Had a bit of a scare with my 2022 Forester Wilderness a couple of weekends ago. It caught fire unexpectedly. Here’s a pic of what happened.
Only you can prevent Forester fires… no? Alright, I’ll see myself out 
EmmanuelBrown said:
Only you can prevent Forester fires… no? Alright, I’ll see myself out
Winner!
EmmanuelBrown said:
Only you can prevent Forester fires… no? Alright, I’ll see myself out
EmmanuelBrown said:
Only you can prevent Forester fires… no? Alright, I’ll see myself out
Best comment so far. Clearly, the original poster isn’t Smokey the Bear.
EmmanuelBrown said:
Only you can prevent Forester fires… no? Alright, I’ll see myself out
EmmanuelBrown said:
Only you can prevent Forester fires… no? Alright, I’ll see myself out
Haha, I’ll allow it. Guess some people just can’t see the Forester through the trees.
Whoa! What caused it?
HybridHannah2 said:
Whoa! What caused it?
Honestly, I’m not sure. There were no warning lights before the fire, so it didn’t seem electrical. Oil doesn’t catch fire easily either, so my best guess is a tiny fuel leak. The car was parked for about an hour, and there were no signs of fuel leaking beforehand. Just a theory, though.
@TacomaTribe2
I just bought a 2023 Wilderness, and this is one of my biggest worries. I’ve seen this kind of post more than once. Subaru really should look into this and maybe do a recall. Glad you’re okay, though!
@TacomaTribe2
If it was parked for an hour, the engine would have cooled down by then. My money’s on an electrical issue, maybe a short circuit near the fuel injectors.
@TacomaTribe2
Oil leaks can definitely cause fires. It happens more often than you’d think.
Terryanne said:
@TacomaTribe2
Oil leaks can definitely cause fires. It happens more often than you’d think.
I’m not a mechanic, but I talked to some ‘car guys’ I know, and they said oil would bubble and smoke on a hot manifold but not catch fire. Maybe they’re wrong; who knows.
@TacomaTribe2
The last oil change was about 3,500 miles ago.
@TacomaTribe2
As a mechanic, I can tell you oil can definitely catch fire. I’ve seen cars go up in flames because of a leaking oil filter.
Magdalina said:
@TacomaTribe2
As a mechanic, I can tell you oil can definitely catch fire. I’ve seen cars go up in flames because of a leaking oil filter.
Yeah, I remember a Forester on this forum catching fire because of a loose oil filter.
@Penn
Noted! Setting a reminder to double-check my oil filter.
@TacomaTribe2
Oil absolutely can ignite.
@TacomaTribe2
Just ask GM about their oil leak fire scandal.