Other Fuel System Problems of Subaru Forester - part 2

Subaru Forester owners have reported 322 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 2021 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 12/22/2023

Once or twice a day my vehicle hesitates from a light and I have to almost floor it to get it going again. I have brought it to 2 different Subaru dealers 3 times and they say they can't fix the problem.

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37 Other Fuel System problem of the 2019 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 11/30/2023

On November 30th around 5:30 pm on highway 161 in york county,SC my wife struck and killed a 6 point buck. Thankfully a SC highway officer was coming in the opposite direction saw the accident and aided my wife in getting out of the car as he had seen a fire in the engine compartment area. Shortly thereafter the car exploded and was engulfed in flames and totally destroyed. Neither the patrol officer nor the tow operator can remember an auto fire resulting from striking a deer.

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38 Other Fuel System problem of the 2017 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 11/26/2023

On three separate occasions, my Forester has stalled while driving. The engine loses power, and pressing the accelerator increases the rpms sporadically. We have had to coast to the side of the road. Then, when we try to restart it, it turns over but never actually starts. After a couple of tries, it eventually will start and run normally again. Because this happens while driving at highway speeds, it is a safety issue. The problem happens rarely, but is dangerous when it happens. There are no warning lights or indication of what went wrong and mechanics do not find an issue, as it hasn’t happened while they were driving.

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39 Other Fuel System problem of the 2021 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 11/06/2023

Vehicle was parked and idling unoccupied for under 5 minutes when an extremely noxious, hot blast of fumes came from underneath the back. Black smoke immediately entered the passenger cabin through the vents and flames were visible in the engine compartment and running onto the ground. Entire vehicle was burned beyond recognition in a matter of minutes. Ten days earlier the tcv, a known problem, had been replaced at a dealership per TSB 09-80-21. The vehicle had been driven under 300 miles since the replacement. Afterwards, a manufacturer rep inspected the vehicle, indicated the fire started in right rear of the engine compartment, could have possibly been a fuel leak, but damage was too extensive to determine the exact cause. The referenced TSB explicitly requires a new fuel line for every tcv replacement.

40 Other Fuel System problem of the 2016 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 10/31/2023

October 31, 2023 at approximately 11:45 am was slowly pulling in to heb curbside parking spot #ff592 at 651 n u. S. 183 in leander, texas and the car accelerated at a high speed without touching the gas pedal. I responded with braking but it did not stop the crash in to the concrete pylon. The pylon is fine but my front end on the 2016 Subaru Forester is not. It will need extensive repair. I got a ride for myself and my groceries, notified my insurance company but unfortunately, I am only covered by liability insurance. I am very fortunate that no-one was hurt including myself. The car remains at the scene of the accident in parking slot ff592. I am aware that this is not an isolated incident for this make, model, and year of this vehicle.

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41 Other Fuel System problem of the 2011 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 10/20/2023

My car randomly turns off when reducing speed. It caused an accident a few days ago. I have had multiple mechanics try to figure out the problem but the only thing that comes up on the diagnostic tool is it needed 1 coil replaced. They have all been replaced and still won't go away. The che k engine light is on. And the car uses about a quart or more of oil everytime I fill up but has no leaks. When I reduce speed the car in traffic, around corners or to stop it constantly turns itself off. Starting it it sometimes turns itself off if I don't give it some gas at the same time. It smells like burning oil constantly.

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42 Other Fuel System problem of the 2016 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 10/09/2023

Continuous leaking of oil even after Subaru tested and verified it's "normal. ".

43 Other Fuel System problem of the 2019 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 10/04/2023

This is a follow up from previous complaint 11525953 dated 6/8/2023. My Subaru Forester stalled again on 8/2 at an intersection after 15 minutes of driving, and then again on 10/4 at an intersection after 45 minutes of highway driving. There are no warning signals or any indication of engine problems. I replaced the air filter in June hoping that might solve the issue.

44 Other Fuel System problem of the 2020 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 09/23/2023

Unintentional acceleration. After making right turn, vehicle accelerated for approx 1/2 mile until crashing into wall. Several attempts at braking and trying to shift into neutral did nothing.

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45 Other Fuel System problem of the 2016 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 09/17/2023

This 2016 Subaru Forester pcv valve does not regulate the combustion system properly, this allows oil to enter this chamber. It causes loss of power and acceleration when driving. Hazardous driving conditions can cause accidents. Crankcase ventilation issues engine oil system issues.

46 Other Fuel System problem of the 2020 Subaru Forester

Failure Date: 09/15/2023

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.

47 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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48 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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49 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.

50 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.

51 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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52 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?.

53 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).

54 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.

55 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.

56 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.

57 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.

See all problems of the 2005 Subaru Forester 🔎.

58 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.

59 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.

60 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.

61 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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62 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.

63 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.

64 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.

65 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.

66 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!.

67 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.

68 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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69 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.

70 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.

See all problems of the 2022 Subaru Forester 🔎.



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