| 1 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
2005 Subaru Forester repairs by problem area
Engine (49%)
Transmission and Drivetrain (10%)
Brakes and Traction Control (4%)
Suspension and Steering (12%)
Electrical and Air Conditioning (18%)
Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (6%)
Other (1%)
Chart based on 183 repairs.
2005 Subaru Forester engine repair cost distribution
$2500+ (9%)
$1000 - $2499 (12%)
$500 - $999 (21%)
$100 - $499 (26%)
< $100 (32%)
Chart based on 77 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.
2005 Subaru Forester
Engine not specified
| 71000 mi | Check Engine Light was coming on, suspected O2 sensor |
2005 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV
turbocharged 210hp 2.5L I4 5-speed manual AWD
| 80500 mi US $1500 |
Cylinder number 4 misfire and rough idle. Cylinder #4 exhaust valve was stuck open. Repair involved removing head, replacing valve bucket, lifters, seats, and readjusting valves. |
| 95000 mi US $2500 |
Front O2 sensor and mass air flow sensor were replaced. Valve cover gaskets replaced to repair oil leak Thermostat was leaking coolant. Thermostat replaced. |
| 111480 mi C $700 |
Radiator cracked and evap leak. |
| 114080 mi C $700 |
Blown turbo, installed a used turbo. |
| 117800 mi C $500 |
PCV valve replaced, AC belt replaced |
| 91380 mi C $163 |
Idler pulley was worn at the bearing. I was hearing a faint fluctuating squealing sound. It was replaced. |
| 93000 mi US $250 |
Radiator cracked by top main hose outlet. Oil seal on one camshaft seeping into cam belt area. Replaced Crankshaft Seal, 3 of 4 Camshaft Seals. Both accessory belts cracking and worn, due for replacement. |
| 93000 mi US $170 |
Misfire on one cylinder, followed fuel injector - fuel injector replacement. Not entirely fixed, need to continue investigating. Seems like just doesn't like idling at the afr that it is set to stock, or that for some reason the O2 sensor reading wrong. |
| 105000 mi | Cracked radiator was discovered during oil change. Took it to my go-to mechanic and had them make repairs and give it an overall tuneup as it had just hit 100,000 miles. (Car had been running fine,no overheating despite 90 degree weather). |
| 117300 mi | Oil gasket leaking; gasket replaced |
| 125000 mi US $3200 |
replaced clutch. Clutch was worn out and beginning to slip. |
| 130000 mi US $115 |
Broken turbo intake hose cause engine stalling. Engine warning light never came on. Shop replaced hose, but due to holidays, shipping from supplier took 3 days. |
| 144000 mi US $900 |
There was a squeak while running. It was a drive belt that needed replacing. It was replaced |
2005 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV
turbocharged 210hp 2.5L I4 4-speed automatic AWD
| 45500 mi | Turbo failing intermittently - most recent "code" was camshaft overadvanced. Following smoke streaming from tailpipe, brought to the dealer. Out of warranty - waiting for good will from Subaru of America. estimate: $2400 Turbo failing intermittently - most recent "code" was camshaft overadvanced. Following smoke streaming from tailpipe, brought to the dealer. Out of warranty - waiting for good will from Subaru of America. estimate: $2400 |
| 47000 mi US $1400 |
$1000 from Subaru of America, after I escalated it from the first offer of $750. Had to do a lot of fighting for the money. Turbo had to be completely replaced: $2400, $1400 out of pocket. Engine still burns oil. |
| 57000 mi US $1000 |
o2 sensors on engine |
| 34237 mi | Replaced failed turbocharger |
| 38984 mi US $1691 |
Replaced failed turbocharger (2nd time @ only 38K miles) |
| 66000 mi US $1000 |
Turbo failure |
| 87000 mi US $500 |
Radiator developed a crack. |
| 95000 mi US $800 |
Turbo failure. The 4th turbo failed on the car! |
| 97500 mi US $100 |
Valve leak which caused engine light to come ON. |
| 106500 mi US $55 |
