Subaru Forester Complaints (2023)

73 consumer complaints on file.

#11602395July 15, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
I was driving down the main street of a small city. There is a decent amount of traffic, so I’m not sure what speed I was going but likely no more than 25 mph. All of a sudden, for no apparent reason, the pre-collision braking went into effect and slammed me to a total stop. I wasn’t too close to the vehicle in front of me, there were no pedestrians in the road, etc. thankfully the vehicle behind me was able to stop and did not hit me. I was able to move forward and pulled into the closet parking lot. I looked and could see anything directly on my vehicle. Subaru is saying that one of my tire’s pressure was low and that may have caused it or sunlight may have caused it. There was no low tire pressure light on my vehicle. The light had been on not too long before this and I had filled the tires. But no warning light on the day this happened. I was able to successfully drive further with no issues. Subaru does not seem to be taking this seriously. But, no matter the cause, if either of these things will cause a vehicle to come to an immediate stop, that is definitely a safety issue. And it is a safety concern that should be looked into.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11600803July 10, 2024
AIR BAGS, VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and the RPMs were significantly high. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact shifted to park(P) and turned off the vehicle, and the vehicle decelerated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed. Additionally, the contact stated while his wife was reversing, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and hit a chained gate. The contact's wife depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle went into the woods, hit several small trees, and then the vehicle crashed into a big tree and bounced 30 ft. away from the tree. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact's wife sustained a sore neck, but did not seek medical assistance. A police report was filed. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was towed to an auto collision repair shop, awaiting for a damage estimate. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 9,000.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11596928June 26, 2024
BACK OVER PREVENTION: SENSING SYSTEM: CAMERA
Subaru Infotainment system frozen I've been experiencing an issue where the screen suddenly freezes and emits a loud beeping sound. I've tried restarting and resetting to factory settings multiple times, but the issue persists. The situation is worsening; my infotainment system has been unusable for a couple of days now, which means my backup camera is also not functioning. My friend mentioned that I could report this to the NHTSA, as it directly relates to safety concerns.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11595249June 19, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
We were traveling on a limited access highway at approximately 65 miles an hour. Both the adaptive cruise control and the driver assist were engaged. A car approximately four car lengths ahead of us exited the highway into the breakdown lane. My car slammed on its brakes and reduced speed to less than 40 miles an hour with no warning. Had there been a vehicle behind us we certainly would have been hit. This is not the first time we have had difficulty with the adaptive cruise control braking unpredictably , but it’s the first time it endangered our lives.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590835May 26, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Rear windshield burst for no apparent reason in car less than one year old while car was stopped at a stop light. Other traffic was also stopped around the car. There was no obvious cause (rock, etc.), plus the rear windshield appeared to shatter as much outward as it did inward. Fortunately car was stopped because it was very startling and could have affected driving. Also fortunately, there was no one in the back who could have been hurt by the glass. Reported it to Subaru, but they denied any coverage under warranty.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11590008May 21, 2024
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while in a parking lot, the contact depressed the brake pedal and attempted to shift into gear and the vehicle accelerated inadvertently, jumped a curb, and crashed into a tree. The contact was able to put the vehicle in reverse; however, while the contact’s foot was on the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated backward independently. The contact was treated by a local urgent care for whiplash. No one else was involved in the crash. The Police were dispatched to the scene however, no Police report was filed. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic, but the mechanic was unable to assist. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 4,500.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11588575May 13, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Windshield developed chip driving down a quiet residential street. Expected windshield to be much durable, but seems to be a very common issue with Subaru windshields, even though this is a 2023 model!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11587735May 8, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Our car’s Android Auto navigation system is failing. This is not just a navigation failure. When we drive, especially at night, and our navigation system fails, it becomes a security and safety hazard. The problem: 1. After connecting a phone, TCL A30 Android 11, via the USB cable to the car navigation system and entering an address, frequently, the system gets frozen. After a few tries at physically connecting and disconnecting the cable, we were able to get the system going. 2. While driving, the navigation system frequently fails. Occasionally, it points in the wrong direction, freezes, or shows that the navigation position is lagging by miles from our actual position. Disconnecting and reconnecting the USB cable tends to resolve the problem. When we use the Subaru navigation system and, at the same time, concurrently employ a second phone navigation system, that standalone phone navigation system does not experience the failures we are seeing with the Subaru navigation system. 2. Frequently, we get a message about a lost GPS signal. This is an erroneous message. We know that because a second phone, not connected to the car navigation system, does not give GPS error messages at the time the car navigation system announces GPS errors. We did the following tests to verify that the navigation failures we observed were not phone or USB cable issues. We tested the car navigation system with two different phones and observed the same failures with both phones. We tested the system with two USB cables, and the failures persisted. We tested the USB cables for data transfers by downloading files from the phones to a computer. The file transfers from the phone to the computer were quick and accurate. It appears that the communication protocol that links the phone with the car’s navigation system is broken. We communicated our concerns to Subaru customer support. To the present time, we have received no response from Subaru.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11571449February 12, 2024
