Other Fuel System Problems of Subaru Forester - part 2

Subaru Forester owners have reported 311 problems related to other fuel system (under the other fuel system category). The most recently reported issues are listed below. Also please check out the statistics and reliability analysis of Subaru Forester based on all problems reported for the Forester.

36 Other Fuel System problem of the 2018 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 08/28/2023

Twice in the last 4 months, after turning into a parking place and accelerating gently to pull forward into the space, the car surged forward much more than it should have given my light acceleration. The first time this happened I slammed into a split rail fence which broke, damaging the vehicle. The fence parts went over a restraining wall and damaged a house. I was able to stop the car but it came very close to going over the 6 foot restraining wall, which might very well have killed me. It happened again today in a different location but similar circumstance and no damage was done because I was able to stop before it hit the house. The car surged on its own. I had the damage to the car fixed, but the problem has not been confirmed by a service center. The damage was inspected by my insurance company and repaired by an auto body shop. My insurance rates will be increased because of the incident. There were no warning lights, messages or other symptoms prior to the episodes.

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37 Other Fuel System problem of the 2015 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 08/18/2023

On six occasions since 2020, our Subaru Forester has lost engine power at highway speeds after being driven for 2 hours on an interstate. On each occasion, we had to pull to the shoulder of the road with no engine power and restart the car. On the last three occasions it has taken 15 minutes to restart. Losing engine power at highway speed could have endangered our family or nearby drivers. We have taken the car to multiple dealers who have not been able to reproduce the failure, but after the latest incident in August 2023 our local dealers now recommends replacement of the fuel pump.

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38 Other Fuel System problem of the 2016 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 08/08/2023

My 2016 Subaru Forester is having acceleration and possibly fuel propulsion issues. It stays in low gear, high rpm when accelerating. This happened after a yellowstone week long road trip from san leandro, CA. The mpg has dropped from 24mpg to 12mpg and has been at hayward Subaru since 8/15/2023. They have not provided a known issue. Still trying to figure out what is wrong. There was a low oil warning light on the way home and we stopped for an oil change in west sacramento within 15 miles of the light coming on. The issue has been happening since the oil change. Only oil change and air filter replacement done on 8/8/2023. Thought maybe its a fuel injector issue. Still at dealership. We did fill the fuel tank with 85 octane in elko, nv once.

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39 Other Fuel System problem of the 2017 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 07/31/2023

On July 31,2023, approximately 8pm, I was driving my 2017 Subaru slowly as I made the 90degree turn into my driveway. Midway up the driveway, the car suddenly —on its own—spontaneously accelerated , burst through the half open garage door, across the garage, and crashed through the garage wall into my family room—bulldozing through two sheets of plywood and large pieces of firewood in the garage, and then destroying heavy antique furniture in the family room before coming to rest. The jagged remains of the wall prevented opening either the passenger or the driver’s side door. My adult son, gregory, was my passenger in the front seat. He climbed to the back, but the hatch has no handle on the inside, so we were trapped in the car. I called 911. Police and fire departments arrived. Miraculously, we were not hurt, but had anyone been in the family room at the time, they would have been seriously injured or killed. I made an insurance claim with allstate insurance company the next morning. They determined that the car is "repairable" but will not pay for it to be examined and repaired at a Subaru dealership or Subaru certified body shop . They tell me I have to use at shop in their "preferred network" and pay the extra cost that a Subaru facility would charge. A non-Subaru affiliated mechanic theorized that it was a computer problem that caused the malfunction. Doing a "google" search, I find that hundreds of drivers have had this sudden, unexpected acceleration problem,(Subaru Forester years 20120-2018) but that Subaru dealerships are unable to discover the cause. There have also been two "class action" lawsuitsi I called groove Subaru dealership,(5300 s. Broadway, englewood, CO, 80113, and the service department man that I spoke with seemed not at all concerned about the spontaneous acceleration issue, and casually recommended a body shop. The unknown cause needs to be found before someone is killed !!! please help.

