The front power windows of my 2006 Forester make unusual noises when they go up and down. There is an unusual noise when the window opens completely, sort of like a "scraping" sound or the sound of something moving that should not be moving . Then, when the window goes up, the mechanism seems to catch and then release, and there is a "thunk" type sound. It seems that one of the gears or levers may be catching.
I took the car to a local dealer last week. When I picked it up the service writer told me it was OK. However, the noises and jerky motion were still there. I invited the service writer to see and hear this for himself, but he decided he should send out the mechanic who worked on my window.
The mechanic saw and heard the problem and told me he has seen a number of 2006 Forester's with this problem. he confirmed that nothing was lose or misadjusted and he had lubricated everything. So, I now believe there is a problem with the design of the window system.
I called Subaru of America to see if there was a Service Notice for the power windows. They refused to tell me! They said I need to ask my dealer.
I asked if there was a process to request an extended warranty for this part of the car since it was obviously malfunctioning though it had not yet failed. They read me the terms of the warranty - which was a basic no. As long windows work, no matter how bad the noise or the jumping, they would not be replaced under warranty - and if the windows failed after the warranty period I would be stuck with the repair cost, even though the malfunction is obvious right now, six months after I purchased the car.
I mentioned the New York State Lemon Law, which could require Subaru to replace the car if they can not or do not fix a problem with a new car. That may have gotten their attention, though they will argue that the window is not defective since it still moves up and down.
They suggested that they would contact the dealer to hear their side of the story.
On Friday I received a call from the service manager at the dealership how asked to see the car. I took the car in today and the service manager was able to easily replicate the problem, many times. He asked for time to research the problem before asking me to bring it in again for service.
So, has anyone else had problems with the power windows on a new Subaru or am I the only one?
-- Vic Roberts Replace xxx with vdr in e-mail address.