2020 Subaru Forester Complaint Log

We discovered a crack in the windshield this morning across the lower half of the passenger side. There was no sign of any impact, just the crack. The crack was not there when the vehicle was parked yesterday afternoon.

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.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 45 MPH, a small rock hit the bottom, driver side of the windshield. The next day, the contact stated that the crack had formed and spread vertically along the driver-side windshield. The crack had obstructed the contact's vision while driving at various speeds. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed her that approval for the repair under warranty would come from the manufacturer. The vehicle had yet to be repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 10,000.

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.

Windshield cracked, what appears to be originated from the inside near the heating coil. Has spread horizontal about two-thirds of the windshield. Available for inspection upon request. Has not had any inspections yet. Can inhibit the eyesight if continues to spread.

Subaru has a known issue with a Thermo Control Valve in Foresters. Apparently the part is failing all over the place and they redesigned the part and are replacing it. The problem is the part is backordered and the dealerships are telling people it is safe to drive the car. Our car completely shut off at highway speed. I have since learned this is happening to a number of other owners who were also told it was safe to drive it while the part is back ordered. This vehicle has a lot of advanced driver features and some or all of them are shut off when this happens. Very dangerous for them to tell people to keep driving it and the vehicle should be recalled to replace the defective part that is failing.

BATTERY DRAINS constantly and car will not start. This has happened several times the past month. I understand that it is an ongoing issue with other Subaru's. This is dangerous and must be fixed. This issue has happened 3 times in 2 weeks. 8/1, 8/13, 8/15/2022

2nd event - SOY based transmission wiring chewed. TWICE in two years. Car garaged, traps in garage. Our cost: about $1500. Time in shop - 3 months, due to "no parts".

I believe the SUBARU FORESTER 2020 WINDSHIELD is dangerous and is a system failure. In April, 2022 a piece of gravel hit the windshield--smaller than the size of a quarter. Within hours, the windshield had fractured so much that there was no way that I could continue to drive safely as the windshield flowered and split the driver's eye view. I reported the claim to insurance (USAA) and took the car on May 12, 2022 to Safelight to be repaired. After working on it for three hours, they couldn't get the EYESIGHT to calibrate. I drove for two weeks without those safety features until I could get to Safelight again. After 3 more hrs I was finally told to take it to the dealership to finalize repairs and again the EYESIGHT was not calibrated. Those safety features were not available until on June 6, 2022 the delearship calibrated EYESIGHT. Driving on July 20, 2022 a small piece of gravel hit the passenger corner and within 2 hrs, split the windshield again. I have NEVER had a windshield perform like this--it is very dangerous and I believe in a crash, the windshield would INJURE me rather than prevent impact. I am worried about my safety. I cannot afford to repair the windshield when it may happen again. In 44 years of driving, I have NEVER had a windshield that was so weak.

UNKNOWN - the windshield seems to have spontaneously cracked. It was parked overnight in an uncovered driveway, and now there is a large crack down the middle. There is no particular pattern to suggest impact (and regardless the driveway is not underneath any nearby trees or other structures).

I was driving down the highway & noticed a crack was growing insanely large due to the heat & while I had other cracks on my windshield that were little dings it looked like a grain of sand/very small pebble hit the side of my windshield and nearly cracked in down the middle. I have heard of other people with Subaru foresters complaining about this issue & it makes the safety of the driver at risk when just about anything can crack your windhshield making it unsafe to drive/hard to see.

The vehicle has 27000 miles and the windshield shows multiple small chips and voids. The windshield is really thin and can’t take any wear and tear.

Windshield cracked with minor strikes. There are two cracks, one small crack, one large crack in windshield and some chips. The windshield seems to be prone to cracking and when I discussed this with the Subaru dealer on 08/05/2022 about the 2020 Forester, he stated that the windshields are thinner to reduce weight for improved fuel efficiency and are not as durable as older windshields. The representative said it would cost $1415.80 plus tax to replace with original windshield. Why would I want an original windshield if it not durable and prone to breaking? This is a defective product and I would think it would be replaced by the dealer at no charge with a more durable product.

Windshield cracked rapidly (seconds) from left bottom to center of windshield beyond repair. Windshield did not have previous damage or was hit by foreign object, appears to be a stress crack. Local Subaru Dealer referred that this situation should be discussed with Subaru USA.

