2008 Subaru Forester Service and Repair Manual

This factory service and repair manual for the 2008 Subaru Forester spans eleven trims, among them the 2.5 X, 2.5 XS Premium, Sports 2.5 XT, Anniversary Edition, X L.L. Bean Edition and XT Limited. The sport utility has four doors and runs one of two 2.5L gasoline flat-fours, either a turbocharged engine with double overhead camshafts or a naturally aspirated engine with a single overhead camshaft. Specifications and diagnostics cover the engine, fuel system, transmission and suspension.

Engines covered

• 2.5L flat-four — DOHC, turbocharged, gasoline
• 2.5L flat-four — SOHC, naturally aspirated, gasoline

Body styles covered

• 4-door sport utility

Trims covered

• 2.5 X
• 2.5 XS
• 2.5 XS Premium
• 2.5 XT
• Anniversary Edition
• Sports 2.5 X
• Sports 2.5 XT
• X
• X L.L. Bean Edition
• XT
• XT Limited

Known issues on the 2008 Forester. Road salt is behind the one recall that the federal record lists for the 2008 Forester. On certain 2008 Forester vehicles built within a set production period and sold or registered in certain states, salty, humid conditions can corrode the hanger brackets of the front lower control arms until one breaks; the dealer remedy is rustproofing or new arms. Suspension also tops the 50 owner complaints with 11, ahead of engine (7), air bags (6) and vehicle speed control (6), and 5 complaints reported a crash. The manual's suspension torque values, specifications and procedures address the parts involved.