2009 subaru forester xt lemon

anyone else have a new car engine blown at 11000 k? (in the middle of the desert, summertime between calif. and arizona) or at 57000 K have a blown transmission?(in hollywood ca?) same car. Anyone else lose the love?

Personally, I find it hard to believe the car is a Lemon and the engine and transmission blew up on their own.
Let’s start the investigation with some background details, engine first.

Why did it blow up? Out of oil? Who changed the oil last, if it was ever even changed?
Did the hood ever come up to inspect the oil level? How often was the oil changed?
That’s for starters.

Transmission next.
Automatic or manual? Who changes the engine oil (see above)? Why did the transmission blow up; lack of hypoid oil on either a manual or automatic or lack of ATF on an auto only?
Who services, if ever, the transmission?

You have provided zero details about the above. Fill us in.

Subaru had of batch of turbo engines installed in 2009 WRX, Legacy/Outback and Forester for a few months with defective main bearings. No fault of owners… Subaru ordered a stop sale on them. The poster should be happy it blew up under warranty.

The transmission failure is quite rare. Subaru automatics are generally reliable as they have been around for years and far from cutting edge. Not sure what happened there…

Well, since the engine was covered under warranty by Subaru due to a major manufacturing error on their part, you need to describe the care you have provided your transmission.

When was the last time you changed the fluid?

BC.

Transaxle’s covered under a 5yr/60k warranty, right? Didn’t they cover it? If not, why not?

Granted, a short run of cars had an annoying glitch about coming unglued but the OP did not provide any info at all about the problems or any details leading up to those problems.
At this point, and in spite of those hiccups, I don’t consider the car to be a Lemon.

The blown engine may or may not have been their fault, it may or may not have been covered by warranty, and even if covered by warranty there’s always the possibility the damage was owner inflicted and they lucked out.

Over the years I’ve seen people bring brand new cars to the drag strip I frequent and literally beat those cars into the asphalt. One kid with a brand spanking new Turbo Neon, another with a new Subaru WRX, and even a new Turbo Neon that had a dealer DEMO plate on it. They all whaled on these cars all evening long and my thoughts were that I was feeling very sorry for the next owners of these vehicles.

The OP has also provided no info about the transmission failure or even the type of transmission it has.

When the engine blew at a little over 10,000 miles, eh…still a new car with 3 oil changes. Subaru dealership said there has been a problem. They replaced the engline with a new one and new turbo. Of course we were stuck in the middle of the desert for 7 hours 50 miles from Barstow and 85 miles from Palm Springs in the middle of the desert. Subaru sent their roadside towing to fetch us (in the opposite direction to Yuma Arizona) so I had to use my AAA to tow us to Palm Springs Subaru at midnight.
The transmission (automatic) blew in hollywood ca. Martin L King night, again subaru roadside could not get to us in time had to use my AAA again to tow to Glendale, CA. Subaru is replacing with a new transmission under warrenty. This is suppose to be a car you can take anywhere, glad I didn’t take to Mexico. The 1990 toyota wagon I had for 300,000 mile took me and my sons to Mexico towing a camping trailer to Sequoia, Bass lake, without any problems. The only thing I did to the toyota was replace the battery, alternator, and water pump. The Subaru I don’t want to take out of town! and till it fixed I can’t!

It might be rare…but I’ve never had a car in my life this undependable, and Hey I 60 years old and have had my share of autos and motorcycles in my live. I wouldn’t want my sons to have it.

I’m just not a Subaru fan, but your car seems especially bad. Sell or trade it before it goes off warranty. That is if you can wait that long, given it’s propensity to leave your stranded late at night.

“Anyone else lose the love?”

I have never had any love for an overly complicated machine or vehicle. I have no use for AWD, 4WD, Turbo Chargers, Super Chargers, special tires, etcetera.

You want love ? I Use the KISS method when purchasing machines. Keep It Simple, Stupid.

I’m not saying that’s the whole answer in this case, but there sure are lots of Subaru problems posted on this site that are related to AWD, matched tires, viscous couplers, excessive service requirements, etcetera, for example.

I have no problem with people choosing complicated machines (I am all for freedom of choice), but how could anybody expect to add more systems, more parts (staionary and moving), and more maintenance to a vehicle and not have more problems ?

CSA

I guess for all the reasons that you just mentioned, I love my Porsche Boxster.

It has a nice flat 6 engine with a great power band, a well spaced 5 speed manual transmission, two seats, a firm suspension that doesn’t feel like you’re riding on a skateboard, and massive amounts of grip around corners. The top coming down is just a nice extra.

Sure, its not a Toyota Corolla, or a Chevy Malibu, but it makes me smile when I drive it, which is worth the premium price, and the extra costs of insurance, and for high quality synthetic oil.

Wait, let me rephrase that sentence slightly:

BECAUSE its not a Toyota Corolla or a Chevy Malibu, it puts a smile on my face when I drive it, slicing through these fantastic mountain roads, or the racetrack, here in the wonderful state of Colorado.

Simple and boring may work for you where you live, but I like something that puts a smile on my face, when I need a smile on my face. I have an Altima for all those other times, where getting someplace safely is more important than the smile, but it still does make me smile, don’t get me wrong.

BC.

BC, We’re Not In Disagreement On This. You Know Going In That Your Porsche Is A More Complicated, Higher Maintenance Vehicle. I Agree That The Extra Tinkering Factor Pays Off In The Fun To Drive Quotient.

Some folks are sold complex vheicles thinking that they will be as reliable and trouble free as a boring commuter car.

I have a pair of Fieros and an old Honda roadbike (I’ve had many dirt bikes and an Off Road VW Buggy that I raced) that I tinker with and have fun driving in the summer (hopefully the summer season falls on a week-end this year !). I am saving up for a late model Corvette.

Since I’d just abuse a nice car like your Boxter by driving it in all the crap of our long winters, I take the boring, quiet, comfortable route of our large American cars for much of the year. We live an hour round trip from town and school and 2 hours from work. Besides, it’s just to cold and snowy to tinker for almost half the year.

:wink:

CSA

AWD and turbo chargers add a slight amount of complexity. Interestingly enough I own a one of their Subaru WRX (2004) and it has been far more reliable than ANY domestic, Toyota, Honda or VW I have owned over the same time period. It is actually listed(2002-2005) as a reliable/desirable car to buy on Consumer Reports.

I am incredibly surprised with my car. I found fellow WRX owners have the same experience. The rest of Subaru non performance cars is a mixed bag I agree.

I have never had so much fun in the winter than my Subaru WRX with turbo, AWD and winter tires. It is an absolute hoot.

It’s impossible to say what the deal was with the engine as there are no details behind that problem. If the engine really let go because of a manufacturing fluke then that would be an exception to the rule. It’s an anomaly, nothing more.

Since a transmission explosion due to a manufacturing defect would have odds so rare as to be near non-existent, I would ask if the engine oil had been changed not too long before this happened and if the transmission had exhibited any subtle symptoms; such as a very faint whine.

Was it built on a Monday?

Hey Andrew,

Do you happen to have a source for this? Last night my engine broke down in Colorado. Only 26K miles and I have kept my car in really good shape (just got oil and transmission fluid changed last week). Subaru has been beating around the bush today, trying to back out of their responsibility (I think this local dealership and them are in cahoots), don’t want to have to take it to court.

That truck was my baby… I’m so upset.