The windshield on the 2020 Subaru Forester, as reported by many other owners, is extremely brittle and prone to frequent chips/rapidly spreading cracks. Since purchasing new, I have had two chips that resulted in small cracks and one that resulted in a larger spiderweb crack. None of these were caused by stone/pebble impacts I would have expected to cause windshield damage. (I have lived in the same area with a Ford Ranger, Jeep Wrangler, Ford Escape, VW Sportwagen, and 2016 Forester, and never experienced any windshield chips needing repair with any of the others.) While getting my third crack repaired today, the technician stated that a disproportionate amount of his work in the last two years has been on late-model Subarus. The technician who completed the second chip repair around four months ago stayed the same — a high number of late-model Subarus with chips and cracks. My experience seems reflective of a high number of other Subaru owners, and is reflected in an ongoing class action case involving the increased fragility of recent Subaru’s windshields.

There are various lights on on the dash of the vehicle when nothing is seemingly inherently wrong with the vehicle. I notified the dealership about this issue, the dealership claimed that special parts were ordered but I still have not been notifed of their arrival. This puts my safety at risk due to the fact that I am not sure wether the car actually has an issue, or if it is a mere malfunction. The vechicle is now shaking.

My windshield cracked overnight, in my driveway, with no possibility of a person or animal being the cause. The nearest neighbor is 2 miles away. Subaru warranty denied my claim and said they saw a rock chip in the pics. The glass repair shop that submitted the claim said their was no sign of force (rock) to the windshield being the cause of the crack.

DTC P26A3 thermo control valve ? All my safety features are disabled until the part becomes available- it is apparently on back order and/ or not part of an active recall or both ? Having difficulty getting information from my dealer/service dept

Battery drained, towed to dealership twice within a month battery replaced then failed within 2 weeks everything checked out ok but battery still drained very frustrating

Windshield Glass Cracked.

Windshield cracked with out any other related damage. No rock chips or other damage. While sitting still windshield popped and a small 1/2 inch crack started on the edge of the glass and spread all the way across the windshield. Subaru clames there is no coverage even tho there is no damage to the windshield

While driving, a small pebble was believed to strike the front windshield (lower passenger side) because we heard a loud pop then noticed the windshield cracked immediately spanning the lower center of the windshield at least 18 inches from end to end. This crack negatively impacts driver visibility, distorting the view during both day and night driving. Insurance has not yet inspected the windshield.

The Windshield broke for no apparent reason. It’s a big crack that affects visibility. I know there is an ongoing problem with other similar suburu vehicles and is currently under a lawsuit process.

Windshield cracked in the bottom black area. This is a known problem for other model years. Subaru should issue a recall / fix for the 2020 Forester also.

2 small cracks on windshield, unknown cause, possible small pebble. Now extended to a large crack on my winshield effecting eyesite. Through research appears this year and model has been shown to have a defective windshield and previous lawsuits filed. Would like to know if this lawsuit can be used in my case or if I can file. Cost to replace is ~ $3,000 out of pocket. This is ridiculous.

Battery constantly dying. Significant safety concern. Never no when the car is going to not start. Unreliable

Windshield has cracked in 2 different spots, one on the driver side and the other on the passenger side. The passenger side is a crack from the edge to the center of the windshield. I didn't see the item, it was so small it may have been a pebble, and barely heard the noise. I don't feel safe to drive it because I am worried the crack will go across the entire windshield making it unsafe to drive. I haven't filed a claim with my insurance company yet, but understand it is expensive to replace and get calibrated for the EyeSight camera.

The windshield cracked without any known trauma. The car was parked in a lot and when I came out the windshield had a large crack in it. The dealer where the car is serviced refused to see it stating they do not replace windshields.

While driving one day on the road I heard a pop noise and noticed a huge thin line crack in my windshield. This was directly in front of my line of vision while driving. It made it extremely difficult and dangerous to see while driving and light would reflect off the crack causing a glare. Yes, the problem has been confirmed by an independent service center and has been inspected by an independent party. There was no warning prior to this incident.

Drove the car to my place of work. There were no rocks , chips or other hitting the windshield. Came out to the car in the parking lot at lunch and the was a crack that stretched from the lower passenger side to the middle of the windshield. The local Subaru dealer played "dumb" and acted like they had never seen this problem and then blamed it on a rock chip after learning we knew of the thousands of Subaru's with similar problems.

FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED STARTING AT PASSENGER SIDE TO MIDDLE OF WINDSHIELD. CAR WAS SITTING IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THIS HAPPENED. SUBARU SAID THEY WONT PAY FOR IT EVEN THOUGH THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY IS STILL CURRENT. HAD TO REPLACE WINDSHIELD, $1750.00.

On highway speeds, the hood, which is shut, rattles. I have not had the hood inspected nor I have brought it to the manufacturer.

