2019 Subaru Forester Complaints

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 05/12/2026

Car swirving as if someone grabbed the steering and pulled right left quickly when applying breaks. First incident happened on interstate which nearly caused an accident. Carriage makes a “clunk” sound when moving forward or backwards and you feel the cabin continue in motion when first stopping. When taken to Subaru, “trailing arm” was not attached to vehicle. Car is currently being fixed at Subaru of Olympia.

STEERING — Filed 04/21/2026

I am reporting a serious safety issue involving my 2019 Subaru Forester related to failure of the Electric Power Steering (EPS) system. Since April 21, 2026, I have been in communication with Subaru of America regarding whether this issue is related to an existing safety recall (WUC-88). During this time, I provided detailed information about multiple occurrences of EPS warning light activation and intermittent loss of steering assist while driving. A local repair shop also inspected the vehicle and confirmed EPS-related diagnostic trouble codes (including B2811 and C2512), which are consistent with known EPS issues. This information was shared with Subaru of America; however, I did not receive a clear or actionable response, and the case has been delayed without resolution. Initially, the issue was intermittent, with the EPS warning light turning on and off. However, since May 9, 2026, the EPS warning light has remained continuously ON, indicating that the condition has worsened. On May 11, 2026, I visited an authorized Subaru service center while the EPS warning light was actively ON. Despite the issue being clearly present, the dealership only took photos confirming the EPS warning light and did not perform any additional diagnostic testing or repair. They advised that the EPS rack needs replacement at an estimated cost of approximately $2,500, with the part currently on backorder and no clear repair timeline. I have already reported this visit and the current condition to Subaru of America and am still awaiting a response. This issue involves intermittent and now persistent loss of steering assist while driving, causing the steering wheel to become extremely stiff and difficult to control. This poses a significant safety risk. Given that the issue has been ongoing since April, has been confirmed by both a repair shop and a Subaru dealer, and remains unresolved, I believe this represents a safety defect that is not being properly addressed. Please review th

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 04/03/2026

We have replaced the battery twice and likely will need a third battery soon. I have learned that there is a known issue with the DCM trying to connect using 3G. This is causing a parasitic drain on the battery. The vehicle will fail to start. This has occurred many times over the last few years. We have just learned of the problem.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 03/07/2026

Dear National Transportation Safety Board, I would like to bring a situation that happened to me while driving my 2019 Subaru Forester last Saturday March 7th, 2026 at 10:40am. I was coming back to my house from an errand. While waiting for my garage door to go all the way up, my car suddenly accelerated forcefully and lunged through the garage and into my home through the wall. There was a chest freezer that was against the wall in the garage which was against the back wall. This freezer was also taken through the wall and into my laundry room. The freezer was crushed. The front of the car and tires were up through the wall and in the home. There was a water spigot also in the garage that came into my home that broke and dispersed water. The furnace was crushed, water heater damaged, washer and dryer damaged, a water cooler damaged along with crushed metal bifold doors that were ripped off HVAC closet. And other things in garage totally crushed. Thankfully, no-one was killed. I was barely able to get out of car as when it suddenly accelerated, and clipped the bottom of garage door that wasn’t finished being up, then it went towards the left and corner of garage instead of of how I would normally pull in and park which would have been straight and middle of garage. The car went so fast and would not stop until it had hit the items in house that would make it not be able to go any further. This vehicle definitely had something faulty with it that caused this car to suddenly take off and crash. And the air bags did not go off. Surprised with such a forceful impact. My car had 62,039 miles on it and was well maintained. I bought brand new at Dellenbach Subaru in Fort Collins, CO in December 2018. Please contact me at [XXX] nk you so much in advance, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 03/06/2026

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, with several unknown warning lights intermittently illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with thermal control valve failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed, and it was determined that the thermal control valve needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 60,000.

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,EXTERIOR LIGHTING — Filed 11/07/2025

The electrical system fails, and the battery is not charging sufficiently. When the auto start/stop engages, the car does not restart in traffic. Requested a battery test at the dealership in May 2025; was told it could not be done that day because it would require leaving the dealer service shop. Eventually, the electrical system became unstable, and the car stopped in traffic on 11/07/2025. Replaced battery following OEM specs. In February 2026, symptoms reappeared with a new battery failing on 02/15/2026, resulting in all saftey systems failing in traffic when auto start/stop enages.

Tether, Lower Anchor (on car seat or vehicle) — Filed 02/02/2026

Pipa Rx Aire base latch system appeared to latch when it wasn’t secured to the anchor. I moved the base between vehicles. When reattaching the base, the right indicator clicked and turned green without actually being attached to the anchor. The seat felt secure, but shifted when I removed the carrier, which is when I realized it was not attached. Photo of latch system showing green and of manufacturer information is attached.

POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE — Filed 06/11/2025

While at a Stop as the engine turns off and awaits decompression of brake to turn on again vehicle moves forward bit, then the engine shuts down while in drive (stalls) had a vehicle hit me in rear but luckily I had my trailer hitch on because it saved me from body damage . I had to place in park and restart this has happened several times before and I’m kinda nervous and makes my wife nervous when stopping at lights or stop signs it might turn off in the middle of the intersection. When this occurrence happens all dash lights pop up … I checked engine with code reader after the incidents but it doesn’t give out any info on what could possibly be happening. I had the Dealership change the Thermo control module in 2025 but these occurrences has happened before and after the TCM replacement.Having the dealership check is like wasting my time and money because they aren’t able to pinpoint the cause without a code . There has to be a problem somewhere in the system it’s just that the dealership in Hawaii has no clue ..

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 01/04/2026

The Thermal Control Valve on my Subaru Forester failed while I was driving recently. The failure caused the car to stop while making a turn. It was a very frightening experience. Luckily at that time the traffic was light. The car was towed to a Subaru dealer, and the Thermal Control Valve was replaced at no charge because Subaru extended the factory warranty. Subaru should have had a Recall Notice put out because this problem could cause serious bodily injury.

ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 01/03/2026

Engine lost power and was misfiring while many warning symbols appeared on the dash. There was a divider separating the lanes. The car coasted to almost to a stop, but the engine chugged enough to slowly turn left at the first opening in the divider and just barely made it off the main road. The engine stopped. I restarted it several times. The engine was misfiring barely running. The electric brake was applied on its own. The car did not respond to moving the shift selector out of park, so the car was immobilized. I put the 4-way flashers on and called AAA. There seemed to be no way for me to move it out of park or release the electronic parking brake. AAA could not respond quickly and suggested I call the police to divert traffic around my car for safety which I did. The tow truck operator was able to disengage the wheels and was able to flatbed it to the nearest repair shop. This being Saturday 1/3/26 it wasn't until Tuesday the repair shop determined the car would not run long enough to provide a reliable diagnosis due to the multiple trouble codes coming up on the computer analysis. I had the car towed to the nearest Subaru dealership who replaced the thermos control valve under their warranty extension. The dealership said usually when this part fails it just triggers a check engine light and not the dangerous situation I experienced. I believe a recall to replace this part should be issued on all cars with this defective part as its failure can cause a dangerous situation without warning.