Car was put into reverse. Without the driver stepping on the gas pedal, the car revved and suddenly accelerated. Attempt to brake did not stop the car. Car stopped only when it hit a retaining wall approximately 20-30 feet from start of acceleration. Damage occurred to rear drivers side of the car.
2009 Subaru Forester: sudden unintended acceleration
12 of the 178 complaints about the 2009 Subaru Forester describe sudden unintended acceleration.
- owner complaints
- 12
- of this car's complaints
- 7%
- typical mileage
- 24,000
- recalls
- 0
Is there a fix? No recall or service bulletin covers this area of the car yet.
Sudden unintended acceleration by model year
What owners say
File describes four separate incidents in 2017. Case opened with subaru of america. All unintended acceleration. Two collisions, two close calls. All detail of all for is in pdf.
Sudden acceleration caused a serious accident. Upon pulling into a parking space the vehicle suddenly acceleration and crashed into a building. This is the second time this has happened with this vehicle.
Tl*the contact owns a 2009 subaru forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 5 MPH and depressing the brake pedal to stop at a traffic sign, the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning causing the contact to drive through the stop sign. The failure recurred twice. The vehicle was not taken to the dealer or diagnosed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 60,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 subaru forester. While accelerating from a complete stop, the vehicle accelerated without warning. The vehicle was not taken to a dealer and was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified. The failure mileage was 1,000.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 subaru forester. The contact stated that while driving 5 MPH, the vehicle suddenly accelerated and crashed into another vehicle. The contact did not suffer any injuries. A police report was not filed. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer for a diagnostic test however, the dealer was unable to diagnose the failure. The failure mileage was 52,000. The VIN was not available.
In a 2009 subaru forester while in a small parking lot, after backing out of parking space and preparing to move forward, the vehicle suddenly accelerated, shot across the lot and crashed into a parked car which was severely damaged and deemed totaled. The driver was only able to attempt to steer the out-of-control forester away from the parking lot exit to avoid it leaving the lot, crossing the sidewalk and entering the roadway.the forester sustained considerable damages which were repaired. The owner (driver) drove the forester only one time since the accident and would not continue to use it for fear of a repetition of what appeared to him to be a serious defect in the speed control. This has been reported by others for this make and model for 2009 and other years.
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 subaru forester. The contact stated that while reversing, the vehicle accelerated on its own and crashed into a tree. The contact shifted into neutral and the vehicle stopped moving at that point. The dealer was notified but offered no assistance. The vehicle had not been repaired. The VIN was unavailable. The failure and current mileages were 17,000.
Sudden acceleration on a 2009 subaru forrester. My wife was pulling into a parking space when the vehicle suddenly accelerated, crashing thru a brick wall, over a large A/C unit and into a building.
Driving east on ardsley rd. In scarsdale ny, my vehicle accelerated by itself. At the time I was starting to go downhill, curving right with a "jersey barrier" in the center of the roadway. I tried to go around the vehicle directly in front of me but my right rear sideswiped his left rear. It continued to accelerate around a right curve (downhill). I could not stop. I struck an s.u.v. Just starting to move with traffic. The vehicle I sideswiped sustained no damage. Both the vehicle I struck and my vehicle were heavily damaged (my auto is $4500). Both vehicles towed from the scene. Greenburgh (ny) police responded. No injuries as of this time. I reported this to the 800 number of subaru. They took all the information over the phone. I have not heard from them. I told them I was reporting this because I didn't know if anyone else experienced the same fright. The time was 4:50pm.
Unexplained engine acceleration. Started vehicle in a parked position, was preparing to pull out, engine suddenly accelerated to top RPM and was surging. Still in neutral, wheels turned slightly to left. Could find nothing that may have caused this, placed foot on brake upon hearing the engine acceleration, floor mats were in proper position, etc. Shut engine off, restarted and things returned to normal. Still consider it a dangerous defect that needs immediate attention by subaru.
Vehicle: 2009 subaru forester limited, on 6/20/09 I experienced an incident of unintended acceleration. Cruise control was on. Before our exit I canceled the cruise control but left it "on". On the ramp, I let the car slow. At about 40 MPH I moved the shift lever into 'sport' mode, downshifted to 3rd gear, then 2nd, then braked to a stop. The car was stopped, in gear, idling. My foot was on the brake. Without warning, the engine raced and the car jolted forward about a foot; it would have continued but I increased pressure on the brake and stopped the car. The engine, with the car stopped and in gear, ran up over 2000 RPM. I immediately shifted into regular drive mode and then into neutral. Once in neutral, the engine briefly raced higher but then dropped to idle at about 700 RPM. I switched the cruise control off. Please note: to stop the car I did not move my foot; it was already on the brake, and I merely pressed harder. This is not a case of pedal confusion. The floor mats are in place. This is not a case of a floor mat interfering with the accelerator. At the time of the incident, we were not moving. I was not on the phone. I was not looking over my shoulder. I was not otherwise distracted. I was sitting still, waiting for the light to change, with my focus on the traffic stopped in front of me. In my view, this represents a dangerous defect in the vehicle, and needs to be corrected immediately. Please advise regarding your proposed resolution. I have advised subaru via their website today but have not heard back. I am happy to be contacted for further details if needed.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2009 Subaru Forester sudden acceleration
Is sudden unintended acceleration a common problem on the 2009 Subaru Forester?
12 of 178 owner complaints about the 2009 Subaru Forester (7%) mention sudden unintended acceleration. The model year with the most reports is 2015.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2009 Subaru Forester?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2009 Subaru Forester
Check engine light 16Engine failure 10Fire or smoke 10Wipers 9Adaptive cruise 6Stalling 5
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