2019 Subaru Forester Complaint Log

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle started hesitating while depressing the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact activated the hazard lights and coasted the vehicle off to the shoulder. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective thermal control valve. The contact was informed that the thermal valve was covered under an Extended Warranty by the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

The auto stop/start function is erratic. Many times the function fails to start the car after a stop. The car stalls. It requires car to put in park and have to restart the car. This causes delay for traffic to move. When this happens, it creates a safety issue. The car behind may start to move and cause accident because the rest of the traffic has started to move. Sometimes the car driver behind you honks the horn as the rest of the traffic starts to move. The 2019 Subaru Forester has only 31000 miles. This has been happening once a week since June 2023. It is becoming a safety concern for me. This started to happen around 25000 miles on the car.

I started my car and turned on the windshield wipers and fluid to clear the windshield. Within a few seconds of wiping the windshield, I heard a pop and a crack directly down the center of the windshield starting at the top developed along the line of the eyesight system and rearview mirror mount. There were no known rock chips and I had not experienced any debris hitting this section of the windshield. This appears to be a stress crack.

I have had multiple issues with my car for the past month. First, my rear right wheel has been making a fan-like sound when going above 35mph and it gets louder until 70mph. It is most likely the wheel bearings going out but, I only have around 50,000 miles on the car. This seems to be a common issue with Foresters. Secondly, my rear Harman Kardon speakers have stopped working. This also appears to be a recurring issue with Forester's, with both their standard and premium sound systems. Lastly, my engine check light turned on and shut off my adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, emergency braking, and rear automatic braking. I'm surprised that these issues are still happening to Subaru since they have been complained about by consumers for years.

The battery on my 2019 Subaru Forester was replaced in September 2022. It was the best battery available offered at Les Schwab. But a few days ago, the battery was completely dead again and couldn’t even be jump started with my Jump N Carry after being parked in my garage for ~3 weeks. After taking out the battery and getting it fully recharged at Les Schwab, they also tested the battery saying it’s still in good shape. I suspect there is parasitic battery drain issue going on with this model.

Car suddenly stopped accelerating several times over the course of several months, at seemingly random speeds, once even at a full stop when attemptign to begin acceleration. Required to turn it off and on again (in park, break still works) and it works again. I towed the car to the dealership, and they told me after a few days that they could not recreate the issue and nothing was certifiably wrong with it. The only thing that came up on the sceen was the EYE LIGHT system wording with a slash through it.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while his son was driving at approximately 60 MPH, the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact's son stated that the vehicle was emitting smoke from the exhaust pipe. The contact stated that his son pulled off the highway and stopped the vehicle and had the vehicle towed to the dealer. The dealer diagnosed the vehicle and determined that the positive crankcase ventilation valve (PCV) had separated and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact was advised by the dealer that the failure was related to NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V856000 (Engine and Engine Cooling) which was already completed on the vehicle. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 130,000.

most of the safety quiet. motor cut out, eyesight quiet working, check engine light came on service person said the diagnostic showed a code p2682 engine coolant bypass valve control low. steering light came on. No prior warnings. happened while driving at speed limit on interstate.

An electrical failure of the auto start/stop feature led to an unavoidable accident. I came to a stoplight, going slightly uphill, and the car shut off as designed. Releasing the brake re-engages the starter to continue driving, however when I released the brake, the car’s electrical system went haywire and the car immediately rolled BACKWARDS, damaging the car behind me. I took it to Subaru and the mechanic said the battery was low, but the car is designed NOT to initiate the start/stop feature, to prevent this from happening. They acknowledged that the accident was not my fault, but provided no further assistance. I was found at fault in the accident despite having no control over the scenario.

Engine failed without warning while driving on a busy highway on 4/20/2024. The engine suddenly stopped and tried to automatically restart itself only to immediately shut down, simultaneously dashboard lit up with multiple warning lights ( eyesight disabled, check engine light, RAB off, brake light etc). No power to the car with inability to accelerate. My husband driving the vehicle was able to maneuver the car over 2 lanes in heavy traffic to the rumble strip between 4 lane highway and a 2 lane acceleration entrance ramp. We came within seconds of being hit which could have been a very serious accident. Since the car had no power we weren't even able to get to the right shoulder. We had to sit in the vehicle over 2 1/2 hours waiting for a tow surrounded by high speed traffic on both sides. The cause of engine failure was a defective Thermo Control Valve, diagnostic code P26A6. Subaru recently issued an extended warranty in April for the TCV which is present in many of its vehicles. It should be a RECALL and not just an extension of the warranty since failure can be quite serious resulting in the engine completely shutting down. We had NO previous warning that the car was at risk for unexpected stopping. Car is well maintained with only 34,608 miles (2019 model) and had been in the shop the DAY before the incident getting routine car service. The service manager knew what the problem was by description before even performing the necessary interrogation for diagnostic codes. He was able to get the vehicle to start and drive it into the dealer repair shop by simply removing the TCV before starting. We were the 3rd vehicle in that day for replacement of TCV. He stated they replace 5-10 a week although most present with a check engine light and some with other warnings such as eyesight disabled. The factory original TCV has been replaced with a reportedly revised TCV. Risk of engine failure without warning as result of faulty TCV is putting lives at risk.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while entering the vehicle, she noticed that the new windshield that was installed 11 days prior, was cracked. The contact stated that the windshield was previously replaced due to the same failure. The contact was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