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40 Other Fuel System problem of the 2009 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 07/31/2023

Fuel tank leaking gasoline from tanks seams and hose nipple, second owned vehicle with same problem. Now the vehicle has strong gas smell and is leaking gasoline when driven in a incline. It threw a p0442 "evap leak small" thats why I checked the fault. All these steel tanks seem to rust where the seam of the tank is, and also the filler neck tube connects to the tank, one of the evap hoses was just hanging next to the fuel tank, the nipple that holds it to the tank rusted and came off.

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41 Other Fuel System problem of the 2019 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 07/15/2023

On our way to a vacation in NJ, we were driving on the expressway and a deer jumped over the rail into the hood of the car. The car immediately started to smoke ( dark black). We got out of the car, retrieved two luggage bags, and the car burst into flames. All within 60 seconds of hitting the deer. About five years ago, same thing happened to my daughter driving a Subaru wrx…. Twice in the same family…. No recall?.

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42 Other Fuel System problem of the 2020 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 07/03/2023

Our thermo control valve (tcv) assembly failed and caused dangerous loss of speed and control while on the highway. Subaru is fully aware of the defect in their design as they issued a service bulletin to inform their service centers of a new, fixed tcv assembly that is retaining the same part number (a notice only sent to their service centers, not to owners). Please see attached. Despite being aware of the defect, Subaru has not voluntarily replaced the defective tcv assemblies or even bothered to notify owners. Instead, they are letting us put our families and other drivers in dangerous situations through sudden loss of control. There are pages and pages of other owners experiencing this dangerous issue and - like me - being surprised to find it's a known issue that Subaru is not proactively fixing (see any of the owner forums like Subaruforester. Org).

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43 Other Fuel System problem of the 2017 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 07/01/2023

Forester in known for chronic exhaust leak into cabin through ac vents. Reported this to dealership and they "could not find the problem. " cabin of vehicle smells heavily of exhaust. Driver gets headache from smell/gas while driving. Internet forums show this is a common unaddressed issue by dealerships. Car is a 2017 and should not be leaking exhaust into the cabin.

44 Other Fuel System problem of the 2016 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 06/07/2023

Subaru Forester 2016. Sitting at red light with foot on brake. Car lunged forward. Was able to brake and stop it however it did continue to acceletate briefly.

45 Other Fuel System problem of the 2019 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 06/06/2023

Driving home for 15 minutes. Parked on left turn lane, slight incline. When traffic light turned green, I stepped on the gas and the engine stalled. I remember seeing "eyesight disabled" warning light come on. I put vehicle in park, shut it off, and turned engine back on. I was able to drive home. Possible system failure - fuel system, auto/stop feature? yes, available to inspect safety - 5:30pm heavy traffic on 4 lane highway0. Blocked traffic turning left. No where to pull over. Have not taken vehicle to mechanic or been inspected. I saw no warning lights prior to vehicle stalling, or experienced any engine anomalies.

46 Other Fuel System problem of the 2005 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 03/10/2023

Moved car 30’ from gas pumps to air pump. Slowed to almost complete stop to move closer to air tank. Car accelerated at extremely high speed over curb, knocking over air pump. Car proceeded to smash through landscaping shrubs and hit a tree and nearby pole which stopped the car dead. Felt like a fighter plane pushed me. Entire incident probably lasted a minute. Air bags failed to deploy. Car was totaled. I suffered severe facial and othet bruising and have ongoing fatigue and am eadily winded.

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47 Other Fuel System problem of the 2019 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 03/01/2023

While driving, the car would occasionally experience deceleration despite pressing the gas pedal. It would suddenly pick up speed and continue normally. Moreover, the car stalled twice, and on both occasions, it wouldn't restart. The first time, it took a while to restart, and I initially suspected bad gasoline. The second time, it took about five minutes. Given these symptoms, I suspect that the fuel pump could be causing these issues.

