No coolant was visible in the radiator during inspection after the incident. Remapping the ECU might fix it, but it's not really addressing the problem. We don't sell/share your email. This is a costly repair and a huge safety issue: The leaking fuel drips directly onto the engine cylinder heads and in some cases (on passenger-side fuel line leaks) is in close proximity to the turbocharger--representing a significant risk of engine fire. A Subaru impreza enthusiast forum has a "raw fuel smell" log of more than 131 pages and 3,000 posts (, The contact owns a 2004 Subaru Forester. The contact owns a 2004 Subaru Forester. Don't waste your time wasting ours! The engine overheated and seized while on a freeway without a single warning light regarding high temp or check engine. For more information on how we collect and use this information, please review our Privacy Policy. This 2004 Subaru Forester 2.5 XT Turbo just so happens to be one of those cases. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that they would contact the local dealer. Subaru has issued a recall for the WRX model, but not for the Forester. 2004 Subaru Forester Transmission Problems. It was so strong it made the driver and passenger have a headache and become nauseous. The fuel fumes in the cabin are also a health and safety risk which should be dealt with by Subaru. Updated 03/12/14 updated 3/12/14 the fuel lines, clamps and upper intake gaskets were replaced. Problems / Subaru / Forester / 2004; 2004 Subaru Forester Problems. Cleaning the throttle body is a good thing to start with, checking fuel filters can work, and checking the … Remapping the ECU might fix it, but it's not really addressing the problem. The most common fault we see in the Subaru Forester naturally aspirated manual range is viscous coupling failures. 2005 Subaru Forester problems (8) View all. The approximate failure mileage was 149,966. The contact stated when the temperature dropped, fuel fumes were emitted in and around the vehicle. A closer inspection reveals a small fuel leak from the fuel supply lines near the turbo. From the beginning, the tranmission shifted very roughly and my gas mileage was horrible (14.5 mpg city). Although the forester is not without some issues! Curious how the 2004 Forester compares to other years? Is it time to move on? Non-turbo X models are far from sluggish. This is a health and safety risk that should be taken care of by Subaru. some have been recalled, but the Forester xt hasn't. View all 18 consumer vehicle reviews for the Used 2004 Subaru Forester XS AWD 4dr Wagon (2.5L 4cyl 5M) on Edmunds, or submit your own review of the 2004 Forester. Close. Contacted dealership, service writer knew what the issue was as soon as I told him make, model and year - said it's very common. Our list of 9 known complaints reported by owners can help you fix your 2006 Subaru Forester. This 2004 Subaru Forester 2.5 xt AWD 4-spd automatic transmission with multi-purpose fuel injection turbo (feedback fuel system) has been producing a strong fuel smell that fills the entire vehicle cabin. Updated 04/01/14. The Right-Front lower control arm is unsafe. My subaru was given to me after a friend wrecked my 03 ford ranger,,the forester beats hands down the ranger on mileage,maint,drive, everthing! For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2004 Subaru Forester based on all problems reported for the 2004 Forester. Many other owners have reported the very same thing and have not been successful in getting Subaru to at least investigate. This is a Subaru after all, and true to form the Impreza-based chassis is terrifically able on the road. are trademarks of Autobeef LLC, All rights reserved. The fuel lines were cracked. does this vehicle have a history of bad thermostats I'm not aware of" it would have been a lot safer if there were some warning light for high temp so we can pull over to allow the car to cool down in order to prevent an accident and save the engine. While driving various speeds, the rpms began to increase and the vehicle overheated. ENGINE SECTION 3. This is a direct safety issue. Find a high quality auto repair shop or dealer near you. Get Your Car Fixed. Problems / Subaru / Forester / 2006; 2006 Subaru Forester Problems. The fuel odor was most noticeable while operating the heater. If you continue to use this site, you consent to this use of cookies. 261 problems have been reported for the 2004 Subaru Forester. I have decided to sell the vehicle rather than bearing the huge expense required to repair. Check out our Subaru Forester overview to see the most problematic years, worst problems and most recently reported complaints with the Forester. Example: "Bad Brakes", "Toyota Recall", etc. 2004 subaru forester xt: Type: Five-seat crossover sport-utility vehicle Price range: $35,995 (five-speed manual) to $38,795 (automatic transmission with leather interior The 2004 Subaru Forester has 272 problems & defects reported by Forester owners. Clearly, the problem is with the design of the metal fuel rail to rubber line interface, since this is a common problem in Forester xts across several model years. See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. 