Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (engine, cooling system, oil leaks, timing chain, exhaust).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2009 Subaru Forester owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
Our son bought a 2009 Subaru Forester on 7/13/18 from the dan perkins Subaru dealership in milford, ct. He was driving it home at noon on 8/16/18 when his check engine light came on. Within seconds the car filled with smoke, and went up in flames. The entire car was lost.
Engine and vehichle caught on fire. Driving highway for about 3.5 hours. Had just refilled with fuel about 15 minutes prior to check engine light coming on. Proceeded to next exit. Check oil light came on and car was on fire. Vehicle destroyed.
Sudden acceleration caused a serious accident. Upon pulling into a parking space the vehicle suddenly acceleration and crashed into a building. This is the second time this has happened with this vehicle.
Car ran out of oil. There was no warning light, until car died on the side of the road, then low oil light came on. I had been mostly keeping up with my oil changes, and was only a few thousand miles over recommended limits. Engine seized and had to be towed. My mechanic tried to rebuild it, but was unable to. He had to replace the engine with a used engine, at a cost of $6,000, and six weeks of a rental car. I reached out to Subaru for help, but they would do nothing unless my car was in their shop, at which point they May be able to pay for a portion of it. They asked if I had been getting my maintenance done at their shop, and I hadn't because they want $1500 for every 20,000 mile service work done, or whatever, which I can't afford. …
This past April, I purchased a 2009 Subaru Forester from byers Subaru and eagerly anticipated the ownership experience Subaru promises and proudly bases its reputation. Contrary to the Subaru promise, my experience over the first 3 months has been a nightmare. Prior to the purchase, I had committed to having the scheduled maintenance performed by the dealer and did. The first service was performed within a few weeks of purchase ($700). A month later the vehicle stopped running and required a tow to a texas Subaru dealership. Initial thoughts were a timing belt failure. $600 dollars later, I was told that the timing belt pulley had failed and would require extensive engine repairs or an engine replacement ($2500 to $6000). The timing belt was not due to be replaced for another 10,000 miles. …
Takata air bag: I am writing to complaining about Subaru's inability to complete two NHTSA recall notices: in the fall of 2016 we got two recalls on our car, 16V738000 (air injection pump) and 17V026000 (passenger airbag). We have been working for over 16 months with their customer service personnel to get the required parts shipped to a german Subaru dealership to get our car back on the road. Over this time we have seen nothing concrete, had a lack of follow up, had our customer service claim number deleted in their system and reinstated again and were told all the blame was on your parent company in Japan and their inability to either respond to your recall departments personnel emails and we have been told how dangerous it is to ship these parts. I have another japanese car with me in Germany, a Honda. …
Fairly recently I had my radiator replaced due to a leak. Couple weeks into my new one, I went to start my car and a proof of white smoke shot out the exhausts which I new was not OK. I put the car in reverse and all of the sudden it felt like it was in limo mode and the check engine, traction control, and cruise control lights all started blinking - they weren't on before. So I shut my car off and took my mom's to work. I later found out that I had no coolant, but there was no warning or indication that I was low. From that day on my car has been going through full reservoirs of coolant by the day with no visible leaks, heating+cooling, fand a ull radiator up to the brim. I'm assuming my issue is a head gasket leak at only 86,000 miles...that is terrible product quality - I can't just go around and pay $2000 in repairs for a car I relied on and have only driven for 10K miles. …
Turbo failure caused by design flaws in lubrication delivery system identified by multiple TSB wvf-16, TSB#02-103-07, TSB # 02-97-05. Manufacture refuses to acknowledge TSB and class action law suit about 2.5 liter turbo car. Leading $3500.00 repair being forced on consumers in spite of this condition being a engineering defect.my car had the turbo replaced by dealership at 50,000 miles nad now 50,000 miles later the turbo has failed again. Contacted Subaru of America, who stated that soa would not be assisting in repairs of the same failure.
Shifted from park to reverse with normal brake depression; vehicle immediately accelerated to 20 MPH, no brakes and the dash control center completely lit up. The only way I was able to stop vehicle was by shifting to neutral and engaging the parking brake. I then tried the same procedure in forward with the same results except this time resulting with the car colliding with the garage wall causing approximately $6000.00 worth of damage between the car and house.
My 2009 Subaru Forester has been nothing but problems. In the past month I've put $3,000 in parts and maintenance. Radiator blew, coolant sensor, whole new exhaust, all new hub barings, 2 new catalytic converters and my main problem is not fixed!!! The car idles at the stop light and during the acceleration it stalls! I took it to 4 dealers and they tell me my gas is to rich???? What is that???? I'm upset with this car and it sucks. I've had this car not even a year.
Related recalls
Engine and engine cooling › Engine
Subaru is recalling 16,715 my 2007-2008 legacy sedans and wagons, my 2008 impreza sedans and wagons, and my 2009 forester vehicles. Some vehicles May have the cylinder head-side oil supply pipe and turbocharger-side pipe improperly assembled.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect for cracking or an oil leak at the oil supply pipe at the cylinder head-side. An additional bracket will be installed to increase rigidity of the pipe and the pipe assembly will be replaced with a…
Engine complaints in other Forester years
Frequently asked questions
How common are engine problems on the 2009 Subaru Forester?
NHTSA has 39 complaints about the engine & cooling of the 2009 Subaru Forester, 22% of the model year's 178 complaints. The component named most often is engine (3 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2009 Subaru Forester engine problems?
Yes — NHTSA recall 08V-460 (engine, Sep 11, 2008). Recall repairs are free at authorized dealers.
At what mileage do 2009 Subaru Forester engine problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 73,000 miles, and 19% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 2 crashes, 3 fires and 2 injuries to engine & cooling problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.