Subaru Forester Transmission Slipping: Causes + How to Fix

Are you worried about your Subaru Forester’s transmission slipping? Transmission slipping can be a serious problem, potentially leaving your Forester inoperable if not addressed promptly. It’s crucial to understand what’s causing this issue and how to diagnose and fix it before it escalates into lasting damage. Various factors can contribute to your car’s transmission slipping, … Read more

Subaru Forester:  Bad Timing Belt or Chain Symptoms

A bad timing belt or timing chain can be a serious issue.  If it jumps a tooth or breaks entirely, it can lead to permanent engine damage.  Knowing the symptoms of a bad timing belt or chain is vital so this doesn’t happen to your Subaru Forester. Timing belts are made out of rubber and … Read more

Subaru Forester: Key Stuck in Ignition → Diagnosis

There are a few easy to fix reasons why your Subaru Forester’s key might get stuck in the ignition.  It’s often easy to unstick the key.  Whatever you do, don’t start trying to rip it out of the ignition.  That can cause bigger problems. This article is written with the assumption that your key is … Read more

Subaru Forester Steering Wheel Hard to Turn: Common Causes

If your Subaru Forester’s steering wheel is hard to turn, it’s almost always going to be caused by an issue with the power steering system.  But there can be other causes as well. Your car’s power steering system is responsible for taking energy from the engine, converting it to hydraulic pressure, and using that pressure … Read more

Subaru Forester:  Blue Smoke → Causes & Diagnosis

  A very common problem that affects all vehicles (including the Subaru Forester) is blue smoke coming from the exhaust.  Reasons for blue exhaust smoke include bad valve seals, valve train wear in general, the PCV valve, burning transmission fluid and more. Blue smoke indicates that your Forester’s engine is burning oil.  The question is … Read more

Subaru Forester Whining Sound: Identification + How to Fix

If your Subaru Forester is experiencing a whining noise, determining where and when the noise is happening is coming from is key to diagnosing and tracking down the cause.   With that in mind, this page is divided by when you hear the whining noise and common causes under those conditions. Is the whining noise … Read more

Subaru Forester Airbag Light:  Meaning + How to Fix

When you start your Subaru Forester, the airbag module runs a self-diagnostic check on all its major systems.  If any of these checks fail, you will see an airbag warning light on the dashboard.   Depending on the model year and what country you happen to be in, you may get something along the lines of … Read more

Subaru Forester Smells Like Gas Diagnosis (5 Main Causes)

If your Subaru Forester smells like gas, it may indicate a serious issue. It would be best to treat your car as though you have a fuel leak (don’t drive it) until you know there isn’t one.   A bad gas cap typically causes the smell of gas, the evaporative emissions system leaking, overfilling the … Read more

Subaru Forester Battery Draining:  Causes + Diagnosis

If your Subaru Forester’s battery is draining, it’s something that’ll need addressing right away.  If it is draining while your Forester isn’t running, something is drawing current that shouldn’t be. If the battery drains while driving, there’s likely an issue with your car’s alternator. The two primary causes for a battery to deplete are parasitic … Read more

Subaru Forester Won’t Accelerate: Causes + How to Fix

If your Subaru Forester won’t accelerate, that is a serious cause for concern.   If your check engine light is on, get a code scanner and see what trouble codes are stored in the PCM (powertrain control module).  They can provide valuable insight as to what the problem may be and help you narrow down … Read more