general problems of the 2020 Subaru Forester - part 1

Stalling/shutting down at stoplights with the auto start-stop feature has occurred continuously for the last 2 years I’ve taken to dealer, and multiple mechanics and they can’t find a problem.

My son, [xxx] is currently driving this car. The car only has 29,200 miles so far. Last week, while at the stop light on the hill, he had near fatal accident! Forester suddenly completed shut down. The only functioning part was the brake. My son had to put the car in park and restart the engine. I reported the incident to customer advocate at Subaru and taking the car in for inspection. We never skip any scheduled maintenance. My next maintenance not due until April. I also purchased Subaru safety monitoring software. The car never shows any malfunction. It’s a very serious issue. We strongly suspect it’s related to the start-stop system on this car. We strongly support to override the system at consumer level giving their unreliability. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

While driving on public roads, all dash warning lights illuminated simultaneously. The instrument cluster displayed “eyesight off. ” at the same time, the electronic parking brake engaged / the vehicle would not accelerate and required me to stop and shift to park. The only way to restore drivability was to turn the vehicle off and restart. This has occurred intermittently, including in traffic, creating a serious safety hazard for myself and surrounding drivers.

Unknown or auto stop-start on two occasions when I stopped at a red light (auto stop-start activated) the car stalled out when I hit the gas. There was a warning message that alerted on the dash as well as flashing lights and beeping. The only way to restart my car was to put it in park, turn it off, then turn it back on. These were both at heavily used intersections and I had to use my emergency lights to try prevent being rear-ended and both times I have struggled to quickly resolve the issue which caused danger to others as well. My car has been serviced and inspected in the last 2 months so I am unsure the cause. I had received no alerts or warnings on my car prior to these instances and assumed the first instance was a fluke. I have scheduled a service with a Subaru dealer in the near future.

Stopped in traffic near a red light. The auto stop/start was enabled and activated when stopped at the light. When the light turned green, tried to go, but the as/s system failed. A “no eyesight” warning flashed and disappeared; various symbol lights blinked. Car would not start, hazards would not activate. After 20-30 seconds, I was able to put the car in park and restart the engine (would not start before then). No battery or check engine lights had been on previously, up to date on oil changes, 35k total miles, and I had a quarter tank of gas. This was scary as I was stuck in the middle of the road with my children while cars behind me tried to pass on either side. Many people have reported this issue in Subarus and I’d like for this dangerous problem to be formally addressed.

The auto stop start feature on the car drains the battery and alternator too much. It shouldn’t be forced on consumers. If it was a feature I wanted to use I should have the option of turning it on not be forced to always turn it off since I don’t use it. The alternator has already been replaced under warranty due to this feature. Between that and the dealership saying it would be over $700 to replace the battery is ridiculous. Today the car died while at a stop and the battery is needing to be replaced.

Car shuts off while stopped at light. This has happened 3 times. I have taken it to Subaru service provider and keep being told nothing is wrong. Car must be put into park and restarted to work. It is unsafe. There are multiple reports online ([xxx] and [xxx] ) of people reporting the same issue. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Good evening. My claim number for reported issues to suburu USA is [xxx]. Issue; on 5 or 6 occasions our 2020 suburu Forester vehicle stalled while we were driving it. The stall has happened both when we are stopped at a traffic light or slowing down for traffic or a traffic light or in one case, at a drive through. This is a safety issue as when we start to drive; the vehicle shuts down and the steering wheel locks up along with all dashboard lights coming on. Also, on at least 2 occasions a message came up to restart the car for our safety. Other cars around us were moving or had to wait for us which creates anger towards us and danger for other drivers if they try to drive around us. The issue has been ongoing since approximately July 2024. I am not able to add a mph range below, but generally we are traveling 0-10 mph because we are usually braking or going from stop (at a light) and then trying to drive when the stall happens. The vehicle has been brought to planet suburu in hanover, massachusetts each time and thus far, they have not been able to resolve the issue. Tonight, we dropped the vehicle off again due to the most recent stall that happened on Saturday [xxx] I have brought this to suburu USA’s attention and other than the dealership trying to find the issue, not much has been done that I know of. I am hoping your office can inquire with suburu because it is either an issue specific to our vehicle, or if not, there may be other suburus stalling out there which can lead to serious situations for other drivers. I feel compelled to report this because if there is a wider issue, it should be reviewed to protect others, information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Check engine, forward collision warning, flashing "s"drive, no eyesight, automatic emergency braking warning lights, all came on at once and staying on. Possible thermo control valve issue - needs a recall!.

