NHTSA Complaint #10640252 — 2003 SUBARU FORESTER

WE WERE DRIVING ON THE INTERSTATE TRAVELING ABOUT 70 MPH WHEN MY HUSBAND NOTICED THE BACK WINDOW HAD A GREASY FILM THAT THE WIPER ONLY MADE WORSE. WE PULLED OFF THE HIGHWAY TO A GAS STATION TO TAKE A LOOK AND NOTICED SMOKE BILLOWING FROM THE HOOD. AFTER WAITING A FEW MINUTES HE RAISED THE HOOD TO MORE SMOKE. HAVING JUST HAD AN OIL CHANGE TWO DAYS PRIOR, I RECALLED THAT THE SERVICE PERSON MENTIONED SLIGHT TRANSMISSION AND OIL LEAKS THAT WERE NOT MAJOR CONCERNS AND THE CAR WAS SAFE TO DRIVE AND COULD BE ADDRESSED LATER. TURNS OUT THERE WAS A HOLE IN THE PIPING DIRECTLY UNDERNEATH THE BATTERY, WHICH WAS CAUSED BY BATTERY ACID DRIPPING DIRECTLY ONTO THE METAL PIPING CAUSING THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION FLUID TO LEAK OUT. AFTER REMOVING THE BOLTS FROM THE PLASTIC APRON UNDERNEATH THE CAR TO TAKE A BETTER LOOK, IT APPEARED TRANSMISSION FLUID HAD BEEN LEAKING FOR A WHILE. AFTER POURING SEVERAL QUARTS OF TRANSMISSION FLUID INTO THE CAR WE WERE ABLE TO SLOWLY DRIVE IT TO THE NEAREST SERVICE GARAGE (ABOUT 5 MILES), WHERE WE GOT A DIAGNOSTIC DONE. APPARENTLY THIS PROBLEM IS NOT A NEW ONE TO SUBARU AS A SERVICE BULLETIN WAS RELEASED FOR THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE (THOUGH THEY STATED IT COULD BE FROM CORROSION DUE TO ROAD SALT OR SALT WATER, NOT BATTERY ACID). A REPLACEMENT AT OIL COOLER PIPING KIT AND FOAM PACKING MUST BE INSTALLED TO PREVENT CORROSION DAMAGE. THE BATTERY PLACEMENT DIRECTLY OVER THE PIPING IS WHAT CONTRIBUTED TO THE HOLE IN THE PIPING, CAUSING A DANGEROUS SITUATION THAT COULD HAVE LED TO A FIRE UNDERNEATH THE CAR. APPARENTLY SUBARU HAS REDESIGNED THE LOCATION OF THE BATTERY IN RELATION TO THE AT FLUID PIPING IN THEIR LATER MODEL CARS SO IT WAS A CONCERNING ISSUE THAT WARRANTED THIS CHANGE. THE GARAGE MANAGER FELT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN A RECALL ISSUE AS IT COULD HAVE LED TO THE VEHICLE CATCHING FIRE. *TR