2004 Subaru Forester engine problems
40 complaints about engine have been filed for the 2004 Subaru Forester, which is 15% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the 2nd most reported problem area for this model year.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 40 15% of this year's complaints
- Typical mileage
- 96,000 miles 33 complaints with mileage
- Crashes and fires
- 2 and 3
- Injuries and deaths
- 1 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
When engine problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 3 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 1 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 7 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 5 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 7 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 6 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 1 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Of the 33 engine complaints that report mileage, the median is about 96,000 miles, and 15% were reported before 60,000 miles.
These complaints mention 2 crashes, 3 fires, 1 injury.
What owners wrote
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 owns a 2004 subaru forester. The contact stated that there was a leak in the head gasket. 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.
Other problems reported for the 2004 Subaru Forester
- Fuel system 125 complaints
- Suspension 25 complaints
- Air bags 23 complaints