Service Brakes Problems of Subaru Forester - part 1

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 30 mph with the adaptive cruise control engaged, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact depressed the brake pedal; however, the engine revved loudly, the vehicle continued to accelerate and collided with the rear of a minivan. The contact was able to steer the vehicle to the side of the bridge and stopped the vehicle. The side air bags deployed after the crash. No injuries were reported. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard by the port authority police. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact retained legal counsel. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

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

See all problems of the 2022 Subaru Forester 🔎.

I am writing to formally report a critical safety defect regarding the driver-side footwell design in my 2023 Subaru Forester sport, which poses an immediate and severe risk of a crash. A hard plastic lower extension for the hvac air duct sits dangerously low directly above the brake and accelerator pedals. For drivers with larger or longer feet, this duct extension acts as a physical obstruction that interferes with safe pedal operation in two specific, highly dangerous ways: delayed braking: when attempting to transition from the accelerator to the brake pedal, the toe of the driver's shoe frequently catches on the lip of the air duct extension, delaying the ability to depress the brake pedal in time-sensitive or emergency situations. Pedal entrapment: when the brake pedal is depressed, the driver's foot can become completely wedged between the brake pedal arm and the air duct extension. This traps the foot, making it impossible to smoothly or quickly release the brake. The physical proximity of this hard plastic duct to the primary driving controls is a severe design flaw. The air duct should not protrude into the clearance space required for standard footwear, as it directly compromises the driver's ability to control the vehicle's speed and braking. I have photo and video documentation clearly demonstrating the lack of clearance and exactly how a shoe becomes caught and wedged during normal driving maneuvers. I am requesting that the NHTSA office of defects investigation (odi) review this hazard immediately, as this spatial interference requires a recall and physical redesign of the lower ductwork to prevent potential collisions, injuries, or fatalities. The component causing the issue is the physical hvac ductwork extension, and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Because this is a physical design flaw rather than an breakdown, there were no warning lamps or dashboard messages. I have photo and video documentation.

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Eyesight collision braking system engaged as I was rolling up my driveway to go into garage. Garage door was rolling up and was about 5 feet off the ground when anti collision system engaged and slammed the brakes on. I was going under 1 mph and would not have hit the door. It beeped right before brakes engaged. This is the second time it has engaged when it shouldn't have. The first time was in a right lane, a car about 6 car lengths in front of me was and did turn right as I was driving down the road. It almost caused an accident with the car behind me. The brakes slammed on so hard my back and neck are now sore and it bent my fingernail backwards somehow on the steering wheel.

My new vehicle, with under 4,000 miles, has already suffered multiple chewed wires due to rodents attracted to the soy-based wire coatings used by the manufacturer. This is not a minor inconvenience — it is a serious safety issue. Damaged wiring can cause loss of power steering mid-drive, abs and braking system malfunctions, airbag deployment failures, engine stalling on highways, and electrical fires — any of which can result in injury or death. The manufacturer knows soy-based coatings attract rodents, the consequences are safety-critical, and proven mitigations exist (capsaicin-infused coatings, hardened sheathing, metal conduit) yet are not implemented from the factory. If vehicles are engineered to withstand foreseeable environmental hazards like water intrusion, heat, and road debris, there is no justification for leaving critical wiring defenseless against a well-documented and predictable threat. A material choice known to invite damage, paired with insufficient physical barriers, is not an external cause — it is a design flaw.

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The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space, the brake pedal was slightly released to move the vehicle forward; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated, failed to respond upon depression of the brake pedal, and crashed into a brick wall. The impact resulted in damages to the front bumper and caused a body panel to detach. No warning light was illuminated before or after the crash. The air bags did not deploy. There was no property damage, no reported injury, and no police report was filed. The vehicle was driven to the dealer, where Subaru field technicians inspected the event data recorder (edr) and informed the contact that no data was recorded. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that data was not logged because the vehicle was traveling at a significantly slow speed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that a previously owned 2021 Subaru Forester had experienced the same failure, which also resulted in a crash, and a police report was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 1,200.

