When I break and stop the car power is reduced, at times it stalls out and be hard to start again when starting back up in traffic. This is also starting to happen in my other Forrester of the same year.

- Newark, CA, USA

While driving, the engine stalled and many dash lights came on. The thermo control valve was the cause. There was no warning and fortunately I was able to park off of the roadway. The car was towed to the nearest Subaru dealership at a cost of $223. The car was repaired under the extended warranty, but I am out the towing fee. Had the defective part been recalled, I would not have experienced this engine failure.

- Silver Spring , MD, USA

On [XXX], while driving back home in the evening, the car started to make noises, that became quite loud very fast. I was able to drive to my home, less than 3 miles away, but I could not restart the car anymore. No warning lights were on. It was around [XXX] pm and I was afraid of what might have happened it the car became disabled. The next morning, the car was towed to the MileOne Herb Gordon Subaru Dealer in Silver Spring, MD. I was informed that the rod crankshaft bearing had failed. The engine short block had to be replaced. It is unbelievable to me that a car that had less than 58,000 miles and have been properly maintained will have such a catastrophic failure. The cost to fix this failure: $10676.39 since it is out of warranty for time. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Laurel, MD, USA

My SUBARU has a Start-Stop feature which automatically stops and restarts the engine when the vehicle is stationary for a short time, such as at a stop sign or red light. Several times within the last month I was stopped for a light or stop sign and the vehicle shut down completely. Engine turned off. I have attached a file showing the display on the dash. This was very unsafe as cars behind me were getting impatient while I had to figure out how to restart the car. It was very scary. After researching the problem online and taking the car to my mechanic it turns out that the battery was low. The battery was replaced and auto restart is working correctly now. It seems that with all the warning messages that are displayed (windshield washer fluid is low) that some indicator that the battery is low should display rather than this unsafe scenario.

- Newington, CT, USA

Cracked exhaust manifold for no apparent reason. I live in Florida, which does not have extreme temperature fluctuations. It caused toxic fumes to leak into the cabin, confirmed by Subaru tech and handheld carbon monoxide detector.

- Gainesville, FL, USA

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, the vehicle started hesitating while depressing the accelerator pedal with the check engine warning light illuminated. The contact activated the hazard lights and coasted the vehicle off to the shoulder. Due to the failure, the vehicle was towed to a local dealer where the vehicle was diagnosed with a defective thermal control valve. The contact was informed that the thermal valve was covered under an Extended Warranty by the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and a case was filed. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

- Baltimore, MD, USA

The auto stop/start function is erratic. Many times the function fails to start the car after a stop. The car stalls. It requires car to put in park and have to restart the car. This causes delay for traffic to move. When this happens, it creates a safety issue. The car behind may start to move and cause accident because the rest of the traffic has started to move. Sometimes the car driver behind you honks the horn as the rest of the traffic starts to move. The 2019 Subaru Forester has only 31000 miles. This has been happening once a week since June 2023. It is becoming a safety concern for me. This started to happen around 25000 miles on the car.

- Kent, WA, USA

I have had multiple issues with my car for the past month. First, my rear right wheel has been making a fan-like sound when going above 35mph and it gets louder until 70mph. It is most likely the wheel bearings going out but, I only have around 50,000 miles on the car. This seems to be a common issue with Foresters. Secondly, my rear Harman Kardon speakers have stopped working. This also appears to be a recurring issue with Forester's, with both their standard and premium sound systems. Lastly, my engine check light turned on and shut off my adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, emergency braking, and rear automatic braking. I'm surprised that these issues are still happening to Subaru since they have been complained about by consumers for years.

- Detroit, MI, USA

most of the safety quiet. motor cut out, eyesight quiet working, check engine light came on service person said the diagnostic showed a code p2682 engine coolant bypass valve control low. steering light came on. No prior warnings. happened while driving at speed limit on interstate.

- Nokomis, IL, USA

Engine failed without warning while driving on a busy highway on 4/20/2024. The engine suddenly stopped and tried to automatically restart itself only to immediately shut down, simultaneously dashboard lit up with multiple warning lights ( eyesight disabled, check engine light, RAB off, brake light etc). No power to the car with inability to accelerate. My husband driving the vehicle was able to maneuver the car over 2 lanes in heavy traffic to the rumble strip between 4 lane highway and a 2 lane acceleration entrance ramp. We came within seconds of being hit which could have been a very serious accident. Since the car had no power we weren't even able to get to the right shoulder. We had to sit in the vehicle over 2 1/2 hours waiting for a tow surrounded by high speed traffic on both sides. The cause of engine failure was a defective Thermo Control Valve, diagnostic code P26A6. Subaru recently issued an extended warranty in April for the TCV which is present in many of its vehicles. It should be a RECALL and not just an extension of the warranty since failure can be quite serious resulting in the engine completely shutting down. We had NO previous warning that the car was at risk for unexpected stopping. Car is well maintained with only 34,608 miles (2019 model) and had been in the shop the DAY before the incident getting routine car service. The service manager knew what the problem was by description before even performing the necessary interrogation for diagnostic codes. He was able to get the vehicle to start and drive it into the dealer repair shop by simply removing the TCV before starting. We were the 3rd vehicle in that day for replacement of TCV. He stated they replace 5-10 a week although most present with a check engine light and some with other warnings such as eyesight disabled. The factory original TCV has been replaced with a reportedly revised TCV. Risk of engine failure without warning as result of faulty TCV is putting lives at risk.

