2009 Subaru Forester Subaru Forester 2009

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2009 Subaru Forester repairs by problem area

Engine (31%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (8%)

Brakes and Traction Control (5%)

Suspension and Steering (16%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (22%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (13%)

Other (4%)

Chart based on 322 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2009 Subaru Forester.

2009 Subaru Forester engine repair cost distribution

$2500+ (9%)

$1000 - $2499 (15%)

$500 - $999 (15%)

$100 - $499 (25%)

< $100 (37%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 93 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2009 Subaru Forester

Engine not specified

143220 mi Head gaskets starting to leak. 

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2009 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

turbocharged 224hp 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD

62000 mi Capital repair of the engine. 
67580 mi

$625
Radiator replacement 

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2009 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

turbocharged 224hp 2.5L H4 4-speed shiftable automatic AWD

25000 mi Gas cap broke and no longer sealed tank, causing check engine light to come on. Was replaced under warranty - no further problems with fuel system. 
30000 mi Transmission shifts had become excessively rough. Reset transmission controller to default state so it could relearn shifting. Transmission shifting reverted to what it was when car was new - relatively smooth. 
39680 mi

C $6800
Connecting Rod broken. Catastrophic engine failure. Known problem with 09 Subarus. 
83000 mi

US $500
Cracked radiator. No blown heads, thankfully 
55000 mi

US $850
Turbo failure due to oil blockage in banjo bolts. Car burning oil. Required turbo replacement. 
45200 mi noise in engine has to be torn down to find problem dealer giving run around if it should be by the drive train warranty 
104000 mi had the head gaskets changed, also the belts and fuel filter 
60000 mi Slight coolant leak from radiator cap. Cap was replaced. 
5518 mi Blown engine and damaged turbo. 
8060 mi Secondary air pump failure. 
43000 mi

US $200
Check engine light on-replaced the EGR/came back on 
48360 mi O2 sensor broke. $500 to replace. Some belt need to be replaced. Another $200. All brakes rusted. Need $700. 
52080 mi car won`t start without noise and electricity available. Car started without repair after 30 mins. Brought to the mechanic for check up. Recall from the dealer on the brake line. 

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2009 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

turbocharged 145hp 2.0L H4 Diesel 6-speed manual AWD

66340 mi

$450
Check engine warning light was light-on. Mass air flow sensor was changed but the problem was not solved. Then a mechanic problem was discovered. A tube for air which come from the turbine was broken. Tube was replaced and problem solved 
85560 mi

$100
A rubber tube was broken. Tube was replaced 
86280 mi

$300
Check engine was light on EGR valve was cleaned Then DPF Management problem occured DPF was dismounted, manually cleaned and mounted back After driving 500 Km, EGR valve causes problems again 
86800 mi

$400
EGR valve was replaced 
86800 mi

$3000
Short block was dismounted, examined. Because it was cracked the short block was replaced with a second hand short block. Unfortunately my mechanic cheated me and replaced the short block with a defect short block. I had to take the car and I went to a Subaru service finally where they discovered that the short block replaced was damaged too. I don't want to spend any other money for this car anymore. I sold it finally. 

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2009 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD

22000 mi Dealer visit was due to ecu flash though. 
127000 mi

US $4000
Replace clutch 
28000 mi

US $1980
Engine stopped without warning (engine light came on as it shuddered to a stop); towed to nearest dealer; diagnosed 1 & 2 misfire (no explanation) - replaced engine coil and spark plugs. Engine stopped without warning (engine light came on as it shuddered to a stop); towed to nearest dealer; diagnosed 1 & 2 misfire (no explanation) - replaced engine coil and spark plugs. Had to apply for warranty reimbursement - not granted. 
42000 mi Catalytic converter replaced - initially damaged when the engine failed in May, 2012. Repair was covered by warranty (unlike the engine repair). 
44000 mi

US $150
One thing I never reported because there was never a diagnosis was the car continually lost oil and had as long as I owned it. I was told it wasn't burning and there was no evidence of a leak, but the oil was consistently low every 3-4K miles. 
58300 mi