I had two codes on my 2022 Forester over last two weeks. First one u0284 was for the active grill shutter. This happened because for some reason Subaru decided to put the fog lights on the same fuse as the ags. Fog light blew, shorted out blew the fuse, this caused every safety system in the car to turn off. By default these are open so why does loosing 1-2mpg, or longer time to warm up a car cause every safety feature to turn off. Answer is they kill everything so you have to come in and pay hundreds for $15 bulb. This week had a O2 sensor go bad while I was driving. Had lane assist on , adaptive cruise, etc. Check engine went on and car start to rapidly decelerate, and again all safety features where turned off for something that is not fixed would potential cause reduce mpg, damage the catalytic converter, cause black smoke. None of this should require all safety features to be turned off. This is going to kill someone. I know your not suppose to have your hands off the wheel when using lane assist but people do it. I was in bumper to bumper traffic on 40 going 65 mph. Not only would I have been at risk but everyone around me. Worse case is I do not have my hands on the wheel, the O2 sensor fails, car pulls into the car beside me and someone dies because Subaru wants money more than safety.

I had my foot on the brake, opened the garage door with my garage door opener, and before I took my foot off the brake the car surged, jumped, and smashed into the brick wall next to the garage. I did not put my foot on the gas.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Forester 🔎.

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.

See all problems of the 2020 Subaru Forester 🔎.

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

Intermittently, for the past few months, either when I wish to back up or go forward, a buzzer will sound, the anti-lock brakes and eye-sight indicators on the dash will say that neither system is working. The brakes malfunction and the steering wheel is very difficult to turn. Turning off the engine and restarting once or twice usually solves the problem, as if restarting reboots the system. But then the problem recurs randomly on another day. The most recent date of occurrence is listed under additional details.

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The cvt parking brake switch has failed. The failure leads to the inability to remove the key from the ignition switch when the vehicle is in park. This happens repeatedly, with the only temporary solution being to restart the car, and force the shift lever from "park" to "drive" and back again rather violently. Yes, the problem was confirmed by the dealer and by Subaru of America; the latter issued a limited 1-year warranty extension for the issue a couple of years ago, but it has expired without any further extension (before the problem first presented on my car). The vehicle was inspected by a dealer that confirmed the problem and wanted to charge me to repair it. There were no prior messages, warning lamps or other symptoms prior to the problem first happening.

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In three years I've had the automatic emergency braking system engage and almost cause accidents several times. The breaking system engages when it's not needed. Going down a road driving straight at 25 mph, no obstacles in road and breaks engage. Verry scarry, what if I was going 65 mph on the highway! another incident was on an off ramp in a curve, and another making a u-turn. This is not ok!.

I bought a Subaru forrester 2025 in March of 2025. I drove this car for almost 9 months to the day. On 12-19 -25 I was driving down the aisle in the walmart parking lot at less than 10 mph. I turned right into a handicap parking lot and applied my brake as I was settling into the parking space. I was driving less than 5 mph as one normally would when parking and coming to a stop. My car accelerated quickly and with great speed and since my front wheels were still turned toward the right, my car sped toward the cement encased parking sign at a high rate of speed. I was in disbelief. I backed up to be in the proper space and got out and surveyed the damages. Thankfully I was alone in the car and due to the handicapped parking signs ahead and to the right of the parking spot I did not cross the marked lot lines and no other vehicles were involved. The car was not driveable so I had the it towed to the dealership and found they did not have a body shop. Then engaged a body shop to repair. Estimate of damages is $6,820. My car is still there today. It is now Jan 25 and we are waiting on a few replacement parts. At first I thought I might have stepped on the gas instead of the brake as I was parking that night. But all common sense tells me that my foot was properly on the brake as I was finishing up my parking maneuver at a very slow rate of speed. I looked around the internet and see that these same circumstances were replicated by other drivers esp. On the 2012-2020 models of forresters. I had no prior knowledge of what I consider to be a significant fault in this vehicle. I did receive widespread bruising to my chest from the seatbelt. Once my car is repaired I will take it back to the dealer to have several systems checked for errors. I am leery of driving it again. I am really not in a position to buy a different vehicle but it may come to that. Altho the police report states that I may have hit the gas, upon further reflection I don’t feel that is true.

