2020 Subaru Forester

Our thermo control valve (TCV) assembly failed and caused dangerous loss of speed and control while on the highway. Subaru is fully aware of the defect in their design as they issued a service bulletin to inform their service centers of a new, fixed TCV assembly that is retaining the same part number (a notice only sent to their service centers, NOT to owners). Please see attached. Despite being aware of the defect, Subaru has not voluntarily replaced the defective TCV assemblies or even bothered to notify owners. Instead, they are letting us put our families and other drivers in dangerous situations through sudden loss of control. There are pages and pages of other owners experiencing this dangerous issue and - like me - being surprised to find it's a known issue that Subaru is not proactively fixing (see any of the owner forums like subaruforester.org).

While merging into a lane, I went to accelerate. I pressed the accelerator pedal to the floor to quickly get up to the speed of traffic. After successfully merging into the lane, I took my foot off of the accelerator pedal and noticed that my vehicle was still accelerating. The floor mat was not interfering with the accelerator pedal. Thankfully, slamming on my brakes while in the middle of a lane caused the accelerator pedal to come off the floor and my vehicle began to decelerate. This was frightening and an absolute hazard to the well-being of myself and other drivers and pedestrians on the road. Without quick thinking and a lack of traffic ahead of me, I and others would have likely been involved in a life-threatening traffic accident. Whether this is a reoccurring incident or a one-time incident, this is not acceptable for any vehicle sold and allowed to be driven by a manufacturer or dealership.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space and pressing the parking brake, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and accelerated forward. During the incident, the vehicle drove over a curb, hit a lamp post, and crashed into a parked vehicle. No injuries were reported. A police report was taken at the scene. The vehicle was not towed away. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 26,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while attempting to park her vehicle, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. The vehicle ran through both the parking lot fence and a fence located on private property. The contact made multiple attempts to stop the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal; however, the vehicle failed to stop. The vehicle continued accelerating down a driveway as she attempted to avoid hitting a house, a tree, and another parked vehicle. The contact was able to shift the vehicle into park which stopped the acceleration. The air bags did not deploy upon impact. The contact suffered a headache but did not seek any medical assistance. A police report was filed. Both the parking lot and private property fences were damaged. The contact was able to drive the vehicle back to the parking lot where she called the dealer and was instructed to leave the vehicle at the scene until the vehicle was inspected. The contact was informed that the dealer filed a claim with the manufacturer. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 14,865.

I drive this V little, but the steering wheel has repeatedly tried to jerk me into the left lane when tuning right and right when turning left! I stopped using cruise, but it still does it. I am an advanced driver, but don't low, if I could overcome this if it acted like some other 2020 Foresters I've read owners state have gone off the road and rolled over! Also the auto stop - start often shuts engine off when power is needed - is totally unpredictable! This is my wife's car, but she got it as the seat works with my V bad back! Had I known the Eyesight system would malfunction (I did not trust it, but hoped it would be ok!), I'd have insisted on getting a good older car without unproven so called driver aids! We really don't have the $ to replace the car!

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated as she pulled into a parking space, the vehicle inadvertently accelerated forward causing the vehicle to drive into the bank building. The contact stated she depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle would not stop. The air bags did not deploy. One of the employees suffered minor injuries and a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a collision center. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was contacted, and they stated that the vehicle did not have any recalls. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 29,000.

The car was parked and idling for a few minutes as a passenger exited the vehicle. While parked, the car began to shake slightly, it was then placed in reverse to get out of the parking space. Still shaking. When it was put in gear to go forward, the car began to accelerate on its own. The driver was able to use the brake to stop the vehicle but, when she took her foot off the brake to make a left turn and towards the park exit, the vehicle accelerated abruptly, and the car surged towards a main road. The passenger in the seat next to her was able to see clearly that the driver’s foot was not on the gas pedal. The driver was able to steer the vehicle clear of the park visitors, avoid other vehicles in the parking lot, and stop the car prior to reaching the traffic light at the main road. Stunned by the incident, the driver decided to return the vehicle to the parking lot, so she opted to make a U-turn at the light. As she turned the vehicle, the vehicle accelerated once again without her foot on the gas pedal. After the driver was able to maneuver the car into a parking space, the vehicle started to shake violently, and the driver shut off the engine. When the driver attempted to restart the car with the intent to drive home slowly, the driver placed the vehicle in reverse, and applied her foot to the gas pedal but, the vehicle would barely move. The engine revved when the pedal was pushed all the way to the floorboard but, the vehicle only moved at approximately 5MPH. Once parked in a space, the vehicle shook violently, and the dashboard lights lit up. The vehicle was turned off and emergency call button inside the vehicle was used to contact Subaru. The car was towed to the dealership.

The contact leased a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while reversing in a driveway, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own and crashed into a bush without the accelerator pedal being depressed. There were no reported injuries. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact applied the brake pedal and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but they were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was concerned about driving the vehicle. The failure mileage was 38,000. The VIN was not available.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while the wife was pressing the brake pedal and attempting to park the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and crashed into a brick building. During the crash, the front end of the vehicle sustained severe damage but the airbags did not deploy. The driver suffered head and torso injuries which required medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer was notified of the incident. The local dealer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 13,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forest. The contact stated that the brake failed. The contact stated that when the driver was reversing the vehicle out of the driveway, the vehicle abruptly accelerated and the driver engaged the brake pedal. However, the brake system failed to bring the vehicle to a stop. The vehicle proceeded and came to a stop when it crashed into a tree and damaged the vehicle taillight, the muffler, and a small window located at the rear passenger door area separated from the vehicle. There were no warning lights before during or after the failure occurred. The driver suffered injuries to the neck and shoulder the driver was taken to the hospital. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer to have a diagnostic performed. The vehicle was not repaired. A police report was not filed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 12,000.