Collided with a deer that was running across the freeway. Driving legal speed. Impact to front driver's side. Impact seemed relatively minor. No passenger injury. Odd that the airbags didn't deploy. Able to coast to the shoulder. Steam coming from radiator. That dissipated quickly. Had my sister call 911. Took pics of the front as well as the deer fur stuck to the car. About 2 minutes went by and I returned to the front to assess the extent of the damage. Car totaled. As I was assessing, I noted flames starting at the engine compartment firewall, almost directly centered between right and left sides. Vehicle eventually became fully engulfed. Seems like that fire shouldn't have started a full 5 minutes after the engine had been shut off. Advised to report by state farm as the loss prevention person also thought it was unusual, as did osp and fire. Said they'd never seen a car burst into flames after a deer strike.

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. ).

1-16-24:car wouldn’t open and start; jump-started by aaa to dealer; dealer kept overnight & checked battery: said charge held, ready to go home. 1-30-24, 4 pm-ish: able to start n drive, but check engine& eyesight warning light came on- late in day, so didn’t drive to dealer. 1-31-car dead; jump-started by aaa again & drove to dealer. On 2-1-24, dealer sends a video & says replaced battery, but check engine light & eye sight warning light still on; investigated further & found there was a lot of water that had pooled under the passenger seat & caused some corrosion- I. E. : shorted out electrical system. I asked dealer to report to Subaru since this seemed like a car defect. 2-9-24- dealer says Subaru won’t repair it at their expense and it’s a 25 hour job & will cost a lot. Dealer wanted me to file a claim with my insurance, but car was not driven through rain, high water, or stored in a flooded garage or on a flooded street. The water in the car seems like a design defect on the part of Subaru.

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.

The thermo control valve failed at 33,945 miles. Because of this, the heater, eye sight, cruise control, lane assist, and collision brake did not work. The engine was then only running at "sport" mode. It did not regulate the heat to the oil and could've caused sludge. The problem was confirmed by a Subaru dealer service shop. I only noticed this problem when the blue thermometer light came on the dash board. Usually I wait about 5 min and once the car is warmed up the light goes away. This time the blue thermometer warning light did not turn off and stayed on for the remainder of the trip. When the car was restarted on the same day the engine check light came on. Eye sight, lane assist and collision assist lights were on.

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.

Thermo control valve is the issue according to Subaru. This is apparently an issue as a quick google search took me to many forums of other owners/drivers experiencing the same issue. For me, I was stopped at a red light and my car performed an automatic engine off like normal, and as the light turned green I took my foot off the brake and went to press the gas but my car fully shut off and gave me several warnings that all of the systems were offline. I had to put it in park and try to turn it off and on again to get it going, but it was incredibly stressful for my car to lock up like that on a busy road. This valve causes errors that turn off all the safety features in the car which sounds like a huge issue.

At a stop light, auto stop/start system shuts down the vehicle engine. When the light turned green, and I lifted my foot off the brake, the engine failed to restart. The dash will lit up . . Check engine light, eye sight light . . . Etc will come on. I had to shift to park and restart the engine. I read that low remote battery can be a problem, I replaced the remote battery but it has not resolved the issue. Engine failed to restart at stop light after being shut down by auto stop/start system multiple times in last six month. Only recourse is shift to park and restart the engine. This seems to be manufacture problem with auto stop/start system. It is a safety issue for me and my family having a stalled car at stop light due to engine being shut off by auto stop/start system and failed to restart until put in park and restart it.

My wife was out this morning meeting friends for coffee. She gave a friend a ride home and she noticed a crack in the windshield on the drivers side. There was no indication that it was hit with a rock or anything else. I see that there was a lawsuit against Subaru for defective windshields.

Windshield cracked for no apparent reason.

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 .

When I applied the brake ,the vehicle suddenly accelerated and smashed into my garage.

Firestone wauwatosa, WI told me I need to have them recalibrate the driver assist system as part of an alignment I took the car in for on 5523. This added $125. 00 on top of a $209. 99 cost for the lifetime alignment cost. Laura, in the service department at zeigler Subaru, kenosha, where we bought the car, said this would only have to be done if the car had been in an accident. Not knowing what is actually required leaves me feeling unsafe.

We hit a deer, front-end impact, then our Forester started on fire and completely burned up. The airbags did not deploy, we were not injured but the car is a complete loss.

Windshield keeps cracking as if unable to withstand regular road conditions that other vehicles/windshields for vehicles with the same capabilities and from the same brand (but different models) can. Windshield for my vehicle has been replaced once but will need to be replaced again, each time with an oem part.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Windshield glass cracked.

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.

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 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.