2020 SUBARU FORESTER Engine Problems

While driving my 2020 Subaru Forester at approximately 15 mph, the engine unexpectedly shut off, resulting in an immediate loss of propulsion (vehicle stall while in motion). This created a safety risk because the vehicle was in traffic and could have been struck from behind or lost the ability to accelerate out of danger. No crash occurred and there were no injuries. There were no warning lamps, warning messages, check engine light, or limp mode before, during, or after the stall event. The vehicle later experienced catastrophic engine failure, also without any warning indicators. The vehicle has been inspected by an authorized Subaru dealership. The dealership confirmed the failure and diagnosed crankshaft bearing failure on cylinder 3, and recommended short block replacement along with related engine component replacement (including cam phasers and gaskets/seals). The engine/vehicle remains available for inspection upon request. Manufacturer has been notified through Subaru of America Customer...

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while his wife was stopped at a red traffic light in the middle lane and surrounded by other vehicles, the auto START/STOP system engaged; however, when the brake pedal was released, the vehicle failed to restart. After several attempts, the vehicle eventually restarted, allowing the driver to safely pull over. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed with a dead battery. The dealer advised the contact about turning off the auto START/STOP system. The battery had been marked as good on two separate occasions. The battery was replaced. The contact reached out to the manufacturer, who opened a case but confirmed there was no warranty coverage on the vehicle. The manufacturer referred the contact to the NHTSA Hotline to report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 36,585.

2020 Subaru Forester periodically will stall out at a light or stop sign in heavy traffic. It then takes several attempts to restart. (Sometimes completely dead) My mechanic hasI changed the battery and checked the alternator, all in working order. It’s hard to figure out what is wrong because it doesn’t happen all the time.

We were traveling in rural California, 1 hour north of Bishop, CA on [XXX] when our vehicle's "Check Engine" light, "Parking Break" light, and several other lights lit up on our dashboard. Our car began to stall out immediately. We were able to pull off to the side of the road as best as we could as we were towing a camper at the time as well. We waited for 4 hours to get our vehicle and camper towed 1 hour away to a mechanic. The mechanic couldn't fix our car, but we were able to get an engine code reader to clear the codes as they came up. The closest Subaru dealership was 4 hours away in Las Vegas, NV. We had to drive through mountains and Death Valley. Despite using the engine code reader to clear codes every 30 seconds, our car stalled out 6 times on the...

I, the owner of a 2020 Subaru Forester am writing to you in regards to an issue with my vehicle’s Eyesight program. Over the past month, there have been several instances where the Eyesight program fails and caused the vehicle to suddenly stop without warning. This prevents me from safely moving the vehicle to the side of the road as the car stops. In other words, the car abruptly stops on the spot. This creates an immediate danger to life and health to myself and to other motorists. This issue must be addressed immediately and the necessary steps taken to ensure the safety the driver, passengers and other motorists on the road. Thank you for understanding.

When stopped at an intersection the car stalled. It would not restart for three minutes and caused a dangerous situation for my family and children in the car while traffic was moving. There were no warning signs, lights, or engine codes. The problem is random and cannot reproduced. The car is available for inspection.

Parasitic battery drain

I was stopped at a red light and the engine stalled. It read "FOR SAFETY, AUTO RESTART DISABLED". All warning lights on the dashboard lit up. I had to put the car in park and restart it in order to drive. I was honked at and put in a dangerous position. This has happened at least twice now.

my Subaru suddenly had numerous warning lights go on. Took it to the dealer and they said it was due to a recalled part: thermo control valve. They replaced it for free but said my head gaskets needed to be replaced after checking my oil for $4000 plus. I believe the recalled part caused the head gasket issue and shouldn’t have to pay also the mileage is only 66k

Upon exiting freeway, all lights on car came on including brake light. When placed in park, the engine would rev. If placed in drive, car would drive without gas given. Car towed to Subaru dealership and diagnosed with thermo control valve defect which seems to be a known widespread issue. Thankfully I was located close to a Subaru dealership however if not, this could cause others to be stranded. Given this widespread issue, a recall should occur to fix this issue.

