What 147 owners told NHTSA about the 2011 Subaru Forester

MY HUSBAND PURCHASED A NEW SUBARU FORESTER IN MAY OF 2011 FOR ME WITH AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR 7 YEARS. IT WAS A BIG INVESTMENT FOR US AND I HAD HOPED TO DRIVE MY NEW SUBARU FORESTER 2011 FOR SEVERAL YEARS DOWN THE ROAD. SHORTLY AFTER PURCHASING IT, I NOTICED THE BRAKES TO BE DEFECTIVE AND WOULD NOT STOP THE VEHICLE IN A TIMELY FASHION OR QUICKLY ENOUGH. I TOLD MY HUSBAND ALL THE TIME, WHO ALSO HAPPENS TO DRIVE MY CAR, ALSO COMPLAINED ABOUT ITS BRAKES. I HAD MY VEHICLE REGULARLY SERVICED AS PER THE COMPANIES WARRANTY REQUIREMENTS AND AT ONLY AUTHORIZED SUBARU SERVICE & DEALERSHIP CENTERS. I RECENTLY TOLD THE SERVICE DEPT AT MY 30,000 MILE SERVICING ABOUT THE BRAKES ISSUES I HAD AGAIN, TO THEIR ATTENTION BUT THEY SAID THAT- 'THAT WAS THE WAY THE FORESTER'S BRAKES WERE AND THAT I HAD TO PUSH THE PEDAL HARD TO THE FLOOR(PUMP THE BRAKES) TO STOP IT QUICKLY ENOUGH" AND MY BRAKES WERE FINE ACCORDING 30,000 MILE SERVICING, AND I WAS DISAPPOINTED WITH THEIR RESPONSE I WAS DRIVING ON A LOCAL ROAD 25 MPH WHEN ANOTHER VEHICLE SUDDENLY APPEARED IN FRONT OF ME TO STOP TO MAKE A LEFT TURN. I PUSHED THE BRAKES BUT MY VEHICLE JUST WOULD NOT STOP QUICKLY ENOUGH. I WAS INVOLVED IN A ACCIDENT HITTING THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME. TO DISCOVER THAT MY FRONT BUMPER NOW HAD A HUGE CRACK IN IT. I DO NOT FEEL SAFE DRIVING A VEHICLE WHOSE BRAKES ARE SO BAD THAT IT WILL NOT STOP THE VEHICLE QUICKLY ENOUGH AND NEEDS TO BE PUMPED TO STOP IT SOONER(WHICH MAY NOT BE POSSIBLE IN MANY CIRCUMSTANCES SUCH AS THE ONE ABOVE) , .AFTER THE CAR CAME OUT FROM THE BODY SHOP I HAD A RECENT OCCURENCE BUT THIS TIME IT WAS A RAINY DAY I STARTED TO SLOW DOWN PRESSING THE BRAKE TO TURN TO MY ROAD WHICH I HAD THE SAME ISSUE, INSTEAD OF STOPPING OR SLOWING DOWN THE BRAKES ARE ACCELERATING. PLEASE INVESTIGATE THE BRAKES AT THE VERY LEAST TO PREVENT FUTURE ACCIDENTS. I AM DETERMINED TO TRADE IN MY VEHICLE FOR SAFE CAR.

NHTSA ODI 10567203

ON 5/24/11, WHILE DRIVING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION, MY FORESTER WAS HIT BROADSIDE BY ANOTHER VEHICLE THAT RAN A RED LIGHT. THE IMPACT OF THE SPEEDING VEHICLE CAUSED THE FORESTER TO SPIN 360 DEGREES AND FLIP-OVER ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE. I WAS LEFT TRAPPED INSIDE THE FORESTER AND WITNESSES POINTED OUT THAT THE ENGINE AND TRANSMISSION CONTINUED TO RUN AFTER THE FORESTER FLIPPED OVER. APPARENTLY THERE IS NO ENGINE OR TRANSMISSION KILL SWITCH. FURTHERMORE, THERE IS NO INTERIOR RELEASE OF THE REAR HATCH. AS A RESULT I REMAINED TRAPPED INSIDE THE VEHICLE AND CONCERNED ABOUT A GASOLINE LEAK AND POSSIBLE EXPLOSION. I WAS EVENTUALLY REMOVED FROM THE VEHICLE BY EMTS AND BROUGHT TO THE HOSPITAL. MY CONCERN IS THAT IF SIMILAR ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN A REMOTE AREA OR IF THE DRIVER WAS MORE SERIOUSLY INJURED, MORE SERIOUS CONSEQUENCES COULD HAVE RESULTED. *TR

NHTSA ODI 10430338