Check oil burned smell. Tighten valve cover gasket. Issue not solved. Will need to take car back to mechanic for cover gasket replacement. |
| 106500 mi US $1300 |
Turbo replacement. Gasket valve. Timing belt |
| 132000 mi US $400 |
One faulty fuel injector was diagnosed. I replaced the faulty one and the other three as preventative maintenance. |
| Local dealer suggested to my wife the cleaning of the oil system with a solvent. Turbo went out. Complained to Subaru national, supplied service records and they pick up repairs and "dinged" the local shop. |
| 66000 mi US $700 |
Radiator leaking badly--sudden onset |
| 91000 mi US $800 |
Radiator |
| 113000 mi US $700 |
MAF sensor |
| 83300 mi US $750 |
Replaced timing belt & idler pulleys because the bearings in the idlers were starting to make noise |
| 59000 mi US $5 |
Engine misses while under load at highway speeds. MPG is half of normal. Drove car with service writer and mechanic. "Yes there is a problem. We dont know what it is and we cant just throw parts at a car. Drive it till the CEL comes on." I brought the car home from dealer and after consulting the internet for 3-4hrs, I pulled the ground loops and cleaned them on the wiring harness. (there are 6 grounds on this car) The ground wire for the MAF was corroded. Fixed problem. |
2005 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV
165-horsepower 2.5L H4 5-speed manual AWD
| 91120 mi C $300 |
Replaced faulty sensor |
| 119660 mi C $800 |
Replaced fuel filler neck as it was rusted through. Replaced oil pan |
| 120000 mi | Temperature rose rapidly after driving 1.5 hours, coolant leak. Diagnosed as head gasket by out of town shop. Towed home, local shop unable to duplicate. Short trips ok but still overheats on long trips. Head gaskets replaced 6 months ago. |
| 122300 mi | Independent shop replaced water pump and timing belt tensioner under warranty to correct overheating problem. Conducted 5 hour test drive to verify fix. |
| 82000 mi US $500 |
Engine idled extremely low and would stall during turns. Cleaned dirty throttle body and replaced battery. Engine running rough and misfiring. Tune up with spark plug replacement. |
| 78000 mi | Now, according to a dealer, pistons two and four need to be replaced. They sound dry upon start-up. Only 75,000 miles! |
| 107500 mi | Air sensor and air intake path. |
| 117000 mi US $740 |
Dealership cannot stop the throttle from opening unexpectedly, especially when the heat is on and the engine is warm. |
| 117000 mi US $500 |
Accelerator pedal assembly replaced to stop unexpected throttle. |
| 54500 mi US $128 |
Coolant leak at thermostat |
2005 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV
165-horsepower 2.5L H4 4-speed automatic AWD
| 141 mi US $10 |
replaced downstream o2 sensor - took 20 minutes |
| 152200 mi | Catalytic Converter |
| 156860 mi C $320 |
Oxygen sensors failed, replaced both |
| 155000 mi US $1500 |
Head gasket repair |
| 140000 mi US $75 |
Oil change + replacee radiator hose clamps |
| 100534 mi US $2551 |
Head gaskets leaked at both heads. Changed all the seals I could. Replaced with STI head gaskets to prevent future need to replace (multi-layer gasket). |
| 183000 mi US $3700 |
Internal engine damage. Rebuild required. |
| 37000 mi US $485 |
Muffler, catalytic converter, flange and assorted parts rusted and replaced. valve covers leaking |
| 59000 mi | Every driving rain storm now causes the "check engine" and "cruse control" lights to illuminate. Goes away by itself in a day or two. Each time the analyzer indicates a different problem. Usually a faulty ignition harness, spark plug or lose gas cap. It also pops on when driving down a straight dry road at speed when the gas pedal is depressed slightly to pass another vehicle. Now I just carry a wrench in the glove box to remove the battery ground for a 10min , replace it and start the car to see if the lights are out. If so it wasn't a real problem so I reset the clock and radio channels and wait for the next inconvenient event. Replacing catalytic converter and sensors fixed it. |
