2020 Subaru Forester Engine Problems

Smoke and fire occurred in the engine and spread into the car while the car was being driven. The car has not been inspected yet.

NHTSA ID

11765530

Incident

Sep 14, 2026

Three times within 30 minutes on short drive, the engine stalled at stop sign or stop light. The car had a half tank of gas, and at the same time as the engine stalled, the miles remaining until empty display showed an anomalous 0.3miles to empty reading. Put the car in park allowed the engine to restart and the range remaining display to return to normal.

NHTSA ID

11763869

Incident

Sep 2, 2026

Component/System Defect: Failed Thermo Control Valve (TCV) leading to sudden vehicle power loss / limp mode. Description of Safety Incident: While operating my vehicle at highway speeds late at night, the Thermo Control Valve (TCV) failed catastrophically without warning. The vehicle instantly experienced a massive loss of engine power and entered an aggressive "limp mode," causing a drastic, uncommanded deceleration in active traffic lanes.Due to the sudden reduction in speed and the low-visibility night conditions, a commercial semi-truck traveling directly behind my vehicle was nearly unable to brake in time and narrowly avoided rear-ending us. My family—including an elderly senior and a [XXX] child—was trapped inside the vehicle during this near-miss collision. The vehicle became an immediate hazard on a high-speed highway. The authorized dealership subsequently confirmed a failed Thermo Control Valve (TCV) and replaced the unit under Subaru's extended warranty program. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11763453

Incident

Sep 4, 2026

Car stalls when it shouldn't i.e. when stopped at traffic light Transmission Control Module (TCM) Software Issue

NHTSA ID

11762389

Incident

Sep 1, 2026

24th February 2020 - Bought the car from Subaru dealer. Couple of service records prior to May 24, 2022. - May 24, 2022 (9,037 miles) | RO# 806326: The lower oil pan leaked prematurely and had to be completely replaced under warranty. During the same visit, explained LONG BRAKE PEDAL issue, and was given an estimate. - - June 1, 2022 (9,039 miles) | RO# 806767: Just 2 miles after that repair, the oil pan had to be torn apart again because the internal oil level sensor failed and got stuck. - January 19, 2024 (18,854 miles) | RO# 838995: The vehicle suffered a dangerous engine shutdown in the middle of traffic due to the factory Thermo Control Valve defect (TSB 09-80-21). While resolving this safety defect under warranty, the dealer used scare tactics to upsell me $794.23 out of pocket for unrelated maintenance. - July 3rd, 2025 - You can see from invoice records that indicate, customer requesting a quote on repairing the windshield chips, as I learned on 26th August 2026 (during call with Subaru corporate) that it was under extended warranty, dealership offered me a quote and did not volunteer to repair at no cost nor conveyed information on extended warranty. This damage happened twice due to poor quality of Windshield in my car. - 23rd August, 2026 - This 2020 Subaru Forester has experienced repeated failures involving the Auto Start/Stop system. When stopped in traffic, the system shuts the engine off as designed, but on multiple occasions the engine has failed to restart normally when the driver needed to proceed. This has left the vehicle unable to move in active traffic and created a serious risk of collision. The failures have occurred in highly dangerous situations. - 24th August, 2026 - Similar incident happened the next day. - 25th August 2026 (39,000 miles) | Present Day: The lower oil pan seal has failed yet again. Dealership is suggesting a battery replacement. Shared inspection video shows, rusts on bolts, very unusual for a car driven only 39000.

NHTSA ID

11760087

Incident

May 20, 2022

This 2020 Subaru Forester has experienced repeated failures involving the Auto Start/Stop system. When stopped in traffic, the system shuts the engine off as designed, but on multiple occasions the engine has failed to restart normally when the driver needed to proceed. This has left the vehicle unable to move in active traffic and created a serious risk of collision. The failures have occurred in highly dangerous situations, including a busy [XXX], a major [XXX] intersection, and most recently while entering a freeway. In these incidents, surrounding drivers had to brake hard to avoid striking the disabled vehicle. The occupants reasonably feared a serious collision, and the events were potentially life-threatening. The battery was replaced, but the Auto Start/Stop no-restart condition later occurred again, so battery replacement did not resolve the problem. Subaru issued Technical Service Bulletin 16-147-24 on XXX for 2019-2021 Foresters. The bulletin addresses TCM reprogramming related to engine behavior during Auto Start/Stop restart and instructs technicians to reprogram the TCM when the described symptom is reported. However, the bulletin’s warranty section provides reimbursement under the Basic New Car Limited Warranty. For a 2020 vehicle, the original 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty would ordinarily have expired before this 2024 bulletin was issued. The vehicle is now being evaluated by an authorized Subaru dealer. The condition is intermittent and dangerous because the driver cannot know whether the engine will restart when movement is required. The vehicle is available for inspection. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11758094

