What 592 owners told NHTSA about the 2020 Subaru Forester Wilderness

I was on cruise control, and it randomly decided to go 81 MPH instead of 50 mph i set it to, it did not respond when I tried to turn off the cruise control, and I ended up crashing into a semi, I survived but my [XXX] daughter died. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11652853

Subaru of America is aware of the problem which impacts several models and model years, see Subaru Service Bulletin 16-132-20R. Transmission slippage and bounce feel during acceleration. Can be strong enough at times to visually see occupants moving with momentum/bounce at times. Could contribute to vehicle not maintaining/reducing/responding to speed control systems, failure of transmission components, stranding occupants, and other similar hazards that come with the mechanical failure of a transmission. Has caused slowing of acceleration which impacted surrounding traffic on a few occasions. Vehicle is scheduled to be inspected by manufacture dealership on morning of 08/27/24.

NHTSA ODI 11610988

Eyesight pre-collision braking feature and pre-collision throttle management feature malfunctioned and caused the 2020 Forester to accelerate unexpectedly and lurch forward while I was manually braking and slowing to come to a complete stop behind two other vehicles stopped at a steady red light. See class action lawsuit Weston, et al. v. Subaru of America, Inc., et al. In US District Court Case No. [XXX] which alleges that the vehicle contains certain defects that caused sudden and unintended acceleration without driver input; acceleration while manually braking; and that these defects created a safety risk, because they severely affected the driver's ability to control the car's speed, acceleration, and deceleration, and increase the risk of a collision, which did in fact occur. The defective car was completely totaled and towed to a salvage yard by the police and the insurance company. Defect malfunction caused a collision which resulted in property damage and personal injury to three vehicles and three people. I mentioned the defect to my insurance company at the time of the accident. I do not know if they chose to follow up and inspect the vehicle. The problem occurred twice before ( not resulting in property damage or injury) and I took it to my Subaru dealer both times and they claim that they could not find anything wrong, but oddly did not note that they checked for the problem which I brought to their attention on the written summary/invoice for my service visit. See the class action lawsuit- this is apparently the typical dealer non-response to the problem. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI 11599272

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate and then stalled. The driver was able to pull over safely. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, who determined that the failure was due to the thermal control valve and produced DTC codes: P2682 and P26A. The mechanic replaced the cooling gasket and coolant control valve and added coolant. The local dealer was contacted, but the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and assisted with the repair. The approximate failure mileage was 52,395.

NHTSA ODI 11598271

CHECK ENGINE, FORWARD COLLISION WARNING, FLASHING "S"DRIVE, NO EYESIGHT, AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING WARNING LIGHTS, ALL CAME ON AT ONCE AND STAYING ON. POSSIBLE THERMO CONTROL VALVE ISSUE - NEEDS A RECALL!

NHTSA ODI 11594248

While driving temperature light, check engine light, all ADAS lights came on as inoperable (cameras, warning, ABS, BSD/RCTA), no heat (including defrost) available to defrost or for cabin. Appointment 3/13 replaced thermo control valve assembly , coolant bypass valve, intake gaskets, fuel line, coolant, total charges $2070. Luckily had extended warranty I bought, that I had to make a claim on. Dangerous to drive (no camera based safety features available, no defrost for the snowy weather, no emergency braking or other collision safety features on, this affected the entire 'eyesight' system). The engine also had no thermo control regulation during this time, affecting not just then, but possible future performance and early aging due to disregulation.

NHTSA ODI 11585356

The thermo control valve on vehicle failed on 2020 Subaru Forester which is causing vehicle to loose acceleration, multiple errors codes displaying on the vehicle instrument dash panel and no heat in the vehicle (see attached photo for reference). The failure of this device could cause a vehicle fire depending on what position/ and or state the thermo valve failed in. There needs to be a manufacturer recall on this particular part as there is numerous amounts of complaints and issues. Subaru needs to make it right with the customer. we need to drive safe vehicles on the road.

NHTSA ODI 11578808

On 11/18/2023, as soon as I started the vehicle, put it in reverse and let off the brake to back down the driveway, the car made a loud unfamiliar noise (like bzzzzzt) and suddenly and unexpectedly accelerated on its own. Nothing worked, brakes, automatic gear shift, gas pedal, and steering were all disengaged. It was terrifying to me and I was worried about anyone or anything behind me. At the street corner the car turned somehow (I was trying to steer, but the vehicle was jostling wildly and the steering, brakes didn't work at all), ran over a high curb, knocked over a street sign, and took out the neighbor’s sprinkler system, and then came to a stop, dead!

