10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
1 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
2,330 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.

So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.

2020 Subaru Forester electrical problems

electrical problem

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2020 Subaru Forester Owner Comments (Page 3 of 4)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #37

Jul 282022

Forester

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

2nd event - SOY based transmission wiring chewed. TWICE in two years. Car garaged, traps in garage. Our cost: about $1500. Time in shop - 3 months, due to "no parts".

- Midland, MI, USA

problem #36

Aug 012022

Forester

  • miles
BATTERY DRAINS constantly and car will not start. This has happened several times the past month. I understand that it is an ongoing issue with other Subaru's. This is dangerous and must be fixed. This issue has happened 3 times in 2 weeks. 8/1, 8/13, 8/15/2022

- Clyde, NY, USA

problem #35

Jun 282022

Forester

  • miles
There are various lights on on the dash of the vehicle when nothing is seemingly inherently wrong with the vehicle. I notified the dealership about this issue, the dealership claimed that special parts were ordered but I still have not been notifed of their arrival. This puts my safety at risk due to the fact that I am not sure wether the car actually has an issue, or if it is a mere malfunction. The vechicle is now shaking.

- Belleville , NJ, USA

problem #34

Jun 172022

Forester

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Battery drained, towed to dealership twice within a month battery replaced then failed within 2 weeks everything checked out ok but battery still drained very frustrating

- Walhonding , OH, USA

problem #33

Apr 152021

Forester

  • 2,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the battery was continually being drained and needed to be recharged frequently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, a cause for the failure was not determined. The dealer recharged the battery. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure with electrical system defects which consistently drained the battery. The contact recharged the battery after each time the vehicle was driven. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000.

- Schenectady, NY, USA

problem #32

May 232022

Forester

  • miles
Battery constantly dying. Significant safety concern. Never no when the car is going to not start. Unreliable

- Bridgewater , NJ, USA

problem #31

Apr 172022

Forester

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Electrical defect in recent Subarus causes parasitic battery drain when the car is not in use. Our battery drained to the point that the vehicle couldn-??t start without a jump due to this defect.

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #30

Apr 042022

Forester

  • miles
The battery drains regularly, causing the vehicle to be inoperable. Battery is dead after 3 days of non use, leaving vehicle unable to be used.

- East Meadow , NY, USA

problem #29

Oct 012020

Forester

  • 1,300 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle stalled and then went into sleep mode. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle also experienced failures with the electrical system. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where the contact was informed that the vehicle was operating as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,300.

- New York, NY, USA

problem #28

Feb 172022

Forester

  • miles
At the time, time, car was not fully 2 years old.. its brand new.This is an addition to a post created a week ago. After the dealership offered to detail the interior of the car to solve the sulferic acid feeling I noticed that the flap above the driving wheel started to feel warm. This happened right in the morning in February. I'm not sure if I am feeling an electrical voltage, smelling the exhaust or there's still sulferic acid in the car. Every once in awhile I my hair smells like oil.. Whatever it is it makes your head feel heavy. My toddler feels something because during a drive he will say " hot". This puts our safety at risk if we are smelling the exhaust or feeling voltage while driving in the car. Sometimes it smells like fuel I the trunk of the car or acidic

- Rocklin, CA, USA

problem #27

Jan 032022

Forester

  • miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

Battery draining requiring multiple charging.

- Durham , NC, USA

problem #26

Feb 132022

Forester

  • miles
The battery died after less than two years. There is a class action lawsuit related to recent Subarus draining batteries very quickly due to parasitic power drain because of a faulty electrical system. The 2020 Forester was included in the initial lawsuit, but this model was thrown out of the lawsuit by the judge since none of the plaintiffs owned a Forester. However, it is a known issue. Prematurely and unexpectedly dead batteries, as I experienced, can cause motorists to be stranded and face related hazards, as well as to incur unexpected costs. I spent more than $200 to replace my battery long before the minimum expected three-year battery life.

- Elk Grove, CA, USA

problem #25

Jan 172022

Forester

  • miles
I bought my new 2020 Forester in November 2019. It now has 1604 miles on it. Twice already I've had to have it towed to the dealership because the battery was dead from just sitting in my driveway. The first time, February 2021, they said it was a bad battery. The second time, January 2022, they said it's because I don't drive the car enough. Said I have to drive or idle the car for at least 15 minutes twice per week which is a waste of gas and time for something that shouldn't happen to start with! There are already lawsuits about this constant battery drain but the 2020 Forester isn't included and it should be! There is NO reason for the battery to constantly drain to the point that the car won't start when the car is sitting with everything turned off!

