NHTSA Complaint #11364373 — 2015 SUBARU FORESTER

USING CRUISE CONTROL AT 77 MPH IN FAST LANE OF I95 NORTHBOUND FROM FL WHEN, APPROX 10 MILES SOUTH OF VA BORDER, I FELT A SNAP LIKE PULL IN VEHICLE - KIND OF LIKE A ROPE BREAKING WHEN PLAYING TUG OF WAR. THE RPMS INCREASED AND CAR RAPIDLY LOST SPEED AND WOULD NOT ACCURATE. FORTUNATELY, I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OFF I95. I NOTICED ALL LIGHTS ON DASH WERE ON AND CAR WAS RUNNING. I TURNED IT OFF, APPROX 15 TO 30 SECONDS AFTER PULLING OFF HIGHWAY. AFTER I TURNED CAR OFF, IT WOULD NOT RESTART. I WAS TOWED (INNERSTATE TOWING) TO A TOYOTA DEALERSHIP IN ROANOKE RAPIDS, NC DUE TO NO SUBARU DEALERSHIP. TOYOTA TECH LOOKED AT CAR AND CAR STARTED FINE. THE MECHANIC FELT THE TRANSMISSION OVER HEATED. I THEN LIMPED ALONG TO SUBARU DEALERSHIP IN COLONIAL HEIGHTS, VA. I TRAVELED IN SLOW LANE ON I95, AT NO MORE THAN 70 MPH, WITH A FULL TANK OF GAS AND NO ISSUES. A SUBARU TECH DRAINED FLUID AND FOUND METAL. IT WAS DETERMINED THE TRANSMISSION NEEDED REPLACED. WHILE AT TOYOTA DEALERSHIP, I CONTACTED THE LOCATION WHERE I PURCHASED MY SUBARU FORESTER AND THAT TECH INDICATED IT WAS A FAULTY FUEL PUMP OR TRANSMISSION. WHEN CAR LOST SPEED, I HAD TWO FUEL BARS LEFT. I AM NOW GETTING THE PUMP TESTED AS WELL. FORTUNATELY, MY CAR IS UNDER WARRANTY DUE TO SUBARU'S EXTENSION BUT I FIND THIS UNACCEPTABLE. I COULD HAVE EASILY BEEN KILLED IN AN INSTANT. THIS IS MY 3RD SUBARU AND I HAVE HAD MORE PROBLEMS WITH THIS ONE THAN MY TWO PREVIOUS CARS COMBINED. FURTHER, I KEEP GOING UP IN MODELS AND PRICE POINT BUT THE QUALITY HAS DECLINED. I AM A LOYAL SUBARU CUSTOMER BUT I THINK THIS MODEL MAY BE MY LAST. BECAUSE NOTHING SEIZED UP AND NO LOUD BANG, JERKING, OR RATTLING; I AM BEGINNING TO SUSPECT IT WAS THE FUEL PUMP AND I COINCIDENTALLY THE BAD TRANSMISSION WAS DISCOVERED. NO BELTS WERE BROKEN AND THE SNAP LIKE NOISE IS UNKNOWN. I HAVE NO INVOICES YET AND POLICE WERE NOT CALLED. I AM DRIVING A LOANER CAR.