There are 7 owner-reported fuel system complaints for the 2018 Subaru Foresterin NHTSA's database. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
2018 Subaru Forester stalling in intersection Prior there was an occasional delay in starting. After light changed I was starting to move down a hill toward expressway entrance at about 25 mph. I was in the middle lane and all cars were coming behind me at 50mph. I just entered the intersection when my car just stopped. It would not move. I was trying the gas pedal but car did not move. Suddenly it began jerky movements, moved a few feet, sputtering and stopped again. Now I’m in the middle of the intersection. I looked in my rear view mirror and saw cars speeding down hill, honking as they went around me. The car repeated jerky movements, moved a few feet and stopped again. I was still in the intersection and light was about to change. It finally repeated the jerky movements, etc until it stopped a third time. Fortunately I was out of the intersection and along the roadside. I reflected on what had just happened a few minutes. Then I made my way back home 35 minutes slowly driving on back roads allowing cars to pass just in case it would happen again. Dealer told me there was extended warranty on fuel pump but he could not repair as he could not duplicate stalling. How many times do I have to stall in City trafficI or expressway before my fuel pump will be replaced? I had a kidney transplant that saved my life. I will not let a safety recalled fuel pump put me in danger again.
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the fuel pump. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V587000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,000.
Fuel Pump. Stalled in intersection in middle lane at expressway entrance. Car stalled 3 x before I could move out of intersection to safety. Kept pressing gas peddle but car would not move then sputtered going a few feet before stopping again. 3x Cars were going thru light and around me at 45 mph. Honking, swerving into other lane, barely avoiding hitting my car as well as other cars.
The initial incident happened when I was accelerating uphill. When I pressed the gas pedal to accelerate, the car began jerking and sputtering. I released the gas pedal and let the car coast, as I was heading toward a stop sign. After I stopped and then accelerated the second time, the engine seemed to smooth out. Nothing further happened until about 1 week later. The second incident, I was 35 minutes into an hour-long drive. I was going around 45-55mph when the same issue happened suddenly: I pressed the gas pedal and the car started shaking and sputtering. If I released the gas pedal, the car was fine. All check engine lights came on and were flashing. I lowered my speed into the 30s, and the issue continued to happen, regardless of what speed I was driving at. If I was accelerating, the car was shaking a lot. At stop signs, the lights would turn off, but pop on as soon as I began driving again. I was able to make it to my destination and when I parked the car, it was shaking a lot while idling. It felt like the engine was about to die or shut off. It was late so I turned the vehicle off and left it parked for the night. The next morning, when I started the car, it was continuing to shake/sputter during idle and I drove it briefly to see how it ran. It continued to shake when pressing the gas pedal, however, the check engine lights were not on. Since I had to drive back home, I decided to take it slow and began the two-hour drive back. The engine again seemed like it wanted to die as I let the car warm up, but it did not shut off. Initially when driving, the car continued to have the same problem - shaking whenever I pressed the gas pedal, no matter the speed. The check engine panel lights did not come on, however, and after driving for about 20 minutes, the issue cleared up. I've only driven it as needed since then and it is currently running ok, but, given the numerous fuel pump recalls I'm concerned there is a defect with this model.
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The contact pulled over, stopped, turned off, and restarted the vehicle. After the vehicle was started, smoke started coming from the vehicle while several unknown warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer to be diagnosed. The contact was informed that the spark plugs needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was informed that the fuel pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000.
At around 35,400 miles on the odometer, the vehicle first started backfiring as I was driving. I began an uphill climb through low mountains and the check engine light began flashing, the "emissions control systems" warning light came on the screen, the engine began seriously sputtering and lost a lot of its power, all occurring at the same time. Luckily I have a standard transmission and was able to downshift through gears to regain some power and was able to drive 10 miles, seriously sputtering the whole time, to a safe location. I turned off the engine and it wouldn't start back up again, therefore, I had to have it towed home. The next day I had it towed to a Subaru dealer. It took them 5-6 days to diagnose the cause and fix. I was told it was a VERY rare occurrence; it was pinpointed to the fuel injector and coil, they went bad in cylinder #1. The parts were replaced with new ones and a new spark plug was installed as well. ALL codes are gone and the problem was completely fixed. Thankfully, the service was covered by manufacturer's warranty of 5yrs/60,000 miles power train. For being such a fairly new engine, this problem should not of occurred. A defective fuel injector. However, I can understand that there can always be some sort of flukes. As of this writing, I have not gone to the dealership to pick up the vehicle.
STRONG FUEL ODOR IS DETECTED IN GARAGE AFTER PARKING AS WELL AS WITHIN THE CABIN WHILE DRIVING. BELIEVE FUEL IS ENTERING OIL FROM UNDETERMINED LOCATION AS ODOR IS ESPECIALLY PRONOUNCED AROUND DIP STICK. IF OIL IS CHANGED THE ISSUE DISSIPATES BUT RETURNS WITHIN 1000 MILES. THERE ARE PLENTY OF ONLINE REPORTS FROM OTHER 2015 - 2018 FORRESTER XT (TURBO) OWNERS REPORTING THE SAME ISSUE AND IN MOST CASES THEIR DEALER IS UNABLE TO DETERMINE AN ISSUE OR PROVIDE A SOLUTION. IN ONE REPORT, HOWEVER, THE OWNER INDICATED THEIR DEALER FINALLY RESOLVED THEIR ISSUE BY REPLACING A FAULTY INJECTOR SEAL.
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
Data synced from NHTSA on Apr 26, 2026