- Homestead, FL, USA

problem #24

Feb 012020

Forester

  • 1,000 miles
The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the radio system malfunctioned, which caused the blind-spot detection system, headlights, and instrument panel to fail to operate as needed. Additionally, the eyesight system would inadvertently engage, which caused the vehicle to stop without warning. The contact restarted the vehicle to correct the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and AutoNation Subaru Scottsdale (15678 N Northsight Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260) and diagnosed with radio software failure. The dealer replaced the radio on three separate occasions; however, the failure recurred. The dealer also reconnected the eyesight system and resolved the eyesight system failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

- Phoenix, AZ, USA

problem #23

Jan 142022

Forester

  • miles
Frequent battery dying problem in 2020 Subaru Forester from Grayson Subaru, Knoxville, TN I am a 67 year old woman who does much scientific research in remote places alone at night. During the day, I manage 3 farms 100 miles apart. I am constantly opening and closing gates, getting out briefly to check livestock and fix fences. If my keys are left in the ignition even briefly, as I get in an out for small tasks, the car battery is dead. Other times it is simply dead for no reason at all. In my over 50 years of driving all sorts of cars and trucks, I have never had this problem. I have had constant problems with this car battery dying in as little as 5 minutes after driving 50 miles. I have brought this problem to Grayson Subaru-??s attention and spent hours waiting as they checked for problems. They never find anything. I have made numerous calls. They assure me this is -??normal-??. This is NOT normal. Not in my over 50 years of driving cars. I am forced to carry a car booster with me at all times. This is a TERRIBLE situation for a car which typically is owned by people who often camp, are doing sports in remote places or need a small rugged car for farm work or field research or outdoor activities. Here are just a few times I have contacted Grayson Subaru over this problem. I have had dead battery many more times than this (just in past 2 weeks Jan 5, 10 and 14, 2022), but have had to jump it off because I was in a dangerous. I bought the car in Sept 2021 from Grayson as a new car: Calls and visits to Grayson over the battery problem. Jan 22, 2021; August 11, 2021; Aug 23, 2021; Aug 24, 2021; Oct 5, 2021; Nov 17, 2021; Jan 11, 2022. I do not want to invoke the Tennessee Lemon Law (T.C.A. 55-24-101 to T.C.A. 55-24-112), but I also cannot continue to drive such an unreliable car. I see there is a -??battery drain" lawsuit for 2020 Subaru Foresters. I believe this car has the same problem. What do I do?

- Knoxville, TN, USA

problem #22

Dec 272021

Forester

  • miles
Liftgate open for tailgating party. Battery drained despite NO lights being on at all. This should NOT happen. Left me (50yo woman) and 3 kids stranded in a very bad part of town.

- Smyrna, GA, USA

problem #21

Jul 242021

Forester

  • miles
I was in a parking lot at the time driving very slowly to pick a spot. When I went to turn right into the spot my car accelerated at an alarming speed. I had not control over it as it kept turning. It hit the car parked in front of my space pushing it and went on to hit the car parked to the right damaging both the front left and right sides of my vehicle and the 2 parked cars before coming to a stop. Fortunately it was 9am and not very crowded, there were no passengers in both vehicles and no one walking in between or by the cars which could have been tragic. I was wearing a seatbelt. The police were called and completed a report. The Subaru dealership was called and Subaru of America was called. The car was inspected by a Bosch.-EAA representative for Subaru on 8/4/2021. I have not heard back from Subaru so far although I was told it could take several weeks. There were no warning lights prior to the incident but afterwards there were several warning lights on. A few months before I got into my car and the radio was blaring and constantly switching channels and I was not able to turn the radio off. When I got home and turned off the car and turned the ignition back on 30 minutes later it had stopped. We notified the incident to Subaru at the next oil change. I immediately notified USSA car insurance and filed a claim. I have not had the damages assessed for repair because I have to wait for the inspection results from Subaru. I felt it was important to document this incident in case other 2020 Forester owners have experienced the same thing. Frightening.

- Ridgefield, CT, USA

problem #20

Aug 082021

Forester

  • miles
Purchased new on 5/22/2020. On Aug 8th after not driving the car for 3 days, attempted to start vehicle. Would not start. Battery dead. Charged battery with a jump. Drove car home. Next am. Car would not start. Battery dead. Currently trying to get car in for service. This is very dangerous stranding people randomly.

- Huntersville, NC, USA

problem #19

Sep 012020

Forester

  • miles
The battery on my 2020 Subaru Forester Premium /LFF14 drains within a week if not driven. There appears to be a parasitic battery drain problem. The car will not start. I replaced the original factory battery with a larger, after-market battery having been told by several sources that this problem is common to Foresters and is caused by defective batteries being supplied to Subaru. However, the new battery did not solve the problem. I regularly test the battery with a battery tester that indicates that the battery is OK, but is discharged and requires charging. I now keep a trickle charger on the car continuously. This seems to keep the battery charge up to 98%. I have retained the original battery which holds a charge indefinitely out of the vehicle. I am aware that driving the car to recharge the battery is extremely hard on the alternator and will cause it to prematurely fail. The car was purchased in August of 2020 and currently has less than 500 miles. This is a recurrent problem.

- Edgartown, MA, USA

problem #18

Jul 242021

Forester

  • miles
My car shut down while stopped at a traffic light. Several dashboard lights flashed or lit up, including the battery indicator, the EyeSight indicator said it was turned off, and many others I don-??t know. It felt as if the battery had died. The car was in standby mode while stopped and the air conditioning was running. The car stalled and died when I took my foot off the brake to drive. The battery has died 6 times in the past year. If the door was ajar, the hatch left open, or the engine turned off while parked in drive, the battery was dead the next day. If it-??s left overnight with the emergency flashers on, the battery is dead the next day. This is too many for a brand new car. I-??ve already bought a brand new battery after the first one died. What do I have to do to keep the battery alive? I-??m a Lyft driver, and thankful this issue didn-??t leave a rider and me stranded many miles from home.

- Hayward, CA, USA

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