48 Other Fuel System problem of the 2009 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 01/31/2023

* fuel tank leak * could have exploded or caught fire * confirmed at independent service center * inspected by independent service center * check engine light and gas tank icon on dash. Appeared 1/31/2023 this car has had so many recalls and has been a problem for a long time. We have contacted Subaru and will contact them today regarding this issue.

49 Other Fuel System problem of the 2018 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 01/21/2023

I was the first car stopped at a red light of an intersection coming off the freeway, in far right lane. When the light turned green, as I released my foot off the brake and not even stepping on the gas the rpm surged with full force accelerating without my foot on the gas. I stepped on the brake but it would not engage - it locked. The steering wheel locked and only had minimal movement, as much movement as you would get in a parked position. There was no way to stop the car. Given the lane position and obstructions ahead (freeway on ramp), the car ran over a median and scraped along side the curb and on top to damage the front passenger wheel enough for it to pop. Only when the wheel broke did the car’s brake re-engage and I was able to put it into park. The vehicle has not yet been inspected and is available in my driveway for inspection. There was no warning or indicators leading up to this. In fact, the vehicle had just been inspected for an oil change at the dealership three weeks prior. This accident would have caused a fatality, mine, if not many others if there had been cars ahead of me or cars had been in the intersection or if the wheel did not break in time before merging with the freeway traffic. I am fearful to drive this car again. There were absolutely no indicators leading up to this or right before it happened. The car simply took over and there was no control of it.

50 Other Fuel System problem of the 2007 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 01/21/2023

There is a fuel line inside the car that had a pressure leak. An entire tank of gas emptied, mostly to the inside of the car where the fuel lines run inside the rear drivers side of car floor. My 18 year old daughter was driving and this can not be safely repaired or remove the harmful gas fumes in carpet and seats unsafe still to drive, unsafe to have these lines run inside the car.

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51 Other Fuel System problem of the 2015 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 11/26/2022

I was on the MA pike in the middle of three lanes going 70mph and all my red lights came on, the engine revved high rpm, then seemed to be getting no gas and next stalled out. The trip computer said I had had 60 miles of gas left until empty, and I still had a bar of gas left showing on the odometer. There were no warnings lights or messages prior to the failure. It was an extremely unsafe situation, as I had to pull into the “slow” uphill truck lane, lane one of three lanes. There was no shoulder to get on. Trucks were whizzing by me at 70mph. Aaa was not able to assist me, as I was in an unsafe location. They called the MA state troopers who showed up immediately, and frankly probably saved my life, while risking their lives. They ordered gas, as they indicated they had seen this problem before. Two gallons of gas and the car started right up even though it still had gas in the tank. The problem has not been reproduced by a dealer, but it has been written about my many other 2015 Forester owners. Others have reported the same exact problem, sometimes resulting in accidents. How has Subaru gotten away without a recall on this extremely dangerous problem. They definitely are aware of it.

52 Other Fuel System problem of the 2020 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 11/19/2022

Much like the 2018 outback issue I had, my 2020 Forester is having the same issue with fuel indication inaccuracy and mpg increasing when fuel level gets under a quarter of a tank. My local suburu dealership said this is not an issue for this model. I have reported this to suburu as well. Previously, Subaru found that the software that controls the fuel system can cause the fuel gauge to show that there is still fuel left in the tank when there isn’t. More specifically, the low fuel warning light may not actually come on, and the miles to empty display could be inaccurate. The software is causing additional miles to be showing when they are not available. I don't know if this is a similar issue or not, but no one has fixed it. With any vehicle, you need to be able to rely on the fuel gauge. Knowing how full (or empty!) your gas tank is extremely important when driving, particularly if you are driving a long distance. If you do run out of gas, the engine can stall; fortunately, the vehicle can be driven to the side of the road if it stalls when you are in motion. As the issue involves a software bug, it is easily fixed by the dealership.

