2022 Subaru Forester Complaints

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 09/11/2026

On two occasions now, one on XXX and another in XXX our vehicle initiated a pre collision breaking sequence with no visible object in our path. On XXX this occurred while turning off of a main road into a shopping center located on route XXX in [XXX]. I was traveling at about 15-20mph with no cars in front of me. The vehicle displayed a pre- collision warning and the vehicles breaks locked up. No injuries but I had both my children with me in the car and we were all quite shaken up. The event in XXX happened while my husband was traveling on climax rd in [XXX]. On a sunny day with no one ahead of him traveling at about 45mph the same pre collision warning happened and the breaks locked up on him causing his tires to scratch and the car to come to a Hault. no injuries as a result. Additionally we have had multiple failures of the auto start/stop system while in active traffic. At this point it is about 5 times. Each failure resulted in the car having to be turned off and back on while in active traffic. The vehicle is scheduled to be brought into the suburu dealer of Purchase for inspection for these issues. An issues has also been filed with Suburu of America. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

EQUIPMENT — Filed 08/26/2026

The affected product is a Kuat Sherpa 2.0 hitch-mounted bicycle rack (2-bike, [1.25" / 2"] receiver), purchased new in January 2023, mounted on a 2022 Subaru Forester. On two occasions in the past several months, the front ratchet/hook arm that secures the front wheel released on its own while the vehicle was in motion, allowing the bicycle to come off the tray. On July 17th 2026, at approximately 15 mph on a gravel driveway, the bike released and was retained only by the rear wheel strap. On August 26th 2026, at approximately 15 mph, the bike released again and was retained only because a supplemental lock cable was attached; the bike ended up on the ground behind the vehicle with the rack still mounted and deployed (photo attached, timestamped 8/26/26 21:56). The rack was installed and used per the manufacturer's user guide: correct hitch class, provided hitch pin, torqued to spec, genuine unmodified parts, and within the stated weight limit. There was no crash, curb strike, or overloading. No injury or property damage to other vehicles occurred, but a bicycle detaching from a rack at highway speed presents a clear risk of a crash to following traffic. Note for investigators: NHTSA recall campaign 24E044 addressed a similar carrier-drop failure on Kuat's Transfer v2, in which a pivot mechanism could disengage and let the carrier/bike drop while driving. The failure I experienced on the Sherpa 2.0 is the same class of failure. I have not seen a recall covering the Sherpa 2.0.

SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 08/15/2026

On 8/15/2026 my car's EyeSight system falsely automatically engaged Pre-Collision Braking on a clear road with no cars, obstacles or potholes ahead, on a sunny day, accelerating at 10–15 mph from a traffic light stop. The car was brought to an abrupt stop with no warning beeps from the Eyesight system that are supposed to precede its activation. This event almost caused a chain-like rear end collision involving 2-3 cars behind my car. On 8/19/2026 a Subaru dealership scanned for DTC codes, found none, stated that since no codes were found,there is no problem found. Dealership did not offer to recalibrate the Eyesight system or do any additional diagnostic work.

BACK OVER PREVENTION — Filed 08/12/2026

We are experiencing the exact same problem as the recall Under NHTSA Campaign No. 23V755000 (Subaru recall code WRQ-23) for an ineffective weld leading to moisture affecting the backup camera and dashboard lights. However, our VIN is NOT included in the recall.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE — Filed 05/21/2026

While driving my 2022 Subaru Forester, the factory EyeSight autonomous safety system completely failed and disabled itself permanently. The total system shutdown caused an immediate loss of Pre-Collision Emergency Braking, Lane Change Detection, and Adaptive Cruise Control, creating an active highway safety hazard. A subsequent diagnostic scan by an authorized retailer confirmed hard fault code B1402, indicating that the internal factory camera software permanently corrupted itself and erased its own model code data profile. The manufacturer has issued TSB 07-225-24 to address this exact internal memory logic crash, but is currently refusing to replace this critical, failed safety system on a vehicle with only 32,364 miles.

