DaveMc

My 2009 2.0D Forester ground to a halt at the weekend. The engine was working fine when it stopped putting power to all wheels. The gear lever would go into all gears but no power was getting to the wheels. There was a smell of burnt out clutch, but on other vehicles I've driven if a clutch went then it was still possible to drive once a gear had been found. In this case that didn't work! Anyone any suggestions?

Along similar lines, I have heard many nasty tails of the diesel engine self destructing in this way. I also notice that Subaru no longer provide the option of a diesel engine. I have a 2009 Diesel Forester with just over 80.000 miles on clock, so therefore getting a bit concerned. Can I ask how big the problem is and if there is a pattern as to why this is happening?

Has anyone changing a diesel Forester's DPF experienced problems with a non-Subaru supplier part? When changing out the DPF I removed the heat shields, pressure pipes & temperature probes from the old unit, refitted the pipes onto the new unit and when I screwed in the first temp probe at the front of the DPF I heard a crack. I removed the probe and discovered that it had bent and broken. I carefully screwed the other one into the same hole and as soon as I felt any resistance I looked inside the DPF with a torch and discovered that the tip of the probe was making contact with the core of the DPF before it was seating on the thread.

That's strange - I've bought my Forester new in December 2009 from a main dealer and haven't received any recall letter! I'm also still at the address they had when I bought it. Strange - got me worried now.

Yep, as has been mentioned above it was a glowplug. Rather than trust the main dealer and their crazy price I opted for my local friendly mechanic. As was probably inevitable the glowplug being extracted broke. The ingenuity of a good mechanical engineer managed to plug the hole so no further damage would be done. Several years ago now and the car never missed a start in winter (in Aberdeen!) since. I've still got the car. Dave

Well it certainly seems as if this topic, I started, has demonstrated that there is a significant design problem, or simply poor quality, in the glowplugs fitted to the Subaru diesel! Surely Subaru should, for their own market image come clean and admit the problem and agree to help out with owners' costs to fix the problem. This is my 5th Subaru and whilst I like the brand the costs of repair are making me look to other makes for my next car. Dave

But that wouldn't answer why it comes on when the oil is clearly cold!

Hi, The rear diff temp warning light has been flickering on and off on my 2010 Subaru Forester 2.0D. At first it was more often off than on and now it is more often on than off. It seems to be sensative to the angle the car is at i.e going downhill it will go off but come on again on level. It certainly has got nothing to do with temperature as it appears within a couple of seconds driving on a day where the outside temp is -5C. Any ideas? Dave

Dogconker, I don't think simply because there seems to be no problems since 2012 is reassuring. My Forester was 4 years old before the problem struck which means that it could be 2016 before the 2012 models hit problems. I'm at the stage now that whilst I really like the car I'm worried that another glowplug will go and I've got to go through another potentially expensive repair again. I'm tempted to revert to petrol engines but the non turbo is underpowered for towing a rally car on trailer and the turbo drinks fuel like it's going out of fashion. I'm not convinced that they've got it sorted yet in the newer diesels and may have to look to a Toyota instead!

I think it's clear from the experiences that we've all been having throughout the world that there is a definite problem with the diesel engine that Subaru should be at very least footing the bill for repairs. My car is now nearly 5 years old and whilst I like it a lot I'm kind of reluctant to upgrade to the latest model in the case the problem still exists. Come on Subaru, if you're monitoring this forum, what do you intend to do about it?

Thanks Gambit, Have you heard of this being a common problem with subaru diesel engines?

Does anyone know of a problem with the glowplugs on a 2010 Forester Diesel engine, or other diesel engines for that matter? My malfunction light came on along with the traction control light, and the cruise control also stopped working. My local garage decised the diagnostic code was for steering function sensor whilst the main dealer said it was the glowplugs. Struggling to get my head round this one - I can relate why a fault in the traction control could switch off the cruise control, but don't see what that has got to do with glowplugs! The technician at main dealer told me that it was a known fault with the diesel engine and that the malfunction would affect other electronic systems in the car! Quote of £425 to fix glowplugs provided they don't snap when taking them out...........then it will be more! Anyone come accross this before? Dave