What 613 owners told NHTSA about the 2015 Subaru Forester Wilderness

UNKNOWN. Often when I attempt to accelerate after stopping at a stop sign, the car hesitates, sometimes lunges ahead and then sometimes practically dying before accelerating normally. There have been times when It simply feels like a fuel pump problem and I know that Toyotas with this same Denso fuel pump have had documented problems similar to mine. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11658428

This is the fourth time we have had the same problem. We were on a long drive (more than 1 hour on the road) on the freeway going 65-70mph. The fuel gauge showed 2 or 3 bars left and the estimated mileage left was 40-70 miles left when the car lost forward power, the lights still worked and electrical systems were functional but it was as though there was not gas left. We had to call a tow truck to bring us gas. As soon as they put a couple gallons in the tank the car started and continued without issue to the nearest gas station. This was extremely dangerous as we had our children in the car and had a loss of power on the freeway and had to sit on the side of the freeway in a dangerous area waiting for gas to be delivered. We took it to our mechanic who could not detect any problems with the sensors, or other systems, there were no codes generated and no warning before it lost power, the low fuel light hadn't even gone on.

NHTSA ODI 11627992

On six occasions since 2020, our Subaru Forester has lost engine power at highway speeds after being driven for 2 hours on an interstate. On each occasion, we had to pull to the shoulder of the road with no engine power and restart the car. On the last three occasions it has taken 15 minutes to restart. Losing engine power at highway speed could have endangered our family or nearby drivers. We have taken the car to multiple dealers who have not been able to reproduce the failure, but after the latest incident in August 2023 our local dealers now recommends replacement of the fuel pump.

NHTSA ODI 11548450

The contact owned a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 70-75 MPH, the vehicle started losing motive power. The engine revved and made an abnormally loud sound. Several unknown warning lights were illuminated. The contact engaged the hazard lights and veered to the side of the road. The vehicle then lost motive power and stalled. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the failure could not be duplicated; however, the dealer advised that the failure could be caused by condensation and moisture in the fuel lines. The contact stated that the failure recurred while driving. The vehicle failed to start and was towed to a second dealer West Herr Subaru (3559 Southwestern Blvd, Orchard Park, NY 14127). The dealer informed the contact that they had test-driven the vehicle for 80 miles; however, the mechanic could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and offered the contact a coupon for the purchase of another vehicle; however, the contact declined and traded the vehicle. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000.

NHTSA ODI 11530710

I was on the MA Pike in the middle of three lanes going 70mph and all my red lights came on, the engine revved high RPM, then seemed to be getting no gas and next stalled out. The trip computer said I had had 60 miles of gas left until empty, and I still had a bar of gas left showing on the odometer. There were no warnings lights or messages prior to the failure. It was an extremely unsafe situation, as I had to pull into the “slow” uphill truck lane, lane one of three lanes. There was no shoulder to get on. Trucks were whizzing by me at 70mph. AAA was not able to assist me, as I was in an unsafe location. They called the MA State Troopers who showed up immediately, and frankly probably saved my life, while risking their lives. They ordered gas, as they indicated they had seen this problem before. Two gallons of gas and the car started right up even though it still had gas in the tank. The problem has not been reproduced by a dealer, but it has been written about my many other 2015 Forester owners. Others have reported the same exact problem, sometimes resulting in accidents. How has Subaru gotten away without a recall on this extremely dangerous problem. They definitely are aware of it.

NHTSA ODI 11495514

Suddenly lost acceleration and engine stopped - without any dashboard signal of low gas or engine issue. Car was able to start after couple of minutes. At the time of losing acceleration and stopping gas indicator was showing two bars - and car was not running with low fuel indicator. My whole family was in the car and stopping in the middle lane of a busy national highway of 65 miles speed limit on a Saturday late in night was very scary!

NHTSA ODI 11486260

We had driven up Mt Washington in NH (about 6000ft high) and were returning back. We had used the X mode (hill assist) intermittently on the way down. Had driven almost 150 miles back to home, when the car suddenly lost power and started to shudder. We were able to coast to the side. We tried to start again and again the same problem. We noticed that the brakes seemed quite warm. After about 5 minutes we tried again and were able to drive slowly to a gas station, but no one to help since it was late. Since fuel was low at 1 bar (60 miles distance to empty). We filled up the tank and made our way home driving slowly on the back roads. We are not sure if it could be a problem with the fuel, electrical system, brakes or the hill assist. While the car seems to run fine on short trips of a few miles, have not taken it out on any longer drives.

