Subaru Forester electrical problems

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while his wife was stopped at a red traffic light in the middle lane and surrounded by other vehicles, the auto START/STOP system engaged; however, when the brake pedal was released, the vehicle failed to restart. After several attempts, the vehicle eventually restarted, allowing the driver to safely pull over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a dead battery. The dealer advised the contact about turning off the auto START/STOP system. The battery had been marked as good on two separate occasions. The battery was replaced. The contact reached out to the manufacturer, who opened a case but confirmed there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,585.

- *Incident 1 (2023):* While driving, my vehicle suddenly stopped while in drive gear, accompanied by a high-pitched alarm and multiple engine service lights. It took over 30 seconds to shift into park and restart the vehicle. The incident occurred at an intersection, and I was fortunate to avoid any collisions. - *Incident 2 (September 2025):* The same problem recurred on two separate occasions- AFTER CERTIFIED REPAIRS. The vehicle came to a complete stop while driving uphill at a decelerated speed, and also while stopped at an intersection. In both instances, the gear was in drive, and the vehicle shut down completely, displaying engine service lights. *Previous Repairs:* - *TCV Replacement:* The Thermo Control Valve was replaced under warranty due to a faulty issue affecting the EyeSight system. - *Battery Replacement:* The battery was replaced under warranty in 2023 after the initial incident. Whats concerning is that my dealer said to have found an “after market” appliance hooked up. This said feature was placed by certified subaru dealership when vehicle was purchased. This said item was never identified as to causing the said issue. Which raised even more safety concerns.

50k Mileage Mark: When the vehicle turned off at the stop light to save gas, the car stalled. I had to frequently put the car back in Park, and restart the engine. Since then, I had to turn off the “auto turn off” function for fear of the car stalling on the road. This has caused unnecessary anxiety and fear while driving, harming my psychological wellness. Since the 50k mark this has happened about 10 times. The most recent issue was this month

The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid. The contact stated that the hatchback had opened independently while the vehicle was parked. The contact stated that the doors had opened unintendedly while the vehicle was being washed at the car wash. The contact stated that the door required to be slammed to close and to latch securely. Additionally, the contact stated that while reversing out of a 2-15 percent sloped driveway, the Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB) system's beeping sound engaged while there were no vehicles or objects in the proximity of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped abruptly, causing the driver's side seat headrest to hit the contact's head violently. The contact stated that the vehicle became inoperable. The contact exited and inspected the surroundings of the vehicle. The contact verified that the vehicle had not collided with an object. The contact returned inside the vehicle, and the vehicle responded as needed. The contact pulled into the driveway. The contact contacted the Doctor's office weeks later, and was referred to the ER. The contact went to the ER, where a CT scan, and other tests were performed, but internal bleeding was not found. The contact sustained a concussion and persistent headaches. Additionally, the contact underwent an MRI and was waiting for the neurologist to interpret the MRI test results. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was advised to deactivate the reverse automatic braking(RAB) system. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and sent a field technician who inspected and test-drove the vehicle. The manufacturer later informed the contact that the vehicle had operated as designed while reversing on the sloped driveway. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100.

We were traveling in rural California, 1 hour north of Bishop, CA on [XXX] when our vehicle's "Check Engine" light, "Parking Break" light, and several other lights lit up on our dashboard. Our car began to stall out immediately. We were able to pull off to the side of the road as best as we could as we were towing a camper at the time as well. We waited for 4 hours to get our vehicle and camper towed 1 hour away to a mechanic. The mechanic couldn't fix our car, but we were able to get an engine code reader to clear the codes as they came up. The closest Subaru dealership was 4 hours away in Las Vegas, NV. We had to drive through mountains and Death Valley. Despite using the engine code reader to clear codes every 30 seconds, our car stalled out 6 times on the way. The problem was the thermo control valve for P26A6, a known problem with Subaru vehicles like ours. We had our vehicle serviced in July 2025 for 60,000 miles and the dealership did not say anything about this known issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I, the owner of a 2020 Subaru Forester am writing to you in regards to an issue with my vehicle’s Eyesight program. Over the past month, there have been several instances where the Eyesight program fails and caused the vehicle to suddenly stop without warning. This prevents me from safely moving the vehicle to the side of the road as the car stops. In other words, the car abruptly stops on the spot. This creates an immediate danger to life and health to myself and to other motorists. This issue must be addressed immediately and the necessary steps taken to ensure the safety the driver, passengers and other motorists on the road. Thank you for understanding.