2023 Subaru Forester

The rear trunk door, which was open, was closed unintentionally - likely via accidental pressing of the key fob remote control button - and the door came down hard on the head and arms of a person who was leaning into the trunk. The person experienced a mild concussion and arm strain. The expectation is that a sensor should have prevented the trunk door from lowering if an object or person is in the trajectory of the door closing - like a garage door sensor. Instead it only stopped closing because it physically could not go any further, and after injury was sustained from the force of the closure. The problem has not yet been reported to a dealer or service center, or inspected by others. No warning was observed prior to the failure.

NHTSA ID

11776721

Incident

Oct 21, 2026

Tire wear issue. Dealer failed to point all 4 tires were illegal. At the 20k mile check. Was not made aware of this till 26k mile check. ( never pointed out by the dealer)They are licensed in the Ct. Subject to Statutory Regs. Called the tires critical when they are classified as catastrophic and illegal to drive on. Add insult to injury they charged me $36 to rotate the bald illegal tires.

NHTSA ID

11776476

Incident

Oct 30, 2026

Transmission slipped, stranded me in the middle of a road XXX. Stopped wouldn’t go. Started locking down in reverse 1 month after I purchased the vehicle. XXX, my husband was backing down a road that had no turnaround. The RAB locked down, slammed so hard, the car slid six feet and the motor shut down. I found out a week later that L-5 was fractured in my back. The lockdown has hurt my [XXX] mother’s neck also, in March of this year. The friction clutches is fried in my transmission. My transmission is jerking, slipping, clanking, shaking from multiple lockdowns. I took vehicle to [XXX] Subaru XXX for service. I told [XXX] about it locking down, what is sounded like and what it done. He brushed me off, said that’s what it’s supposed to do and that it had something to do with backup camera. [XXX] went to my car and showed me how to turn backup camera off. Put car in reverse and hold RAB until off. XXX XXX, a dry rotted hose blew out. RAB light was on, check engine and more. I had it towed to [XXX]. I plainly told them it locked down in reverse. They told me my DOG tore it up and gave me a bill for a new transmission. Only 14 k miles. I took it to Hallmark Subaru XXX. I had 3 complaints. Clanking, locking down in REVERSE, jerking. They replaced 3 parts, said it should solve all my problems. And as the usual the old phrase CANNOT DUPLICATE PROBLEMS. Now the RAB system has gone haywire, it does whatever it wants to. My transmission is becoming to a point it sounds like it is going to fall out of my car, 25k miles on this vehicle, haven’t even had it 3 years. The new parts really messed things up. I was going to take it back to Hallmark, but I’m afraid to drive in interstate traffic. BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU SUBARU CORPORATE KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THE ONLY THING THEY DONT KNOW YET IS THAT IT IS MESSING TRANSMISSIONS UP. IT TAKES A WHILE. SUBARU IS TRYING TO STOP A CLASS ACTION L INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11768438

Incident

Aug 24, 2026

I am writing to formally report a critical safety defect regarding the driver-side footwell design in my 2023 Subaru Forester Sport, which poses an immediate and severe risk of a crash. A hard plastic lower extension for the HVAC air duct sits dangerously low directly above the brake and accelerator pedals. For drivers with larger or longer feet, this duct extension acts as a physical obstruction that interferes with safe pedal operation in two specific, highly dangerous ways: Delayed Braking: When attempting to transition from the accelerator to the brake pedal, the toe of the driver's shoe frequently catches on the lip of the air duct extension, delaying the ability to depress the brake pedal in time-sensitive or emergency situations. Pedal Entrapment: When the brake pedal is depressed, the driver's foot can become completely wedged between the brake pedal arm and the air duct extension. This traps the foot, making it impossible to smoothly or quickly release the brake. The physical proximity of this hard plastic duct to the primary driving controls is a severe design flaw. The air duct should not protrude into the clearance space required for standard footwear, as it directly compromises the driver's ability to control the vehicle's speed and braking. I have photo and video documentation clearly demonstrating the lack of clearance and exactly how a shoe becomes caught and wedged during normal driving maneuvers. I am requesting that the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) review this hazard immediately, as this spatial interference requires a recall and physical redesign of the lower ductwork to prevent potential collisions, injuries, or fatalities. The component causing the issue is the physical HVAC ductwork extension, and the vehicle is available for inspection upon request. Because this is a physical design flaw rather than an breakdown, there were no warning lamps or dashboard messages. I have photo and video documentation.

NHTSA ID

11754950

Incident

Aug 4, 2026

Eyesight collision braking system engaged as I was rolling up my driveway to go into garage. Garage door was rolling up and was about 5 feet off the ground when Anti Collision system engaged and slammed the brakes on. I was going under 1 mph and would not have hit the door. It beeped right before brakes engaged. This is the second time it has engaged when it shouldn't have. The first time was in a right lane, a car about 6 car lengths in front of me was and did turn right as I was driving down the road. It almost caused an accident with the car behind me. The brakes slammed on so hard my back and neck are now sore and it bent my fingernail backwards somehow on the steering wheel.

NHTSA ID

11753115

Incident

Jul 27, 2026

Tires are wearing badly on the inside edge only. Suspension and drive train components make noise during normal operation.

NHTSA ID

11751388

Incident

Jul 1, 2025

The contact owned a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently accelerated, and the Forward Collision Avoidance system was inoperative, causing the front center of the vehicle to crash into five other vehicles while trying to stop the vehicle. The air bags deployed as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was deemed a total loss at the scene. A Police report was filed. No injuries were sustained, and medical attention was not needed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

NHTSA ID

11749571

Incident

Jul 6, 2026

Mileage

15,000 mi

Vehicle caught fire after oil change. Oil leaked from engine onto catalytic converter and causes catastrophic engine fire

NHTSA ID

11743185

Incident

Apr 4, 2025

This bulletin announces a change to the troubleshooting tree when diagnosing DTC P2404 EVAP SYSTEM LEAK DETECTION PUMP SENSE CIRCUIT RANGE/PERFORMANCE.

This bulletin the announces diagnostic procedures and availability of new Engine Control Module (ECM) reprogramming files to address DTC P2404 (Evap System Leak Detection Pump Sense Circuit Range/Performance) detection. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

This is an update announcement regarding the TechShare & NorthStar Integration - CVT Diag.

This announcement provides information on the connected services platform for Subaru EVs.

This bulletin provides a step-by-step diagnostic procedure for resolving Remote Engine Start (RES) failures for both Telematics and remote engine start equipped vehicles.

This Service Information Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.