NHTSA ODI 11486328

I was driving with cruise control going around 70 when the car started slowing down suddenly. Not wanting to slow down even more, I turned off the cruise control by hand using the cancel button on the steering wheel (rather than tap the brake) but when I then hit the accelerator, the engine felt like it was in neutral, revving past 6000 rpm on the tachometer. At that point, I realized I had no control over the drive train so I pulled off the road onto the center median of the highway, just as the engine died - fortunately, there wasn’t anyone following close behind. We had been driving for about 1.5 hours with the AC blasting and the gas tank at that point was low, with less than 1/8 remaining. All this happened without any dashboard warning lights turning on. This was the very last leg of a ten-day, 2,000 mile road trip. I tried restarting the engine but only got clicking. Since I thought we’d be struck a while and it was so hot, I turned the key to the accessory position and was able to roll down the windows. We sat there for a couple of minutes wondering what to do. It took another minute to find my AAA card. Before calling for roadside assistance, I tried starting the engine again and this time it turned over. We did not have any further problems in the remaining 100 miles of our trip (though I was very anxious about it happening again). I took the car in to a Subaru service center this morning (36 hours later). They did a multi-point inspection and road test but did not find any issues and were not able to replicate the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11477675

Sudden accelerations.

NHTSA ODI 11456739

I was driving into the sunlight, and was slowing down due to utility pole work ahead. The car stalled, and engine shut off. The dash light indicated the eyesight was disabled. I was able to restart, but the incident was very concerning.

NHTSA ODI 11454586

The 2015 Subaru Forester accelerated unexpectedly while slowly turning into a a Walgreens parking lot. The acceleration could not be stopped by stepping on the brake, and the car crashed into the brick building. The vehicle is at Phil's Auto Body Shop in Rosemount, MN. The estimate on the car is complete, and waiting on State Farm insurance to approve. The police were at the scene of the accident. Walgreens has video of the accident from their security cameras.

NHTSA ODI 11418574

Fuel gauge sending unit not functioning causing car to over report remaining gas mileage. Car runs out of gas though gas gauge still reports roughly 20% tank capacity remaining and ~60 miles or range left. This has happened to me multiple times,racing me stranded on highways at least 6 times.

NHTSA ODI 11418265

I WAS TRAVELING ON THE FREEWAY GOING 65MPH, WHEN WITH NO WARNING MY CAR'S ENGINE STOP. I TOUGH IT WAS OUT OF GAS, BUT THE COMPUTER WAS TELLING ME I HAD 30 MORE MILES OF FUEL. AT THE TIME OF THIS ACCIDENT THERE WAS NO SHOULDER TO PARK BECAUSE OF CONSTRUCTION ON THE FREEWAY. THIS UNFORTUNATE EVENT CAUSE 3 OTHER CARS TO BE INVOLVED IN A CAR ACCIDENT. SOME HOW MY CAR WAS OK, I DROVE THE CAR BACK TO MY HOUSE PRAYING THAT IT WOULD NOT HAPPEN AGAIN. MY HUSBAND DROVE IT FOR A LITTLE TO SEE IF IT WILL BE OK TO DRIVE. SAME THING HAPPEN TO HEM, BUT THIS WAS IN A MUCH CONTROLLED WAY.