AIR BAGS, AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION:FRONT PASSENGER
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side occupant sensor failed to recognize a petite, smaller individual seated in the front passenger’s seat. The dealer was notified of failure and referred the contact to the manufacturer. The manufacturer was notified, and the contact inquired about the weight requirement for the passenger occupant sensor, and the manufacturer did not answer the question. The vehicle was not repaired or diagnosed. The failure mileage was unknown.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11571264February 11, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Got a crack on the windshield after owning the vehicle for under 5 months. There was no apparent pebble/stone and one morning i just saw that there was a crack on the windshield. It was also active that means was growing with time. My dealer also said that it won't be covered under warranty. I used my insurance to get it fixed however it seems like this is a consistent problem with Subaru's and they are well aware of it. This is well known issue in the online Subaru groups however Subaru has done nothing to get it fixed.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11571243February 10, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Spontabeus stress crack in windshield in first 1000 miles.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11570560February 7, 2024
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
If you have the adaptive cruise control (or regular cruise if you disable adaptive) and accelerate to pass another vehicle, as soon as you take your foot off the gas to coast back down to the cruise setting the car slams on the brakes to bring the vehicle back to the set speed. I have almost been rear ended several times when this happens. This has occurred since I purchased the vehicle. The dealership says this is a design feature and not a defect. It doesn't matter what speed the cruise is set at. If you are exceeding the set speed, the brakes apply when the accelerator is released.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11570435February 6, 2024
VISIBILITY/WIPER
I have owned the vehicle less than 6 months. There is now a 6 inch crack in my front windshield for no apparent reason. It just appeared one day last week. I have heard from other Subaru owners that this is a common problem. They suggested I report the issue here.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11570282February 6, 2024
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, VISIBILITY/WIPER
Car only has 6,000 miles,had 2 tiny stones hit the windshield and put 2 pebble sized holes in windshield, got those fixed and a week later another stone hit and now it has a quarter size chip,hole ,never had any other car i owned have this happen too,I would think a #1 safety rated manufacturer would have better windshields
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11568075January 26, 2024
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
The vehicles battery does not hold a charge during short term, (3-5 weeks of storage). I understand that some prior years of Subaru vehicles have this same problem and there is currently a recall for this. I wonder if this battery problem exists in newer Subaru Foresters. When we purchased this vehicle as new we observed that the Dealership was having problems maintaining the charge on at least two other new Forester vehicles on display and had to replace the battery in one of these to start the vehicle and show it to other customers. We have had to have Triple A, (AAA), visit our home and jump start our 2023 Forester at least three times. We do not use the vehicle much and there is less than 1000 miles on our auto. The auto is stored in the off condition. No warning messages of lamps show the depleted battery conditions until trying to start the vehicle. We have recently, week of 1/15-22/2023, replaced the battery the auto came with and put in a new Diehard battery. We have photos of the old battery.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11564626January 10, 2024
TIRES, TIRES:PRESSURE MONITORING AND REGULATING SYSTEMS
225/60R17 99T
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11563645January 4, 2024
SUSPENSION
Both front control arm outer bushings failed. At 21,000 miles, both bushings were found to be almost completely torn. They were torn around both the inner and outer portions of their respective sleeves. Rubber was found to be heavily worn and appear to be possibly dry rotted as well, with many surface cracks. The rubber was found to be no longer fully adhered to the outer portion of the sleeve. The control arms had a lot of play, both up and down, and left and right, causing the vehicle to drive erratically, especially on wet or uneven roadways. Vehicle also exhibited a lot of body roll. Further, vehicle would slide/skid around the roadway while making turns. The manufacturer, Subaru of America, has failed to respond to several emails. Phone calls have yet to be returned. Original Subaru dealership, World Subaru Tinton Falls, NJ, refused to acknowledge the issue and claimed they were in perfect working order. Customer tried to obtain another service appointment as was denied. Subaru's commonly have bushing failures that both the dealerships and manufacture refuse to acknowledge. Customer was able to finally find a dealership who has confirmed the issue and is currently replacing them.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11557651November 30, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Just replaced my winshield for my 2023 suburu, first off safelite uses after market, also I haven't had the car for more than 3 months, the next day the winshield was hit with another pebble causing another crack. Like what the hell is the matter with these winshields and what is suburu go8ng to do about it. I'm missing work, and losing money here, not only that it's very dangerous to drive with these winshields.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11556853November 26, 2023
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Small pebble hit winshield and in no time I have about a 3 inch crack. Car purchased a few months ago, used I have about 4000 miles on it. Read about winshield problems in newer cars with eyesight happening frequently and bam, it happens to me. This needs to be corrected!
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11553125November 1, 2023
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Spontaneous windshield crack. I parked car in garage overnight. In the morning, there was a spontaneous crack on passenger side. Not sure if it is related to using car heater for the very first time 2 days prior to the spontaneous crack. The vehicle is 8 months old with 10,000 miles
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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