NHTSA Complaint #11414188 — 2017 SUBARU FORESTER

I BOUGHT A CERTIFIED PRE-OWNED 2017 SUBARU FORESTER ON JUNE 19 2020. I HAVE HAD AN INTERMITTENT SAFETY ISSUE WITH THE VEHICLE NOT RESPONDING CORRECTLY WHEN I TRY TO ACCELERATE SINCE. WHEN I PRESS THE GAS PEDAL THE CAR WILL BEGIN TO ACCELERATE WITH MY RPMS RISING NORMALLY. THEN MY RPMS WILL START TO DROP WHEN THEY WOULD NORMALLY RISE AND MY CAR STOPS OR MAINTAINS THE ACCELERATION PRIOR. ONCE THEY HAVE DROPPED THEY WILL STAY THERE FOR A LITTLE AND THEN WILL SHOOT UP SUDDENLY AND RED LINE. I HAVE TRIED A VARIETY OF THINGS TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING; I HAVE TAKEN MY FOOT OFF THE GAS, KEPT THE SAME OR MORE PRESSURE ON THE GAS, AND BREAKING. REGARDLESS OF WHAT I DO THE VEHICLE RED LINES AND MY SPEED WILL EITHER DROP OR STAY THE SAME. I HAVE TAKEN THE VEHICLE TO SUBARU DEALERSHIPS ON 3 SEPARATE OCCASIONS AND IT WAS RETURNED TO ME WITHOUT DIAGNOSING OR REPAIRING THE PROBLEM. THE LAST TIME I DROVE MY VEHICLE IT DID THIS AGAIN AND THE RPMS RED LINING CAUSING MY ENGINE TO FAIL. I WAS ACCELERATED FROM A STOP AT A STREET LIGHT AND THE VEHICLE STOPPED ACCELERATING EVEN THOUGH I WAS PRESSING THE ACCELERATOR. THE RPMS REDLINED AND MY ENGINE BEGAN MAKING A TERRIBLE NOISE THAT WE LATER DISCOVERED WAS FROM UNREPAIRABLE ENGINE DAMAGE. THE VEHICLE HAS NOW BEEN AT THE DEALERSHIP FOR OVER A MONTH TO REPLACE MY ENGINE AND TRY TO FIX THIS ISSUE. EVERY WEEK THEY TELL ME I WILL GET IT BACK THE NEXT WEEK AND THEN SOMETHING ELSE FAILS OR CAUSES A SET BACK. I BOUGHT A SUBARU FORESTER BECAUSE OF ADVERTISEMENTS ABOUT HOW "SAFE" AND 'RELIABLE' THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO BE. INSTEAD I HAVE HAD NEAR MISSES WHEN MERGING ONTO THE INTERSTATE OR TURNING ACROSS TRAFFIC IN A BUSY DENVER INTERSECTION BECAUSE THE VEHICLE DOESN'T RESPOND AS EXPECTED. THE DEALERSHIP HAS IGNORED MY CONCERNS BY EITHER SAYING "THAT JUST HAPPENS WITH FORESTERS SOMETIMES" OR "WE CAN'T FIX IT UNLESS WE CAN REPLICATE IT.'