NHTSA ODI 11413873

I'M WRITING EVERY OFFICE I CAN THINK OF. THIS IS ABOUT THE AUTOMOBILE INDUSTRIES DECISION TO PUT SOY IN THE PLASTIC OF ALL MAKES AND MODEL CARS AFTER 2012. WHO EVER THE GENIUS IS THAT THOUGHT THIS WOULD BE A GOOD IDEA SHOULD START PAYING FOR ALL THE DAMAGE THE RATS ARE DOING TO THE WIRING SYSTEMS, WIRING HARNESS AND FUEL LINES. I BOUGHT A 2015 SUBARU FORRESTER IN JUNE OF 2015. BY SEPT. I HAD MY FIRST OF 7 VISITS TO THE DEALER TO REPAIR THE DAMAGE DONE BY RATS. I UNDERSTAND RATS HAVE BEEN CHEWING ON WIRING EVER SINCE CARS WERE INVENTED. BUT THE RATS HAVE NEVER CHEWED ON THE FUEL LINES BECAUSE THEY USE TO BE MADE OF STEEL BELTED CABLE COVERED IN THICK RUBBER. NOW, YOUR FUEL LINES RESEMBLE PLASTIC DRINKING STRAWS. I'VE HAD MY FUEL LINES REPLACED 3 TIMES, MY WIRING HARNESS 2 TIMES AND I'VE HAD A LITTER OF NEW BORN RATS BORN IN A NEST MADE ON THE DRIVERS SIDE DOOR HINGE! I'VE PUT OUT EVERY RAT OR MICE TRAP KNOW TO MAN BUT THE RATS GO RIGHT AROUND IT AND GET INTO THE FUEL LINE BOX. I UNDERSTAND THE REASONING BEHIND THE SOY PLASTIC. MORE ECONOMICAL, MORE LIGHTWEIGHT AND COST LESS TO USE. THAT'S FINE BUT YOU SHOULD PAY FOR MY DAMAGE. YOU SEE WHAT'S HAPPENED??? WE, THE CONSUMERS ARE STUCK WITH YOUR BRIGHT IDEA. WE HAVE TO PAY FOR IT. THIS IS NOT FAIR AND I'M ANGRY. I CAN'T SELL MY SUBARU AND BUY A TOYOTA OR FORD OR NISSAN BECAUSE THEY ALL ARE USING SOY. THERE ARE HUNDREDS OF CLASS ACTION LAWSUITS AGAINST EVERY MAKER. SOMETHING HAS TO BE DONE. SOMEONE HAS TO PRESSURE THE CAR MAKERS TO DO THE RIGHT THING AND COME UP WITH A SOLUTION. HONDA AT LEAST HAS RECOGNIZED THE PROBLEM AND COME OUT WITH RAT TAPE SOAKED IN CAPSAICIN. I BOUGHT THIS TO WRAP AROUND MY FUEL LINES. WHY SHOULD I HAVE TO PAY 40 TO 50 DOLLARS A ROLL WHEN IT'S NOT MY FAULT? I ALSO SPRAY MY ENGINE AND TOP OF TIRES WITH COYOTE URINE. RAT PROBLEM STARTED IN 2015 AND STILL GOING ON TO THIS DAY.

NHTSA ODI 11403754

FUEL GAUGE MALFUNCTIONING, IT TAKES COUPLE MINUTES BEFORE IT GOES UP AFTER FULL TANK. SOMETIMES IT'S HARD TO CRANK AFTER YOU TURN THE KEY. VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY SOMETIMES IT FEELS LIKE IT'S GOING TO STALL SCARY. ALSO LEFT SIDE DRIVER WINDOW MALFUNCTIONING, THE AUTO DOWN NOT WORKING AND WHEN YOUR PRESS UP THE WINDOW GOES UP 2 INCHES AT A TIME TAKES AWHILE TO GO UP.

NHTSA ODI 11398669

ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS, MY CAR HAS SHUTDOWN ON THE HIGHWAY AT SPEEDS AROUND 75-80 MPH. THEY ALL HAPPENED DURING ROAD TRIPS WHILE MY CAR WAS BETWEEN 1/8 AND 1/4 TANK. THE CAR HAS A NOTICEABLE DROP IN POWER, WHICH FEELS LIKE THE TRANSMISSION DISENGAGES AND APPLYING MORE GAS DOESN'T HELP. THIS IS INCREDIBLY DANGEROUS!!!! LUCKILY I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF NOWHERE ON ALL 3 LOCATIONS SO I WAS ABLE TO PULL OVER WITHOUT INCIDENT. THE CAR WILL NOT START, UNTIL MORE GAS IS PUT IN THE CAR. IT'S NOT OUT OF FUEL THOUGH BECAUSE I TRACKED HOW MUCH GAS IS IN THE CAR AND HOW MUCH I FILLED UP AFTER TOWING. THIS ONLY HAPPENS AFTER DRIVING FOR MULTIPLE HOURS. I CAN RUN THE CAR TO EMPTY IF I'M JUST DRIVING AROUND TOWN. A RECALL NEEDS TO BE ISSUED FOR THIS ISSUE. I CAN SEE THERE HAVE BEEN TONS OF COMPLAINTS AROUND THIS ISSUE.

NHTSA ODI 11382959

I WAS DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 60MPH AND SUDDENLY THE GAS PEDAL SEEMED TO LOSE PRESSURE. THEN ALL OF THE LIGHTS CAME ON THE DASH AS THE CAR STOPPED. I HAD TO WAIT ABOUT 10 MINUTES AND TRY RESTARTING 10+ TIMES UNTIL IT FINALLY WOULD STAY RUNNING AND ALLOW US TO GET OFF THE HIGHWAY. THIS OCCURED WITH 80 MILES LEFT UNTIL EMPTY. THIS IS THE 3RD TIME IT HAS HAPPENED ON A TRIP. WE HAD ONLY BEEN DRIVING 1.5 HOURS.