POWER TRAIN — Filed 06/17/2026

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed inhibitor switch. The contact was informed that the inhibitor switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The contact was informed that parts were on back order. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM — Filed 05/11/2026

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for a service appointment, the contact was advised that the batter was defective. The contact was informed that the battery was not large enough for the power of the vehicle. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure of the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,200.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 03/17/2026

Back window shattered spontaneously. No known cause. No evidence of vandalism. Temperature did drop 45 degrees over night. Shut side door and back window shattered. Had not started car yet. Rear defroster not engaged.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 03/11/2026

I had two codes on my 2022 Forester over last two weeks. First one u0284 was for the Active Grill Shutter. This happened because for some reason Subaru decided to put the fog lights on the same fuse as the AGS. Fog light blew, shorted out blew the fuse, this caused every safety system in the car to turn off. By default these are open so why does loosing 1-2MPG, or longer time to warm up a car cause every safety feature to turn off. Answer is they kill everything so you have to come in and pay hundreds for 15 bulb. This week had a o2 sensor go bad while I was driving. Had lane assist on , adaptive cruise, etc. Check engine went on and car start to rapidly decelerate, and again all safety features where turned off for something that is not fixed would potential cause reduce MPG, damage the catalytic converter, cause black smoke. None of this should require all safety features to be turned off. This is going to kill someone. I know your not suppose to have your hands off the wheel when using lane assist but people do it. I was in bumper to bumper traffic on 40 going 65 MPH. Not only would I have been at risk but everyone around me. Worse case is I do not have my hands on the wheel, the o2 sensor fails, car pulls into the car beside me and someone dies because Subaru wants money more than safety.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 03/05/2026

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 40 MPH, the brakes inadvertently activated. The contact was unaware whether any warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated that there was an abnormal sound coming from the brakes, and the brakes locked up during the failure. The contact regained control of the vehicle and continued driving after the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, but it was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was opened. The approximate failure mileage was 16,764. The VIN was not available.

SUSPENSION — Filed 01/22/2026

I am filing this complaint regarding repeated premature strut failure on my 2022 Subaru Forester. The original set of struts failed at approximately 36,000 miles. The issue was not covered under warranty and required replacement. At approximately 60,000 miles, the replacement struts are again failing. This means two full sets of struts have failed before 100,000 miles, which is highly abnormal for a vehicle of this age and mileage. Premature strut failure affects vehicle stability, ride control, and braking performance. This raises safety concerns, particularly at highway speeds and during emergency maneuvers. Suspension components such as struts should not require replacement this frequently under normal driving conditions. Given the repeated nature of this issue, I believe this may represent a broader defect rather than normal wear and tear. I have seen many other 2022 Subaru Foresters have this same issue but have not heard of a recall to date. I am requesting that this matter be investigated for potential recall or technical service action.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 02/11/2026

My Subaru Forrester Eyesight system cuts out and is disabled while driving, including while the cruise control was engaged causing me to brake hard while driving to avoid a collision and a message announcing it is disabled is displayed on the screen. I took the car to my dealership who confirmed that there is a software problem but because I was out of the initial warranty I would have to pay to have the fix installed on my car. They charged me for an hour of service ($288.60) to install a software update to the "EyeSight Driver Assist Technology[ ] the culmination of everything Subaru engineers know about safety". Obviously they know there is a problem with their safety system and have created a fix but are charging the customers to correct it.

VISIBILITY/WIPER — Filed 02/05/2026

I was driving along and noticed my windshield was cracked on the passenger side. The crack is vertical from the bottom of the windshield to about halfway up. It was fine the day before. No rocks, etc struck my windshield. I understand that Subaru has had issues with windshields cracking for no reason.

VISIBILITY — Filed 01/13/2026

I was driving to work in the morning and was going down a slow side street when I heard a soft noise behind me. When I looked in my rearview I noticed that my back window was cracked all over it though nothing had hit it or fallen in it. The glass then completely fell out.

ENGINE — Filed 09/26/2025

I hit a deer going 45 mph, the air bags deployed, and my engine caught on fire. Within 10 minutes my car burned to the ground.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER,ENGINE — Filed 01/15/2024

The vehicle was started with the remote start to warm up. It was about -15F. It ran for 10 minutes and then shut off as it is supposed to. The driver got in the car, started the car, all the gauges went crazy and all the dash lights lit up. The driver heard a popping sound and then there was smoke under the hood. The vehicle became engulfed in flames. The vehicle was a total loss as was the car sitting next due to the heat from the fire. The house that the vehicle was parked near sustained minor damage (bubbling paint on porch). Two fire departments responded to the call. Prior to the incident, the vehicle had been running normally and no recent work had been done on the vehicle. The fire chief/inspector and the insurance company were both unable to determine the source, as all that was left was a burnt out frame. The dealership was called in inquire about any warranty coverage, but stated unless it could be proved to be a defect, then they were not liable. The vehicle was towed by the insurance carrier and currently sits on their lot.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 05/05/2023

