you noticed rust on the part. This is a suspension component that helps keep your wheel aligned and stable. The dealership towed your car but didn't diagnose or repair the problem. Fixing this will likely require replacing the lower control arm and inspecting other suspension parts for rust or damage.

Your right front lower control arm completely detached from the frame due to rust, which caused your steering to become uncontrollable—the steering wheel no longer worked to direct the car. This is part of a known safety recall (WVX34/11v464000), but your dealer says the recall is closed and won't help. You should have the left front control arm inspected as well, since it also shows signs of rust damage.

Your Forester made a grinding noise while driving at various speeds, then your front lower control arm suddenly detached from the vehicle when you turned into a driveway. This is a serious safety issue that left your car undrivable. The fix will likely involve replacing the lower control arm and inspecting the suspension mounting points for damage.

While backing out of your driveway, your driver's side lower control arm fractured, causing the wheels to separate from the vehicle. An independent mechanic found the control arm was broken and the passenger side showed severe rust damage. Your car had previously been repaired under a Subaru suspension recall (campaign 11V464000). Fixing this will require replacing the fractured lower control arm and addressing rust damage on suspension components.

While driving at about 5 MPH, your transmission control valve detached from your 2008 Subaru Forester without any warning light appearing on your dashboard. You discovered this issue may be related to a known suspension recall (NHTSA Campaign 11V464000), though your vehicle's VIN wasn't included in that recall. The car was towed to a mechanic for diagnosis, but the repair wasn't completed at the time of this report. Repairing this issue will likely involve removing and reattaching or replacing the transmission control valve.

You heard clanking and knocking sounds from the front end of your 2008 Subaru Forester while driving. A mechanic found severe rust and corrosion on the front subframe and lower control arm. While backing out of your driveway, the front driver's side control arm fractured, making the vehicle undrivable. Even though your vehicle was supposed to be fixed under a previous recall to prevent this exact problem, the failure happened anyway.

While driving at about 30 mph, your car started shaking, especially in the front right wheel, and the vehicle drifted to the right. A mechanic found that your front lower control arm was cracked. This happened even though the same suspension component was previously repaired under a recall campaign.

While driving at about 50 mph, the lower control arm on the front passenger side of your 2008 Subaru Forester broke. Even though your vehicle was previously repaired under a recall for this suspension issue, the manufacturer refused to cover this repair. You had to pay out of pocket for diagnosis and repair at an independent mechanic. The failure occurred at approximately 88,900 miles. The fix will involve replacing the fractured lower control arm.

Your engine's compression has been declining rapidly, causing sluggish and jerky performance. The check engine light came on shortly after routine service, and diagnostic testing revealed the compression isn't working properly. Your engine may need to be completely rebuilt or replaced to fix this issue.

During routine maintenance at 100,000 miles, your Subaru Forester was found to have a blown head gasket and an oil leak. The dealer repaired the timing belt to address these issues. A blown head gasket typically requires replacement of the gasket and related seals to stop oil leakage and restore proper engine compression.

Your engine has a significant oil leak that has covered the entire engine in oil buildup from front to back. You've taken your car to the Subaru dealership multiple times since 2012, including for a head gasket replacement last year, but the mechanics never identified or addressed this leak despite the engine smoking. You're frustrated that this major issue wasn't caught during service, especially after paying for five years of ownership, and you're concerned about the car's reliability going forward. Fixing this will likely require a thorough engine inspection to locate the leak source and seal or replace the affected gasket or seal.

Your driver's side airbag deployed unexpectedly while your car was parked in your garage overnight, with no one inside and no accident or impact. The dealership and Subaru engineers have inspected the vehicle but cannot determine what caused the deployment. The investigation is ongoing, and may involve replacing the airbag system and conducting diagnostic testing to identify the root cause.

Your car was rear-ended at highway speeds (50-60 mph) on I-35 in Denton, TX. The driver and front passenger were wearing seatbelts but both sustained head injuries and lost consciousness. The airbags failed to deploy during the crash, even though they should have activated. You may need to have the airbag system inspected and repaired to ensure the sensors and deployment mechanisms are working properly.

Your car stalled while driving in heavy rain and restarted normally. Later, while slowly moving forward in a parking spot with your foot on the brake to avoid a large puddle, your vehicle suddenly lurched forward uncontrollably, went over a concrete barrier, onto a sidewalk, and crashed into a building. The incident happened instantaneously despite having your foot on the brake. This may involve inspection of the brake system, engine stall conditions in wet weather, and throttle response.

Your secondary air pump isn't working properly, which has triggered your check engine light to stay on continuously. This malfunction is also disabling your traction control and cruise control features. You can hear the pump trying to operate, and there's concern about potential fire risk from the malfunction.

While driving on the highway at 55-60 mph, your car suddenly shook violently and you lost steering control while other vehicles passed at 65-70+ mph. You discovered the right front lower control arm had severely deteriorated and broken. Subaru had issued a recall 9 years earlier, but instead of replacing the arm, they only applied rust-proofing in 2012, and now refuse to cover repair or replacement costs. The repair will require replacement of the lower control arm assembly with an upgraded part.

While driving on the interstate at 75 mph, you heard a loud pop and suddenly lost control of your car. Your front passenger side felt like it gave out completely, causing you to slide into the interstate divider wall. When you inspected the damage, you found both front tires had blown out, and underneath the car there was excessive grease covering the steering and exhaust areas. After a detailed inspection in daylight, you discovered your control arm was snapped in two pieces, the outer tie rod was bent, the CV axle was snapped (causing grease to leak), the ball joint boot was leaking lubricant, and the front strut tower may have been damaged. The repair will likely involve replacing multiple front suspension and steering components on the passenger side.

While slowly entering a handicapped parking space with your foot on the brake, your engine RPMs suddenly surged to 5,000+ without you pressing the accelerator, and the vehicle accelerated uncontrollably through a building despite firm braking. Additionally, the driver and passenger airbags failed to deploy during the multiple heavy impacts of the crash. The investigation would likely focus on the fuel system's throttle control and the airbag deployment system.

Your engine is overheating, which is triggering problems with your electrical system and airbags. This overheating issue needs prompt attention to prevent damage to your engine and avoid further system failures.