NHTSA ODI 11360086

CAR SURGES AT START UP AND LOW SPEEDS. NEITHER THE CAR DEALERSHIP OR SUBARU OF AMERICA CAN FIX IT. I SENT AN EMAIL IN ABOUT MY COMPLAINT TO YOU. THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR A FEW YEARS. IT RANDOMLY HAPPENS. THEY REFUSED TO FIX IT MANY TIMES DUE TO NO CODE EVEN THOUGH THEY DROVE IT AND COULD SEE THE ISSUE. WHEN IT DID CODE THEY FIXED IT BUT ALWAYS A SURGE DIFFERENT CODES. THEY HAVE REPLACE FUEL SENSORS, VALUES, ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS, MY KEY, FUEL LINE, SPARK PLUGS, ETC ALL FOR THIS SAME ISSUES. THERE ARE SEVERAL LAWSUITS IN OTHER STATES ABOUT THIS SAME ISSUE. I JUST WANT THEM TO PURCHASE MY VEHICLE BACK OR REPLACE IT WITH ONE THAT WORKS PROPERLY. PLEASE HELP.

NHTSA ODI 11359985

WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH THE CAR LOST ALL POWER. THE RPMS WENT UP LIKE IT WAS IN NEUTRAL (CAR WAS STILL IN DRIVE). FUEL TANK WAS DOWN TO A LITTLE LESS THAN 1/4TH OF A TANK BUT STILL HAD 100 MILES UNTIL EMPTY. ADAPTIVE CRUISE WAS ENGAGED AT THE TIME (AUTOMATED CRUISE APPLIED ACCELERATOR THAT ROSE THE RPMS TO 4500). THIS WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF A 4 HOUR ROAD TRIP ON A FLAT STRAIGHT ROAD. CAR EXHIBITED NO WARNING OR LIGHTS UNTIL COMPLETE POWER WAS LOST. I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY PULL OVER TO THE SHOULDER. ALL LIGHTS CAME ON IN THE DASH AFTER I WAS STOPPED. I TURNED THE CAR OFF AND I WAS ABLE TO IMMEDIATELY START IT AGAIN. SHORTLY AFTER I FILLED UP THE TANK AND THE CAR DROVE FINE FOR THE NEXT HOUR UNTIL I WAS HOME. THIS WAS A SCARY INCIDENT THAT COULD BE VERY DANGEROUS. I NOTICED THAT THIS CAR HAS ABOUT A DOZEN OTHER REPORTS THAT ARE MUCH LIKE THIS IN THE PAST YEAR.

NHTSA ODI 11342445

MY VEHICLE LOST POWER WHILE DRIVING TODAY ON THE INTERSTATE. I HAD CRUISE CONTROL SET AND THE CAR WAS ACCELERATING UP A HILL. IT WAS LIKE MY CAR SHIFTED INTO NEUTRAL. I WAS ABLE TO SAFELY GET TO THE SHOULDER AND INITIALLY MY CAR WOULD NOT RESTART. I DID GET IT TO RESTART AFTER A COUPLE OF TRIES AND DROVE IT HOME. I SEE A RECALL FOR A SIMILAR ISSUE: 19V-856, BUT MY CAR IS NOT INCLUDED. I HAVE REPLACED THE PCV ALREADY AND THIS IS THE SECOND TIME MY CAR HAS DONE THIS TOWARD THE END OF A LONG ROAD TRIP (1000+ MILES).

NHTSA ODI 11337685

WHILE DRIVING IN THE HIGHWAY AT 75 MPH WITH CRUISE CONTROL ON THE CAR SUDDENLY WENT TO 5000 RPM AND AT THE SAME TIME STARTED TO BRAKE ALL THE LIGHTS IN THE DASHBOARD CAME ON I PULLED OVER AND THE CAR'S ENGINE SHUT DOWN. I TRIED TO STARTED ABOUT 5 06 TIMES THE CAR WOULDN'T STAR AND AFTER THAT THE CAR WAS COMPLETELY DEAD. I HAD IT TOW TO A SHOP. THE NEXT MORNING IT STARTED LIKE NOTHING THE MECHANIC AT THE SHOP SAID IT WAS THE BATTERY.AFTER CHANGING THE BATTERY I TOOK IT TO THE GAS STATION AFTER PUTTING GAS IT WOULDN'T START AGAIN AFTER SEVERAL TRIES IT STARTED.AT THIS POINT I DON'T THINK THE BATTERY WAS THE ISSUE BUT I AM GLAD I GOT HOME. THIS HAPPENED IN STARKVILLE MS 200 MILES FROM WHERE I LIVE. *TR

