2020 Subaru Forester complaints

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while at a complete stop, she noticed that there was a crack in the middle of the windshield. The contact stated that there was no external cause for the failure. The dealer and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 21,000.

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.

Started engine after parking and check engine light came on, eyesight disabled, and flashing “s”. Stopped driving and took vehicle to dealer. Diagnosed as thermo control unit. Told they didn’t have a loaner and was safe to drive for a few days. Has no heat and engine would not warm up. No safety systems. Retained 3 days later to dealer when loaner was available. Repaired under powertrain warranty.

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.)

My thermo value went bad on my 2020 Forrester with no symptoms or warning causing me to become stranded in the middle of an extremely busy road. This is seemingly known problem and I'm unsure why Subaru has not been more proactive with this knowledge, not allowing others to end up in the same dangerous situation I was left in. Also, even after having the thermo value replaced, I have no way of knowing if any permanent damage was caused to my engine.

I started the car to make a trip to town to run some errands. When I cranked the engine the Check Engine light came on. The S for Sport Mode was flashing and a No Eyesight warning came on. Also SRS Side Airbag light came on to indicate it was not working. And another light came on showing a car going out of its lane, but I don't know if it was the Lane Keep Assist light or not.

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.

Check Engine light came on along with EyeSight, traction control and flashing [S] lights. Dealer confirmed that the thermo control valve failed.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 75 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking system activated and applied the brakes. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where he smelled a burnt smell in the interior of the vehicle. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. The check engine and brake warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, who diagnosed a failure with the throttle body. The vehicle was repaired, but the failure reoccurred. The manufacturer was notified of the failure, and a case was opened. The failure mileage was 35,600.

Got warning P2A63 that the Thermo Control Valve is shot around 63k miles. Apparently this is happening very often in Subaru's made between 2019 and 2022.

While accelerating to merge in the freeway the Thermo Control Valve malfunctioned, causing check engine light to come on which turned off all the safety features (lane assist off, precollision off, RAB and eyesight off) of my Subaru 2020 Forester Sport. I’ve researched the internet and shows it is a common issue. I brought it to a subaru dealership and was told it is not safe to drive the vehicle. Since I just passed 60k powertrain warranty (around 62k), it is not covered and had to pay over $3,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, the contact observed a crack on the windshield extending from the passenger’s side trim to the center of the windshield. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or an independent mechanic. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 29,000.

When I am idling at a stop sign or sitting in traffic and I have come to a full stop, the car's engine shuts down as a gas-saving feature. This is not the problem! The problem is that sometimes when this feature engages, when I lift my foot off the brake to start driving again, a shrill constant ringing sound starts and the engine won't power back on. There is an error message that comes on that says "eyesight disabled." When this happens, none of these factors (the ringing, the error message, the dead engine) stop until I put the car in park and power it down completely, then restart the engine. Then none of the symptoms are there anymore and the car drives normally. I have not noticed any consistency about when this problem does or does not happen - it occurs in all weather types, temperatures, times of day, slopes/flat roads. I sometimes go months without it happening, and other times it happens twice in several days. The only consistent thing is that it only happens when the car is at a full stop and the engine has shuddered off to save gas. I live in Chicago and almost exclusively drive short distances in the city, I hardly do any highway driving. This has happened maybe 20 times since I bought the car in February, 2023.

There is a crack on the left lower part of the windshield. It’s the 3rd crack requiring a windshield replacement and it only has 21,110 miles on it

The thermo control valve (TCV) went bad at 54,000 miles. The result is that none of the safety features work anymore. Collision detection, Eye-Sight, lane change warnings, anti-skid, etc. all go offline when the TCV goes out. We can drive the car but it now has no safety features.

My vehicle has repeatedly required being jump-started after sitting for a period of time. Recently it has become a safety issue because the engine is designed to turn off at times in order to traffic to improve fuel efficiency. After research, Subaru has a known issue with the DCM system used to power the optional (subscription based) Starlink system. This system uses 3G signals to provide emergency assistance; however 3G signal has been decommissioned and the system is unable to connect to a tower and never stops trying. This creates a parasitic drain on the battery that can (and has) prevents the car from being able to restart from a stopped position.

Vehicle continuously suffers a total loss of power (engine shuts off) while driving, creating obvious hazard to the user of the car and other drivers. This continues to happen without warning and often while driving through intersections and other dangerous situations. No warning lights precede these events. We brought the vehicle to the Subaru dealership and, after testing/diagnosing the problem, they informed us the vehicle needs a larger battery (which also requires installation of a larger battery tray) than the one that came equipped with the vehicle from the manufacturer. No aftermarket modifications have been made to the battery or electrical systems and the current battery is the size and type recommended by Subaru in the owner’s manual; the dealership, however, advises that that battery is insufficient and needs to be changed for a larger-sized battery.

