2003 Subaru Forester Steering Problems

Your front lower passenger side control arm rusted completely in half and broke while you were parking—even though Subaru had already applied an anti-corrosion coating during a recall repair in 2011. The dealership says the recall was completed and won't cover replacing it again, leaving you with an undrivable vehicle. This structural failure could have caused loss of steering control if it happened while driving at highway speeds. You'll likely need a new front lower control arm with suspension work to restore safe steering function.

Your steering feels very loose and the car sways while driving. You noticed a smell you couldn't identify, and experienced headaches, dizziness, and nausea after driving it. You heard grinding and thumping noises from the rear, found oily dust inside the car, and discovered dark oil coming from the exhaust pipe. The combination of loose steering, unusual noises, and exhaust issues suggests multiple serious mechanical problems that need professional inspection before the car is driven again.

DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD AND LEFT FRONT WHEEL LOCKED UP CAR WENT OUT OF CONTROL AND ENDED UP IN A DITCH. LUCKY WAS ONLY DRIVING 35 MPH AND NOT OUT ON THE FREEWAY. THIS HAPPENED ON A RURAL ROAD WITH LIMITED TRAFFIC. LEFT FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARM BROKE AND WHEEL CAME UP AGAINST THE INNER FENDER AND CAUSING LOSS OF CONTROL. THIS BROKE THE CV AXLE IN HALF AND ALSO BROKE THE TIE ROD ENDS. BOTH WHEELS POINTED OUTWARD FOUND A RECALL 11464000 AND IT WAS NEVER COMPLETED ON THE CAR. JUST BOUGHT THE CAR IN PA 2 WEEKS AGO.

I WAS DRIVING AT 55 MPH WHEN MY RIGHT FRONT CONTROL ARM SNAPPED. I LOOKED TO ENSURE NO VEHICLES WERE COMING, AND MADE THE DECISION TO TURN LEFT TO GET BACK ON THE ROAD WITH ALL FOUR TIRES AS I COULD ONLY TURN LEFT. I COULD NOT CONTROL THE VEHICLE, AND THE VEHICLE TURNED SIDE WAYS AND THEN ROLLED THREE CONSECUTIVE TIMES LANDING ON ITS WHEELS FACING SOUTH. I WAS TRANSPORTED TO THE HOSPITAL . ON THE WAY TO THE HOSPITAL IN THE AMBULANCE THE DRIVER HAD TO STOP, BECAUSE I WAS THROWING UP CONVULSIVELY WHILE BEING STRAPPED TO A BACKBOARD AND I THOUGHT I WAS GOING TO DIE OF NOT BEING ABLE TO BREATH DUE TO MY AIRWAY BEING FILLED WITH VOMIT. I SUSTAINED THE FOLLOWING INJURIES: 2 FORMS OF VERTIGO WHICH I STILL HAVE, A SHOULDER INJURY WHICH I WAS IN A SLING FOR SIX WEEKS, SEVERE MUSCLE INJURIES IN MY BACK AND NECK, I NOW HAVE SEVERE MUSCLE SPASMS AND CRAMPS THROUGHOUT MY WHOLE BODY, LOSS OF MEMORY, AND SEVERE CONTUSIONS THROUGHOUT MY WHOLE BODY, AND ALSO A RIGHT LEG INJURY WHICH AFFECTS MY WALKING CAPABILITY, PTSD AND SEVERE FLASHBACKS OF MY ACCIDENT WITH ME ROLLING OVER AND OVER AGAIN, BECAUSE I WAS CONSCIOUS THROUGH THE WHOLE ACCIDENT. THERE WAS AN OPEN RECALL ON THE LOWER CONTROL ARMS ON MY VEHICLE WHICH WAS NEVER REPAIRED. THE SUBURU RECALL CAMPAIGN # IS WVX-34, AND THE NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER IS 11V-464. THE NECESSARY REPAIRS WERE NEVER PERFORMED. THE AIRBAG NHTSA COMPLAINT NUMBER I FILED FOR THE AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOYING IS 10598597. THERE WERE 22 OTHER REPORTS TO THE NHTSA REGARDING THE AIRBAGS NOT DEPLOYING DUE TO THE WIRING HARNESS ATTACHED TO THE DRIVERS SEAT BEING NOT LONG ENOUGH, THERE ARE SEVERAL COMPLAINTS TO THE NHTSA. THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION IS IN THE PROCESS OF INVESTIGATING MY ACCIDENT ALSO. THE FEDERAL TRADE COMMISSION REFERENCE NUMBER IS [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR...UPDATED 08/12/15 *BF