general problems of the 2020 Subaru Forester - part 2

I was at a red light when the engine shut off and the check engine and several other warning lights came on. After multiple tries I was finally able to restart the vehicle and drive it off the road. After taking it to the dealership the confirmed issue is the thermal control valve. The dealership is requesting about $1600 to replace the faulty part.

I stopped at a red light. The car's auto shutoff feature turned the car off for the fuel savings. When the light turned green and I went to go, the car tried to start and failed. I had to put it in park and start the car manually.

The thermo valve leaked into connector, causing engine to shut down abruptly to prevent overheating. This happened at 70 mph on interstate highway in traffic. Part was replaced with modified thermo valve later. Barely able to coast to narrow shoulder flanked by deep ditch, with vehicle very close to interstate traffic, so much so that exit from vehicle ill-advised. After towing, vehicle was serviced by Subaru dealer. At time of part failure many warning lights & messages appeared, but not before the event.

On Sunday, February 11, 2024 we were traveling in our 2020 Subaru Forester on a trip from minnesota to florida for a vacation. Not long into cross country trip we found ourselves stranded on the side of the highway uncertain about the ability of our vehicle to continue to due to a defective thermo control valve failure. About 200 miles into our trip, while driving at highway speeds south of rochester, mn the dashboard lit up. The check engine light was on, and other safety features were lit up on the dash as disabled (eye-sight technology, lane assist, automatic vehicle collision braking). The heat would not work after this incident. We checked the owners manual, and then drove to an auto-parts store to have a scan done to determine the error code. The code "p26a3 - engine coolant bypass valve a range/performance" was indicated. In checking online we discovered that a thermo control valve replacement was needed ASAP and to continue driving the vehicle could risk severe engine damage. Since it was a Sunday, and we were essentially stranded if we couldn't use the vehicle. We continued on, stopping and checking the engine periodically for overheating. We were able to get an appointment at lou fusz Subaru in st. Peters, mo on Monday afternoon and they replaced the thermo control valve at a cost of $1,961. 51. We were told that this wasn't under warranty due to the mileage on the vehicle (76,358 miles). In researching this issue online, we found that the thermo control valve failure to be a common issue and certain year/model vehicles and Subaru should have recalled this part a long time ago (in our opinion).

My thermo value went bad on my 2020 forrester with no symptoms or warning causing me to become stranded in the middle of an extremely busy road. This is seemingly known problem and I'm unsure why Subaru has not been more proactive with this knowledge, not allowing others to end up in the same dangerous situation I was left in. Also, even after having the thermo value replaced, I have no way of knowing if any permanent damage was caused to my engine.

Started engine after parking and check engine light came on, eyesight disabled, and flashing “s”. Stopped driving and took vehicle to dealer. Diagnosed as thermo control unit. Told they didn’t have a loaner and was safe to drive for a few days. Has no heat and engine would not warm up. No safety systems. Retained 3 days later to dealer when loaner was available. Repaired under powertrain warranty.

The thermal control valve stopped working. The car has <50k miles on it. The error also results in many/all of the safety systems being deactivated (no adaptive cruise control, no lane centering, no rear braking, etc. ).

I started the car to make a trip to town to run some errands. When I cranked the engine the check engine light came on. The s for sport mode was flashing and a no eyesight warning came on. Also srs side airbag light came on to indicate it was not working. And another light came on showing a car going out of its lane, but I don't know if it was the lane keep assist light or not.

Driving my 2020 Subaru forrester on 1/26/24, at night. Stopped at traffic light. Car started shaking, dash lights system lights came on. Turned off car and restarted. Car would not accelerate. Had towed to mechanic. Diagnosed as probable thermo regulator. Could not repair because part only available from Subaru. Called dealer who was not sympathetic or helpful. Told to bring in and leave. Would get to it when they could.

Check engine light came on along with eyesight, traction control and flashing [s] lights. Dealer confirmed that the thermo control valve failed.

Got warning p2a63 that the thermo control valve is shot around 63k miles. Apparently this is happening very often in Subaru's made between 2019 and 2022.

