NHTSA Complaint #10721130 — 2006 SUBARU FORESTER

THE FRONT CONTROL ARMS ON MY 2006 SUBARU FORESTER FAILED ON MAY 15, 2015. THERE WAS NO WARNING (NO SOUND, NO SHIMMYING, NO STEERING ISSUES) TO SUGGEST THAT SOMETHING WAS ABOUT TO HAPPEN. THE MAIN SAFETY ISSUE IS THAT IN 2012, SUBARU ISSUED A RECALL FOR FORESTERS AND IMPREZAS, RUSTPROOFING THE CONTROL ARMS. I BROUGHT MY CAR IN AT THAT TIME, AND HAVE THE PAPERWORK THAT INDICATES THAT THIS SERVICE WAS PERFORMED. I THEREFORE ASSUMED THE CAR WAS SAFE. THERE HAS BEEN NO OTHER RECALL. MY CAR HAD 118,000 MILES ON IT, AND IS WELL TAKEN CARE OF. I AM NOT AN AGGRESSIVE, POOR OR OFF-ROAD DRIVER. MY HUSBAND IS EXPERIENCED WITH CARS AND CAR REPAIRS, AND HE ALSO HEARD AND FELT NOTHING TO SUGGEST MY CAR MIGHT HAVE A PROBLEM WHEN HE DROVE THE CAR PRIOR TO THE ACCIDENT. FORTUNATELY, I WAS EXITING A ROTARY ONTO A HIGHWAY, SO HADN'T YET REACHED FULL SPEED. THE CAR GLIDED ACROSS ANOTHER LANE AS I HIT THE BRAKE, AND A RAISED DIVIDER KEPT THE CAR FROM CONTINUING INTO ONCOMING TRAFFIC. THIS FAILURE COULD HAPPEN TO ANYONE ELSE WITH A SIMILAR CAR HISTORY. THAT PERSON COULD BE DRIVING AT FULL SPEED, AND MIGHT NOT BE AS LUCKY AS I WAS IN BEING ABLE TO STOP SAFELY. A DEPUTY SHERIFF CALLED AAA FOR ME, AND I WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP. THEY REPLACED BOTH CONTROL ARMS, SWAY BARS, AND THE AXLE. SUBARU PAID FOR ALL THE REPAIRS, AND OFFERED TO PAY FOR THE TOWING. IN 2014, THE REAR CONTROL ARMS WERE REPLACED; I BROUGHT THE CAR IN BECAUSE IT WAS MAKING A NOISE AND THE REAR OF THE CAR WAS NOT RESPONDING CORRECTLY. SUBARU DIDN'T COVER THAT EXPENSE, AND I DIDN'T REALIZE THAT I SHOULD HAVE INSISTED THAT THEY DO SO. THE EXPERIENCE SUGGESTED TO ME, HOWEVER, THAT I WOULD HAVE PLENTY OF WARNING SHOULD SOMETHING HAPPEN TO THE OTHER CONTROL ARMS. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE IN MY SITUATION, AND OTHERS SHOULD BE MADE OF AWARE OF THE EXTREME DANGER THEY FACE.