See attached document for complaint

On April 16, 2024 the Thermo Control Valve on my 2019 Subaru Forester failed while I was going 70 mph in the middle lane of rush hour traffic. All of the warning lights came on at once as my engine stalled. I lost all mechanical power and was barely able to make it off the highway without getting hit. There was no prior warning that the Thermo Control Valve was bad. I had the car serviced at a Subaru dealership three weeks before the incident and was told that everything looked good on my car. The dealership replaced the Thermo Control Valve under extended warranty coverage. I have a second 2019 Subaru Forester that also falls in this group of vehicles, but Subaru will not replace the Thermo Control Valve until it fails.

4/2/2024 at 5:30am my Eyesight system flashed a message in orange that the Eyesight system was off - not temporarily disabled. This is NOT due to an obstruction of the cameras by weather/glare/dirt etc. All functions controlled by Eyesight including lane departure, adaptive cruise control, and forward emergency braking, as well as reverse automatic braking are disabled by this malfunction. I removed the negative lead from my battery in an attempt to reset the system which did not clear the error. No check engine light accompanied this error and all other systems seem to be functioning normally.

The check engine light went on and the diagnostic code read was P26A3, Engine Coolant Bypass Valve is failing in my 2019 Forester, which only has 46,000 miles on it. Subaru was aware that this part was defective in the 2019-2021 models, because in Feb of 2022 the part was replaced and a service bulletin 09-80-21 was issued with instruction for replacing the part, but did not issue a recall, despite this problem causing the advanced safety features to stop working and directly affecting the proper functioning of the engine. My car is just out of warranty, and the quote to have my mechanic replace the part is almost $1200 which I am unable to afford and do not feel I should have to pay for. Subaru should be help to account for this issue.

Thermo control valve failure, P26A3 code, eyesight safety assistance warning light ,check engine light, pre collision braking light, lane assist light.

Car was sitting outside for the day (with camera observing it). Windshield had no issues when the car was moved to the street in the morning. Windshield was cracked from driver side bottom corner all the way past the half way point and about half way up the windshield. Review of camera video confirmed that no one or thing touched the car during the day. Suspect that the windshield is defective.

Start / stop feature. Multiple incidents. Continuing issue. Stop at a light or in traffic. The car turns off. Let off the brake the car completely looses power sometimes or dies. Need to move shifter to park to restart. When the vehicle dies completely. Unable to move shifter of use hazards. This has happened on the highway at stop lights leaving me stranded in the middle of the road with no vehicle power. Or having to restart. Battery, starter and Alternator have been tested and are good. Safety issue.

Check engine light came on roughly 3 days prior to incident. Temperature control/coolant bypass valve failed (replaced by dealer at my expense with now updated design), caused the car to unexpectedly lose power rapidly and enter limp mode, dropping from 55 MPH down to 5 MPH in seconds. The incident occurred on a rural road. I had been on an interstate during rush hour roughly 15 minutes prior and could have caused a crash if the incident happened there.

The contact owned a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the vehicle suddenly accelerated to approximately 80 MPH unintendedly. The contact stated that she depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle spun several times, causing her to lose control of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle hit several power generator boxes while spinning. The vehicle then turned around and drove across the street unintendedly, and the front end of the vehicle crashed into a pine tree. The contact stated that the forward collision avoidance failed to engage. The air bags failed to deploy. The neighbors assisted the contact out of the vehicle. The contact stated that she was shocked and was assisted in a chair. The contact that she later felt pain all over the body and was taken to the hospital, where she was informed that she had sustained a broken sternum, bruises, and pain all over the body. The insurance company towed the vehicle to a tow lot, where it was totaled. The dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and sent a field engineer who retrieved the EDR from the vehicle. The manufacturer later informed the contact that the information retrieved from the EDR indicated that there was no vehicle malfunction and that the air bags had not deployed because the impact was not significant. The failure mileage was approximately 34,000.