US $100
Small oil leak from valve cover gasket and spark plug seals 
67300 mi

US $3000
Clutch R&R. The lining wore out. My replacement may have been somewhat premature, it probably would have lasted another 5,000 miles or so. 
103000 mi New EGR valve; check engine light indicated problem 
110000 mi

US $700
R&R 2 motor mounts and transmission mount. Valve Cover gaskets R&R 
90800 mi

US $2300
3 Trips to correctly repair catalytic converter.  Also had to replace Oxygen sensors, valve gaskets and coil. 
77000 mi

US $1800
Exhaust , heat shield , and header repair. 
91000 mi

US $740
Replaced spark plugs due to misfire.(and.check engine light).  
94000 mi

US $1700
Replaced clutch due to wear 
12000 mi Car would turn over but would not start. Towed to dealer, where it promptly started up. Dealer checked charging system, but made no repair. Problem has not occurred since. 
60000 mi Repaired loose exhaust heat shield 
89000 mi

US $24
Valve cover gasket leak - oil leaking into spark plug well caused ignition failure. 
99200 mi

C $1200
Replaced oil pressure switch (leak), removed oil pump to change leaking o-ring and redo RTV gasket. 
109120 mi

C $100
Passenger side rear oil pressure sensor leaking. 
58280 mi

A $280
Replaced fuel injectors as the engine was running relatively rough and rich. Injector change reduced the severity of the roughness and made the car run less rich, but not fully rectified. No trouble codes were displayed at any time Further to changing fuel injectors to prevent engine roughness, changed air/fuel ratio sensor to rectify potential misreading of air/fuel ratio. rear oxygen sensor reading appropriately. 

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2009 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 4-speed shiftable automatic AWD

65000 mi

US $120
Head gasket is weeping on one side. Mechanic installed stop-leak fluid and told us to come back in a month or two to check to see if that fixed the problem. Update: When the car went in for its next oil change two months later the leak had stopped. 
121000 mi

US $275
Wire from main wiring harness to transmission speed sensor was broken. 
76400 mi

US $3600
Head gasket leaked. Had to be replaced. During replacement, several other ~100k mile maintenance conducted, such as replacing a water pump. 
173000 mi

US $75
Plugs and wires 
115000 mi

US $3000
Head gasket leak. Needed full replacement plus water pump, heads resurfaced. 
109000 mi

US $2000
replace head gaskets 
150000 mi

US $800
Radiator replacement, had leak. 
85500 mi

US $80
had exhaust leak at rear left muffler welded up 
171000 mi

US $60
Engine fault code showed probable leaking gas cap, car running a little rough. Replaced gas cap and fault code was cleared. Replaced the spark plugs and spark plug wires. Spark plugs showed signs of oil so I replaced the spark plug tube seals. I also replaced the valve cover gaskets due to an oil leak on the passenger side. Performed idle reset learn procedure. Car now running great again. 
178000 mi

US $75
CEL was on for the oil switching pressure solenoid and oil pressure switch for Bank 1. Code was P0026. Replaced both the VVT oil pressure solenoid and the associated oil pressure switch for Bank #1. 
20500 mi Engine disengages when attempting to pass and then re-accelerating. Will have car in for at least 3 days to overhaul tranny and ? 
100000 mi

US $2000
Warped head gaskets Timing belt 
108000 mi

US $1100
low gas mileage noted, needed new spark plugs and a fuel system cleaning 
112000 mi

US $400
Replaced catalytic converter 
86500 mi

US $44
Heat shield on bottom of car came loose. 
111000 mi

US $1300
Head gasket replacement 
114500 mi

US $583
Hoses failed. Thermostat replaced 
80600 mi

C $900
Oil leaked into combustion chamber because of leaky gasket. 
105400 mi

C $30
loose heat shields 
60000 mi Catalytic converter failed. Check engine light came on which simultaneously caused VDC and cruise to shut off. repaired under extended warranty. Failed catalytic converter, replaced under extended dealer warranty for no cost. Dealer attempted to clean converter but engine warning light returned. One week later dealer replaced converter which fixed problem. 
66300 mi

