2004 Subaru Forester Engine Problems

Which parts fail

• Engine
  6
• Engine › Gasoline › Turbo/supercharger
  2
• Exhaust system › Emission control › Catalytic convertor
  1
• Exhaust system
  1

Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).

Mileage when the problem started

• Under 25k
  39%
• 25k–50k
  13%
• 50k–75k
  413%
• 75k–100k
  928%
• 100k–150k
  1341%
• 150k+
  26%

Owner reports

Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2004 Subaru Forester owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).

Car was shifted from drive into neutral for operator to use a parking lot gate machine. The engine surged a little while in neutral but settled back down. When parking gate opened the operator shifted into drive and lightly pressed the gas pedal. The engine immediately surged to full throttle and rapidly accelerated across the driveway for a few seconds before being stopped by collision with a granite post. Operator could not brake hard enough to stop the vehicle in time. Driver injured in crash.

Tl* the contact owned a 2004 Subaru Forester. While driving various speeds, the rpms began to increase and the vehicle overheated. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and caught fire from the engine compartment. The fire was extinguished by the fire department. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed and later deemed destroyed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000.

To whom it May concern, hello, I am the owner of a 2004 Forester xt which I love. I've owned the car for almost a year and its been nothing but reliable up to this point. The weather outside is frightful, and with that comes a common problem for many Subaru owners. During the cold snaps, say below 20f, there is strong fuel smells which fills the cabin. It only happens during start-up, and lasts about 15 mins before the car warms up. From searching many forums and internet threads it seems this problem has been occurring since early 2001. There was a recall notice (wvk-21)for the 2002 -2003 wrx's which had a same problem I am experiencing now. Unfortunately a recall was never issued for later model subarus which suffer the same problem. The problem is fuel leaking from 5 main fuel lines going into the intake manifold. …

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Subaru Forester. Whether the vehicle was parked or being driven, a fuel odor was detected in and outside the vehicle. The fuel odor was most noticeable while operating the heater. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to mid-hudson Subaru (1715 U.S. 9, wappingers falls, ny 12590 [phone]) several times, but no leaks or failures were detected. The contact stated that the dealer finally detected a fuel odor and diagnosed the failure as a malfunction with tubing or piping within the engine. The parts needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that they would contact the local dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 120,000.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that there was a leak in the head gasket. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer herb gordon Subaru (3161 automobile blvd, silver spring, md 20904, [phone]) where it was diagnosed with the head cover gasket with needing to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. Upon investigation, the contact associated the failure with NHTSA campaign number: 04V473000 (engine and engine cooling) however, the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The contact was informed that the repairs were not covered under warranty and the costs for the repair would be out of pocket. The failure mileage was approximately 161,000.

Engine compartment fire, resulting from oil leaking in engine compartment. There were no injuries and because of proximity of fire department fire was extinguished within 4-5 minutes. Subaru of America (soa) maintains that oil leaked from oil filter and that this is no fault of theirs. Given the history of recalls of this type of vehicle in Japan for leaking oil and fires I am not sure that this point has been demonstrated. Soa refused to fix damage and told me to file an insurance claim... Which I have done. Damage is estimated to be $6-10K. Matter will be subrogated to insurance company for settlement.

Car producing noxious odor inside. When parking car in garage, accidentally stepped on accelerator rather than brake. Hit and destroyed back wall. Cosmetic damage to car. Dealer claims leaves were sucked into the engine compartment through turbocharge intake. But, odor was of burnt rubber or plastic, not leaves. And, the car is always parked in the garage. Finally, most leaves were down several weeks earlier this year, I.e., by end of November.

Tl* the contact owns a 2004 Subaru Forester. When the vehicle was started, a very strong fuel odor emerged from the engine compartment. The fuel tank leaked fuel onto the manifold. The failure was diagnosed by an independent mechanic as a fuel tank leak. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 149,966.

I purchased a 2004 Subaru forrester xt in February of '09 with 93,008 miles on it. The dealership had all service records relating to the vehicles history, and all guidelines were followed according to the manufacturer's specifications. The current mileage on the vehicle is 102,323 and I was just informed that the turbocharger is coming apart and needs replaced or the vehicle will be non-operational. I contacted Subaru of north America and they informed me that there was nothing that they could do, which I understand. My main problem is that the representative that I talked to informed me that the manufacturer changed its guidelines for later models of the vehicle to a shorter recommended interval between services. These models have the same engine and turbocharger as my vehicle and they changed the scheduled maintenance from 7,500 miles to 3,500 miles. …

Strong fuel odor inside cabin developed when operating on cold mornings; fuel odor typically went away within 15 minutes of starting the car. Inspection of fuel lines, filter, etc. Revealed no obvious leaks above the intake manifold. Dealer quoted approximately $800 to remove intake manifold and inspect. I have had two independent shops attempt to fix this issue over the past 3 years with varying degrees of success; the most recent (2011) removed the intake manifold and replaced all rubber fuel lines under the manifold, but the problem has recurred this fall and winter and at increasingly warm temperatures. Now, there is a visible and obvious leak from a fuel line just as it goes under the manifold--inaccessible without removing the manifold. …

Related recalls

Engine complaints in other Forester years