The contact owned a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH the accelerator pedal remained depressed which caused her to crash into a stone wall. The air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The driver sustained injuries to her back, legs, and a tooth. Medical attention was needed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER — Filed 06/23/2023

My wife was driving our 2022 Subaru forester and I was following her in a second vehicle on the way to the airport for our honeymoon. The road we were on had a steep incline and then smoothed out to a plateau. At approximately 4:30am, 100 yrds from the top of the hill, a deer ran out in front of the Subaru. We both travelling at around 50mph. Before striking the deer my wife was able to slam on the brakes and attempt to swerve, but she still struck the deer with the front left portion of the Subaru. She immediately pulled off to the side of the road and I pulled in behind her. I ran to her car and saw that airbags had deployed and there was fire leaking out of the car in the center of the engine compartment. I helped my wife out of the car and back into my car and we reversed 100 feet back down the road. By the time I stopped reversing the entire engine block had erupted into flames. I determined it was not safe enough to approach the vehicle to recover our luggage or any belongings and called 911. Within 10 minutes the entire car was completely in flames. There were 5 separate explosions. This occurred in a rural area and it took fire and safety approximately 25 minutes to arrive on scene. It took them around 40 minutes to put out the fire completely and haul the car away. The deer that was struck was not killed by the impact and was not on the scene. The damage to the car when I first arrived, thirty second or so after my wife struck the deer, appeared to be mostly on the left side of the car and cosmetic in nature. The speed at which the car caught fire and was engulfed in flames was between five and ten minutes.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 05/20/2023

I was trying to make a right turn but when I pressed the brake pedal it did not work. This caused me to hit another vehicle.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 03/11/2023

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while attempting to park in her brother's driveway with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact continued to apply the brakes but the vehicle failed to respond, drove into the garage, and crashed into appliances. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. There was no police report filed. The vehicle was later taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that no issues were found. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and sent a field technician who diagnosed that no issues were found. The manufacturer did not provide further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.

SERVICE BRAKES — Filed 04/03/2023

I was pulling into the garage at home on 4/3/23 tapping the brakes to get a few inches farther inside and the car accelerated, instead of stopping, crashing into a table positioned in front of the passenger side of the car and our home. The car has damage to the light, number, fender, and hood. We were lucky no one was in front of the vehicle, they would have been pinned between the car and the wall of our home. I have an appointment with Subaru on 4/13 to examine the vehicle, but they are requesting the EDR readings, but refuse to share a copy with me. Therefore, I am declining their assistance.

ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 03/30/2022

-Engine failure: fuel line issue causing 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness to catch fire and explode - beforehand rod bearing was pulverized in separate incident a few months prior - engine was then replaced and car exploded 600 miles later causing total loss of vehicle. -Car exploded while driving in it, lost all personal belongings in car, barely got out of vehicle in time before explosion. -Investigation completed by Subaru of America and confirmed as a fuel line issue a few weeks later. -Smelt gas on highway while driving a few moments prior to car exploding.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM — Filed 08/03/2022

I was driving to work and my car started stalling. So i pulled into a parking spot and when I got out I noticed a trail of oil behind the car. I closed the door and the car started smoking and within seconds it was in flames. I bought it on 7/25 and on 8/3 it was gone. It only had 78 miles on it, 100% driven on city streets. I have several pictures and videos of the event but this site doesn't support them so I can share separately if needed. You are also welcome to inspect the car as it will be hauled to a salvage yard shortly.

AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE — Filed 07/31/2022

I had adaptive cruise control set to the speed limit of 55, I looked down to input directions and then heard the collision warning tone. There was a large box truck sitting at the stop light ahead of me. I slammed on the breaks and swerved into the right-hand turn lane. The vehicle did not make it entirely out of the way and hit the back passenger corner of the lift on the box truck at a slight angle. The vehicle was shredded from the front driver's side bumper to the beginning of the driver's door frame and the hood went through the windshield. No air bags were deployed. --I believe the components/system that could have potentially failed if any, was the airbag system or the automatic emergency breaking system. --Unsure if the problem has been reproduced. --The vehicle was inspected by police & insurance representatives. Unsure if the manufacturer has completed an inspection. --The front collision warning tone & red warning image populated on the center screen of the instrument cluster ~3 seconds prior to collision.

AIR BAGS,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL — Filed 05/15/2022

The contact owned a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while slowing pulling into the parking space the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and drove over a curb and traveled up a hill before crashing into a tree. During the crash neither the driver nor passenger-side air bags deployed. The driver and front passenger sustained chest injuries. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away. A police report was taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 1800.