Periodically, the vehicle stalls at stop lights, stop signs, and in other situations when coming to a complete stop. Once the vehicle comes to a complete stop and turns off due to the auto-stop/start function, it stalls immediately after the car re-starts and you press the gas pedal. This leaves the vehicle stalled in intersections and in potentially dangerous conditions. You must engage park and restart the vehicle while stopped in the middle of traffic, which poses a significant safety risk. I believe this issue is related to the auto-stop/start functionality. The vehicle has been inspected by a Subaru dealer several times, but they claim they cannot reproduce the problem and there are no diagnostic codes or warning lights. No other mechanic has inspected the vehicle.

My Forester just totally shuts down sometimes from the auto start feature in traffic or intersections . Errors come up . The wheel locks and I must put the car in park , turn it off and turn it back on. Very scary and very dangerous.

"Check Engine" light along with "Eye Sight" appeared suddenly on Nov. 22, 2024. All safety systems along with cruise control became inoperable. Took car to Subaru dealer and it was confirmed to be the catalytic converter. My VIN is covered under extended warranty, but I was never notified of this. Plus, now repairs are of an emergency nature. Also, I do a lot of driving including on the NJ Turnpike, I-95, etc., and while I am awaiting car to be repaired, I have no safety features to rely on--which was one of the reasons I bought a Subaru. They will not pay for a courtesy car loan. Another issue is the Thermo Control Valve. I was notified that I have an extended warranty for this, but part has to FAIL before Subaru will make repairs. Once again this becomes an emergency repair situation instead of a proactive one.

Subaru Forester engine stalls at an intersection due to auto start stop feature of subaru to save fuel, except that this is the second time when engine is idling it lowers the revs and then it stalls when trying to auto start engine; first time the dealer said is battery issue, I replaced the battery at my cost, and this is the second time. It is dangerous because there are oncoming traffic and I have only a split second to turn on my flashing lights. This is a brand new battery install on 9/2024.

DEFECTIVE THERMOSTATIC CONTROL VALVE- This part NEEDS to be recalled. Manufacturer has extended the warranty on the part, so it was free to replace. Otherwise, it's a $1600 part. I'm thankful they covered the price, but upset that this KNOWN issue is preventable and they've been letting people continue to be put in danger for four years now?! Incident 1) I was driving 45 mph on a busy street when the car bucked & All engine lights turned on (not helpful to pinpoint a problem) EyeSight turned off (when I needed it most.) The car was worse than dead. I was desperate to get to the shoulder, so I slammed on the emergency lights. Horrified, I realized turning the wheel did almost nothing. I had to lean on the steering wheel to get to the shoulder. When I applied gas it would choppily accelerate, so instead i let the car...

Vehicle traveling W on [XXX] Bryan TX. Automobile suddenly started shaking and not developing power, Driver was able to pull off on the shoulder barely clearing the #2 lane. The engine would crank but not sustain operation. The auto required transport to the home garaging location. Subsequent analysis of the fuel showed it to be gasoline, no water, lacked appearance of any foreign matter. With the ignition on 12V were detected at the gas tank terminal, however the in tank pump would not produce fuel flow at the connection at the top of the tank. Had the vehicle been operating in the #1 lane it may not have been possible to clear the traveled lanes thus causing a traffic safety problem. A State Trooper did provide protection until the vehicle was transported. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Car shuts off while stopped at light. This has happened 3 times. I have taken it to Subaru service provider and keep being told nothing is wrong. Car must be put into park and restarted to work. It is unsafe. There are multiple reports online ([XXX] and [XXX] ) of people reporting the same issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

P2682 Engine overheating and engine gauge flashing red due to a recall related to the engine coolant bypass valve. The vehicle stopped and required a tow for $417 to the nearest Subaru dealership to repair. After towing to the dealership they charged 31% of parts to labor and would not eliminate or discount the invoice.

