NHTSA Complaint #10940353 — 2017 SUBARU FORESTER

ON VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH 6-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION: WHEN SHIFTING GEARS, ENGINE SPEED INCREASES TO 4000-4500 RPM WHILE CLUTCH IS DEPRESSED, DESPITE HAVING FOOT ENTIRELY OFF THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. RPM REMAINS ELEVATED FOR 5 TO 10 SECONDS BEFORE SLOWLY RETURNING TO NORMAL IDLE. ON OTHER OCCASIONS, ENGINE SPEED WILL INCREASE TO APPROXIMATELY 2500 RPM WHILE SITTING WITH THE CLUTCH DEPRESSED AND FOOT OFF ACCELERATOR (FOR EXAMPLE, WHILE WAITING FOR A TRAFFIC LIGHT). DOES NOT SEEM TO BE A "RUNAWAY" CONDITION: THE ENGINE SPEED NEVER APPROACHES REDLINE, BUT INCREASES SMOOTHLY TO THE "TARGET" RPM, STAYS CONSTANT FOR AWHILE, THEN SMOOTHLY RETURNS TO IDLE. NOTE: OTHER 2017 FORESTER OWNERS HAVE REPORTED SIMILAR BEHAVIOR. SUBARU IS INVESTIGATING, BUT AT PRESENT IS SAYING, "IT'S NOT A BUG, IT'S A FEATURE." AFTER 50 YEARS OF DRIVING SCORES OF VEHICLES WITH MANUAL TRANSMISSIONS, I DISAGREE.