There have been three cracks in the front windshield in 18 months with little to no provocation. These have required replacement of the front windshield and re-calibration of eyesight. With each crack, there was little to no cause. On one occasion, there was a tiny piece of gravel that resulted in a crack that extended across 50% of the front windshield. My concern is for my personal safety should the windshield crack and cause harm to me as the driver or impair my visibility while driving which increases my risk for an accident. There’s also the concern about cost and time spent with repeated replacements. The date of incident below is the date of the third crack

The vehicle is about 19 months old and has less than 15,000 miles. We were driving on the highway, passed a large truck, and a small rock got kicked up and hit the windshield near the top, just passenger-side of the eyesight camera. A 5 inch crack formed while we were driving and it grew another 2 inches before we made it to our destination. There is now a 7-in vertical crack in the windshield.

Since purchasing 2020 Subaru Forester (35K miles) I have now had to replace THREE (3) windshield and have ONE (1) additional suboptimal windshield repair. Three incidents were immediately apparent from road debris from cars/trucks traveling in the opposite direction or passing. One appeared spontaneously. The cracks are all 12-24" long and curiously have only been in the areas directly in front of the driver's forward vision. Prior to this I have been without any auto insurance claims for over 40 years! 1. Windshield unsuitably sensitive to chipping and cracking. 2. Impairs driver vision and impairs use of Eye Sight technology. 3. All defects/damages have been confirmed by Safelite. 4. No other third party inspections have been required. 5. No warning lamps appeared before the incidents.

Electrical defect in recent Subarus causes parasitic battery drain when the car is not in use. Our battery drained to the point that the vehicle couldn’t start without a jump due to this defect.

For the 2nd time in 5 months, my windshield has cracked (crack in excess of 6 inches) for no apparent reason

Large crack appeared in windshield. Car was parked at the time and was not hit by anything. Filed claim with insurance company and they are going to replace windshield. Called Evanston Subaru about incident about warranty coverage and they have not returned my call. I have read that this is a problem for Subarus.

The battery drains regularly, causing the vehicle to be inoperable. Battery is dead after 3 days of non use, leaving vehicle unable to be used.

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.

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.

I drove my car at lunchtime to get lunch and returned to work. There was no issue. Then less than 5 hours later when I left work around 5:30 pm and went to my car there was a large crack from the base of my windshield almost in the center. It doesn’t go all the way to the top but curves in a sort of U shape. Obviously I now need a new windshield.

Windshield cracked for no reason. Has continued to worsen. Has to be repaired for and paid for by customer. This seems to be a known Subaru problem.

I got in my car one day and noticed a crack going up through the middle of my windshield - about 10 inches and went all the way to the bottom edge of the glass. After traveling a short distance (15ish min) and leaving it parked for a couple of hours, I came back and it had now turned horizontally across the windshield maybe 4-6 inches toward the driver's side. No impact or incident to cause the crack initially or that extended it.

Repeated experiences of battery going dead after simply opening and closing doors a few times a day for four days. Engine was not started in this time. All interior light were off and rear hatch remained closed. Safety risk is being stranded in rural locations, at times with no cell service. Local Subaru dealer indicated I needed an authorization code from a battery lawsuit settlement to look into it. Lawsuit doesn’t include my vehicle VIN and only reimburses cost for battery replacement and possibly towing, not a repair. Research into the problem has indicated that this “parasitic drain “ can be remedied by replacing the defective older PRG Module with the effective newer one. This should be covered by the warranty on a two year old car. Local dealer would only refer to the lawsuit for direction. Suspect they are “buying time” until warranty expires to avoid doing the appropriate repair. See attached file for example of correct repair from another Subaru owner.

The forester's windshield cracked over 2 feet. We brought it to the dealer for a warranty claim, and the dealer rejected it. They said the windshield was hit by something and caused the crack. I am not sure how big of an object has to hit the windshield to cause such a crack. Subaru is not taking any responsibility for their product's quality. This is a common problem for Subaru owners and should be addressed via recall.

Windshield cracked from no apparent damage. I was driving and a hairline fracture spread from the top driver side of the Windshield to the middle.

Front windshield crack for no reason.

Battery dead not even 2 years old. Known problem they won't fix. Lane assist was pulling us into other traffic lanes when wasn't supposed to almost causing accidents and now won't turn on

Automatic braking system failed and led to a front end collision immediately a fire broke out under the hood and accelerated into the car with in minutes using a tire iron the passenger door was forced opened Air bags deployed (3) and seat belt held