NHTSA ODI 11575411

While driving, most of the dash errors lights lit up- alerting me that the Eyesight Warning, RAB ( Reverse Auto Braking) and other safety functions were disabled. The Check Engine light was on and a flashing S next to it. Cold Engine light was illuminated as well. Dealer diagnosed with a faulty Thermal Control Valve, which somehow disabled all safety features. This is a common failure of Subarus and a recall is needed.

NHTSA ODI 11555449

Unintentional acceleration. After making right turn, vehicle accelerated for approx 1/2 mile until crashing into wall. Several attempts at braking and trying to shift into neutral did nothing.

NHTSA ODI 11546528

Our thermo control valve (TCV) assembly failed and caused dangerous loss of speed and control while on the highway. Subaru is fully aware of the defect in their design as they issued a service bulletin to inform their service centers of a new, fixed TCV assembly that is retaining the same part number (a notice only sent to their service centers, NOT to owners). Please see attached. Despite being aware of the defect, Subaru has not voluntarily replaced the defective TCV assemblies or even bothered to notify owners. Instead, they are letting us put our families and other drivers in dangerous situations through sudden loss of control. There are pages and pages of other owners experiencing this dangerous issue and - like me - being surprised to find it's a known issue that Subaru is not proactively fixing (see any of the owner forums like subaruforester.org).

NHTSA ODI 11531116

While merging into a lane, I went to accelerate. I pressed the accelerator pedal to the floor to quickly get up to the speed of traffic. After successfully merging into the lane, I took my foot off of the accelerator pedal and noticed that my vehicle was still accelerating. The floor mat was not interfering with the accelerator pedal. Thankfully, slamming on my brakes while in the middle of a lane caused the accelerator pedal to come off the floor and my vehicle began to decelerate. This was frightening and an absolute hazard to the well-being of myself and other drivers and pedestrians on the road. Without quick thinking and a lack of traffic ahead of me, I and others would have likely been involved in a life-threatening traffic accident. Whether this is a reoccurring incident or a one-time incident, this is not acceptable for any vehicle sold and allowed to be driven by a manufacturer or dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11505267

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space and pressing the parking brake, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and accelerated forward. During the incident, the vehicle drove over a curb, hit a lamp post, and crashed into a parked vehicle. No injuries were reported. A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was not towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,000.

NHTSA ODI 11488248

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while attempting to park her vehicle, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. The vehicle ran through both the parking lot fence and a fence located on private property. The contact made multiple attempts to stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal; however, the vehicle failed to stop. The vehicle continued accelerating down a driveway as she attempted to avoid hitting a house, a tree, and another parked vehicle. The contact was able to shift the vehicle into park which stopped the acceleration. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact suffered a headache but did not seek any medical assistance. A police report was filed. Both the parking lot and private property fences were damaged. The contact was able to drive the vehicle back to the parking lot where she called the dealer and was instructed to leave the vehicle at the scene until the vehicle was inspected. The contact was informed that the dealer filed a claim with the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 14,865.

NHTSA ODI 11480044

I drive this V little, but the steering wheel has repeatedly tried to jerk me into the left lane when tuning right and right when turning left! I stopped using cruise, but it still does it. I am an advanced driver, but don't low, if I could overcome this if it acted like some other 2020 Foresters I've read owners state have gone off the road and rolled over! Also the auto stop - start often shuts engine off when power is needed - is totally unpredictable! This is my wife's car, but she got it as the seat works with my V bad back! Had I known the Eyesight system would malfunction (I did not trust it, but hoped it would be ok!), I'd have insisted on getting a good older car without unproven so called driver aids! We really don't have the $ to replace the car!

NHTSA ODI 11479264

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated as she pulled into a parking space, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated forward causing the vehicle to drive into the bank building. The contact stated she depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle would not stop. The air bags did not deploy. One of the employees suffered minor injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was contacted, and they stated that the vehicle did not have any recalls. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 29,000.