CAR HAD JUST BEEN SERVICED BY SUBARU SERVICE DEPT ON 2/27/2024. ON 3/1/2024, WHILE TRAVELLING IN HEAVY RUSH HOUR TRAFFIC, WE SMELLED A VERY STRONG ODOR OF GASOLINE AND WERE ALERTED BY ANOTHER DRIVER THAT OUR CAR WAS LEAKING A LARGE AMOUNT OF GASOLINE IN THE ROADWAY. WE PULLED OVER TO A SAFE AREA, EVACUATED THE CAR, AND THE CAR BURST INTO FLAMES. FIRE WAS EXTINGUISHED BY THE WANTAGH FIRE DEPARTMENT. POLICE REPORT BY NY STATE POLICE WAS OBTAINED. CAR WAS REMOVED BY TOW TRUCK.

While driving on a highway outside Milford, CT my vehicle is check engine light suddenly illuminated. I had a sudden loss of power, no heat, and the engine temperature was unable to read. Engine temperature was not accurately reporting and showed it as being cold as indicated by blue light warmup light. My eyesight, pre-collision system, and sport mode was disabled due to the engine light being illuminated. The vehicle was seen at a Subaru dealer, who diagnosed the issue to be the thermo control valve. Dealership informed me that it was unsafe to drive and I risk complete engine failure, overheating, and or fire if I continue to operate without required repair. As a result, I was stranded overnight, three hours away from home. Repair was completed on [XXX] at cost of $1830. I learned at the dealership that this is a known issue, in 2021 Subaru replace the plastic components of this part with aluminum due to similar issues experience by many customers. Customers are reporting vehicles going into “limp mode” and even engine damage. I learn that there is a class action lawsuit regarding the same issue, which can be reviewed here: [XXX] Please help to recall vehicles and push Subaru to repair/refund. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked in the driveway, unattended, he noticed that the front windshield had cracked without impact. The contact called the local dealer, where it was determined that the windshield needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and assisted with the repair. The approximate failure mileage was 32,123.

My 2019 Suburu Forester battery will not hold a charge. Whenever I want to use it, my husband must jump the Forester with cables from his car's battery. I am careful not to park it for long and use it for trips to dentist, doctor, and other necessities. We bought the Suburu Forester brand new off the car lot in 2019. The car has under 3k miles of use--it looks in perfect condition. We've changed batteries but that did not solve the start up problem. It is a safety hazard depending upon where I have to stop the car. The "incident" is one of many recurrences. After 7 days of nonuse, parked in my garage, the car fails to start.

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the audible alert sounds were excessively loud and the warning lights were so bright that the contact became frantic. The contact stopped at a local Auto Zone. The Auto Zone mechanic inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the failure was due to a failed heater control valve. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed heater control module, and it was determined that the heater control valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,128.

My windshield mysteriously cracked there was not existing damage. When I research my car's make model and year I learned that there was a class action lawsuit that was settled that requires Subaru to cover the cost of the windshield. At the time of purchase this defect was not disclosed to me. I reached out to the dealership and they seem to have no knowledge of this. Additionally, they are not taking any responsibility.

Check engine light came on and gave code P26A6 which came back the thermal control valve which is a well known issue with this make and model vehicle.

Power Control Valve malfunctioning at 26,000 miles. Causing all safety features (auto braking & lane departure) to be shut off.

I am concerned as my car was safely parked, once I started it and it said eyesight off, flashing S symbol, the heat thermo Stat changes back and forth from hot and cold, car is not warming up and check engine light came on. I am very concerned as it is the winter, and I have my baby in the car. Please advise. This seems very unusual and never happened before. The vehicle have around 23K miles.

Windshield spontaneously cracked without any known impact or damage. Vehicle was not in motion at time. Sitting at stoplight heard a ping and then noticed crack across bottom of windshield affecting visibility. No other vehicles were near enough or in motion that debris could have been at fault.

Went to a daycare to do a tour at 9am, parked my car and was gone for about 30 minutes and when I came back, there was a large crack (8inches) that starts from the bottom of the middle windshield. There was no indent or nothing that could have caused this.

When I am stopped at a traffic light or stop sign, and I have not manually turned off the auto stop-start feature, from time to time the car will not start when I depress the gas. Often this is accompanied by a screeching sound - the sound the car makes if you try to shut it off when it is in gear. The danger is that I cannot move the car forward without putting the car in park, turning the engine off, then turning the car/engine on, and then depressing the gas. If there were no other drivers on the road, this would be an inconvenience but not a safety hazard. But there are other drivers who have no idea why I am not moving forward and they get impatient and try to pass me in areas where drivers coming in the other direction do not expect it. I have witnessed several near accidents. I have taken it to the dealer who cannot reproduce the problem but an internet search reports many other Suburu drivers who have experienced the same problem.