- Cincinnati, OH, USA

The check engine light went on and the diagnostic code read was P26A3, Engine Coolant Bypass Valve is failing in my 2019 Forester, which only has 46,000 miles on it. Subaru was aware that this part was defective in the 2019-2021 models, because in Feb of 2022 the part was replaced and a service bulletin 09-80-21 was issued with instruction for replacing the part, but did not issue a recall, despite this problem causing the advanced safety features to stop working and directly affecting the proper functioning of the engine. My car is just out of warranty, and the quote to have my mechanic replace the part is almost $1200 which I am unable to afford and do not feel I should have to pay for. Subaru should be help to account for this issue.

- Austin, TX, USA

Thermo control valve failure, P26A3 code, eyesight safety assistance warning light, check engine light, pre collision braking light, lane assist light.

- National City, CA, USA

Check engine light came on roughly 3 days prior to incident. Temperature control/coolant bypass valve failed (replaced by dealer at my expense with now updated design), caused the car to unexpectedly lose power rapidly and enter limp mode, dropping from 55 MPH down to 5 MPH in seconds. The incident occurred on a rural road. I had been on an interstate during rush hour roughly 15 minutes prior and could have caused a crash if the incident happened there.

- Jamesville, NY, USA

Start / stop feature. Multiple incidents. Continuing issue. Stop at a light or in traffic. The car turns off. Let off the brake the car completely looses power sometimes or dies. Need to move shifter to park to restart. When the vehicle dies completely. Unable to move shifter of use hazards. This has happened on the highway at stop lights leaving me stranded in the middle of the road with no vehicle power. Or having to restart. Battery, starter and Alternator have been tested and are good. Safety issue.

- Ogden, UT, USA

While driving on a highway outside Milford, CT my vehicle is check engine light suddenly illuminated. I had a sudden loss of power, no heat, and the engine temperature was unable to read. Engine temperature was not accurately reporting and showed it as being cold as indicated by blue light warmup light. My eyesight, pre-collision system, and sport mode was disabled due to the engine light being illuminated. The vehicle was seen at a Subaru dealer, who diagnosed the issue to be the thermo control valve. Dealership informed me that it was unsafe to drive and I risk complete engine failure, overheating, and or fire if I continue to operate without required repair. As a result, I was stranded overnight, three hours away from home. Repair was completed on [XXX] at cost of $1830. I learned at the dealership that this is a known issue, in 2021 Subaru replace the plastic components of this part with aluminum due to similar issues experience by many customers. Customers are reporting vehicles going into -??limp mode-?? and even engine damage. I learn that there is a class action lawsuit regarding the same issue, which can be reviewed here: [XXX] Please help to recall vehicles and push Subaru to repair/refund. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Templeton, MA, USA

Car had just been serviced by Subaru service dept on 2/27/2024. On 3/1/2024, while travelling in heavy rush hour traffic, we smelled a very strong odor of gasoline and were alerted by another driver that our car was leaking a large amount of gasoline in the roadway. We pulled over to a safe area, evacuated the car, and the car burst into flames. Fire was extinguished by the wantagh fire department. Police report by NY state police was obtained. Car was removed by tow truck.

- Seaford, NY, USA

The thermo control valve (TCV), responsible for regulating cabin temperature and engine temperature failed, causing the vehicle to go into safe mode and was not drivable.

- Albany, NY, USA

My 2019 Suburu Forester battery will not hold a charge. Whenever I want to use it, my husband must jump the Forester with cables from his car's battery. I am careful not to park it for long and use it for trips to dentist, doctor, and other necessities. We bought the Suburu Forester brand new off the car lot in 2019. The car has under 3k miles of use--it looks in perfect condition. We've changed batteries but that did not solve the start up problem. It is a safety hazard depending upon where I have to stop the car. The "incident" is one of many recurrences. After 7 days of nonuse, parked in my garage, the car fails to start.

- Etters, PA, USA

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed, several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the audible alert sounds were excessively loud and the warning lights were so bright that the contact became frantic. The contact stopped at a local Auto Zone. The Auto Zone mechanic inspected the vehicle and informed the contact that the failure was due to a failed heater control valve. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed with a failed heater control module, and it was determined that the heater control valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 79,128.

- Humble, TX, USA

I am concerned as my car was safely parked, once I started it and it said eyesight off, flashing S symbol, the heat thermo Stat changes back and forth from hot and cold, car is not warming up and check engine light came on. I am very concerned as it is the winter, and I have my baby in the car. Please advise. This seems very unusual and never happened before. The vehicle have around 23K miles.

- Brooklyn, NY, USA