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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? ?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.