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. Summary of Contents for Subaru FORESTER 2004 Page 1: Body Section HVAC SYSTEM (AUTO A/C) (DIAGNOSTIC) AIRBAG SYSTEM AIRBAG SYSTEM (DIAGNOSTIC) This service manual has been prepared to provide SUBARU service personnel SEAT BELT SYSTEM with the necessary information and data for the correct maintenance and repair of SUBARU vehicles. During the recent cold snap here in Tennessee I got a report from a friend that his 2004 Forester xt was leaking fuel into his engine bay. Three problems related to engine oil leaking have been reported for the 2004 Subaru Forester. Strong fuel smell in cabin was enough to make passengers ill, car was not drivable. The parts needed to be replaced. Our 2004 Forester XT makes a clunking noise when turning sharply at low speeds. Turbo charged XT models are genuinely rapid. There has been a continuous oil leak from my 2004 Subaru Forester xs. View Nearby Shops. Front ¾ vehicle photos © 1986-2018 Autodata, Inc. dba Chrome Data. If you are interested in advertising a for-profit service, contact us. In very cold weather (less than 10 F) the rubber gas lines leak very significant amounts of gas onto the engine and verynear the hot turbocharger. Forester XT from 2004 to 2007 retains the 4.444 final drive ratio. Strong smell of gasoline upon starting the car in very cold weather. Save $4,481 on a 2004 Subaru Forester XT near you. The approximate failure mileage was 110,000. Our list of 9 known complaints reported by owners can help you fix your 2004 Subaru Forester. This is a major problems. On very cold days while car is warming up, a strong smell of fuel is coming from under the intake manifold. ... 2004 Subaru Forester 2.5 XT . The vehicle was not repaired. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer for inspection. Support NPR & the programs you love. The vehicle was towed and later deemed destroyed. Related Reviews. review. This is not normal and it will cost me $1,000 to fix because the transmission will have to be removed. The vehicle was not repaired. The WRX has final drive ratios of 3.9 up to 2006, where it dropped to 3.7 so it looks like I was off by quite a bit earlier! Strong fuel odor inside cabin developed when operating on cold mornings; fuel odor typically went away within 15 minutes of starting the car. Revealed no obvious leaks above the intake manifold. The smell of fuel became obvious after a 10-15 minute drive. The vehicle was pulled over to the side of the road and caught fire from the engine compartment. Find the most common issues based on car owner complaints ... 2004 Subaru Forester problems (9) View all. The Forester turbo 5-speed gearbox is the same transmission as the WRX, hence they had the same common faults as the WRX turbo 5 speed. 2004 Subaru Forester xt had catastrophic engine and turbo failure while driving on highway. Engine Problems . We analyze millions of used cars daily. Links must be helpful to the general public & to a specific resource (like a forum thread), or they will be deleted when we review your link suggestion. Find the best used 2004 Subaru Forester near you. All Drive Subaroo can build performance 5 speed and 6 speed gearboxes to suit any model forester. There are other complaints registered about similar oil leaks in this model year. Bruce Henn examines the rust damage on our 2004 Subaru Forester camera car. There was a very strong gasoline smell inside the car (2004 Subaru Forester xs) that happened in cold weather during January 2012. The complaints are organized into groups with data published by vehicle, vehicle component, and specific problem. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. When the vehicle was started, a very strong fuel odor emerged from the engine compartment. The vehicle was taken to mid-hudson Subaru (1715 U.S. 9, wappingers falls, NY 12590 (866) 678-2048) several times, but no leaks or failures were detected. The following chart shows the 19 most common problems for 2004 Subaru Forester. For more information on how we collect and use this information, please review our Privacy Policy. Ford Explorer Recall Includes Nearly 617,000 Vehicles, boston.cbslocal.com/2014/01/27/car-fire-causes-backup-in-oneill-tunnel/, read stories from drivers who praise our work. Subaru Forester 2004: XT hesitation issue. Save up to $7,476 on one of 3,682 used 2004 Subaru Foresters near you. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. To see how frequently 2004 Subaru Forester problems occur, check out our car reliability stats. Subaru Trouble Code Info Retrieving Trouble Codes 96 & later are OBD2 systems There are self-diagnositic connectors on all models, when connected with the key ON (engine off), flash trouble codes on the LED light of the oxygen moniter of the ECU. 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. Find your perfect car with Edmunds expert reviews, car comparisons, and pricing tools.