There's a known undercarriage recall issue on the 2005 forester for which i never received notification. upon discovery of the problem on my vehicle which included extensive corrosion on the lower control arm and the supporting frame (see photo). i contacted a nearby subaru dealer who informed me that most of the needed repairs were not covered under the recall. this situation put my family and me at great risk as we were driving the car around without knowing. we feel that subaru should have gone to greater lengths to make sure i got the notice regarding this structural defect. subaru should cover this repair in full. i wanted to alert others to this dangerous situation.
I noticed smoke and flames in the engine compartment as i was parking at my home. flames dripped down onto the drivers side axle. as i returned quickly with no water the entire undercarriage was engulfed in flames. i ran a mile to the neighbors house and called 911. we then heard the boom of the exploding fuel tank. we returned to the scene within 20 minutes of the incident and the car was ablaze. nothing survived the fire. the heat melted through the motor straight through the top of the transmission. the motor oil was boiling. lost all valuables and vehicle. the motor swap was done two and a half years ago with a factory motor from manufacturer. this motor has a active recal. subaru is buring me in paperwork and so far offered no compensation or help since the fire on 11/26/16. lucky to be alive and unburned. shame on subaru not offering any assistance.