Report of failed recall remedy (recall 19v-149 / wue-90) my 2015 Subaru Forester experienced a total recurrence of the defect addressed in 2019. The vehicle became trapped in 'park' intermittently on several occasions before remaining immobilized. During one incident, the manual shift-lock override failed to function. While the brake lights functioned during these incidents, the failure to shift is a documented symptom of a failing brake light switch. I had the switch replaced by a technician who initially suggested a full shifter assembly replacement. However, replacing only the brake light switch immediately and permanently resolved the issue. This confirms the recall-related part was the point of failure. Subaru of America was notified but declined to acknowledge this as a failure of the safety remedy. I am also reporting intermittent 'ghost' activations of the right turn signal stalk.

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I was driving my 2014 Subaru Forester (about 148,000 miles) behind a minivan at a safe distance and speed. Without warning, my vehicle accelerated uncontrollably. Despite applying the brakes, shifting into low gear, and using the emergency brake, I was unable to slow it down. After impact, the car then hit a telephone pole, spun me around and rolled the car over. There is major damage to the car and we looked at it at the tow yard but the salvage adjuster is moving it shortly.

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About a month ago while approaching a stop light turning green at a busy intersection, I was slowing into the left turning lane when my car just stopped. No avoidance, no alerts. I had a semi behind me who started pulling out around me in heavy traffic. I could use my flashers. I turned the car off, then on and it finally restarted. This is a 2019 Subaru Forester, original owner, only one incident - but it was definitely weird, and unsafe!.

On August 12, 2025, at approximately 10:16 am, while driving at normal speed on cr-43 NW southbound just past minnesota Ave in big lake, mn, my Subaru’s eyesight driver assist system, specifically the automatic emergency braking (aeb) / pre-collision braking system, suddenly activated without warning and with no obstacle present. The braking was abrupt and unnecessary, causing the vehicle behind me to nearly rear-end mine. Road conditions were clear, dry, and unobstructed, with no pedestrians, vehicles, or hazards in my lane. This appears to have been a “false positive” from the aeb system. This sudden stop placed both my safety and the safety of other drivers at serious risk, and in different circumstances could have caused a collision resulting in injury or death. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. The problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or service center because Subaru requires a $200 diagnostic fee, which I have not paid. The vehicle has not been inspected by Subaru, police, insurance, or any other parties for the same reason. No warning lamps, error messages, or other indicators appeared prior to the incident. All systems appeared to be functioning normally before the unexpected braking occurred. I am concerned this defect persists beyond 48,000 miles, outside the limits of prior settlements, and believe Subaru should issue a recall covering all affected vehicles, regardless of mileage, to prevent potential crashes.

See all problems of the 2021 Subaru Forester 🔎.

The contact stated that while pulling into a parking spot with the brake pedal pressed, the vehicle displayed unintended acceleration, crashing into the wall of the building in front of the parking space. The air bags did not deploy. The contact immediately placed the vehicle in reverse, with the brake pedal still pressed, and the vehicle accelerated at approximately 20 mph in reverse on its own. The vehicle suddenly came to a stop before crashing into a nearby tree. The contact immediately turned the vehicle off and exited the vehicle. The contact received no injuries, and no medical attention was needed. The police came and filed a police report. The vehicle was towed to an auto body shop. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was informed of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was approximately 2,000.

Brake rotor and pad issues at 20k, 30k, 40k, and 66k- eventually replace oem parts with aftermarket duragold parts. Rotors had severe damage at every 10k interval with gauged metal on rotor.

The contact owned a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving on a main road at 30 mph upon approaching a red light the contact attempted to slow down by depressing the brake pedal, however the vehicle would not slow down, the contact proceeded to swerve to the right and in the process crashed into a lamppost and power pole with the entire front end of the vehicle. There was property damage to both the lamppost and the power pole, and the vehicle came to a stop upon impact. The airbags were deployed. The vehicle was going 30 mph at the time of the crash. The vehicle was towed to a local junk yard. No warning lights were illuminated. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. The contact was injured, and she was seated in the driver's seat. No one outside of the vehicle was reported to be injured. The contact sustained injuries to her chest, abdomen, and shins. Medical treatment was required for the injuries. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.

My drivers side seatbelt broke in a minor fender bender and was replaced.

