NHTSA Complaint #11538950 — 2017 SUBARU FORESTER
ENGINE issue reported to NHTSA
Crash
Complaint Details
| ODI Number | 11538950 |
| Vehicle | 2017 SUBARU FORESTER |
| Component | ENGINE |
| Date of Incident | |
| Date Filed | |
| Mileage | N/A miles |
| Crash | Yes |
| Fire | No |
| Injuries | 0 |
| Deaths | 0 |
| Vehicle Towed | No |
| State | CO |
Consumer Description
On July 31,2023, approximately 8PM, I was driving my 2017 Subaru slowly as I made the 90degree turn into my driveway. Midway up the driveway, the car suddenly —on its own—spontaneously accelerated , burst through the half open garage door, across the garage, and crashed through the garage wall into my family room—bulldozing through two sheets of plywood and large pieces of firewood in the garage, and then destroying heavy antique furniture in the family room before coming to rest. The jagged remains of the wall prevented opening either the passenger or the driver’s side door. My adult son, [XXX] , was my passenger in the front seat. He climbed to the back, but the hatch has no handle on the inside, so we were trapped in the car. I called 911. Police and Fire departments arrived. Miraculously, we were not hurt, but had anyone been in the family room at the time, they would have been seriously injured or killed. I made an insurance claim with Allstate Insurance Company the next morning. They determined that the car is "repairable" but will not pay for it to be examined and repaired at a Subaru dealership or Subaru certified body shop . They tell me I have to use at shop in their "preferred network" and pay the extra cost that a Subaru facility would charge. A non-Subaru affiliated mechanic theorized that it was a computer problem that caused the malfunction. Doing a "google" search, I find that hundreds of drivers have had this sudden, unexpected acceleration problem,(Subaru Forester years 20120-2018) but that Subaru dealerships are unable to discover the cause. There have also been two "class action" lawsuitsI I called Groove Subaru dealership,(5300 S. Broadway, Englewood, CO, 80113, and the service department man that I spoke with seemed not at all concerned about the spontaneous acceleration issue, and casually recommended a body shop. The UNKNOWN cause needs to be found before someone is killed !!! PLEASE HELP INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF IN
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