Since purchasing my vehicle in June of 2020, I have replaced the windshield every 6-7 months for spontaneously cracking. In April of 2023 I filed a claim with Subaru of America and was instructed to make an insurance claim and my deductible would be reimbursed. As of December 1, 2023 my windshield has cracked yet again. I have had a windshield inspection done every time it has been replace, no defects or rock chips were identified. This will be the 6th windshield I have had replaced.

Check engine light came on, low temp light stays on, Eyesight disabled, lane departure, emergency breaking, etc have all been disabled due to the issue. I took it to the local autobody shop and they found code p0128 | Coolant Thermostat Issue. This has caused all safety features to become disabled as mentioned above. I was told by the local shop that I need to go to the dealership. I have not brought it to the dealership yet however, after looking online I found that this is a common issue with this make and model vehicle however, nothing has been done by Subaru to recall the component. I am going to bring the car to a dealership however, I'm upset that Subaru hasn't acted on the information that they have a faulty component in this vehicle. I am very concerned with cost of repairs since I am being forced to go to the dealer.

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.

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.

Windshield spontaneously cracked from the base into the wiper area. There was no previously known damage. This impacts driver visibility and weakens the windshield. I have not had the windshield inspected by another party and did not observe any warnings. I have since learned online that this is an ongoing issue with some Subaru windshields.

41k miles P26A3 P26A5 ****Eyesight disabled*** ***Forward collision disabled *** Failed TCV and dealer will not cover because warranty period is over.

While driving, most of the dash errors lights lit up- alerting me that the Eyesight Warning, RAB ( Reverse Auto Braking) and other safety functions were disabled. The Check Engine light was on and a flashing S next to it. Cold Engine light was illuminated as well. Dealer diagnosed with a faulty Thermal Control Valve, which somehow disabled all safety features. This is a common failure of Subarus and a recall is needed.

Woke up to a large cracked windshield for no reason

The thermo control valve malfunctioned causing the check engine light to come on which shut down all the safety features in the vehicle including the front eye sight camera, blind spot warning, the rear automatic braking, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and lane keeping assistance.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the auto START/STOP feature was malfunctioning. The contact stated that upon coming to a complete stop, the engine turned off, but failed to restart after releasing the brake pedal. The message "Engine Disabled" was displayed. The contact depressed the brake pedal and pressed the Push to Start button and was able to continue driving. The contact stated that the failure had been recurring. The dealer was notified of the failure and advised the contact to manually deactivate the auto Start-Stop feature by pressing a button. The contact stated that she followed the dealer's instructions; however, the feature had been engaging independently and the failure had been recurring while at a complete stop. The vehicle was taken to the dealer to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 39,000.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 55 MPH, the front driver's side windshield cracked. The windshield had developed a crack without impact. The contact stated that the windshield had previously been replaced by an auto glass company for the same issue. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 64,000.

Daughter was driving vehicle on the morning of September 15, 2023, when smoke came from under hood. Immediately pulled over and engine was engulfed in flames. Got out of vehicle and moved a safe distance away as glass started to break and fire department arrived on scene. Picked up vehicle on September 12, 2023, after having the thermal control valve replaced (warranty) but after doing research there are other components that also had to be replaced (fuel line, etc) as part of this repair. Noticed there have been other vehicles with recall due to thermal control valve just nothing on the Subaru Forester. Completely traumatized as the vehicle was gone in a little over 3 minutes. Have been in contact with Subaru but no resolution on what they believe caused the car to catch on fire. Did authorize them to get “black box” on September 29, 2023.

Engine check light came on and after running a test it seemed as though the thermo control valve thermostat was not working properly which means the valve that lets coolant into the engine doesn't know what the temp is and when to release coolant. That ended up being the issue and we were barely under the 60k mile warranty for the powertrain so it was covered but I've been reading that it is a common issue and others are surprised it hadn't been recalled yet as it could cause the engine to overheat. The part is so defective that subaru has already designed a better part which means they know its a common issue.

Unintentional acceleration. After making right turn, vehicle accelerated for approx 1/2 mile until crashing into wall. Several attempts at braking and trying to shift into neutral did nothing.

I have had three cracked windshields within 4 years of driving and 30,000 miles

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.

Windshield cracked for no reason shortly after purchasing. Needs to be replaced. Quoted 1500.00 because self driving feature must also be adjusted when replacing windshield

Windshield on this Subaru Forester cracked severely shortly after purchasing the car. This happened in the driveway while parked. Nothing hit the glass.

The thermo control valve malfunctioned causing the check engine light to come on which shut down all the safety features in the vehicle including the front eye sight camera, blind spot warning, the rear automatic braking, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and lane keeping assistance. The check engine computer readout diagnostic trouble code was P26A5 "Engine Coolant Bypass Valve "A" Position Sensor Circuit Range/Performance". The vehicle was taken to a Subaru dealer who found the thermo valve performance was out of spec. This vehicle has not been recalled although the manufacturer replaced the part in 2021 vehicles acknowledging the valve was faulty. Because of the mileage on my vehicle, it was not covered under the warranty although many have been replaced under the manufacturer's warranty due to the failure of this valve under the 60,000 mile warranty. I believe this should be a recall item for others who experience this issue.