53 Other Fuel System problem of the 2018 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 10/22/2022

In June 2022 I purchased a 2018 Subaru Forester turbo touring at carmax. Soon after purchase the car hesitated a few times when I was turning. I was turning in front of oncoming traffic and it scared the ___ out of me. So I returned the car to carmax and bought a similar replacement which is the VIN reported to you in this report. After a couple of months, this car is now doing the same thing , generally when turning but sometimes when merging into traffic. I press the gas, the car moves a bit, then it just dies - there's nothing there, simply no response. It does not turn off, it is just powerless. Then a few seconds later it gets gas and we squeal to safety. However I am just dead in the water, usually in front of oncoming traffic, until it decides to move. Pumping the gas does not help. I took the first Subaru to carmax for a check up but they found nothing wrong so I just returned it. I am taking the second one in in January. Because the problem is intermittent, it is hard to diagnose but there's definitely a terrifying problem. I thought I was going to die when I had that first one and now this one is developing the same problem. There are a few posts on google about the same problem. Is there a recall? have others reported the same problem? I would appreciate any feedback you might be able to provide.

54 Other Fuel System problem of the 2019 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 10/20/2022

No response when gas pedal is pushed. Intermittent. Very dangerous when pulling out into traffic. Very serious safety hazard.

55 Other Fuel System problem of the 2015 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 09/24/2022

Suddenly lost acceleration and engine stopped - without any dashboard signal of low gas or engine issue. Car was able to start after couple of minutes. At the time of losing acceleration and stopping gas indicator was showing two bars - and car was not running with low fuel indicator. My whole family was in the car and stopping in the middle lane of a busy national highway of 65 miles speed limit on a Saturday late in night was very scary!.

56 Other Fuel System problem of the 2015 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 09/17/2022

We had driven up mt washington in nh (about 6000ft high) and were returning back. We had used the x mode (hill assist) intermittently on the way down. Had driven almost 150 miles back to home, when the car suddenly lost power and started to shudder. We were able to coast to the side. We tried to start again and again the same problem. We noticed that the brakes seemed quite warm. After about 5 minutes we tried again and were able to drive slowly to a gas station, but no one to help since it was late. Since fuel was low at 1 bar (60 miles distance to empty). We filled up the tank and made our way home driving slowly on the back roads. We are not sure if it could be a problem with the fuel, electrical system, brakes or the hill assist. While the car seems to run fine on short trips of a few miles, have not taken it out on any longer drives.

57 Other Fuel System problem of the 2012 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 09/14/2022

The vehicle will just stall. It has happened three times; usually at a stop sign or slowing down to turn. I have had it towed and in the shop, and they can't find anything wrong with it. No error messages. One shop cleaned the throttle body and thought that might be the problem. The vehicle has always consumed oil; at least a quart is added every 700-1000 miles. We have changed the oil regularly and don't understand why the oil consumption problem. Now the cruise light flashes off and on. The traction light and check engine light stays on all the time.

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58 Other Fuel System problem of the 2018 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 08/20/2022

I recently purchased a used Subaru Forester with about 92k miles. About two weeks after purchase, I took it to a Subaru dealership and a multi point inspection revealed a cracked catalytic converter. The tech stated that this was discovered by visual inspection. This failure causes a safety issue by leaking exhaust vapors into the cabin. This failure occurred with no warning lamps or messages/codes.

59 Other Fuel System problem of the 2022 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 08/16/2022

Purchased car on 8/15/2022 and encountering issues with: 1. Oil in the air when engine is turned on 2. Onion smell when engine is turned on 3. Ac if affected by oil and onion smell ; too hot when sitting in car with engine on . . Sulfur? 4. Please check the gas tank for possible leak. 5. 3-yr old grandson is affected by onion, oil and possible exhaust fumes leaking into the interior of the car. Daycare made a notation of oil smell and onion smell on grandson. We need oxygen to our brain and body; without it we cannot live.