The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to stop. The vehicle crashed into a nearby residential garage. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. The contact's wife was the only occupant in the vehicle. The contact's wife was taken to the local hospital in a personal vehicle. The contact's wife sustained injuries to her pelvic area and right shoulder rotater cup. A police report was filed. The contact stated that the damage to the residential garage had not yet been determined by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. In addition, the contact stated awaiting inspection of the vehicle. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,800.

The contact owns a 2012 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while the vehicle was parked, the brake pedal was inoperative. The contact then discovered that there was brake fluid leaking underneath of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the brake lines needed to be replaced. The vehicle was serviced under NHTSA campaign number: 14v311000 (service brakes, hydraulic); however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

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The vehicle, which has less then 1k miles, had the rubber "pad" on top of the brake pedal dislocate while driving. Did not know until I tried to brake to pull into driveway, pad obstructed the break. Had to put full weight on brake to make the vehicle stop, and was able to put in park. Could have easily caused collision.

Left the house and at about 1. 5 miles while approaching a stop sign the vehicle brakes did not engage even when pushing all the way down. Resulting in a collision that landed in a corn field and jumping over a ditch. Vehicle has not been inspected by a mechanic but will be heading to repair shop soon. Would like to know any information the NHTSA would like to collect during repairs to rely the information to the shop. Safety was put at risk by crossing an intersection and running a stop sign. Luckily no other vehicles were impacted. Problem has not been able to be reproduced as the vehicle is not drivable. It has not been inspected by manufacturer but is not drivable. Police report available and provided on this form. No warning or signs. Vehicle is new purchased January 2024. Currently many warning signs on dashboard post accident. Additional information needed for this report (repair cost, insurance claim etc) will be provided once available.

See all problems of the 2024 Subaru Forester 🔎.

1. The car shut off several times, with the steering wheel locking up and becoming stiff, the brakes failing to respond, and loud, erratic sounds emanating from the vehicle. The car is available for inspection. 2. Yes, the car crashed resulting in damage to the car, driver, and other driver (e. G. Car in front). 3. This is the second time the car has been brought to the dealership (the second time being Subaru south hill in pennsylvania) and they cannot identify the problem. 4. The vehicle was not inspected by police, or insurance, as far as I am aware. 5. There were no warning signs before the failure.

I have a single-owner 2011 automatic-transmission Subaru Forester [145k miles]. In a parking lot, I started the car as usual and shifted into reverse. I immediately noticed another car was approaching behind me and reflexively pushed on the brake to give the oncoming vehicle the right of way. As I pushed on the brake, the car suddenly and without warning surged backwards as the engine revved and "stuck" at a high rpm level. Surprised by the sudden loss of control and to stop the lunge backwards, I immediately released the brake pedal and shifted into neutral. I believe this reflexive action was solely attributable to my long history driving manual transmissions which "teaches" your brain that as an alternative to using the brake you can clutch [or if necessary "pop"] to neutral to disengage the engine from the wheels to control the vehicle. People without manual transmission experience would probably keep pressing the brake as their only option to regain control. The car stopped but the engine continued to rev at high rpms for a few moments then returned to normal rpms. No damages. This has never happened before and I was unable to duplicate the sequence of events which I tried to do immediately after the incident. I thought the gas pedal might be mechanically compromised . . . For example by the floor mat . . . But found no evidence of that. The incident remains a mystery mechanically, so all I can surmise is some electrical issue.

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After starting the car for the first time of the day, letting it warm for a minute or two, I started driving and when I went to stop at a stop sign about three blocks from my starting point I pressed the brake. The engine started to rev immediately so I had to stomp the brake to the floor and push the gear selector to the neutral position to avoid hitting a pedestrian and the dog she was walking. She was within 10 feet of the front of my car when I finally stopped. I have not taken it to a dealer yet since I am sure they will not be able to replicate the intermittent problem. There were no warnings of any kind that this was about to happen. I did note though, that the cold engine temperature indicator light on the dashboard was still illuminated.