All of a sudden, the eyesight and collision prevention stopped working, the check engine light came on, the blue light thermostat indicator came on. We had no heat. The flashing "S" (sportsmode indicator) came on. We were driving on the highway and still over an hour from home. It was snowing, we could not adequately clear the windshield of fog so our visibility was severely compromised. We lost all Eye Sight capability which meant that we were vulnerable if there was ever a crash or an obstruction in the roadway.

The vehicle is less than 5 years old and has less than 50k miles. While driving with cruise control engaged on the Thruway, my check engine light came on. Almost immediately after the red "BRAKE" warning showed on the dash. When that happened my car engaged the brakes while I was traveling at 75mph and I pulled to the side of the Thruway as quickly as I could as to not wreck with another driver. My engine sounded like it was working overtime so I shut off the vehicle. After a couple of minutes I tried to start my engine and it would not go. After another few minutes I was able to start the vehicle but could not drive because the brakes were still engaged. I needed to turn on/off the parking brake a few times before they released. I then drove the vehicle the remaining 2.5 hours home with the check engine light on and red "BRAKE" light off. This same scenario happened on my way to bring the vehicle to the dealer to fix the issue. The Subaru dealership inspected the vehicle and confirmed the thermo control valve was malfunctioning and would need to be replaced. Thankfully the vehicle was under warranty and did not cost me anything to repair.

There was a front-end collision into a stone wall. It appears the driver seatbelt failed and ripped upon impact. The driver died as a result of injuries sustained. There was a front passenger in the vehicle as well who was belted. The seatbelt for the front passenger worked correctly. That passenger had serious injuries but survived the collision. This fatal collision was investigated by Hillsborough, NJ Police, case # [XXX]. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

The engine cuts out and stalls while turning through an intersection (with danger of being rear ended) or driving through parking lots at low speed. The car will zoom forward right after that, usually while in a parking lot nearly hitting pedestrians on several occasions! This issue is a frequent occurrence becoming more dangerous the past 2 years. We have our car serviced at the Subaru dealership in Prescott, AZ and have told them about this. They tell us the same thing when we tell them what it does, they say "NO IT DOESN'T".

We were driving in 6 lane traffic in Atlanta and the traffic came to a stop. The Subaru Auto Stop Start turned off the engine. When the traffic started and I released the brake, the engine would not start and the battery died trying to start. This left us in the middle of 6 lanes of traffic with a dead car. It was a significant personal safety issue. Luckily were were on a slight down slope and was able to have the car start rolling forward while in neutral and made our way to the shoulder, with cars passing at 70mph and narrowly missing the car. Prior to this, the vehicle was working properly. This is the 5th time we have had issues with the Subaru restarting after the Auto Stop Start turned off the engine. All prior times we were able to start the engine but had to turn off the car and then turn it on again. There is no way to turn off the auto start feature permanently, having to remember to turn it off each time you get in the car. There is also to no built in feature to not have the Auto Start Stop not turn the engine off if the battery health is not 100% and there is a chance it will not turn on again. It is a significant safety issue not having a permanent way to turn off the auto on off feature or have the car disable the feature if the engine or battery are not 100%.

Starlink notification to the dealership that there was a problem with the airbag system. The “seat bottom” that contained the the passenger detector sensor was defective and the entire airbag system is disabled.

On Friday, December 15, 2023 I started my car, Subaru Forester Touring 2019. After starting these lights came on the dashboard: check engine, flashing S drive, no eyesight, RAB off. I was reading online that there have been complaints to NHTSA similar to my problem ( NHTSA ID # 11490232, 12479843, 11511658, 11490977, 11479843, 11499756, 11480952, 11491752, 11474804) to name a few reports.This has never happenedbefore. The mileage on my car is about 54,400 miles at time of incident. It seems to me that there is a pattern here that needs to be resolved and the owners informed so they can get if fixed before it happens and causes safety problems for Subaru Forester owners. I am kindly asking your office to seriously look into this specific problem and help us, the consumers, to inform Subaru to fix these issues. I thank you for taking the time to read my letter.