NHTSA ODI 11477741

The car was parked and idling for a few minutes as a passenger exited the vehicle. While parked, the car began to shake slightly, it was then placed in reverse to get out of the parking space. Still shaking. When it was put in gear to go forward, the car began to accelerate on its own. The driver was able to use the brake to stop the vehicle but, when she took her foot off the brake to make a left turn and towards the park exit, the vehicle accelerated abruptly, and the car surged towards a main road. The passenger in the seat next to her was able to see clearly that the driver’s foot was not on the gas pedal. The driver was able to steer the vehicle clear of the park visitors, avoid other vehicles in the parking lot, and stop the car prior to reaching the traffic light at the main road. Stunned by the incident, the driver decided to return the vehicle to the parking lot, so she opted to make a U-turn at the light. As she turned the vehicle, the vehicle accelerated once again without her foot on the gas pedal. After the driver was able to maneuver the car into a parking space, the vehicle started to shake violently, and the driver shut off the engine. When the driver attempted to restart the car with the intent to drive home slowly, the driver placed the vehicle in reverse, and applied her foot to the gas pedal but, the vehicle would barely move. The engine revved when the pedal was pushed all the way to the floorboard but, the vehicle only moved at approximately 5MPH. Once parked in a space, the vehicle shook violently, and the dashboard lights lit up. The vehicle was turned off and emergency call button inside the vehicle was used to contact Subaru. The car was towed to the dealership.

NHTSA ODI 11463407

The contact leased a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while reversing in a driveway, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own and crashed into a bush without the accelerator pedal being depressed. There were no reported injuries. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact applied the brake pedal and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but they were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was concerned about driving the vehicle. The failure mileage was 38,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11458653

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while the wife was pressing the brake pedal and attempting to park the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and crashed into a brick building. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle sustained severe damage but the airbags did not deploy. The driver suffered head and torso injuries which required medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 13,000.

NHTSA ODI 11436629

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forest. The contact stated that the brake failed. The contact stated that when the driver was reversing the vehicle out of the driveway, the vehicle abruptly accelerated and the driver engaged the brake pedal. However, the brake system failed to bring the vehicle to a stop. The vehicle proceeded and came to a stop when it crashed into a tree and damaged the vehicle taillight, the muffler, and a small window located at the rear passenger door area separated from the vehicle. There were no warning lights before during or after the failure occurred. The driver suffered injuries to the neck and shoulder the driver was taken to the hospital. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. The vehicle was not repaired. A police report was not filed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 12,000.

NHTSA ODI 11435551

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while attempting to park at a rest stop, the vehicle independently accelerated while the brake pedal was depressed. As a result, the vehicle ran into a stone wall. The front end of the vehicle was severely damaged. The air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a sore neck as a result of the crash but medical attention was not required. The vehicle was not drivable and was towed to a body shop. The vehicle was not diagnosed but was in the process of being repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 65,000.

NHTSA ODI 11425139

VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY. FOOT ON BRAKE IN PARKING SPOT. THEN VEHICLE ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN.

NHTSA ODI 11397647

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED WHILE DRIVING 2 MPH, WHEN DEPRESSING THE BRAKE PEDAL THE ACCELATOR PEDAL MALFUNCTIONED AND THE VEHICLE BEGAN TO ACCELERATE WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT ATTEMPTED TO SHIFT THE CAR INTO REVERSE AND THE VEHICLE REVERSED A LITTLE BIT BEFORE ACCERLATING AGAIN WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STRUCK A BUILDING AS A RESULT OF THE MALFUNCTIONING ACCELERATOR.. THE CONTACT STATED NO WARNING LIGHT WAS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A TOWING YARD. THE VEHICLE HAS NOT BEEN DIAGNOSED, AND HAS NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER HAS BEEN INFORMED OF FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 3,000.

NHTSA ODI 11386675

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2020 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AND APPROACHING A STOP, THE VEHICLE INDEPENDENTLY ACCELERATED AND VIBRATED FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 SECONDS BEFORE RETURNING TO NORMAL OPERATION. THERE WAS NO WARNING LIGHT ILLUMINATED. THE FAILURE RECURRED SEVERAL TIMES. THE CONTACT CALLED FOX MARQUETTE SUBARU LOCATED AT 3825 US 41 WEST, MARQUETTE, MI 49855, WHERE IT WAS STATED THAT THE VEHICLE PERFORMED AS DESIGNED. THE CONTACT WAS INFORMED TO BRING THE VEHICLE BACK IN TEN DAYS IF THE FAILURE PERSISTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 500.

NHTSA ODI 11342491