weird new 07 forester

charleyliu

Our new 07 forester is weird sometimes:
1)when I start up the car, I feel obvious shaking from left to right, which is not normal when I drive others cars.
2) when I stop at a red light or a stop sign, I hold the brake, then when I lift my feet (but not hit the gas pedal), I feel that the car just stall there. There is no trend to drive forward.
3) When I stop at idle, I feel some vibration in the car, even my seat is vibrating.

The car is only drived for 20 miles. Are these phenomenon normal for a new forester? I mean are there any other new foresters that do not have such problems. If they are normal, then what's the cause ?

Please helps! We even suspect our new car is a lemon.

kdshapiro

Take the car back to the dealer and explain the situation to the dealer and take them for a test drive. Stalling at lights is not normal behavior for any car.

toronto_steve

Not moving forward when in gear, on a level road, with the foot off the brake, isn't right. I'm assuming it's an auto-tranny, not a manual, right? Get it checked.

The side to side shake, and vibration is normal for the Subaru. It is a 4 cylinder boxer-style engine. This means the pistons strike out horizontally and can shake the vehicle side to side on a start, and also at an idle.

I've got an '07 Forester X and have rented a few other Subarus and all do this.

charleyliu

Yes, We get an auto-tranny. We didn't feel much vibration from steering wheel but a lot from the front seats, is that similar to your experience?

charleyliu

We remember that the dealer said the stalling is a security feature of the forester so as not to let the car rush out to cause accidents. :mad:

charleyliu

Our car also has a strange smell after driving, the dealer said that's because the coating of the engine in the new car is burnt out.

kdshapiro

All new cars have a "strange smell" for the first 100 miles. Mine does not shake, nor does it have vibration. When I lift my foot off the gas, it rolls forward slowly.

Does your engine stall? Or does it not move forward when the brake is released?

charleyliu

I mean sometimes the engine stall when the brake is release, sometimes it goes forward very slowly. Someone suggest that may be because we are in an un-level road without awareness.

toronto_steve

I get some vibration from the seat, but it's only momentary. About the same as in the rental Forester I had. The first time I felt it in the rental, it spooked me, but it makes sense when you think about how the engine works.

As far as the stalling goes, I would get it checked.

--S

"Yes, We get an auto-tranny. We didn't feel much vibration from steering wheel but a lot from the front seats, is that similar to your experience?"

paisan

Stalling as in you have to re-start the engine, or stalling in that failure to move forward? If you have to restart the engine there is something wrong, if the car simply won't move forward, it's fairly common and not a concern. If you've never owned a Subaru, then the vibrations may come as a concern, but they are normal for the boxer engine as noted above.

-mike

kavoom

You could always drive another demo to see if yours is out of line and you are just getting used to it. Don't worry about the smell. They all do that.

michlaz

Hi Charley,

I have got the same problem (#1 on your list) on my brand new 07 Forester, plus I also hear some unusual noise from the engine on cold start.
I am planning to take my car back to the dealer today.
Did you get any answers from your Subaru dealer?
Please let me know.
Thanks.

charleyliu

We keep our cars. Now we have drived our car for 1000 miles. We are satisfied with it now. We have not heard any unusual noise from the engine. But since the engine is horizontally equipped, it may has some kind of shaking when start.

michlaz

Charley,

Thank you for feedback.

rtojek

specifically to michlaz & charleyliu: What was the dealers response? I just purchased new 07 Forester that started fine when we drove it at dealership, picked up 4 days later & the next morning & every cold start since the engine idle is so rough it shakes the whole car. It stops after reving the engine a little. After 54 mile one way to dealer, leaving car overnight, $36. in fuel, thier esponse was this is normal. I dont believe this, the vibration is so bad that the vibration alone is going to cause other problems. Any one else out there heard of this problem? Please dont tell me its common with boxer design as Ive had 3 & all started & ran smooth, current Legacy sedan with 180K included.

michlaz

Hey Rtojek,

I took my "lemon" to the dealer.
Car is there for more than week now - they are trying to fix the problem. I know it is not normal, I had Forester before. Meanwhile I am getting round arounds from SOA. I am very frustrated with whole experience of buying new Forester.

Good luck with your "lemon".

tazereli

Hi Charlie,

Is there any way you can take your Legacy to the dealer at the same time as the Forester to give them a side by side comparison? Good luck!