NHTSA ODI 11323491

WE WERE DRIVING DOWN THE ROAD APPROX 65 AND THE EYE SIGHT DISABLED, ABS DISABLED, TRACTION CONTROL AND HILL ASSIST STOPPED, CRUISE CONTROL STOPPED AT TRANSMISSION OIL STARTED FLASHING AND THEN CHECK ENGINE LIGHT ALL CAME ON WE WERE DRIVING DOWN HWY 61 IN AZ. POWER TO THE VEHICLE SLOWED AND WE COULD NOT GO FASTER THAN 40MPH. THE BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH WAS ON RECALL AND REPLACED 10/2019 AND THE 3XACR SAME THING HAPPENED EXCEPT THE CHECK ENGINE LIGHT DIDNT COME ON.

NHTSA ODI 11318167

SAME PROBLEM AS NHTSA ID#'S 11299582, 11297748 & 11297188. DEALER FIRST DID DIAGNOSTIC CHECK AND FOUND NOTHING WRONG. TWO WEEKS LATER SAME ISSUE. REPLACED THROTTLE PEDAL/POSITION SENSOR ($600) AND PROBLEM FIXED.

NHTSA ODI 11301397

TWO TIMES, WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AT ABOUT 65 MPH, MY CAR LOST THE ABILITY TO ACCELERATE. IT WAS AS THOUGH THE CAR SLIPPED INTO NEUTRAL. I PUSHED THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL AND THE RPM'S WOULD INCREASE, BUT THE CAR WOULDN'T ACCELERATE. IT SIMPLY SLOWED DOWN. BOTH TIMES THE HIGHWAY WAS EMPTY ENOUGH THAT I WAS ABLE TO DRIFT INTO THE SHOULDER. ONCE I PULLED OVER, I TURNED OFF THE CAR AND WAITED A FEW MINUTES. WHEN I TURNED IT BACK ON, THE CAR STARTED AND ACCELERATION WORKED AS NORMAL. BOTH TIMES I BROUGHT IT TO A LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP, AND AFTER RUNNING SOME TESTS SAID THEY COULDN'T FIND ANY ISSUES, AND COULDN'T HELP ME ANY FURTHER. I'VE FOUND OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED VERY SIMILAR PROBLEMS, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE NO ONE HAS FOUND A SOLUTION.

NHTSA ODI 11299582

SUBARU 2015 FORESTER 2.5L AT CVT TRANSMISSION NO TURBO ENGINE REVS TO 4-6000 RPM TRANSMISSION SLAMS INTO GEAR CAR TAKES OFF ACCELERATING WITHOUT DRIVER INPUT. THE DRIVER MUST SLAM ON BRAKES PLACE THE CAR IN NEUTRAL TO REGAIN CONTROL. THE CAR DOES THIS INTERMITTENTLY BOTH AT LOW AND HIGH-SPEED TRAVEL.. THIS CAR HAS BEEN AT DEALER SEVERAL TIMES FOR DIAGNOSIS WITHOUT SUCCESS. THIS IS DANGEROUS IN THAT THE DRIVER IS AT RISK OF LOSS OF CONTROL DUE TO HIGH ENGINE RPM AND SUDDEN ACCELERATION WITH SLAMMING TRANSMISSION ENGAGEMENT REQUIRING HARD BRAKEING AND PLACING THE CAR IN NEUTRAL TO REGAIN CONTROL . I BELIEVE THIS IS LONG STANDING PROBLEM WITH THIS CAR AND THE ORIGIANAL BUYER TRADED IN THIS VEHICLE BECAUSE OF THIS DEFECT. I BELIEVE THIS IS A PROBLEM WITH THE ELECTRICLAL ENGINE CONTROL SYSTEM THAT WILL ONLY BE DIAGNOSISED DOCUMENTED BY 24/7 MONITORING OF ENGINE FUNCTIONS. IN ORDER TO CATCH THE EVENTS AS THEY OCCUR NO CODES ARE BEING THROWN OR RECORDED. THE DEALERS HAVE REFUSED TO PROVIDE THIS SERVICE TO DIAGNOSIS THIS INTERMITTANT PROBLEM.

NHTSA ODI 11298507