Incident

Feb 20, 2026

My 2020 Subaru Forester Sport suffered catastrophic engine failure on 6/19/2026 at 156,322 miles, 15 days and 1,031 miles after a thermo control valve (TCV) repair performed at an authorized Subaru dealer on 6/4/2026. The TCV is a known defect covered under Subaru TSB 09-119-24 (extended coverage to 150,000 miles/15 years). I never received mailed notification of this TSB and therefore did not seek repair within the covered window; Subaru approved the repair as a goodwill exception. While driving on I-70 westbound near Genesee, CO, on a sustained mountain grade with my family in the vehicle, I heard a loud noise. The oil temperature spiked to approximately 280°F, warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle lost all power in highway traffic. Losing propulsion on a steep grade in mountain traffic created a serious risk to my family and surrounding vehicles. Post-failure condition: empty coolant reservoir, coolant-contaminated (milky, green-tinted) oil, and metal debris on the dipstick, consistent with cooling-system failure causing engine seizure. I have timestamped photos. The engine is locked and the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle was towed to the same authorized dealer on 7/9/2026. The dealer's technician confirmed the engine is seized and requires teardown ($3,302.95) for full diagnosis; the dealer states teardown proceeds only on authorization from me or Subaru of America. I opened a case with Subaru of America on 5/26/2026 and formally requested in writing that Subaru authorize the teardown, with a stated deadline. As of 7/17/2026, the dealer confirms Subaru has sent no authorization or any communication during the week the vehicle has been on their lot. My written deadline, follow-up call, and final written notice went unanswered. The vehicle and all components are preserved at the dealer and available for inspection upon request.

NHTSA ID

11751083

Incident

Jun 19, 2026

My car is violently shaking and completely stalling out in intersections when attempting to restart from an Auto-Stop.

NHTSA ID

11750109

Incident

May 28, 2026

Vehicle entered limp mode at highway speed (approximately 70 mph) on [XXX] freeway in Washington State, it felt like I had rear ended a vehicle it shut down so hard. This was due to mis diagnosed inspection and service repair from a local Subaru Dealer. Vehicle lost power rapidly, creating a dangerous safety situation. Root cause traced to TCV/PCV system defects previously documented by authorized Subaru dealers. Previous Subaru authorized dealer replaced a torn PCV hose but did not diagnose the problem causing the tear. The dash warning lights were still illuminated after the diagnostic and repair when vehicle was picked up after service. I have attached a more detailed overview of the dangerous situation. The car finally lost power on the freeway while I was in the fast lane pushing 70 miles an hour. I was in the fast lane and with no power I had to cut across both lanes of traffic and get to the shoulder. I was 45 minutes from my home and it was dark, raining and the Subaru would not start. I called a mobile mechanic I found online who came out to the freeway, roadside, where I was stranded. He worked on the car for a couple of hours in the rain. He got the car to start but it would not stay running. I had the car towed to a friend's house in Vancouver, WA about 6 miles from where it had broken down. The same mobile mechanic came out and changed out one of the oil actuators and cleaned and replaced two of the OCVs then flushed the oil system and put new oil in the car. Cleared all the codes. The car starts, idles and will drive up to about 1500 rpm’s but any more than 1500 rpm’s and it dies. It's in limp mode and will move past those rpm’s. The warning lights and the PCV house splitting must have been signs of something else being wrong. That is the discussion I had with Wilsonville Subaru. They diagnosed the vehicle and let me know the PCV hose was the problem. Car was towed to [XXX] in Vancouver, WA sitting since April 15th, 2026 INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF IN

NHTSA ID

11741723

Incident

Apr 13, 2026

I have owned this vehicle since 2019 and the auto start has ALWAYS stalled out when I stop at a light or stop sign. The vehicle needs to be put in park and restart the car. It is very dangerous

NHTSA ID

11739339

Incident

May 5, 2026

My son, [XXX] is currently driving this car. The car only has 29,200 miles so far. Last week, while at the stop light on the hill, he had near fatal accident! Forester suddenly completed shut down. The only functioning part was the brake. My son had to put the car in park and restart the engine. I reported the incident to customer advocate at Subaru and taking the car in for inspection. We never skip any scheduled maintenance. My next maintenance not due until April. I also purchased Subaru safety monitoring software. The car never shows any malfunction. It’s a very serious issue. We strongly suspect it’s related to the start-stop system on this car. We strongly support to override the system at consumer level giving their unreliability. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11720770

