NHTSA Complaint #11258166 — 2015 SUBARU FORESTER

I BROUGHT MY 2015 SUBARU FORRESTER INTO SHEEHY SUBARU FOR A VA SAFETY INSPECTION AND OTHER WORK. I WAS ADVISED THAT MY RIGHT, REAR COIL HAD A CRACK IN IT. WHEN I SAW IT, IT WAS OBVIOUS THAT ABOUT ONE HALF COIL TURN ON THE BOTTOM WAS TOTALLY DETACHED (PHOTO). SHEEHY PROVIDED AN INITIAL ESTIMATE OF $1,900 TO REPLACE BOTH OF THE BACK COILS/STRUTS AND THAT IT WOULD TAKE 3-4 DAYS. I DID SOME INTERNET SEARCHING AND WAS SURPRISED TO FIND HOW MANY OTHER PEOPLE HAVE HAD THE SAME PROBLEM OVER THE LAST YEAR-SOME PICS WERE IDENTICAL TO MINE. THERE HAVE BEEN SO MANY COILS THAT HAVE BROKEN, THAT THERE IS A SHORTAGE OF COILS NATIONWIDE. BASED ON WHAT I SAW ON-LINE, I POINTED OUT TO THE SHEEHY SERVICE PERSON THAT THIS SEEMS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM AND I ASKED IF SUBARU WOULD COVER THE COST. HE ASKED AND HEARD BACK WITHIN AN HOUR THAT SUBARU WOULD PAY FOR THE RIGHT BROKEN COIL AS A GOOD WILL GESTURE, BUT I'D HAVE TO PAY FOR THE OTHER ONE, ESTIMATED AT $920. SINCE SHEEHY ADVISED ME THAT MY CAR WAS 'NOT SAFE TO DRIVE' (SEE P. 3 OF ATT. RECEIPT) BECAUSE OF THE BROKEN COIL, I AUTHORIZED SHEEHY'S TO MAKE THE REPAIR AND WAS GIVEN A LOANER. 5 DAYS LATER, I HADN'T HEARD ANYTHING SO I CALLED AND WAS ADVISED THAT THERE IS A PROBLEM GETTING REPLACEMENT COILS. IN THE END, IT TOOK 2 AND WEEKS FOR SHEEHY TO OBTAIN THE COILS AND REPAIR MY VEHICLE ON JULY 15, 2019. WHILE I'M NOT AN EXPERT, GIVEN HOW COMMON THIS DEFECT OCCURS, IT'S FAIRLY CLEAR TO ME TO THAT THERE IS EITHER A MANUFACTURING DEFECT IN A LARGE NUMBER OF COILS, OR THE COIL HAS A DESIGN DEFECT. I'M NOT SURE WHICH IT IS BUT IT SHOULD BE DEALT WITH ON A BROADER BASIS. THE NEW COIL DOES HAVE A SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT DESIGN WITH A PROTECTIVE SLEEVE ON THE BOTTOM FEW TURNS OF THE COIL, WHICH MAY INDICATE A DESIGN DEFECT. FRANKLY, I'M SURPRISED THERE HASN'T BEEN A RECALL, GIVEN HOW COMMON THIS PROBLEM IS AND THE SAFETY RISK THAT IT PRESENTS.