When I am idling at a stop sign or sitting in traffic and I have come to a full stop, the car's engine shuts down as a gas-saving feature. This is not the problem! the problem is that sometimes when this feature engages, when I lift my foot off the brake to start driving again, a shrill constant ringing sound starts and the engine won't power back on. There is an error message that comes on that says "eyesight disabled. " when this happens, none of these factors (the ringing, the error message, the dead engine) stop until I put the car in park and power it down completely, then restart the engine. Then none of the symptoms are there anymore and the car drives normally. I have not noticed any consistency about when this problem does or does not happen - it occurs in all weather types, temperatures, times of day, slopes/flat roads. I sometimes go months without it happening, and other times it happens twice in several days. The only consistent thing is that it only happens when the car is at a full stop and the engine has shuddered off to save gas. I live in chicago and almost exclusively drive short distances in the city, I hardly do any highway driving. This has happened maybe 20 times since I bought the car in February, 2023.

Check engine light came on, low temp light stays on, eyesight disabled, lane departure, emergency breaking, etc have all been disabled due to the issue. I took it to the local autobody shop and they found code p0128 | coolant thermostat issue. This has caused all safety features to become disabled as mentioned above. I was told by the local shop that I need to go to the dealership. I have not brought it to the dealership yet however, after looking online I found that this is a common issue with this make and model vehicle however, nothing has been done by Subaru to recall the component. I am going to bring the car to a dealership however, I'm upset that Subaru hasn't acted on the information that they have a faulty component in this vehicle. I am very concerned with cost of repairs since I am being forced to go to the dealer.

When the vehicle comes to a stop light or a stop in traffic and the engine turns off the vehicle will stall. It then leaves me sitting in traffic trying to restart my vehicle thus leaving me in an unsafe situation. This happens more often than not.

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.

The thermo control valve malfunctioned causing the check engine light to come on which shut down all the safety features in the vehicle including the front eye sight camera, blind spot warning, the rear automatic braking, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and lane keeping assistance.

41k miles p26a3 p26a5 ****eyesight disabled*** ***forward collision disabled *** failed tcv and dealer will not cover because warranty period is over.

My vehicle has repeatedly required being jump-started after sitting for a period of time. Recently it has become a safety issue because the engine is designed to turn off at times in order to traffic to improve fuel efficiency. After research, Subaru has a known issue with the dcm system used to power the optional (subscription based) starlink system. This system uses 3g signals to provide emergency assistance; however 3g signal has been decommissioned and the system is unable to connect to a tower and never stops trying. This creates a parasitic drain on the battery that can (and has) prevents the car from being able to restart from a stopped position.

The thermo control valve malfunctioned causing the check engine light to come on which shut down all the safety features in the vehicle including the front eye sight camera, blind spot warning, the rear automatic braking, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and lane keeping assistance. The check engine computer readout diagnostic trouble code was p26a5 "engine coolant bypass valve "a" position sensor circuit range/performance". The vehicle was taken to a Subaru dealer who found the thermo valve performance was out of spec. This vehicle has not been recalled although the manufacturer replaced the part in 2021 vehicles acknowledging the valve was faulty. Because of the mileage on my vehicle, it was not covered under the warranty although many have been replaced under the manufacturer's warranty due to the failure of this valve under the 60,000 mile warranty. I believe this should be a recall item for others who experience this issue.

Daughter was driving vehicle on the morning of September 15, 2023, when smoke came from under hood. Immediately pulled over and engine was engulfed in flames. Got out of vehicle and moved a safe distance away as glass started to break and fire department arrived on scene. Picked up vehicle on September 12, 2023, after having the thermal control valve replaced (warranty) but after doing research there are other components that also had to be replaced (fuel line, etc) as part of this repair. Noticed there have been other vehicles with recall due to thermal control valve just nothing on the Subaru Forester. Completely traumatized as the vehicle was gone in a little over 3 minutes. Have been in contact with Subaru but no resolution on what they believe caused the car to catch on fire. Did authorize them to get “black box” on September 29, 2023.

I’ve owned my Subaru Forester for over a year now. About 6 months ago while getting off an exit and at a light, when I went to accelerate my car died. All lights came off and no power to vehicle. I was able to restart and drive home. Called the dealer took it in and paid almost $2k for repairs. Today the same thing happened on the turnpike in stopped traffic. This could have been a bad accident.