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60 Other Fuel System problem of the 2022 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 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.

61 Other Fuel System problem of the 2015 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 08/02/2022

I was driving with cruise control going around 70 when the car started slowing down suddenly. Not wanting to slow down even more, I turned off the cruise control by hand using the cancel button on the steering wheel (rather than tap the brake) but when I then hit the accelerator, the engine felt like it was in neutral, revving past 6000 rpm on the tachometer. At that point, I realized I had no control over the drive train so I pulled off the road onto the center median of the highway, just as the engine died - fortunately, there wasn’t anyone following close behind. We had been driving for about 1. 5 hours with the ac blasting and the gas tank at that point was low, with less than 1/8 remaining. All this happened without any dashboard warning lights turning on. This was the very last leg of a ten-day, 2,000 mile road trip. I tried restarting the engine but only got clicking. Since I thought we’d be struck a while and it was so hot, I turned the key to the accessory position and was able to roll down the windows. We sat there for a couple of minutes wondering what to do. It took another minute to find my aaa card. Before calling for roadside assistance, I tried starting the engine again and this time it turned over. We did not have any further problems in the remaining 100 miles of our trip (though I was very anxious about it happening again). I took the car in to a Subaru service center this morning (36 hours later). They did a multi-point inspection and road test but did not find any issues and were not able to replicate the problem.

62 Other Fuel System problem of the 2019 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 08/01/2022

Braking for stop - brake pedal sinks, car accelerates ; requires extreme brake pedal push to stop car. A very unsafe condition. No warning or any dash board indication. Happened several times already.

63 Other Fuel System problem of the 2019 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 07/17/2022

We were driving to our summer vacation destination, which was about a 2-hour drive from where we currently live, when it happened. We had been driving for about an hour now and I was in the left lane going approximately 60 mph when out of nowhere all of the warning lights flashed on my dashboard, including the "check engine light". Then, within seconds I went from about 60 mph down to 30 mph down to 10 mph with no control of the acceleration. I quickly and safely had to pull over to the right lane, which was a bit challenging. Thankfully, I managed to pull off to the side of the road avoiding cars that were zooming past me. At the time, I had no idea what had happened. I tried to depress the gas pedal, but nothing happened. So then I decided to turn the car off. I opened the hood of the car to see if it was something obvious, but didn't see anything. I went to go turn the car back on, but it wouldn't start. We were left stranded on a fast highway. I had to call a tow truck to take my 2019 Subaru Forester to the closet Subaru dealership. This all happened on a Sunday when most places are closed. I receive a call a few days later stating that it was a fuel pump failure and pressure valve malfunction and some of the parts are on backorder. It's been a little over two months now and I still don't have my car back. I keep calling about every 2 weeks for an update, but they keep pushing back the eta of the part arrival. Last time I called, they stated there was no update and they don't know when the part will come in. Looking back, there were no warning signs that could have lead me to believe that I had a fuel pump problem. I took my car to all of the scheduled maintenance and completed the one recall I had. My car ran great and nothing was wrong with it until that day on the fast highway. I was thankful that we were able to pull off to the side of road in a matter of seconds safely with cars going 60 mph.

64 Other Fuel System problem of the 2022 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 07/09/2022

Honestly I don't know where to report this. Even though, running out of gas somewhere, because of false advertising, could be dangerous. - when we bought our 2022 Subaru forrester they were advertising 26 miles per gallon in the city and 33 on the highway. We have never gotten better than 21 1/2 mpg average combining both in town and highway miles. Both myself and my wife are careful drivers and make a serious effort to sustain decent mileage. That's quite a lower figure than it should be. - if you can't help me perhaps you can tell me where to report this.

