2024 Subaru Forester Gets First Recall, Certain Vehicles May Leak Coolant

Enter NHTSA safety recall number 23V-723, which comprises 49 vehicles. Assembled between September 13 and September 14, said crossovers may be hampered by insufficiently tightened engine water pipe attachment bolts. Even a single loose bolt may result in the water pipe leaking coolant, which – in contact with a hot exhaust manifold – can lead to a fire. Subaru identified this condition on September 13 during vehicle assembly.

How did those vehicles roll off the assembly line with loose bolts? Come October 11, the Japanese automaker determined a work instruction as being the most likely root cause. No fire reports have been filed with Subaru over this concern. The recall condition was corrected in production on September 14. As per the document attached below, port processing facilities are to tighten the water pipe attachment bolts to the specified torque.

It should be noted that no affected vehicle has been sold to retail purchasers or dealers prior to the issuance of recall number 23V-723. In case your dealer sales rep tells you to wait a little longer to take delivery of your brand-new Forester, now you know the reason behind this delay.

The only boxer-engined crossover in the compact utility vehicle segment, the Forester is a Subaru through and through. The brand's trademark all-wheel-drive system is standard, along with a chain-driven continuously variable transmission. Prospective customers in the market for the Sport, Limited, Touring, or Wilderness trim levels are treated to manual shift mode and paddle shifters.

One could argue that rowing your own is a bit nonsensical in a CVT-equipped vehicle, but look at the bigger picture. On a steep downhill, for example, manual shift mode will come in handy. Designed for 87-octane pump gas, the 2.5-liter boxer in the Forester is a naturally-aspirated lump with 182 horsepower to its name. Peak torque is 176 pound-feet (that would be 239 Nm in metric units).

Starting at $27,095 sans destination for the Base, the Forester crosses the $30K mark with the Premium trim level. The Sport is closer to $32K, whereas the Wilderness can be had for close to $35K at press time. The Limited and Touring retail at $34K and $38K, respectively.

The real star of the lineup is – of course – the Wilderness. The most trail-capable Forester of them all, the Wilderness offers 9.2 inches of ground clearance as opposed to 8.7 inches for all other trims. Yokohama Geolandar all-terrain rubber boots are standard as well, along with a full-size spare and dual-function X-Mode featuring Low Speed / Low Ratio Gradient Control.