10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
4 / 2
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
3,426 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 miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

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2020 Subaru Forester Owner Comments (Page 1 of 5)

problem #99

Oct 202024

Forester

  • miles

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

Stopped in traffic near a red light. The Auto Stop/Start was enabled and activated when stopped at the light. When the light turned green, tried to go, but the AS/S system failed. A -??No Eyesight-?? warning flashed and disappeared; various symbol lights blinked. Car would not start, hazards would not activate. After 20-30 seconds, I was able to put the car in park and restart the engine (would not start before then). No battery or check engine lights had been on previously, up to date on oil changes, 35k total miles, and I had a quarter tank of gas. This was scary as I was stuck in the middle of the road with my children while cars behind me tried to pass on either side. Many people have reported this issue in Subarus and I-??d like for this dangerous problem to be formally addressed.

- Alpharetta, GA, USA

problem #98

Oct 072024

Forester

  • miles
The Auto stop start feature on the car drains the battery and alternator too much. It shouldn-??t be forced on consumers. If it was a feature I wanted to use I should have the option of turning it on not be forced to always turn it off since I don-??t use it. The alternator has already been replaced under warranty due to this feature. Between that and the dealership saying it would be over $700 to replace the battery is ridiculous. Today the car died while at a stop and the battery is needing to be replaced.

- Arp, TX, USA

problem #97

Aug 132024

Forester

  • miles
Car shuts off while stopped at light. This has happened 3 times. I have taken it to Subaru service provider and keep being told nothing is wrong. Car must be put into park and restarted to work. It is unsafe. There are multiple reports online ([XXX] and [XXX] ) of people reporting the same issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #96

Jun 112024

Forester

  • miles

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

Check engine, forward collision warning, flashing "S"drive, no eyesight, automatic emergency braking warning lights, all came on at once and staying on. Possible thermo control valve issue - needs a recall!

- Newton, NC, USA

problem #95

Jun 062024

Forester

  • miles
Collided with a deer that was running across the freeway. Driving legal speed. Impact to front driver's side. Impact seemed relatively minor. No passenger injury. Odd that the airbags didn't deploy. Able to coast to the shoulder. Steam coming from radiator. That dissipated quickly. Had my sister call 911. Took pics of the front as well as the deer fur stuck to the car. About 2 minutes went by and I returned to the front to assess the extent of the damage. Car totaled. As I was assessing, I noted flames starting at the engine compartment firewall, almost directly centered between right and left sides. Vehicle eventually became fully engulfed. Seems like that fire shouldn't have started a full 5 minutes after the engine had been shut off. Advised to report by State Farm as the loss prevention person also thought it was unusual, as did OSP and fire. Said they'd never seen a car burst into flames after a deer strike.

- Dallas, OR, USA

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problem #94

Jan 302024

Forester

  • miles
1-16-24:car wouldn-??t open and start; jump-started by AAA to dealer; dealer kept overnight & checked battery: said charge held, ready to go home. 1-30-24, 4 pm-ish: able to start n drive, but check engine& eyesight warning light came on- late in day, so didn-??t drive to dealer. 1-31-24: car dead; jump-started by AAA again & drove to dealer. On 2-1-24, dealer sends a video & says replaced battery, but check engine light & eye sight warning light still on; investigated further & found there was a lot of water that had pooled under the passenger seat & caused some corrosion- I.e.: shorted out electrical system. I asked dealer to report to Subaru since this seemed like a car defect. 2-9-24- dealer says Subaru won-??t repair it at their expense and it-??s a 25 hour job & will cost a lot. Dealer wanted me to file a claim with my insurance, but car was not driven through rain, high water, or stored in a flooded garage or on a flooded street. The water in the car seems like a design defect on the part of Subaru.

- Bethesda, MD, USA

problem #93

Feb 042024

Forester

  • miles

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

The thermal control valve stopped working. The car has <50K miles on it. The error also results in many/all of the safety systems being deactivated (no adaptive cruise control, no lane centering, no rear braking, etc.)

- San Francisco, CA, USA

problem #92

Jan 262024

Forester

  • miles
Driving my 2020 Subaru Forrester on 1/26/24, at night. Stopped at traffic light. Car started shaking, dash lights system lights came on. Turned off car and restarted. Car would not accelerate. Had towed to mechanic. Diagnosed as probable thermo regulator. Could not repair because part only available from Subaru. Called dealer who was not sympathetic or helpful. Told to bring in and leave. Would get to it when they could.