| 85000 mi US $278 |
Could smell gas fumes coming from the rear left wheel well. Repair shop removed back seat and tested various items using |
| 97940 mi C $2200 |
Head gasket had leak and was replaced. |
| 109120 mi C $600 |
Oil was leaking and a burning smell was coming from the engine. There was a small crack in an enclosure where oil was coming from. A sealant was applied to prevent leaking. |
| 135780 mi | The engine was still running, but the accelerator was not responding. I pulled over and turned off the car. I was able to restart it and drive to a parking lot. It was towed to a shop. Noting was found to be wrong with the accelerator. |
| 101060 mi C $340 |
Computer detected a misfire condition. Mechanic did a tune up to replace plugs and wiring. |
| 92000 mi | Coolant was being pushed out of surge tank. Suspected blown head gasket. Further investigation showed no blown head gasket and it is surmised an air bubble in coolant system might have been problem. 90,000 mile service included flush. |
| 172000 mi US $200 |
Engine was running warmer than normal according to the temp gauge. Gauge never reached the "red" zone. Replaced thermostat and problem was solved. |
| 28500 mi | Replaced spark plug wires. Car idled rough, sputtered, misfired. Check engine light illuminated |
| 34000 mi | Warranty repair. Catalytic Converter. Clutch fork was damaged. Both replaced under warranty. |
| 46500 mi US $100 |
Replaced ignition coil. Car idled very rough until completely warmed up--check engine light illuminated. |
| 76000 mi US $100 |
Oxygen sensor. Warranty covered. Head gasket beginning to leak. Warranty replaced. |
| 86000 mi US $8000 |
Car engine sputtered and ran rough. The ignition coils, spark plugs, and spark plug wires were replaced. |
| 95300 mi US $600 |
water pump seized as belt harmonizer cracked and stopped working. |
| 97000 mi | Catalytic converter failing Exhaust shield rusted through, began to come loose, and rattle. |
| 67000 mi US $2050 |
Both head gaskets where leaking, car was overheating. Replaced both head gaskets, and timing belt/timing components. |
| 71000 mi US $470 |
Driver's side spark plug tube seals and valve cover gasket leaking. Replaced spark plug tube seals and valve cover gaskets on both sides. |
| 50000 mi US $250 |
replaced head gaskets, timing belts, water pump, spark plugs...mechanic noticed my head gaskets were failing during routine oil change...called Subaru, they got the dealer to repair under a "goodwill repair" paid only $200 for repair |
| 79600 mi US $150 |
Rough idle when rainy. Changed the plug wires. |
| 74400 mi C $4200 |
Head gasket replacement and engine overhaul |
| 85000 mi US $20 |
noise from belts / pulleys / generator |
| 90000 mi US $250 |
Exhaust pipe leaking - welder fixed it |
2005 Subaru Forester 4-door
4-cylinder manual 4WD
| 55180 mi $50000 |
Car was burning too much engine oil. Engine opened to replace piston rings and cylinder damage was discovered. New oversize pistons and rings were ordered and installed. Clutch was also replaced. The timing belt was damaged by mistake during the engine rebuild. This belt had been installed only 15k kilometeres earlier in April 2009. The original belt that had been replaced then (preventive maintenance) was put back in. The thermo valve was found to be not functioning properly. It has been taken out for now and bypassed. When the part becomes available, it will be installed. |
| 56420 mi | The exhaust system had a leak and was also rattling. |
| 63240 mi | Error code showing one bank of air fuel sensor malfunctioning. The sensor was replaced. |
2005 Subaru Forester 4-door
4-cylinder automatic AWD
| 86800 mi €330 |
sec. airflow pump and valves replaced. Errorcodes 2441, 1440 |
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