NHTSA Complaint #11330706 — 2017 SUBARU FORESTER

AFTER DRIVING THE CAR AND PLACING IT IN "PARK", THE KEY COULD NOT BE EXTRACTED FROM THE IGNITION. PUTTING THE CAR INTO DIFFERENT GEARS WAS OF NO HELP. I WAS SOMETIMES ABLE TO RESTART THE CAR AND THEN EXTRACT THE KEY, BUT NOT EVERY TIME. MY CHOICES WERE TO RETURN HOME OR LEAVE MY CAR IN THE PARKING LOT WITH THE KEY IN IT WHILE DRAINING THE BATTERY WHILE THIS MAY SEEM MORE AN INCONVENIENCE THAN A SAFETY ISSUE, ON SOME OCCASIONS THIS RESULTED IN MY BATTERY BECOMING SO WEAK THAT MY CAR WOULDN'T CRANK LEAVING ME STRANDED UNTIL I COULD FIND SOMEONE TO HELP ME JUMP OFF MY CAR. AFTER THREE OF THESE INCIDENTS, I BEGAN DISCONNECTING THE BATTERY CABLES WHEN I COULDN'T REMOVE THE KEY. I LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND THAT MANY PEOPLE WERE HAVING THE SAME ISSUE WITH THEIR SUBARUS OF VARIOUS MODELS. THEY SAID THAT THE GUIDE PLATE IN THE SHIFTER ASSEMBLY WAS FAULTY. THE DEALERSHIP STATED THAT THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM AND THEY KEPT THOSE PARTS IN STOCK. THEY DID REPLACE THE GUIDE PLATE WHICH CORRECTED THE ISSUE. MY QUESTION IS: IF SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE THE SAME ISSUE (WITH A CORRECTION COST OF $500) WHY ISN'T THERE A RECALL? I PERSONALLY HAVE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY WHICH COVERED ALL BUT $100 OF THE REPAIR, BUT PEOPLE WHO DON'T HAVE THE EXTENDED WARRANTY WILL HAVE TO PAY THE FULL $500 JUST TO GET A KEY OUT OF THE IGNITION. IT IS MY UNDERSTANDING THAT SUBARU NOW USES A DIFFERENT GUIDE PLATE IN THE LATEST MODELS. SUBARU KNOWS THIS IS A PROBLEM IN THE CARS THAT ARE 2-3 YEARS OLD. THEY NEED TO BE HONEST WITH CONSUMERS SO THAT THEY DON'T RISK BEING STRANDED DUE TO A WEAKENED BATTERY BECAUSE OF FAULTY GUIDE PLATES AND THEY NEED TO CORRECT THE PROBLEM FREE OF CHARGE AS IT IS A SAFETY CONCERN. *TR