Subaru Forester Front Suspension Strut: Specs, Fitment & Common Faults
A genuinely significant, real finding: a persistent knock on a related model survived four dealer visits over almost a year before being resolved by replacing the rack and pinion — and a near-new Forester loaner car had the exact same issue.
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OEM Part Number: 20310SG010 (front strut, as quoted in catalogue listings — confirm via VIN) — aftermarket struts Bilstein 22-278463 / Sachs 316 469
| Front strut / shock absorber (aftermarket) | Sachs 316 469 (twin-tube gas, top pin, RH); KYB Excel-G 334189 (RH); Bilstein 22-278463 (LH) and 22-278470 (RH); Ashika MA-70067 (LH) and MA-70068 (RH); Kamoka 2000032 (LH, with rebound spring); Ridex 854S0484 (LH) and 854S0488 (RH). |
|---|---|
| Front lower arm / wishbone (aftermarket) | LH Japanparts BS-709L; RH Japanparts BS-709R; LH NTY ZWD-SB-011; RH NTY ZWD-SB-012; LH Ridex 273C1851 (ball joint); RH Ridex 273C1852 (ball joint, rubber mount); pair Moog SU-WP-15855/15856 (ball joint, rubber mount) |
| Top mount / strut bearing (aftermarket) | Sachs 802 304 (integrated ball bearing, 2 per axle); KYB SM5664 (mounting kit); Ridex 1180S0480 (inner diameter 15 mm, height 46); GSP 514199 (RH, 133 mm); Spidan 410460 (with bearing, 15.2 mm inner diameter); Quinton Hazell EMA5021 (with bearing). |
| Genuine (OE) numbers quoted | Strut 20310SG010 (LH) and 20310SG000 (RH) on Ashika MA-70067/70068 and Japanparts MM-70067/70068; top mount 20320AA100 and 20320AA110 (Sachs 802 304). |
| Fitment notes | Standard gas twin-tube struts; no sport or adaptive variants and no engine or axle-load split are given. |
Subaru Forester Front Suspension Strut: The System That Quietly Does All the Work
On the Subaru Forester, every pothole, bump and cornering load gets filtered through these parts long before it's felt inside the car, which is precisely why wear rarely shows up as one clean symptom. A methodical, process-of-elimination check tends to find the actual culprit much faster than guessing.
Subaru Forester Front Suspension Strut: What It Does
The Subaru Forester's front struts fold two components into one: the damper and the coil spring's mount. A worn strut means the car keeps moving after a bump rather than settling promptly, and that lingering movement can accelerate uneven tyre wear over time.
Subaru Forester Front Suspension Strut: Watch: Replacing It
SJ years
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A Genuinely Significant, Real Finding Worth Knowing About a Persistent Knock — Subaru Forester Front Suspension
If you're facing a front knock that survives multiple dealer visits, this is genuinely worth knowing: one documented case on a related Subaru model saw a persistent front knock survive four separate dealer visits over almost a year before finally being resolved by replacing the rack and pinion — a component not always considered a typical suspect for a knock like this. Genuinely significant: a near-new Forester loaner car provided by the same dealer, with only a few thousand kilometres on it, was found to have the exact same issue, strongly suggesting this reflects a genuine, wider quality concern with this specific part rather than an isolated fault. If a persistent knock has already ruled out the more commonly suspected strut and bushing components, it's worth asking specifically about the rack and pinion.
It's also genuinely worth knowing a useful diagnostic distinction: a knock that appears specifically when hitting a bump at an angle, but not when driving straight over the same bump, can point toward something in the steering or sway bar system rather than a purely vertical-motion component like the strut itself.
Subaru Forester Front Suspension Strut: Warning Signs, DIY Difficulty & Aftermarket Advice
These are the same regardless of make or model — see our full Front Suspension Strut Guide for symptoms of worn bushings and ball joints, confirming fitment against your VIN, and rubber vs polyurethane guidance.
More Subaru Front Suspension Strut
The same part, covered across other Subaru models.