When parked on a slope, driver attempted to back SUV out of parking space. Before starting car, with key inserted, ignition on and foot on brake, driver attempted to remove gearshift from park. Car drifted backward rapidly and uncontrollably. The brakes completely failed even with foot on brake. The car was a hazard to anyone in its path and could not be stopped. The emergency brake was attempted but failed to stop the car. Power steering failed. Gearshift could not be put back into park. SUV crashed heavily into a sign protecting the gas pump, but auto suffered major damage: rear wrap around bumper, entire power lift door, and frame, were included in the damage. Driver was the wife of a couple. Very importantly, the husband had experienced the exact same uncontrollable roll-back in the same vehicle at the same place a few weeks earlier, but somehow missed the gas pump and sign. At that time, the car was uncontrollable and caused panic for both drivers in separate incidents. That's not all--of key importance was a conversation we--as a couple--had with the salesman and the dealership's lead mechanic when the auto was purchased in 2017. We pointed out that when backing out of a space on a slight downslope and changing gears, the car drifted backwards uncontrollably a number of feet--at least three to six feet. At that time in 2027, we told them we did not like this feature, and it could be a danger to children playing in the driveway. They said that the manufacturers' engineering department knew about this. And were making improvements. Subsequently we investigated this engineering/design fault online, discussed it again with the dealership, then dropped the issue. The bottom line: this seems to us to be a genuine manufacturing fault. We both experienced this uncontrollable drift back when attempting to brake the car. It is frightenening and dangerous to be in a vehicle weighing tons without any ability to control it. Please investigate.

I see black/gray spots on the headlights and sometimes I cannot detect if it is something in the road. Especially if it is raining. I called today for my maintenance and I am going to address this. Another issue that scared me to death. I was backing out of my garage, I was clear to continue backing but it kept beeping. Again I checked and nothing there, I began to continue and all of a sudden the car braked on its on hard. It was so alarming. I’m glad I was not in traffic. I am addressing this as well at my dealership. Another issue, I am feeling a hesitation when I accelerate, like it is not getting gas, then it starts going without hesitation. I am addressing this as well at my dealership. Another issue all of a sudden the eye sight crossed through came on. No reason for it to come on. I will address with the dealership.

I own a 2016 Subaru Forester. Approximately eight months ago, I began noticing some concerning issues with the vehicle. When applying the brakes from higher speeds, the car experiences significant shaking. Additionally, when coming to a stop, the vehicle shifts down hard, causing a jarring lunge forward. This abrupt transition is quite noticeable and uncomfortable. Moreover, when accelerating from a complete stop, the car tends to lunge forward and exhibits a stuttering sensation accompanied by jerking. These issues have raised concerns about the vehicle's performance and safety.

Brake line junction, just in front of rear passenger wheel, rusted and failed catastrophically losing all braking while driving. This is similar to the previous recall in 2014 when "more than 600,000 vehicles in the united states due to a potential issue with brake line corrosion" for many Subaru vehicles. "the recall affected vehicles built between 2005 and 2014 that were registered in states that use road salt in cold weather. " soa claims that the 2014 forrester is not included in the recall and refuse all responsibility for repairs.

Eyesight pre-collision braking feature and pre-collision throttle management feature malfunctioned and caused the 2020 Forester to accelerate unexpectedly and lurch forward while I was manually braking and slowing to come to a complete stop behind two other vehicles stopped at a steady red light. See class action lawsuit weston, et al. V. Subaru of America, inc. , et al. In us district court case no. [xxx] which alleges that the vehicle contains certain defects that caused sudden and unintended acceleration without driver input; acceleration while manually braking; and that these defects created a safety risk, because they severely affected the driver's ability to control the car's speed, acceleration, and deceleration, and increase the risk of a collision, which did in fact occur. The defective car was completely totaled and towed to a salvage yard by the police and the insurance company. Defect malfunction caused a collision which resulted in property damage and personal injury to three vehicles and three people. I mentioned the defect to my insurance company at the time of the accident. I do not know if they chose to follow up and inspect the vehicle. The problem occurred twice before ( not resulting in property damage or injury) and I took it to my Subaru dealer both times and they claim that they could not find anything wrong, but oddly did not note that they checked for the problem which I brought to their attention on the written summary/invoice for my service visit. See the class action lawsuit- this is apparently the typical dealer non-response to the problem. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

Brakes completely failed on the car when driving. Had it towed to the Subaru dealer, which reports that it’s the same issue as the recall on the 2008-13 Foresters: rear brake lines rusted completely through. Subaru claims it’s unrelated.