Major Problems with 2004 Subaru Forester Derived from Complaints & Recalls

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Worst 3 complaints of 2004 Subaru Forester

2004 Subaru Forester AIR BAGS Victims: 2 Mileage: 43500 miles

2004 Subaru Forester ACCELERATOR PEDAL Victims: 1

2004 Subaru Forester FRONTAL Victims: 1

Browse 2004 Subaru Forester complaints by category

Problems with FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM, FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE and ENGINE are the most frequent issues recorded by the NHTSA from Subaru Forester owners.

Problem Category	Number of Problems
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM strong fuel odor inside cabin developed when operating on cold mornings fuel odor typically went away within 15 minutes of...	58 ~ 109239 miles
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE this problem happened when temperature dropped below about 15 degrees f. there was a very strong gas smell inside car...	58 ~ 87530 miles
ENGINE tl* the contact owns a 2004 subaru forester. the contact stated there was a slight leak of oil coming from...	20 ~ 98359 miles
AIR BAGS fuel door release button does not work. airbag light came on possible electrical problems. *bf 5 days after purchasing the...	19 ~ 46152 miles
SUSPENSION a rear wheel bearing has failed on our 2004 subaru forrester xt. we have heard a sound on again and...	16 ~ 129893 miles
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL consumer is unable to see the speedometer while driving during day time when the sun is out. the sun light...	10 ~ 52444 miles
UNKNOWN OR OTHER the vehicle generated excessive static shock. *nm the accelerator became stuck. there were times when the vehicle would go no	8 ~ 67625 miles
POWER TRAIN the vehicle's transmission made noise while driving. the vehicle was inspected and it was determined that he vehicle was operating...	8 ~ 64625 miles
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING the vehicle's transmission made noise while driving. the vehicle was inspected and it was determined that he vehicle was operating...	7 ~ 57214 miles
ENGINE > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING engine compartment fire resulting from oil leaking in engine compartment. there were no injuries and because of proximity of fire...	6 ~ 49018 miles
WHEELS noise from left rear wheel grew louder for weeks on a 2004 subaru forester xt turbo with 87 800 miles....	3 ~ 129308 miles
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM the air bag system will not function in the event of a collision due to an electrical connector malfunction. the...	3 ~ 90233 miles
FRONTAL > AIR BAGS while driving at 28 mph a head on collision occurred. upon impact air bags did not deploy. one person was	3 ~ 8333 miles
LOWER ARM > CONTROL ARM > FRONT tl* the contact owns a 2004 subaru forester the contact received notification of nhtsa campaign id number: 11v464000 (suspension:front:control arm:lower...	2 ~ 145500 miles
TURBO/SUPERCHARGER > GASOLINE > ENGINE consumer writes regarding automobile manufacturer design flaw exclusive dealerships repairs *tgw the consumer stated he experienced a catastrophic failure with...	2 ~ 34984 miles
REAR > SUSPENSION both rear wheel bearings needed to be replaced at 51 000 miles. *tr...	2 ~ 51000 miles
ACCELERATOR PEDAL > VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL the vehicle generated excessive static shock. *nm the accelerator became stuck. there were times when the vehicle would go no	2
TIRES there is tear between the tread and sidewall on the right rear side tire which is causing the consumer to	2 ~ 11962 miles
STEERING failed recall on 2004 subaru forester xt front lower control arms. the front lower control arm on the passenger side...	1 ~ 244123 miles
EQUIPMENT cspc: the weld that connects the main part of the rack to the portion that enters the hitch cracked resulting...	1
SERVICE BRAKES driving home from gym i noticed the clutch pedal was not engaging the clutch making shifting difficult. eventually returned home...	1 ~ 160000 miles
BODY > STRUCTURE having seen the complaints from other users regarding the reliability of airbag deployment in this model vehicle. relevant to let...	1
FUEL PUMP > DELIVERY > FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE fuel leak in 2004 subaru forester xt similar to other safety complaints entered nhtsa campaign 09v468000 and subaru recall wvk-21...	1 ~ 101312 miles
HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS > DELIVERY > FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE after coming home and parking my car in the garage my wife came in from the garage and said it...	1 ~ 159400 miles
SEAT BELTS my 2004 forester 2.5xt sustained a significant motor vehicle accident on 10/25/11 damaging the front & rear end at...	1 ~ 76000 miles
STRUCTURE tl* the contact owns a 2004 subaru forester. the contact received notification of a manufacturers recall pertaining to the sun-roof...	1 ~ 45102 miles
SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC on 03/26/2010 car failed to stop in spite of heavy pressure on the brake pedal. the abs did not cut...	1 ~ 56180 miles
EXHAUST SYSTEM > ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING i purchased a 2004 subaru forrester xt in february of '09 with 93 008 miles on it. the dealership had...	1 ~ 102323 miles
MANUAL TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN our 2004 model manual gear-box subaru forester 2.5 x stalls far too easily in first gear. recently my wife narrowly...	1 ~ 50000 miles
SIDE/WINDOW > AIR BAGS the air bag system will not function in the event of a collision due to an electrical connector malfunction. the...	1 ~ 25000 miles
REAR WINDOW WIPER/WASHER > VISIBILITY subaru refuses to make winter blades for the rear wiper blade on 2004-2008 subaru foresters. this results in rear wiper...	1 ~ 85175 miles
FILLER PIPE AND CAP > TANK ASSEMBLY > STORAGE during gas fill-ups unable to fill tank without continuous start/stops (~20 times for full tank). have tried different pumps and	1 ~ 39000 miles
WHEEL BEARING > FRONT > SUSPENSION right rear wheel bearing failed at 31000 milesin november 2005 and was replaced by the dealer. at 67000 milesin june...	1 ~ 67000 miles
LATCH > HOOD > LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES hood latch released while driving on interstate at 65 mph. occurred twice in less than 30 minutes. this occurred when...	1 ~ 25300 miles
HATCHBACK/LIFTGATE > BODY > STRUCTURE the rear hatch door does not latch and door can swing open. problem started around 45k and all the dealer...	1 ~ 75000 miles
IGNITION > ELECTRICAL SYSTEM when outside temperature falls below 10 degrees f. car will not start or starts only with greatest difficulty. last year(2004)...	1 ~ 29500 miles
MID/REAR ASSEMBLY > SEATS 1. no failure yet. center rear passenger roof mounted seatbelt is currently not being used on a 2004 subaru forester...	1 ~ 15000 miles
ANTILOCK/TRACTION CONTROL/ELECTRONIC LIMITED SLIP > SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC dt: contact states he has had to change the tires on his vehicle on 1-22-05. the miles on the vehicle...	1 ~ 14394 miles
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN the vehicle generated excessive static shock. *nm the accelerator became stuck. there were times when the vehicle would go no	1
CATALYTIC CONVERTOR > EMISSION CONTROL > EXHAUST SYSTEM excessive sulfur dioxide odor (rotten egg). company refuses to fix converter blames fuel. converter should handle the sulfur content of	1 ~ 300 miles
STORAGE > FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE fuel door release button does not work. airbag light came on possible electrical problems. *bf 5 days after purchasing the...	1
GEAR POSITION INDICATION (PRNDL) > AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION > POWER TRAIN the vehicle's transmission made noise while driving. the vehicle was inspected and it was determined that he vehicle was operating...	1

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