Incident

Feb 19, 2026

While driving my 2020 Subaru Forester at approximately 15 mph, the engine unexpectedly shut off, resulting in an immediate loss of propulsion (vehicle stall while in motion). This created a safety risk because the vehicle was in traffic and could have been struck from behind or lost the ability to accelerate out of danger. No crash occurred and there were no injuries. There were no warning lamps, warning messages, check engine light, or limp mode before, during, or after the stall event. The vehicle later experienced catastrophic engine failure, also without any warning indicators. The vehicle has been inspected by an authorized Subaru dealership. The dealership confirmed the failure and diagnosed crankshaft bearing failure on cylinder 3, and recommended short block replacement along with related engine component replacement (including cam phasers and gaskets/seals). The engine/vehicle remains available for inspection upon request. Manufacturer has been notified through Subaru of America Customer Advocacy. Subaru has offered partial goodwill assistance but has declined further escalation or full remedy. Note: I have video of this showing no engine lights however unable to upload it below. Can send via email if required. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11707836

Incident

Nov 23, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11693825

Incident

Sep 9, 2025

Mileage

36,585 mi

2020 Subaru Forester periodically will stall out at a light or stop sign in heavy traffic. It then takes several attempts to restart. (Sometimes completely dead) My mechanic hasI changed the battery and checked the alternator, all in working order. It’s hard to figure out what is wrong because it doesn’t happen all the time.

NHTSA ID

11689081

Incident

Sep 22, 2025

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)

NHTSA ID

11688379

Incident

Sep 15, 2025

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.

NHTSA ID

11688017

Incident

Sep 12, 2025

When stopped at an intersection the car stalled. It would not restart for three minutes and caused a dangerous situation for my family and children in the car while traffic was moving. There were no warning signs, lights, or engine codes. The problem is random and cannot reproduced. The car is available for inspection.

NHTSA ID

11687479

Incident

Sep 15, 2025

Parasitic battery drain

NHTSA ID

11684678

Incident

Aug 28, 2025

I was stopped at a red light and the engine stalled. It read "FOR SAFETY, AUTO RESTART DISABLED". All warning lights on the dashboard lit up. I had to put the car in park and restart it in order to drive. I was honked at and put in a dangerous position. This has happened at least twice now.

NHTSA ID

11675358

Incident

Jul 22, 2025

my Subaru suddenly had numerous warning lights go on. Took it to the dealer and they said it was due to a recalled part: thermo control valve. They replaced it for free but said my head gaskets needed to be replaced after checking my oil for $4000 plus. I believe the recalled part caused the head gasket issue and shouldn’t have to pay also the mileage is only 66k

NHTSA ID

11665729

Incident

May 21, 2025

Upon exiting freeway, all lights on car came on including brake light. When placed in park, the engine would rev. If placed in drive, car would drive without gas given. Car towed to Subaru dealership and diagnosed with thermo control valve defect which seems to be a known widespread issue. Thankfully I was located close to a Subaru dealership however if not, this could cause others to be stranded. Given this widespread issue, a recall should occur to fix this issue.

NHTSA ID

11638104

Incident

Oct 24, 2024

Periodically, the vehicle stalls at stop lights, stop signs, and in other situations when coming to a complete stop. Once the vehicle comes to a complete stop and turns off due to the auto-stop/start function, it stalls immediately after the car re-starts and you press the gas pedal. This leaves the vehicle stalled in intersections and in potentially dangerous conditions. You must engage park and restart the vehicle while stopped in the middle of traffic, which poses a significant safety risk. I believe this issue is related to the auto-stop/start functionality. The vehicle has been inspected by a Subaru dealer several times, but they claim they cannot reproduce the problem and there are no diagnostic codes or warning lights. No other mechanic has inspected the vehicle.

NHTSA ID

11634379

Incident

Jan 4, 2025

My Forester just totally shuts down sometimes from the auto start feature in traffic or intersections . Errors come up . The wheel locks and I must put the car in park , turn it off and turn it back on. Very scary and very dangerous.

NHTSA ID

11633762

Incident

Jan 2, 2025

"Check Engine" light along with "Eye Sight" appeared suddenly on Nov. 22, 2024. All safety systems along with cruise control became inoperable. Took car to Subaru dealer and it was confirmed to be the catalytic converter. My VIN is covered under extended warranty, but I was never notified of this. Plus, now repairs are of an emergency nature. Also, I do a lot of driving including on the NJ Turnpike, I-95, etc., and while I am awaiting car to be repaired, I have no safety features to rely on--which was one of the reasons I bought a Subaru. They will not pay for a courtesy car loan. Another issue is the Thermo Control Valve. I was notified that I have an extended warranty for this, but part has to FAIL before Subaru will make repairs. Once again this becomes an emergency repair situation instead of a proactive one.

NHTSA ID

11628642

Incident

Nov 22, 2024

Subaru Forester engine stalls at an intersection due to auto start stop feature of subaru to save fuel, except that this is the second time when engine is idling it lowers the revs and then it stalls when trying to auto start engine; first time the dealer said is battery issue, I replaced the battery at my cost, and this is the second time. It is dangerous because there are oncoming traffic and I have only a split second to turn on my flashing lights. This is a brand new battery install on 9/2024.

NHTSA ID

11628162

Incident

Dec 1, 2024