2014 Subaru Forester Subaru Forester 2014

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2014 Subaru Forester repairs by problem area

Engine (30%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (8%)

Brakes and Traction Control (9%)

Suspension and Steering (13%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (26%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (9%)

Other (4%)

Chart based on 240 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2014 Subaru Forester.

2014 Subaru Forester engine repair cost distribution

$2500+ (0%)

$1000 - $2499 (4%)

$500 - $999 (2%)

$100 - $499 (8%)

< $100 (87%)

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

Chart based on 52 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2014 Subaru Forester

Engine not specified

41000 mi

US $350
Had the injection system cleaned & top throttle body cleaned . $350.00 it took 2 hours, would need to do every 10.000 miles? ? 

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2014 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

turbocharged 250hp 2.0L H4 8-speed shiftable CVT AWD

55000 mi Recall notice: Ignition computer was reflashed to solve a pre-ignition problem under hard acceleration 
3000 mi CEL thrown during a hard start. ECU was reprogrammed with a fix for the issue 
2014 Forester XT - Camshaft position sensor o-ring improperly installed from factory. Caused significant oil leak on drivers side of the engine. - Burning oil smell inside the cab alerted me to the problem. Had to take car back after this because appeared to be leaking oil again. Found nothing, apparently they just didn't clean up after fixing the leak well enough earlier. 
22288 mi Same camshaft position sensor was leaking oil. Saw a spot of oil.  
27000 mi P000B VVT oil control Valve LT. Side R&R Camshaft position slow to respond bank 1 exhaust. Swapped sensor bank 1 to bank 2. (They do this to see if the problem follows the sensor) 
50200 mi Tossed a code... The dealer was so busy I didn't wait around for the info sheet. -Car abruptly threw a code on flat ground on criuse control. The Ecu was flashed, and I was told it wouldn't happen again. Expect it's a flaw in recall update. 
56000 mi Code: P0420. Catalytic converter replaced under warranty. Looks like it would have cost around 700 if warranty hadn't covered it. (Code had reappeared several times over the life of the car) 
59157 mi P0420 - O2 Sensors replaced (Front and Rear). Noticed the oil consistency is off and smells like gas around this time. Also reported to Subaru before the car went out of warranty. 
60265 mi P0420 - Center Exhaust pipe replaced. (I think is is between the manifold and turbo - also has some kind of inbuilt cat) 
60731 mi P0420 - Replaced 02 Sensor and they reran the Recall test wqw58 - Car was data logged info sent to Japan. They had my car for ~17 days for this one. 
61000 mi In total this car has been into the shop at least 15 times. Most trips have been for P0420. The car has an underlying problem, but I was not able to determine the root cause. My last oil change the oil smelled like gas. The dealer was told and has notes on it. I traded the car back to the original dealer today. As of Friday I should be the owner of a new Crosstrek. I will post a final summary with the VIN when the title on the new car is clear and free of the Subaru dealer. I would stay away from used Forester XTs 2014 to current . Go look in the forums "gas in oil" Some of the cars are also starting to have transmission issues "CVT Control Valve". Overall, the dependability of my 2014 forester XT touring was the worst car I have ever owned. Subaru has around 4k into warranty work on mine and I don't think they are even close to done yet. If you need to track me down I run Kizashi Club. I can provide input on the car. My dealer knows about the problems I expect they will try to dealer trade it. 
21000 mi Software reset for check engine lignt 
28000 mi Catalytic Convertor Went Bad 
13000 mi Lagging throttle response. Hesitancy during acceleration (from a stop and during passing). ECU reflashed. 
2000 mi engine occasionally difficult to start after not being used for a day or so. 
2300 mi engine occasionally stumbles/misfires during startup. Mechanics ran diagnostic tests (first time they ran this test for 2014 vehicles), but found no problems. 
4000 mi

US $90
rubber hood boot seal between turbo intercooler housing and air ductwork is warped, fits poorly. 
4000 mi Replaced rubber boot seal between hood and intercooler, and several fasteners which broke during replacement process. 
8300 mi Reprogrammed ECU per TSB to improve engine start-up. 
15000 mi replaced hood-mounted intercooler air diverter (rubber seals had become torn). 2nd time this part has been replaced 
16000 mi Engine was intermittently missing. Technician flashed ECU with new software update that addressed the problem. 
17000 mi Subaru recall to correct engine misfiring. 
18000 mi left side valves rattle/ping due to defective rockers. Subaru TSB estimates 10 hour repair time to replace/custom machine new valve rockers. 
18200 mi left side of engine valves, cam and rockers were badly worn. Required removal of engine, all its accessories and cylinder head to do repairs. 
13020 mi Shaking at idle, intermittent. 
3000 mi Forester 2.0L Turbo having an extended start of 3-5 seconds every few days. Dealer has no updates for the engine computer and did not observe any problems while it was in for an oil change. 

