On feb 28 2025 I bumped into car at stop light. Don’t know how it happened. 11 4th about 2 as I was stopped behind car at bank, the car lunged forward-jumped- no reason for it. This is the 4th time something has happed. I slammed on brakes so no incident this time. I am being cautious such as staying 1car length back. Vehicle is accelerating without cause.
2017 Subaru Forester: sudden unintended acceleration
14 of the 594 complaints about the 2017 Subaru Forester describe sudden unintended acceleration.
- owner complaints
- 14
- of this car's complaints
- 2%
- typical mileage
- 46,050
- 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
On May 20, 2022, I was attempting to back into a parking space when my car lunged forward and crashed into two parked cars. I suffered a cracked sternum. No one else was hurt but I was just a few feet from the ground-level windows of a motel. Much body damage to my car (in excess of $13,000) and the other two cars. Police report was filed. Insurance claim filed. No reproduction of problem sought from manufacturer or dealer. No warning signals from car. Assumption made of driver at fault accident. However, please refer to Detroit Free Press article printed 4/22/23: https://freep-mi.newsmemory.com/?publink=0dd2ac172_134ab3a
After coming to a complete stop, the vehicle, a 2017 Subaru Forrester suddenly and without driver input surged forward. It crashed into a large garbage can directly in front of the vehicle, crushing it. It then continued forward crushing two whole-home air conditioning units and driving one of them into a brick wall, dislodging and breaking some of the bricks. The vehicle suffered considerable front end damage including the bumper, right front fender, and right headlight. The collision avoidance system should have prevented this occurrence as the flat sided municipal type garbage can was directly in front of the car. Furthermore the front air-bag did not deploy despite the considerable damage to the front bumper.
UNKNOWN I was pulling toward a parking space. We heard a loud revving sound and the car jumped forward. I braked and then after a short discussion with my passenger trying to figure out what just happened I proceeded to turn into the space. All of a sudden the car revved even louder rapidly accelerated and we hit the pole grazing another vehicle. Felt like someone rammed us but nobody else was behind us when I looked in the rear mirror. Thank God nobody was hurt but if someone was walking in that area they could have been killed. There was almost seven thousand dollars in damage from the car wrapping around the pole and we are very lucky it happened in a parking lot
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while attempting to shift gear into reverse, the vehicle made a strange noise, then lunged forward inadvertently. The vehicle's front driver-side tire ran over the contact's daughter's upper legs. The contact's daughter received medical attention on the scene for injuries sustained to her legs and was now receiving physical therapy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was appraised by the insurance company for front-end damage and was repaired by an auto collision center. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN was not available.
I was pulling into a parellel parking space, braking to slow to a stop when my car surged froward inspite of increased and continued braking and hit the car in front of me. The collision is what stopped the car. My Subaru Forester is very damaged (bumper, lights, and frame rail) and the car in front also had extensive damage. My safety and the safety of the neigbhorhood cars, pedestrians and homes was at risk given my car was unstoppable despite braking. I couldn't understand what happened so I did an internet search for acceleration while braking and many articles came up reguarding several Subaru models (including mine) of "sudden unintended acceleration" issues. What was described was exactly what I experienced. There are several class action lawsuits in the works as Subaru has not taken any responsibility. No dashboard warning lights came on before or after the crash. I took the car to the Subaru dealer I purshased it from. At first they said there would be a 250. dollar diagnostic fee. When I picked it up they said there was an ECM (Engine Control Module) update and they performed it on my car. The update was designed "to address problems" like those I described. The clerk would not elaborate, was very vague and would say nothing beyond that except he didn't know if the update would fix the problem-that we would just have to wait and see. I explained that if it happened again it could have catastrophic consequences, he had nothing to say. He waived the service fee. I got the impression Subaru didn't want to say much because they would be responsible. By waiving the fee they hoped I would just go away. I am left with: a severely damaged car, as is my neighbor's, an accident that looks to be my fault-when in fact it is Subaru's fault, a large deductable to pay, a point on my lisence and increased insurance rates, and a car I have no faith in. This should not be on my driving record. Subaru should be found responsible.
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 subaru forester. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space, the vehicle surged forward when the brake pedal was depressed causing the vehicle to jump the cement bumper and the bushes in front of the vehicle. The vehicle was still revving when turned off and placed in park. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was not towed. A police report was not filed. There were no injuries. The vehicle was taken to the dealer (crews subaru of charleston 8261 rivers ave, north charleston, sc 29406; (843) 820-4200) who were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 46,050.
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 subaru forester. The contact stated that before depressing the accelerator pedal, the vehicle independently accelerated without warning. The contact depressed the brake pedal to stop the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken twice to johnson subaru of cary (5010 old raleigh rd, cary, nc 27511, where an unknown software was reprogrammed. The technician informed the contact that there was a glitch in the software that caused the vehicle to launch. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that each time the failure occurred, the software was reprogrammed. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 48,000.
Pulling into a parking spot at a low rate of speed (since I'd not driven quickly through the parking lot - too many backing up too quickly!). Sudden acceleration and rammed into brick wall of the building. My foot must of slipped, but it was fast. No collision deterrents activated at all, which was strange since this car will stop for an obstacle 1/2 a block ahead in low light. No buzzing, beeping, warning, or stopping. Was able to slam my foot on the brake, but still hit the wall. No air bags activated.
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 subaru forester. The contact stated that while applying the brakes at speeds slower than 5 MPH, the vehicle surged forward. The contact stated that extra effort was needed while depressing the brake pedal to slow and stop the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed nor repaired. Neither the dealer nor the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 23,000.
2017 subaru forester. Consumer writes in regards to unintended acceleration. *ld the consumer stated while attempting to park the vehicle, it accelerated in reverse. The vehicle drove over a curb and crashed into a tree. The brakes were inoperable. The key was removed from the ignition in order to bring the vehicle to a stop. The airbag did not deploy.
Tl* the contact owns a 2017 subaru forester. While driving 5 MPH, the brake pedal was depressed and the vehicle accelerated independently without warning. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a cement divider. The vehicle then lunged forward and crashed into a tree three times and a parked vehicle. The contact sustained head injuries that did not require medical attention. It was unknown if a police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot and later towed to mckenna subaru (located at 1880 beach blvd, huntington beach, ca 92648, (888) 685-1421). The dealer was unable to locate a failure code. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and provided case number: sr1-36575883866. The approximate failure mileage was 11,000.
Related recalls
No recalls on record for this model year.
Questions about the 2017 Subaru Forester sudden acceleration
Is sudden unintended acceleration a common problem on the 2017 Subaru Forester?
14 of 594 owner complaints about the 2017 Subaru Forester (2%) mention sudden unintended acceleration. The model year with the most reports is 2015.
Is there a recall or service bulletin for this on the 2017 Subaru Forester?
There is no recall or service bulletin for this area of the car on record.
Other symptoms on the 2017 Subaru Forester
Windshield crack 94Airbag light 80Battery drain 30No deployment 17Stalling 17Ball joint 14Adaptive cruise 10Check engine light 10Won't start 10Hesitation 8Loss of power 8CVT failure 7Collision warning 6Fuel smell 6Jerking 6
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