Subaru Forester Air Conditioning Problems

Comments

• cain4705 Member Posts: 2

  August 2012

  I own 2011 forester since oct 2011. After a few weeks of using my AC and it sounding normal, it started making a LOUD click and a LOUD buzzing noise by the compressor (buzzing lasts from 3 to 10 seconds) when I would first push the AC button to turn on the compressor. It sounds the worst first start up of the day or afterthe car sits for a while. After it males that noise and while it's running it sounds and works normal.
  I brought it to Subaru service and they said it sounded normal as they compared it to another 2011 Forester.
  I know it is not Normal. If it was it would have sounded like that from day one. It is also starting to get worse.
  Does anyone else have this problem?
  Can anyone tell me what they think can be slowly going wrong?

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• mithras Member Posts: 2

  May 2013

  I have a 2005 Forester (89,000 miles) with the same problem. It is, apparently, not unusual.
  
  The A/C clutch is burned and slips when the engine and/or the clutch gets hot. A new compressor/clutch is required. The clutch cannot be repaired or replaced by itself). Price from local Subaru dealer: $649, plus $9 for a replacement bracket. That's without labor. Total price is "around $1,200."
  
  The best price from a trustworthy local independent garage: $918.
  
  My Subaru dealer says the $9 bracket is the cause of the problem.

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• jebrown9 Member Posts: 1

  July 2013

  The XT I bought new in June '03 now has 84K miles. I've loved nearly everything about it except for the HVAC system. The A/C has never been powerful. I think the problem is that even when the A/C is OFF, and even when the temp dial is all the way to the cold end (i.e. heat is completely turned off), this system still warms the ambient outside air by about 5 degrees. If the air outside is 72 degrees, then the air from the dash vents is 77 degrees, and so forth. When the car was new and under warranty, I asked the dealer to find out why. They reported that everything in the HVAC system was running correctly. Long story short: I still have the exact same problem: The system always heats the incoming air by about 5 degrees. Result: I have to run the A/C more than ought to be necessary, and it also reduces the A/C capacity to cool the interior on really warm days.
  
  My guess is that a damper in the system that is supposed to blend air from the heater core with air from outside is not completely closing when the head dial is completely off, so that some heat is always flowing.
  
  Has anyone else with a 2003-2006 Forester had a similar problem? If so, has it been corrected, and how?

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• cardsfan66 Member Posts: 1

  July 2013

  The central dashboard vents on my 2010 with 37,000 miles blow cold air from the passenger side vent but warm air from the driver side vent? These vents are side-by-side yet one blows cold and the other warm? Result is the car interior never gets cool.

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• mithras Member Posts: 2

  July 2013

  I opted for the dealer replacement of the A/C unit. Cost: $1,045, including dealer rental car for the day. Ridiculous, but done -- thankfully -- before the recent 90+ degree weather. Here's hoping the replacement lasts eight years.

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• robert142 Member Posts: 18

  July 2013

  only works on unlock. have to manually lock. dealer wants a lot of $$ to replace with a new one. my friend says that it could be micro soldered as a fix.
  
  anyone else have this problem....and if so what did you do?

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• bell15 Member Posts: 1

  June 2014

  I have a 2005 Forester. I had to have the engine replaced. Following this, the air conditioner broke. I have had it in twice to have the freon changed and tested for leaks and it still blows cold and then shuts down. This seems to be a common problem for Foresters and I'm interested in the range of remedies that seem to be offered here. I have never had air conditioning problems before with any car.

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• sheldomsmith Member Posts: 1

  June 2015

  If you ARE hitting your high-pressure switch and the compressor keeps cutting in and out, you need to let out a bit of refrigerant as it's overcharged. Just press the nozzle in on the Air Conditioner line above the intercooler (or the one you used to recharge the system, usually along the firewall). Let out small, short bursts until it stops cutting in and out. Some people will get all crazy if you do this (and that I'm even recommending it), claiming you are ruining the environment and so on, but like I said, it's no different than having a leak or getting in an accident where it breaks a line. Plus, most shops do this as well if they overcharge it.

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