The car dies when it stops for a traffic stop. Sometimes it starts again and and sometimes it does not. It does not do it when the air is on. People honk at you in traffic if you do not start right away. I thought there was a recall on Subarus for same which is why I never bought one. The vehicle has been inspected. It also unlocks itself sometimes after I lock it.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the auto start/stop feature was malfunctioning. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop, the engine turned off, but failed to restart after releasing the brake pedal. The message "engine disabled" was displayed. The contact depressed the brake pedal and pressed the push to start button and was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to manually deactivate the auto start-stop feature by pressing a button. The contact stated that she followed the dealer's instructions; however, the feature had been engaging independently and the failure had been recurring while at a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 mph, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle started to lose motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road where the vehicle then stalled. The vehicle was restarted approximately 15 minutes later. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the thermal control valve and electric water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.

While driving on the highway, the engine suddenly stopped and several warning lights appeared on dash. Driver was able to coast to shoulder but could have been a bad accident. It happened again on the way to dealer service center. Dealer reproduced the problem and identified it as a faulty thermo control valve. Dealer fixed it under warranty. Review of web reports makes this seem like a common problem with various Subaru automobiles.

While driving on an interstate highway the engine suddenly lost power and various warning lights lit up on the dash, including brake, eyesight, rab. Managed to limp to the shoulder without getting hit and had the car towed to the dealer, who replaced the thermo control valve assembly under warranty.

Thermo control valve is bad. Ask Subaru to issue recall on 2019-2020 models.

Thermo control valve needed replaced. Check engine light and all safety lights turned on. All safety features were disabled when light came on. Subaru has has a recall on 2019 but not 2020 .

The thermo control valve on my 2020 Subaru Forester is broken and needs to be replaced. I have owned the car for 2 years, am the first owner, and it has less than 19,000 miles. 90 minutes into a drive the "coolant temp low" indicator light came on. After I pulled over, turned off the engine, and turned it back on the check engine light and sport mode indicator light came on, and all adas were disabled. The coolant level was low so I refilled it and took it to the manufacturer the next morning. They inspected my car and confirmed it the thermo control valve was broken. It is still broken as I cannot afford the repair and it is available for inspection upon request. My safety was put at risk by not having access to the adas forward collision warning, emergency breaking, and lane departure.

While driving the vehicle suddenly stalled and stopped running. The dashboard illuminated with most lights and the check engine message came on the screen. I was thankfully able to get into the shoulder on the road safely without creating an accident or getting injured. The vehicle would not start again and had to be towed to the dealership. I am now out $1800 because I am slightly over my powertrain warranty in mileage on the vehicle. This is a known issue in bulletin: https://static. Nhtsa. Gov/odi/tsbs/2022/mc-10208664-0001. Pdf I am not only disappointed with Subaru of America and NHTSA that this is not already a recall but I am also willing to seek legal action and compensation if this repair is not going to be covered. . Read more...

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 35-38 mph in cold weather, the temperature gauge indicated that the vehicle temperature was cold. The check engine warning light was illuminated. Additionally, the forward collision avoidance system, the lane keep assist, the auto start/stop feature, the cruise control mode, and other unknown features no longer operable messages were displayed. Additionally, the vehicle shifted into sport (s) mode. The contact was able to drive to her residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the thermal control valve needed to be replaced. The contact stated that there was an inch-long slice like cut in the front passenger's seat. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure via mail. The failure mileage was approximately 47,000.

I was on the highway doing 70 mph with the adaptive cruise control set. Then suddenly the check engine light turned on, the eye site and cruise shut down and the car slowed down quickly to 60 mph almost getting rear ended. This Subaru Forester has 65,592 miles. The Subaru dealer said that the cooling therm valve is bad and needs to be replaced. This cooling therm valve seems to be a major part of the engine and they want $1500 to fix the problem.

Car stalls occasionally while stopped in traffic, at a signal, stop sign, and in heavy street or highway traffic. I have read about this, and it is problematic for this make and model, posing a significant safety hazard.

The check engine light illuminated and the thermo control valve failed at 3 years old. The defrost and heater stopped working immediately making visibility extremely difficult . The eyesight and automatic braking system were also disabled due to the tcv issue. My Forester mpg dropped to under 20 mpg. The Subaru dealer inspected and confirmed code p26a3 and stated the thermo control valve needs to be replaced.

The Subaru starlink system has no controls around transfer of ownership. I only discovered this after receiving a $150 charge 2 months after I traded in the car to a Subaru dealer. Even after trading in the car I was able to unlock, lock, start the car, and track the cars location. This represents a significant safety risk to the consumer and must be addressed immediately.