Regards,
Kyle

mrtcpa

I purchased an '07 Forester a week and a half ago and each of the past 10 morning (cold start) the car idles rough and shakes. Once I rev the engine, the car runs great the rest of the day. The problem will not repeat itself unless the car sits for 10 hours or more.

I called the dealer and they suggested driving it for another two weeks to see if the problem works itself out (not the response I was hoping for). Have any of the previous posters had any success with an explanation from your respective service departments concerning this problem?

ateixeira

I'd reset the ECU. Disconnect the negative battery terminal, wait 20 minutes, reconnect. Have the keyless handy to lock/unlock a few cycles to silence the alarm and/or flashing lights that will come on.

That'll reset the program and it'll run rich at first, then slowly lean out the fuel mix as it learns your driving style. But at least you get a fresh start right now, as opposed to two weeks from now.

mrtcpa

Have you tried this with any success for this specific problem? I saw this same recommendation on another Forester forum, but fix did not help others with the same problem.

ateixeira

It helped me get rid of some CELs before I got my ODBII scanner, but my Forester was a '98 and has a lot more miles than any 07 would have.

The symptoms make it sound like it would be the spark plugs, plug wires, or maybe even the ignition coil, but it's so new that I have trouble believing that's what it is. Plus you're not getting any misfire codes.

subie4life77

I have heard everything from needing to check out the "Lemon Law" (which requires 2-3 problems of the SAME type & not resolved in Virginia) to perhaps my car was built LATE on a Friday. :sick:

Looking back, I sadly sold my 2004 WRX (that had ZERO problems!) for a new 2007 Forester 2.5 X, to save on insurance and gas prices. Sure wish I could jump back into a WRX, but it's not in the cards right now.

So, here's the breakdown and I'm curious if anyone else has had issues with their 2007 Forester? One of my friends has an identical one and hasn't had any.

2007 Forester 2.5 X (non-turbo) Premium Package, Automatic
I've been driving it for 1 year, 1 month.
It has 27,000 miles on it (trips, 50 mile round trip work commute, weekend driving).

1) At 15,000 miles the sunroof stress fractured. = Subaru replaced under warranty.

2) Since day one, the low gas light comes on at 1/2 a gallon left in the tank instead of the 2.5 gallons the manual states. During an experiment I ran out of gas. = Yesterday Subaru replaced the fuel sensor/leveler under warranty.

3) Four weeks ago when starting my engine it would run very rough and even while at idle on the road after it warmed up. The Check Engine light came on and the code read: "Camshaft Circuit Sensor Malfunction". = Subaru said some wires were loose and tightened them, under warranty.

4) Last week the same engine roughness started occurring and two days ago the Check Engine light came on. = THIS TIME Subaru comes back and says I need new Catalytic Converters!!! They'll be replaced under warranty... but at 27,000 miles?!?! What gives? They have no clue what's causing the problem.

I swear, Subaru is rebuilding my car like it should have come from the factory. My concern is at this rate I'll be out of warranty in 2-3 months. Then what? Expenses out the rear?

The only "modification" I have is a basic K&N air filter, replacing the stock filter. Friends have had it in their cars for years, without any issues.

Thoughts? Much appreciated!

(I think I'm going to look at getting another vehicle. It'll definitely be a Subaru... maybe even another Forester.)

ateixeira

I had a Forester for 9 years and it saw the dealer twice.

The day I bought it.

One other time for a recall.

That's it. I sold it to a private party, and did all the maintenance myself.

You're just not lucky.

paisan

I'd say it's a sensor issue. Unfortunately it could be any of a number of them. I'd switch out the K&N just cause it could raise questions at the dealer for a warranty repair.

-mike

p0926

MIght not be a "lemon" by VA's definition but certainly sounds like its jinxed

I'm on my 2nd Forester with over 130k combined miles and the only dealer trips have been for a couple bad oxygen sensors replaced under warranty back in 2000. Oh yeah, I had a loose airbag sensor under the driver's seat a while back too.

I need new Catalytic Converters

What? You been burning grain alcohol or something?!?! :P

My concern is at this rate I'll be out of warranty in 2-3 months

Well at least you'll still have the 5yr/60k powertrain warranty

-Frank

leo2633

I've replaced two catalytic converters on my 2001 Forester over its life, currently at 167K miles. The first was replaced under warranty by Subaru around the 60K mile mark. The second was replaced this past summer. The rest of the exhaust system is still original, though I'm sure I just jinxed myself. I've owned the car since new, and have maintained it meticulously, and no, never any grain alcohol (not to my knowledge, anyway!).

Len