US $185
Continued problem with car suddenly shutting off that was supposedly repaired in Oct 2013 with replacement of cat converter. spark plugs and wires replaced. 
104000 mi

US $100
Ignition Key would stick in place when turning car off, could not remove key. 
19840 mi Engine lost power. erase memory of TCM and ECM, idle learn AT transmission learning. Runs much better now. Even better than new. 
43000 mi R & R Valve cover gasket 
99000 mi

US $110
error code: Misfire cylinder #3. A friend/mechanic pulled #3 spark plug & found oil pooled and also on plug boot. Oil was cleaned up,code cancelled, then car driven to dealer who initially said nothing wrong,then replaced coil. 
62700 mi

US $25
repair of the rattling heat shield. 
91500 mi

US $600
Head gasket 
66000 mi

US $1550
Both head gaskets were externally leaking significant oil. 
66000 mi

US $1500
Subaru comped half the cost of head gasket replacement, both sides. Also replaced timing belt, associated gaskets, transmission cooler line. 
43400 mi Heat shields were lose, causing loud rattling. 
28000 mi

US $400
rattling sound in the central part of the exhaust pipe 
112000 mi

US $150
exhaust heat shield bolts were loose 
150000 mi

US $2000
The head gaskets were blown and the car was leaking oil. It is a common problem with the engine that is in the 2009 Subaru 
58200 mi

US $400
running rough, flashing engine light, traction control off light was on. Found nothing. Going home from the shop the check engine, cruise control, and traction control lights on. Went back in and the catalytic converter was replaced. Replaced spark plug wires and ignition coil 
37700 mi

C $300
Check engine light came on. Was running rough and misfiring. Injector flush, and a full service which includes plugs etc. 
47520 mi

C $900
Engine is misfiring on 2 cylinders 
68820 mi

C $2500
Stumbling, hesitating, check engine light coming on. Replaced spark plugs, wire, and ignition system. This was caused by the Subaru dealer when they did a major service and replaced these same parts. 
81700 mi

C $600
Engine was misfiring, running on 2 of 4 cylinders. Replaced coil packs and wires again. 
92000 mi Synthetic transmission flush. Note: Car hasn't shifted right since this was done. Throttle body service Left side muffler going out Clicking in front brakes 
104000 mi Head gaskets 
119040 mi Both heads gaskets weeping externally, no sign of internal leaks. 
42000 mi

US $468
exhaust flex pipe connector, corroded and not flexing. 
68700 mi

US $325
Replaced warn drive belts, they were cracking and making squealing noise when attempting to exit parking spaces. 
65000 mi

US $6
Needed use 3 stainless steel worm gear clamps on exhaust heat shield. The bolts and nuts rotting off. 
79000 mi

US $1104
replaced coil, spark plugs and wires 
84000 mi

US $650
Exhaust pipe broke off cat converter. They replaced the catalytic converter and twin exhausts with non-oem parts. 
55000 mi tightened accessory belt for power steering / alternator; was squealing on cold starts and squeaking a bit when warm. Sound is gone, belt still looks good. 
62200 mi Drive belt shows wear and cracks 
117800 mi

C $355
Heat Shield replaced on Exhaust system 
57540 mi

C $600
Car noise. Had to replace joining racket part of exhaust system. Noise underground thé engineering due to Heat Dover basket underground thé engine 

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2009 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

148-horsepower 2.0L H4 4-speed shiftable automatic AWD

66340 mi Lambda probe in front of catalyzer needed replacement. cost was $250 approx. common problem on Forester.. 

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2009 Subaru Forester 4-door

turbocharged 4-cylinder diesel manual AWD

49600 mi

$2450
I had crankshaft broken! They exchanged so called down half of a motor The fuel turbine was broken. 

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2009 Subaru Forester Engine Problems

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