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2014 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD

24000 mi Blue exhaust on start up. Car was returned later that month off lease. 
18000 mi

US $30
during a long distance driving, engine oil light on when drove at middle of nowhere. (Oil Level Gauge shows oil leaking) had to drive another 30 miles bought and added 1qt 0w20. light's off. before the engine oil leaking,found coolant lower minimum mark, sent to dealer, was told it's not a problem and refuse to add coolant. I spent 25 bucks and filled by myself. 
26000 mi

US $50
Engine loses oil at more than 1 qt per 2000 miles. It is difficult to correctly read oil level. 
32000 mi Related to prev. problem where attempted repair didn't fix noise issue. This time, I drove w/tech & he confirmed noise. He put on lift & discovered sound attenuator in central exhaust pipe had prematurely broken up. Replacing pipe solved it. 
49000 mi Has begun burning oil bet. oil changes, ~1 quart in 4000 miles. According to the manual this is acceptable, having a oil light go on between oil changes is too much for me. Note there are 2 class action suits abt this engine & oil burning. 
71000 mi Brought car in for an oil consumption test - the result of Subaru's settling a class-action law suit about this issue. They have extended to warranty to 100,000 miles for oil consumption. Was told there is an oil leak around the valve covers- which is not covered by oil consumption warranty. A visit to another shop confirmed the condition. That said, the dealer's service manager has opted to schedule a visit to fix it for free. Next visit at the end if next week. Oil leak found in Forward Cam Shaft Gasket - required pulling the engine out, disassembling it to get to leaking gasket, replacing it and putting engine back in. 
72500 mi This was the conclusion of the oil consumption test after ~1,200 miles. The dealer reported no major oil consumption and closed the oil consumption case. (I forget to check the oil myself before it was brought in.) 
75000 mi Cam carrier shafts were found to be leaking again. The same repair had been done back in the spring - but a re-do of the repair was necessary. Requires pulling the engine out again. 
27600 mi Excessive oil consumption (1 qt every ~2k miles). Dealer performed consumption test over 1200 miles, consumption deemed within Subaru spec. Continues to consume oil. 
36000 mi Low oil light came on. Car is currently conducting an oil consumption test. 
39000 mi Oil level checked for oil consumption check. Oil loss deemed acceptable for now, test still in progress. 
56000 mi

US $500
LEAKING CAM CARRIERS 
49600 mi Car started going thru oil and the dealer installed a new engine( now thats service) 
13000 mi Oil low. Dealer refilled with oil and told to monitor the oil level for the next 1,200 miles to see if the car is using oil. 
17700 mi Return for oil consumption test. Results, car not consuming any oil over a 1,200 mile test. 
24000 mi Serpentine belt came off. New belt put on 
10000 mi Timing Belt tensioner needed adjusted. 
30400 mi 30k service at local dealer failed to reinstall oil drain plug properly, requiring emergency visit to distant dealer to diagnose and fix. 
14000 mi

US $26
Fuel cap left loose by attendant causing check engine light to come on. Would not reset after fuel cap was tightened 
29000 mi Changed engine due to oil consumption problem. Used two quarts of oil in 2,800 miles. 
40000 mi

US $302
Replacement engine burns one quart of oil every 3,000 miles. Update 10-16: Now using 2-2.5 quarts between oil changes (every 5k). 
88000 mi

US $200
Second engine was using 2 quarts of oil between oil changes and the engine had to be replaced again 
90000 mi They claimed they found and repaired a damaged seal which the mechanic said was damaged during the first attempt to repair the oil consumption problem (when they changed the short block the first time).  
95000 mi Had to replace the short block for a third time (oil consumption). Now the engine consumes more gasoline (mpg went from 27 mpg highway to 21.5 mpg highway) and they refused to do the oil consumption test again.  
185000 mi

US $2000
Catalytic converter needed to be replaced due to carbon buildup 
12000 mi I was driving about 70 mph on busy highway when suddenly engine turned off! I was able to steer car off road, turned car off. When I turned on ignition car started up and I drove away. Dealer could not find any codes to indicate problem. 
80000 mi

US $50
Accelerator pedal becomes sporadically non-responsive. Mechanic believes its related to a known issue in similar year Outbacks. He thinks the sensor is sensitive to condensation. He blasted it with some kind of protective spray to keep condensation from forming and advised not to put the floor warmer on full blast until the car has warmed up. Has not reoccurred since this servicing / behavior change. 

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2014 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 6-speed manual AWD

68845 mi Front timing cover gasket was leaking. Subaru repaired it at no cost on a goodwill basis, noting that I am the original owner and the car has an impeccable, dealer-based service history. 
14880 mi

C $250
Oil consumption 
15680 mi oil consumption test 
16740 mi oil consumption test 
45725 mi Replace short block due to oil consumption. After shortblock replacement, car made loud rattling noise. Diagnosed dirty manifolds; cleaned, machined heads replace head gaskets. 
23000 mi Oil consumption analysis. Results were 24 ounces per 1200 miles. Parts (short block plus) are being ordered. When parts arrive they will call and I will make appointment for repair. 
23300 mi Excessive oil usage. Complete short block change by dealer. No charge and rental car furnished free of charge. As of 10/14/15 oil usage seems OK. 
18000 mi Burning oil. Started oil consumption test, replaced PCV valve 
22000 mi burning oil-replaced short block 
39680 mi Mass air flow meter failed causing check engine light. Repair was covered under extended warranty. 
48980 mi Oil consumption test started again. Third time I have done this. New standard is one litre of oil or more per 6000 kms can indicate possible short block replacement. 
51460 mi Vehicle failed oil consumption test, now waiting on new short block. Not really a repair to report but I thought that I would update the consumption test. 

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2014 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

148-horsepower 2.0L H4 6-speed shiftable CVT AWD

19840 mi

$1050
replaced one (1) spark plug 
108500 mi Excessive oil consumption. I noticed adding 1 L oil between changes and they measured 1.3 L in 6,000 KMs. They installed a new "short block" which I think is the cylinder head and cylinders. 

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2014 Subaru Forester Engine Problems

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2014 Subaru Forester problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.