I’ve owned my Subaru forester for over a year now. About 6 months ago while getting off an exit and at a light, when I went to accelerate my car died. All lights came off and no power to vehicle. I was able to restart and drive home. Called the dealer took it in and paid almost $2k for repairs. Today the same thing happened on the turnpike in stopped traffic. This could have been a bad accident.

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.

The car dies when it stops for a traffic stop. Sometimes it starts again and and sometimes it does not. It does not do it when the air is on. People honk at you in traffic if you do not start right away. I thought there was a recall on Subarus for same which is why I never bought one. The vehicle has been inspected. It also unlocks itself sometimes after I lock it.

While I was traveling I stopped at a rest area and when I restarted my car, my panel lit up like a Christmas tree. All my safety assist systems were disabled and my check engine light came on. When I got home I had my mechanic run the codes and it came back to the thermo control valve. This happened on 8-29-2023. I researched the problem and Subaru put out a service bulletin in February 2022 but never notified me. My car is out of warranty now and am forced to drive without my safety systems because, 1- they don’t carry the part in stock and 2- the cost to repair is over $1400.00. Subaru was aware of the problem but kept it quiet. I feel this is a scam and Subaru should recall this part. I was warned that my car could die at any time. I bought it for those very safety systems as I am a senior citizen and rely on them now.

Was driving at highway speeds (65 mph) and within the posted speed limit and a small, unidentifiably small object was kicked up by a car in the adjacent lane and hit the windshield, resulting in a small ding that immediately spread to a large crack across most of the windshield.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the windshield was cracked. The crack had developed on the passenger’s side of the windshield’s edge where the windshield meets the frame and expanded 6 inches horizontally. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the local dealer or the glass shop. The windshield was not replaced. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,978.

The thermo control valve malfunctioned causing the check engine light to come on which shut down all the safety features in the vehicle including the front eye sight camera, blind spot warning, the rear automatic braking, lane departure warning, adaptive cruise control, and lane keeping assistance. The check engine computer readout diagnostic trouble code was P26A5 "Engine Coolant Bypass Valve "A" Position Sensor Circuit Range/Performance". The vehicle was taken to a Subaru dealer who found the thermo valve performance was out of spec. The valve was replaced. This vehicle has not been recalled although the manufacturer replaced the part in 2021 vehicles acknowledging the valve was faulty. Because of the mileage on my vehicle, it was not covered under the warranty although many have been replaced under the manufacturer's warranty due to the failure of this valve under the 60,000 mile warranty. Through a "Goodwill gesture" Subaru replaced the part in my car at no cost. I believe this should be a recall item for others who experience this issue.

Windshield cracked for no apparent reason.

The windshield suddenly crack for no apparent reason. I inquire about this problem from the Subaru service department and I was told that its not covered by warranty. I found out from my own research that a lot of Forester owner have complain of the same issue.

While driving, the 2020 Forester, the check engine light, collision light, eyesight function lights all went on at the same time. I brought vehicle to check diagnostics and it is showing Engine Coolant Bypass Valve "A" Control Circuit low in Power Train System. Their were no messages prior to all the lights turning on and I was able to bring into the dealer for oil change but not able to make an appointment for repair for a few days from now

For the 3rd time in less than 3 years my windshield crack from a small pebble hitting it. Either Subaru is making very thin windshield glass, or the material used is not sufficient to suppress small pebbles and causes the windshield to crack, often. The latest crack happened July 25, 2023 in the PM with a small 1/4 inch crack, by morning it had grown to over 2 feet. It seems to me there is a design flaw here.

While driving on the highway, the engine suddenly stopped and several warning lights appeared on dash. Driver was able to coast to shoulder but could have been a bad accident. It happened again on the way to dealer service center. Dealer reproduced the problem and identified it as a faulty thermo control valve. Dealer fixed it under warranty. Review of web reports makes this seem like a common problem with various Subaru automobiles.

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that there was a chip on the front windshield that was not caused by an impact. The front windshield was cracked. The contact called the local dealer and was referred to an auto glass shop. The vehicle was taken to the auto glass shop that replaced the front windshield, but the failure recurred. The contact stated that while her son was occupying the vehicle, he noticed that the front windshield was cracked. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted. The failure mileage was 25,000.

Error code (P26A3?)for - Engine Coolant Bypass Valve. Causes the "Check Engine" light to come on and automatically disables ALL of the safety and collision mitigation systems. The Engine Coolant Bypass Valve failure is common and a known issue and Subaru has already updated the part on newer vehicle models. The common failure of the coolant bypass valve should not be disabling the safety features and the collision avoidance systems.