| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2004 Subaru Forester repairs by problem area
Engine (48%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (9%)
Brakes and Traction Control (5%)
Suspension and Steering (12%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (20%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (4%)
Other (2%)
Chart based on 213 repairs.
2004 Subaru Forester engine repair cost distribution
$2500+ (7%)
$1000 - $2499 (9%)
$500 - $999 (19%)
$100 - $499 (32%)
< $100 (33%)
Chart based on 98 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2004 Subaru Forester
Engine not specified
| 75000 mi US $2000 |
Turbo went out. |
2004 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV
turbocharged 210hp 2.5L I4 5-speed manual AWD
| 84600 mi US $300 |
Crack in plastic radiator cap leaked coolant. Replaced with fully welded alum radiator |
| 86300 mi US $350 |
Blown turbo was replaced with used unit |
| 105000 mi US $380 |
Radiator leaked and was replaced. |
| 107000 mi | High oil consumption, e.g. 2 quarts every fill up. The mechanics suspect engine cylinder problem or PCV valve problem. |
| 129000 mi US $1200 |
Clutch replacement |
| 104000 mi US $600 |
Turbo died, made horrible noises, very little power. Replaced turbo with another used one (from a friends WRX) |
| 97600 mi US $1980 |
blown turbo |
2004 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV
turbocharged 210hp 2.5L I4 4-speed automatic AWD
| 273800 mi US $1900 |
The turbo blew. |
| 278000 mi US $5600 |
Heads and block had cracks. Replaced valves, heads, all hoses, steering fluid pump. I turned it over to the technician to keep as his own per his request. He paid the bill for me. |
| 130800 mi US $3000 |
Timing belt skipped 7 teeth within 10,000 miles of being replaced. Had to replace timing belt pullies,and get top end rebuilt due to bent rods. |
| 155000 mi US $10 |
Mass Air Flow Sensor needed to be cleaned again. Every six months or so I get a code PO171. Cleaning the mas air flow sensor seems to fix it. |
| 121000 mi | "clicking" in engine - repair shop could not locate source of "click" without dissasembling the engine block. Told me to take it to dealer for repair. Decided to purchase another car and accept trade-in loss. |
| 86000 mi US $100 |
Fuel lines leaked under the intake manifold. Gas smell was noticed inside the car when weather was very cold (30F or below). This only happened when A/C was turned on (with the Recirculate function turned Off). |
| 97000 mi US $400 |
Radiator leaking |
| 92900 mi US $70 |
Car wouldn't start |
| 85000 mi US $500 |
Very serious problem. In temps below 0 deg. F fuel lines start leaking. Smoke coming from under hood, initially thought it was water. Had to remove manifold and tighten fuel lines. Extended warranty denied coverage. |
| 161000 mi | right valve cover has slow leak of oil, drips onto exhaust and turbo exhaust piping causing smoke, just starting leaking enough for drips overnight, due to mileage and exhaust heat, expected repair after 150k miles, check "half moons" also |
| 162100 mi | right valve cover now leaking excessively, cannot drive vehicle with that much oil leak, car taken out of service until problem is fixed, might end up fixing both sides and half moons all at once if half moons rear seal pieces are accessible |
| 146000 mi US $202 |
Engine Sludge caused CEL. Full engine flush and detergent cleaning followed by dealer oil change |
| 152000 mi US $1323 |
Turbo Rebuild and replacement. Replacement of gaskets and banjo joints. Antifreeze leak also fixed. |
| 152500 mi US $611 |
RH Oil Control Valve, Hoses, and Gaskets Replacement |
| 154000 mi US $413 |
All engine coil packs and spark plugs replaced due to dead cylinders. |
| 168000 mi US $97 |
Replaced idler pully Replacement of Fuel line under turbo and hoses and clamps associated with the line 1.5qts low on oil. triggered code P0021. Oil was changed and refilled. |
| 184200 mi | Camshaft position sensor had degraded over the life of the car, causing stalls during acceleration. |
| 195000 mi US $3500 |
Complete turbo rebuild and engine flush. |
| 160000 mi US $200 |
Overheated and subsequently damaged turbo. Likely caused by neglected oil changes. Replaced turbo with used part from junkyard. |
| 100000 mi US $50 |
Slow coolant leak at the fitting at the base of the radiator |
| 120300 mi US $56 |
check engine light came on due to a piece of foam caught in camshaft angle sensor. Repair was accomplished by removing the foam. |