Within one month the same thing happened. I turn on the car and the eyesight warning light is on (eyesight feature disabled), flashing "S" drive is on, "break" light is on, and check engine light is on. Due to this cruise control isn't working. My plan was to take it to a mechanic/dealership that Monday. By Monday morning, after about 15 minutes of driving, all warning signs disappeared. This exact thing happened a few weeks later (this morning). I started googling issues and seems like this is an issue for many customers and is just a malfunctioning Thermo Control Valve, no actual problem. What do I do about this? This is much less important - but also seems like a quality issue, at drivers side, the seat cover is starting to crack, looking like this is car is over 10 years old, we've had it for less than 4 years...

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at 60 MPH, a deer jumped in the roadway causing damage to the front driver-side engine compartment. No air bags had deployed. The contact had managed to pull onto the side of the road. The contact stated she and the front passenger exited the vehicle safely when shortly afterward a fire started in the front driver-side engine compartment. No injury was sustained. A police report was filed but was unavailable. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot where it was then taken by the insurance company. The contact stated the insurance company had the vehicle in their possession for an investigation. The origin of the fire was unknown. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.

2020 SUBARU FORESTER JUST HAD A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEAR. THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION CODE IS P26A3, WHICH IS A DEFECTIVE THERMOSTATIC CONTROL VALVE. THIS MALFUNCTION ALSO AFFECTS THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS ADVANCED DRIVER ASSITANCE SYSTEMS SUCH AS: "EYESIGHT" BLIND SPOT MONITORING, LANE KEEP ASSIST, ETC. VEHICLE ONLY HAS 51,000 MILES ON IT.

The thermo valve leaked into connector, causing engine to shut down abruptly to prevent overheating. This happened at 70 mph on interstate highway in traffic. Part was replaced with modified thermo valve later. Barely able to coast to narrow shoulder flanked by deep ditch, with vehicle very close to interstate traffic, so much so that exit from vehicle ill-advised. After towing, vehicle was serviced by Subaru dealer. At time of part failure many warning lights & messages appeared, but not before the event.

I was driving to work and many of my warning lights suddenly came on. This includes my check engine light, my lane assist light, my auto collision braking, my eye sight disabled and my cool engine light keeps going on and off. My cabin heating also isn’t working. There is no reason for this happening other than my thermo control valve failing.

The Thermo Control Valve is faulty and renders the vehicle non-operative. There have been numerous instances in Subaru Foresters in the same make and year.

I was at a red light when the engine shut off and the check engine and several other warning lights came on. After multiple tries I was finally able to restart the vehicle and drive it off the road. After taking it to the dealership the confirmed issue is the Thermal Control Valve. The dealership is requesting about $1600 to replace the faulty part.

The Thermal Control Valve failed on my car and it’s only 3 years old. This is a common issue and is widely known within the forums. Subaru should recall these valves as they are failing prematurely.

I stopped at a red light. The car's auto shutoff feature turned the car off for the fuel savings. When the light turned green and I went to go, the car tried to start and failed. I had to put it in park and start the car manually.

On Sunday, [XXX] we were traveling in our 2020 Subaru Forester on a trip from Minnesota to Florida for a vacation. Not long into cross country trip we found ourselves stranded on the side of the highway uncertain about the ability of our vehicle to continue to due to a defective Thermo Control Valve failure. About 200 miles into our trip, while driving at highway speeds south of Rochester, MN the dashboard lit up. The check engine light was on, and other safety features were lit up on the dash as disabled (Eye-sight technology, lane assist, automatic vehicle collision braking). The heat would not work after this incident. We checked the owners manual, and then drove to an Auto-parts store to have a scan done to determine the error code. The code "P26A3 - Engine coolant bypass valve A Range/Performance" was indicated. In checking online we discovered that a Thermo...

Thermo control valve is bad. Ask subaru to issue recall on 2019-2020 models.

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.

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.

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...

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.

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...

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.

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.

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...

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.

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...

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.

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 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 while driving approximately 70 MPH, the accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle started to lose motive power. The check engine warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road where the vehicle then stalled. The vehicle was restarted approximately 15 minutes later. The vehicle was towed to a dealer where it was diagnosed that the thermal control valve and electric water pump needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 13,000.