65 Other Fuel System problem of the 2016 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 07/07/2022

The accident with my 2016 Subaru Forester happened on 07-07-2022. It happened in daylight on our farm. I was the only person in the car and was wearing my seatbelt. I had slowly pulled into a parking spot, had my foot on the brake and had essentially stopped at the 6x6 piece of lumber that was marking the spot. As I was stopping the car accelerated out of control and sped down a very narrow path on a hill diagonally to the right of the parking spot. I struggled to control the car as I sped down the hill toward the gravel driveway. I was able to avoid hitting a large spruce tree and avoid turning over in the deep ditch on the hill. I was going so fast, I ran over a sapling and ran into a large apple tree, tipping it over, damaging my right front passenger side, pushing the wheel back into the wheel well. My brakes were not responding. When I reached the gravel driveway at the bottom of the hill, I lifted my foot slightly and stomped on the brake, skidding to a stop just before going down another steep hill which leads to a creek. I was parallel to a road/driveway which often has many cars driving on it that time of the day. It is also used as a walking path. Luckily I did not hit anyone. I was able to barely turn the wheel and move the car out of the road/driveway. Since it was on our farm there was no police report necessary. I hurt my ribs, shoulder, back and neck. The accident had potential for injuring me much more severely if I had rolled over, hit a tree head on or been unable to stop, continuing down another hill toward a creek. I could have hit another car or people walking on the road no warning lights, it surged slightly when slowing to turn a corner the day before. Unknown component failed the car is presently at masters auto body in charlottesville va. They are completing the repairs and will take it to the Subaru dealer in staunton, va to have them check for the cause of the unintended acceleration.

66 Other Fuel System problem of the 2019 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 07/07/2022

Vehicle stalled for no reason causing a dangerous situation, dashboard had 'eyesight' come on, possible crash avoidance feature ??.

67 Other Fuel System problem of the 2017 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 05/31/2022

2017 Subaru Forester- I had arrived to work and stopped at parking spot. Before I could put car in park position. . I heard a car high pitch revving sound. The car throttles forward and hit a building. Now I’m scared of the car.

68 Other Fuel System problem of the 2021 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 05/29/2022

I was coming out of my garaged ( car was facing forward) . The car seemed to hesitate as I tapped the gas pedal. I thought maybe this was because the car sensed the sides of the garage via the rear view mirror sensors. I am always careful when exiting my garage so as not to ding the rearview mirrors. I repeatedly tapped the gas lightly about three times but the car hesitated each time and did not want to seem to move forward. One last time I tapped the gas and the car bolted out of the garage jumped the curb across the street at an unexpected rapid speed. I did not have my foot on the gas pedal. The car lunged forward , crossed the street and hit the garage door and frame of the house across the street for me doing structural damage. I believe this to be unintended acceleration for which other Subaru models have experienced problems. The air bags did not deploy. . Read more...

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69 Other Fuel System problem of the 2016 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 05/05/2022

I arrived at work. I was placing my car in park with foot on the brake. The car took off and the brakes took time to stop the car. I tried to stop the car as we hit a fence and was headed through it it and into a pond. Pumping the brakes throwing car in reverse stopped us from ending up in the pond. Major car damage incurred. Thank goodness noone was seriously hurt. The car just accelerated with my foot on the brake and with me attemtping to put it in park.

70 Other Fuel System problem of the 2016 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 04/28/2022

While driving on highway using cruise control at 70 mph my car suddenly stalled …. I was able to get to apron of road , but my steering locked and I had no brakes. . I could put car into neutral but had to “jam” it into park , trying to get it to stop rolling . It would not restart . I had it towed to an auto repair center as there was no Subaru dealer in the area. Because I had kept trying to restart it , my battery was dead . They recharged my battery and the car then started . I took it to a Subaru dealer where I was told they could find nothing wrong …. Except I needed a new battery . This was not the reason that my car suddeney lost power ! it had happen once before while on the highway but I was able to restart it at that time . This could have caused a serious accident and I worry that it will happen again. I warning was indicated prior to episode . I have receipts from auto repair shop (in Lincoln, illinois) and Subaru dealer ( in columbia missouri).



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