The original battery does not support the CAN system and replacing the battery does resolve the issue. The system will shut off while stopped at a light to save fuel, and turn back on when you press on the brake or the gas. There is an error where the vehicle will try to start itself when you’re not even cranking it. This can be dangerous if the car shuts off at a light and won’t turn back on because the feature drains the battery. This needs to be a recall as Subaru is aware of the issue and implemented a new battery for the vehicles and want to charge double. Why should the consumer pay for something that the company is aware is a problem? And came up with a solution to the problem, but is trying to profit off of it instead of fixing their mistake?

The Eyesight feature went out and the heater went out and I took the car to a mechanic and he said it had a faulty thermo control valve that needs replacement.

I started my vehicle and the check engine light came on. In addition, my eye sight turned off and the letter S started blinking. I also had clicking noises when I turned the vehicle off. I read some forums and this is a thermo control valve problem that happens to many Subarus in 2019-2021 range. As I took the vehicle to check the codes, the heater did not work and the cold engine light kept coming on. The codes read P26A3. Other reports are: NHTSA 11490232; 12479843; 11511658; 11490977; 11479843; and many others. Apparently Subaru is aware this valve and has come out with a new replacement that costs a high dollar amount to change out.

Cracked exhaust manifold for no apparent reason. I live in Florida, which does not have extreme temperature fluctuations. It caused toxic fumes to leak into the cabin, confirmed by Subaru tech and handheld carbon monoxide detector.

On November 30th around 5:30 PM on [XXX] my wife struck and killed a 6 point buck. Thankfully a SC Highway officer was coming in the opposite direction saw the accident and aided my wife in getting out of the car as he had seen a fire in the engine compartment area. Shortly thereafter the car exploded and was engulfed in flames and totally destroyed. Neither the patrol officer nor the tow operator can remember an auto fire resulting from striking a deer. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

There are two problems: 1 after the car turns off after stopping to save fuel it will fail to restart automatically and must be put into park to manually restart; 2 the car will try to change lanes indicating that the safety related lane change is malfunctioning. I have to fight the car to maintain my lane.

Defective/failed thermal control valve. Valve failed while I was driving, resulting in safety systems (e.g., lane keep assist, pre-collision braking). Looking this up, this is a known issue to Subaru.

I own a 2019 Subaru Forester. Approximately 5 months ago, I experienced a failure in the auto start-stop feature. My car intermittently shuts down when stopped at traffic lights or in the middle of an intersection. Subaru conducted a diagnostic assessment to address the issue, but they couldn't identify any problems. This has happened about six times within the last five months. They claim to have never encountered this issue before. The temporary solution is to turn off the car and restart it, which is not safe when it occurs in the middle of an intersection. Following my dealership's recommendation, I replaced my battery with a standard EFB battery, However, the same issues persisted. Notably, the problem consistently occurs after driving on the highway for approximately 60-80 minutes and then coming to a stop at traffic lights. It is evident that the issue is not related to the battery. This issue raises significant safety concerns, especially when making left turns after coming to a stop at intersections. The sudden shutdown of the vehicle in the midst of an intersection can pose a substantial safety risk to both the driver and other road users. It not only creates a hazard in terms of traffic flow but also increases the likelihood of accidents and collisions. Given the critical nature of this safety concern, it is imperative that the problem be promptly addressed and resolved to ensure the safety of all road users.

2019 Subaru switched from a thermostat to a "Thermo Control Valve" (TCV). They eventually redesigned it in 2022 due to so many failures. Mine failed rendering the cars "eyesight", lane assist, cruise control and brake assist useless. Check engine light and oil temperature light remain on. Engine code is P26A6 and P26A5. Subaru has known about this issue for years yet charge $600 for the new "Thermo Control Valve" and $1,000 to install it. These "TCV" valves fail indiscriminately with mileage not being a factor, rather the product itself. Any search online and you will find hundreds (if not thousands) of people affected in and outside the warranty. No recall has been given.

Three times in the last week or so, coming to a stop, in traffic, the car throws a warning about the EyeSight not working and it shuts the car off. The first time I was still rolling and had not come to a stop. The other two times I was just barely stopped and it happened. It would be horrible if it happened while driving fast. You have to put it in park and hit the start button to turn the electrical off and then hit the button again to start the car. Windshield is clean. No visible obstruction to the camera system. Clear weather every time. No rain. Daytime driving.

This is the second time I am reporting this issue in the past few months. Three times this week my car has gone into the "gas saving" mode at a stop sign or red light and has not turned back on. I get a warning and need to turn the car off and then back on. This has put me in very u safe situations as people assume I'm going to start driving once the light changes and I've been nearly rear-ended multiple times, screamed at, cursed at, etc. This has happened an uncomfortable amount of times and I think you should do an investigation before I, or someone else gets hurt!