| 125000 mi US $525 |
Variable Valve timing solenoid had was stuck in the fully advanced position by a small piece of something. |
| 112000 mi US $400 |
Turbo broke while normal driving at 65 mph. Turbo replaced, along with gaskets. New turbo worked perfectly for 950 miles, broke while normal driving at 65 mph. |
| 89000 mi US $270 |
2 of 4 cylinders suddenly misfired. Dealer diagnosed carbon-choked rods. Rebuilt engine. Did not fix problem. Replaced clogged oil control solenoid valve controlling cylinders 1, 3. Radiator leaking after return from dealer. Replaced radiator at 3rd party shop. |
| 65100 mi | Catalytic converter replaced under orig warranty. |
| 80600 mi C $400 |
breather fallen off cat converter trip cel |
| 114700 mi C $50 |
Clogged cam oiling valve caused check engine |
| 121520 mi C $165 |
blew the turbo after getting a p0011 code. filter in the banjo clogged, starved turbo and we lost it. sold the car as is to a kid to play with, as replacement turbo was too much for 10 years old |
| 134000 mi US $108 |
Cam position sensor failed and caused rough idle and stalling. |
| 152000 mi US $260 |
Original radiator sprung a leak about a mile from home. Noticed steam coming from under the hood as I pulled into driveway. Top plastic end tank split where it meets the radiator core. Replacement Koyorad ordered and installed. |
2004 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV
165-horsepower 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD
| 60000 mi US $3000 |
intake injector rails leaked gas, serpentine belt replaced, window howled due to poor seals, rotors replaced at only 40k |
| 162000 mi US $500 |
Cracked head |
| 106000 mi US $830 |
One bad drive belt pulley. |
| 118000 mi US $850 |
One of the timing belt pulleys failed, so had to have the entire timing belt, pulleys, water pump replaced, with Subaru parts. Previous replacement of above mentioned parts (only 6,000 miles ago) was with non-Subaru parts, but "good" parts. |
| 122000 mi US $932 |
One of the pulleys in the timing belt assembly started to come appart after only 4,000 miles since timing bely , etc.replacement. Since I was on the road when this happened, I had the timing belt and all pulleys plus water pump replaced. |
| 54800 mi US $12000 |
Clutch was slipping and was replaced |
| 74000 mi | Check engine light comes on, generally after driving down a (steepish) hill. code reads 5301 Appears to be not uncommon and is the Neutral switch on the transmission. Doesn't seem to require a repair, engine light resets itself within a couple of trips. |
| 84000 mi US $100 |
Stuttering/hesitating when gas given, esp. going up hills. Spark plugs and cables replaced |
| 148890 mi US $220 |
My car was skipping when I accelerated, and it got progressively worse over the course of 3 days. I took it in fearing the worst, headgasket, but they replaced the Plugs and Wires and it's running fine now. Not perfect, but good enough |
| 108000 mi | Needed a new head gasket within the next few months. Traded. |
| 87000 mi US $25 |
Engine temp was fluctuating. Dealer replaced radiator cap, No problem seen since. |
| 124000 mi US $1600 |
CEL lit, dealer replaced valves of evaporative emissions system. CEL lit again, so a second trip- dealer replaced charcoal canister, which had ruptured. CEL lit again, so a third visit. Dealer cleaned tank and replaced fuel pump. |
| 170800 mi US $340 |
Leaking Muffler |
| 180000 mi US $400 |
Replaced Head Gaskets Machine Ship 250 dollars Parts about 150 |
| 115000 mi US $311 |
Remove buzzing heat shield. |
| 118000 mi US $587 |
Engine surging/stumbling. Starved for fuel. Replaced faulty idle air control valve and, as precaution, evap canister purge valve. |
| 63240 mi C $340 |
oxygen sensor |
| 75020 mi C $500 |
leaking coolant from head gasget |
| 77500 mi C $50 |
slight coolant leak from head gasket |
| 104140 mi C $950 |
Replaced timing belt and water pump, cam and crank seals, re: minor oil leaks. |
| 116560 mi C $2120 |
Valve cover gasket and spark plug tube seals |
| 136060 mi C $100 |
Oil seepage |
| 146940 mi C $20 |
Exhaust system, bolts to manifold came loose |
| 148800 mi C $400 |
Leaking oil, valve cover gadgets replaced |
| 100000 mi | threw code P0519 cleaned IACV |
| 107000 mi US $580 |
Timing Belt and idler assembly replaced. Tensioner was squealing like a pig and book says to do it at 105k. Also while I had things apart did the water pump, thermostat, cam/crank seals, and accessory belts. |