- Orlando, FL, USA

problem #91

Nov 292023

Forester

  • miles
The Thermo Control Valve failed at 33,945 miles. Because of this, the heater, Eye Sight, Cruise Control, Lane Assist, and Collision Brake did not work. The engine was then only running at "Sport" mode. It did not regulate the heat to the oil and could've caused sludge. The problem was confirmed by a Subaru Dealer Service Shop. I only noticed this problem when the blue thermometer light came on the dash board. Usually I wait about 5 min and once the car is warmed up the light goes away. This time the blue thermometer warning light did not turn off and stayed on for the remainder of the trip. When the car was restarted on the same day the engine check light came on. Eye Sight, Lane assist and Collision assist lights were on.

- Mclean, VA, USA

problem #90

Nov 162023

Forester

  • miles
When the vehicle comes to a stop light or a stop in traffic and the engine turns off the vehicle will stall. It then leaves me sitting in traffic trying to restart my vehicle thus leaving me in an unsafe situation. This happens more often than not.

- Bethlehem, PA, USA

problem #89

Sep 162023

Forester

  • miles

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

Thermo Control Valve is the issue according to Subaru. This is apparently an issue as a quick google search took me to many forums of other owners/drivers experiencing the same issue. For me, I was stopped at a red light and my car performed an automatic engine off like normal, and as the light turned green I took my foot off the brake and went to press the gas but my car fully shut off and gave me several warnings that all of the systems were offline. I had to put it in park and try to turn it off and on again to get it going, but it was incredibly stressful for my car to lock up like that on a busy road. This valve causes errors that turn off all the safety features in the car which sounds like a huge issue.

- Daytona Beach, FL, USA

problem #88

Sep 092023

Forester

  • miles
At a stop light, auto stop/start system shuts down the vehicle engine. When the light turned green, and I lifted my foot off the brake, the engine failed to restart. The dash will lit up.. check engine light, eye sight light... etc will come on. I had to shift to park and restart the engine. I read that low remote battery can be a problem, I replaced the remote battery but it has not resolved the issue. Engine failed to restart at stop light after being shut down by auto stop/start system multiple times in last six month. Only recourse is shift to park and restart the engine. This seems to be manufacture problem with auto stop/start system. It is a safety issue for me and my family having a stalled car at stop light due to engine being shut off by auto stop/start system and failed to restart until put in park and restart it.

- Maumelle, AR, USA

problem #87

Jun 012023

Forester

  • miles
Windshield cracked for no apparent reason.

- Clifton Twp, PA, USA

problem #86

Jun 192023

Forester

  • miles
My wife was out this morning meeting friends for coffee. She gave a friend a ride home and she noticed a crack in the windshield on the drivers side. There was no indication that it was hit with a rock or anything else. I see that there was a lawsuit against Subaru for defective windshields.

- Corvallis, OR, USA

problem #85

May 312023

Forester

  • miles
Thermo control valve needed replaced. Check engine light and all safety lights turned on. All safety features were disabled when light came on. Subaru has has a recall on 2019 but not 2020.

- Emlenton , PA, USA

problem #84

May 212023

Forester

  • miles
When I applied the brake, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and smashed into my garage

- Ogdensburg, NY, USA

problem #83

May 052023

Forester

  • miles
We hit a deer, front-end impact, then our Forester started on fire and completely burned up. The airbags did not deploy, we were not injured but the car is a complete loss.

- Freeport, IL, USA

problem #82

May 052023

Forester

  • miles
Firestone Wauwatosa, WI told me I need to have them recalibrate the Driver Assist System as part of an alignment I took the car in for on 5523. This added $125 on top of a $209.99 cost for the lifetime alignment cost. Laura, in the service department at Zeigler Subaru, Kenosha, where we bought the car, said this would only have to be done if the car had been in an accident. Not knowing what is actually required leaves me feeling unsafe.

- Brookfield, WI, USA

problem #81

Jun 152022

Forester

  • miles
Windshield cracked with out any other related damage. No rock chips or other damage. While sitting still windshield popped and a small 1/2 inch crack started on the edge of the glass and spread all the way across the windshield. Subaru clames there is no coverage even tho there is no damage to the windshield

- Texas City, TX, USA

problem #80

Sep 132022

Forester

  • miles
Windshield keeps cracking as if unable to withstand regular road conditions that other vehicles/windshields for vehicles with the same capabilities and from the same brand (but different models) can. Windshield for my vehicle has been replaced once but will need to be replaced again, each time with an oem part

- Denver, CO, USA

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