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.
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
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.
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!
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
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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?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
I tried to unlock my car but the remote didnt work- I had to use the blank key inside the remote to get in the car. I couldn't start the car- my husband tried to jump it- that did not work- I called AAA they tried jumping it - that didnt work-- AAA told me the battery was good but totally out of charge 0%-- I called the subaru salesman I bought the car from & he walked me thru alot of steps & we couldn't find anything wrong besides the battery!! he told me to have my husband try to give me a jump again & after 4 hours the car turned over! What caused it"???? no idea??" the next day (7/5/21) I took it to an auto parts store & they tested it out- alternator-perfect--- battery @ 550 with the max 620--- today I read an article about Subaru batteries failing! well mine did for no apparent reason--- maybe they should all be recalled!! I missed my 1st day of vacation due to this!!
What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request" - The original battery on our 2020 Subaru Forester died after some repairs related to getting rear ended. The battery died for the first time in March 2021, 8 months after we purchased the car with around 5500 miles on it. That battery was replaced with a brand new Subaru battery. The battery has died 3 times since being replaced. The current battery is available for inspection. In addition to the battery dying, we have recently noticed two situations where the rear hatch has not properly latched. I have a video of the rear hatch trying to latch and popping back open over and over again. I've only noticed this twice, but the first time I noticed this I realize we had been driving with the rear hatch open and our dog could have been put in serious risk if the rear hatch opened. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? Issues with the battery dying multiple times puts me at risk of being stranded. The issue of the rear hatch means that anything that is placed in the rear of the vehicle may not be properly secured and could potentially fly out of the vehicle if the unlatched rear hatch opens while driving. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? The original dead battery was initially identified by a body shop. The dealer was not able to find anything wrong with the vehicle upon first inspection, but we are going to take it in again. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others" The vehicle was inspected by a body shop (recommended by our insurance) and the dealer. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? The only symptom we are able to routinely detect is a low voltage on our battery, which we believe indicates a parasitic draw.
When attempting to leave our home driveway on Friday, April 2nd, 2021 (approximately 4pm local time), the ignition button failed to start the car. Initially, power was running to the dash. I called the Subaru eastside dealership in kirkland, wa where the car was purchased. They told me to call roadside assistance, which I did the following morning. When my wife and I moved our car seat and belongings to the other car in the driveway, the rear lift gate started to malfunction and would not open (resulting in a repeated 3 beep sound), blocking access to my jumper cables, which were in the trunk. Eventually, the electrical system stopped responding all together. When roadside assistance (sent out by Subaru roadside) eventually showed up the following morning, a jump start by the technician started the vehicle.
Battery was drained for no reason and car would not start. When tried to start dash lights etc., went crazy. Gauge for tachometer and speed whipped from side to side, lights flashed on and off. The starter gave the clicking noise you hear when battery is dead. Called aaa to jump and they could not get it to start. I charged battery overnight and the engine started. Took car to dealer they could find nothing wrong with the battery or charging system. They could not explain why this happened. I purchased a battery tender to maintain charge in battery. I only have 1 car and it needs to start when I need it. This happened on day I needed to take wife for covid vaccine shot.
Multiple dead batteries over past year. When rear lift gate is left open for less then an hour with all lights including interior off it drains battery. 2019 lift gate module recalled due to 'dark draw' but didn't include earlier 2020 models which did not have new module incorporated yet. Please investigate to include the early 2020 models in recall. This is happening to many people and is a hazard to be left stranded over such an easy fix that has already been incorporated in the 2019 models with the recall... my car is in that 'grey area' only cause it is not a 2019 but before the fix was addressed on the 2020 year.
I was driving up an empty Suburban road at 25 mph when the brakes suddenly went off, causing the car to skid to a stop. The dashboard screen said the pre-collision emergency braking system was activated. There was nothing in the road and no reason for the car to stop suddenly. Thank god I wasn't on the highway - this is extremely dangerous.
Went to start car after being parked for 3 hours. Doors opened with fob but keyless ignition would not start car and all idiot lights came on locking steering wheel, brakes, gas pedal, etc. Subaru service came and jumped car; not sure if fob had died; car only 11 months old, under 9000 miles. Temperature in high 20's, low 30's. keyless ignition had been wonky earlier in week and car hesitated to get started. Eyesight turned off briefly on drive home after car was started by jumpstart.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Rocklin, CA, USA