| 147000 mi | Vapor canister clogged resulting in not being able to fill with gas, did not affect driveability. Took 10 min to repair. |
| 51000 mi US $400 |
reported loss of power |
2004 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV
165-horsepower 2.5L H4 4-speed automatic AWD
| 132000 mi US $800 |
Replaced catalytic converter with bolt-on replacement in order to pass inspection (CEL on since purchase, but no driveability issues) |
| 138000 mi US $600 |
Front oxygen sensor replaced. |
| 157000 mi US $1500 |
Engine issues related to car losing power and stalling. Full clutch replacement. |
| 83000 mi | Oxygen sensor |
| 60000 mi | Head gasket replaced |
| 72000 mi | head gasket replaced second time by dealer |
| 54000 mi US $200 |
Both head gaskets started leaking! Discovered during routine oil/filter change at 54,000 miles. 5yr/60k factory warranty on my Forester was 2 yrs beyond time limit but 6k within miles so Subaru of America covered it, less a $200 deductible. |
| 90501 mi US $500 |
Replaced clock bulb ($6+labor). Replaced valve cover gasket for internal engine oil leak ($98 + labor). Replaced oil soaked ignition wires and coil pack due to coil burnt/rusted #1 cylinder (~$310 total). |
| 91000 mi US $48 |
Check engine light diagnostics report a "Vent Control System Malfunction." Shop thoroughly examined each component and was unable to find a problem. |
| 92000 mi | Return of check engine light with same diagnostic error code. Dealer service checked entire vent control system and could not find a problem. They have contacted Subaru for solution. |
| 96000 mi US $42 |
Had a CEL for emission system |
| 65228 mi US $500 |
Front crank seal leaking oil. Replace seal. Charge is almost all labor. Had timing belt replaced at the same time but deducted $112 cost of belt from the $500 repair figure. Total cost for visit with timing belt and oil change was $640.52. |
| 90000 mi US $400 |
Replace Valve Cover Gaskets and Tube Seals. Oil dripping on spark plugs. |
| 105000 mi | Tighten exhaust heat shields which were vibrating during acceleration. |
| 110700 mi US $2066 |
Replace head gaskets. Replace timing belt, accessory belt and A/C belt. Subaru, to their credit, have offered me a goodwill check of $500 towards the repair, offsetting some of the $2066 cost. |
| 107500 mi | replace lower radiator hose and thermostat to stop coolant leak. this is a follow-up to the June 2013 head gasket replacement. Due to coolant loss I thought there was an issue with that repair. It took 3 trips for the dealership to fix. N/C. |
| 136000 mi US $40 |
Replace oil cooler gasket to stop oil drip. Exhaust System heat shield vibrating. Found loose heat shield. Drilled hole and inserted screw to wedge against exhaust pipe. Fastened 3" clamp around heat shield. Noise fixed. $1.56. |
| 160000 mi US $30 |
Upper radiator hose ballooned. Was about to let go. Glad I caught it as it looked normal when the engine was cool. Bought Dayco cut-to-fit hose first. Bad fit at radiator due to excessive bend. Found Subaru OEM hose and clamps at dealer number 7. First 6 no go.Perfect fit of course. |
| 85560 mi C $2500 |
Replaced head gaskets Replaced fuel pump |
| 93000 mi US $42 |
vent control solenoid malfunction. Reset CE light; tested solenoid, working ok |
| 98700 mi | Owner observed coolant leakage and burning smell. Leak not definitively located; thermostat housing may be leaking; recommend replacement of thermostat and all hoses; waiting until timing belt replacement. Did not recur. |
| 102000 mi US $10 |
oil leak observed front of engine, added oil stop leak |
| 109000 mi US $102 |
Exhaust flange and gasket needed replacing. Part of exhaust pipe needed welding. |
| 120000 mi US $230 |
Rusted fuel neck filler pipe and corresponding components replaced |
| 70060 mi C $500 |
The infamous heat shield rattle. This dealership had attempted to fix it once before; I chose to have the shields removed. |
| 130200 mi C $500 |
Coil pack damaged, had to change |
| 179000 mi US $95 |
exhaust resonator replaced, full piece from catalytic converter to muffler. $92 shipped and $3 back gasket. |
| 176000 mi US $230 |
idler pulley for A/C bearing failed. Replaced that, and the belts. |
| 132000 mi US $585 |
main exhaust pipe cracked |
| 89280 mi C $340 |
Muffler pipe had hole next to forward hanger & cracks on mid pipe next to hangar replaced with OEM style parts at 144000 km |
See TrueDelta's information for all SUVs
See TrueDelta's information for all Subaru models.
