2020 Subaru Forester Speed Control & Cruise Problems

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

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.

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.