4/2/2024 at 5:30am my Eyesight system flashed a message in orange that the Eyesight system was off - not temporarily disabled. This is NOT due to an obstruction of the cameras by weather/glare/dirt etc. All functions controlled by Eyesight including lane departure, adaptive cruise control, and forward emergency braking, as well as reverse automatic braking are disabled by this malfunction. I removed the negative lead from my battery in an attempt to reset the system which did not clear the error. No check engine light accompanied this error and all other systems seem to be functioning normally.
2019 Subaru Forester driver assistance complaints
Page 2 of 3: complaints 11 to 40 of 62, newest first, as owners wrote them.
Thermo control valve failure, P26A3 code, eyesight safety assistance warning light ,check engine light, pre collision braking light, lane assist light.
I am concerned as my car was safely parked, once I started it and it said eyesight off, flashing S symbol, the heat thermo Stat changes back and forth from hot and cold, car is not warming up and check engine light came on. I am very concerned as it is the winter, and I have my baby in the car. Please advise. This seems very unusual and never happened before. The vehicle have around 23K miles.
All of a sudden, the eyesight and collision prevention stopped working, the check engine light came on, the blue light thermostat indicator came on. We had no heat. The flashing "S" (sportsmode indicator) came on. We were driving on the highway and still over an hour from home. It was snowing, we could not adequately clear the windshield of fog so our visibility was severely compromised. We lost all Eye Sight capability which meant that we were vulnerable if there was ever a crash or an obstruction in the roadway.
On Friday, December 15, 2023 I started my car, Subaru Forester Touring 2019. After starting these lights came on the dashboard: check engine, flashing S drive, no eyesight, RAB off. I was reading online that there have been complaints to the federal safety agency similar to my problem ( the federal safety agency ID # 11490232, 12479843, 11511658, 11490977, 11479843, 11499756, 11480952, 11491752, 11474804) to name a few reports.This has never happenedbefore. The mileage on my car is about 54,400 miles at time of incident. It seems to me that there is a pattern here that needs to be resolved and the owners informed so they can get if fixed before it happens and causes safety problems for Subaru Forester owners. I am kindly asking your office to seriously look into this specific problem and help us, the consumers, to inform Subaru to fix these issues. I thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
The Eyesight feature went out and the heater went out and I took the car to a mechanic and he said it had a faulty thermo control valve that needs replacement.
There are two problems: 1 after the car turns off after stopping to save fuel it will fail to restart automatically and must be put into park to manually restart; 2 the car will try to change lanes indicating that the safety related lane change is malfunctioning. I have to fight the car to maintain my lane.
The check engine light came on and all of the eyesight components on the car were disabled as I was traveling down the highway at 70 mph (this included the adaptive cruise control, the lane departure warning, forward collision warning, etc). In addition, the engine thermostat light came on and the heater and defroster stopped working. It was cold and rainy and the window started to fog up and I was unable to clear it without a functioning defroster. This was definitely a safety issue and I had to stop driving. The car was taken to a subaru dealer today and diagnosed with faulty thermo control valve. The technician told me the car should NOT be driven in this condition due to the problem being in the engine coolant system. This is a known issue on the 2019 Forester, and other Subaru models as well, and has a TSB originally issued in Sept 2021. (#09-80-21) My car has 70K miles and therefore is just out of the warranty period. I will have to pay over $1500 to replace this part and because it is a safety issue I have no choice but to pay for the repair. It is a part that is known to be defective and I am requesting that a recall should be issued before others are also put in potential danger and/or forced to pay large sums of money to get it fixed.
The temperature control valve (TCV) has gone bad and so the check engine light is on and reverse automatic braking and the Eyesight system is disabled. The problem with the temperature control valve is unrelated to the safety systems, however, when this valve goes bad, these safety systems are disabled automatically.
4 days ago my Check Engine light came on. In my car, when this happens, it disables all Eyesight features - collision warning, lane departure warning, etc. Work hours being what they are, I drove home that night and back to work the next day with it on. I managed to get it scanned when it popped a code for the Coolant Bypass Valve. Searching that code online lead me to DOZENS AND DOZENS of forums, posts, stories of the same code popping up on other 2019-2020 Subaru's. They all had to take it in for a hefty repair. It also led me to a Service Bulletin issued last year, which showed that Subaru had rebuilt the TCV so it could withstand corrosion, unlike the previous version. So naturally I took it into my local dealership to have it looked at, and sure enough - the TCV needed to be replaced. WHY HASN"T THIS PART BEEN RECALLED YET??? Given there is no thermostat on my cars dash, I would have no clue whether my car was overheating due to this faulty valve, until its too late. It seems like this is a big potential safety issue that Subaru needs to address, and someone needs to force their hand.
Check engine light is on and the heater control valve needs to be replaced. This part is on back order because so many vehicles need to have this replaced and it turns off all the safety features of the vehicle. This is unsafe, faulty and putting loyal Subaru drivers in a vulnerable position. This part needs to be a manufacturing recall as to replace out of pocket is close to $2,000 and only effects the AC but impairs the safety of the driver.
Thermo Control Valve malfuncitoned, causing check engine light to come on. Car only has 72k miles on it, so dealership (McDaniels Subaru, Columbia. SC) said they couldn't repair under warranty. Even though car has 100K powertrain. To get to this part you have to remove intake manifold, so I don't see how it's not considered part of the powertrain. While Check Engine light is on, NONE of the safety features of this car function. From Internet research, this part is going to fail, (part has been redesigned due to this), it's just a matter of whether it fails within your warranty period or not. Mine was not.
We were driving our vehicle westbound on U.S. Route 24, between Fairbury, IL and Chenoa, IL on Saturday, July 15, 2023 around 7:00 PM. We were travelling at approximately 55 to 60 mph when the brakes engaged suddenly and brought us to an almost immediate stop. This happened so quickly that it destroyed out transmission, cv joints and brakes. Had we not had out seat belts on, I feel certain that we would have been ejected. If a vehicle had ben behind us, I have no doubt that it would have collided with us. Immediately following the incident, the vehicle, which was now immobile, displayed the Eyesight warning on the instrument panel.
As a result of code P26A3 (engine coolant bypass valve), the cars Eye Sight system is turned off as well as lane departure, reverse automatic braking, and pre-collision braking system. While code P26A3 may in fact refer to a serious problem with then engine, there is no reason why a safety system should be shut off!
I am writing to report a safety issue with my 2019 Subaru Forester, which I believe may affect many other Subaru vehicles as well. Specifically, I have experienced a problem with the thermo control valve, which has caused the EyeSight safety features to be disabled and potentially poses a safety risk. I first became aware of this issue when the EyeSight safety features on my vehicle were automatically disabled due to a malfunction. I brought my vehicle to a Subaru dealership for an inspection, and they determined that the thermo control valve was faulty and needed to be replaced. It was alarming to learn that many other Subaru owners had experienced the same issue, and some had even experienced engine failure as a result. The EyeSight system is a driver assistance technology developed by Subaru that uses cameras and sensors to monitor the road and surrounding environment, alerting drivers to potential hazards and providing automatic braking support if necessary. This technology has been recognized as one of the most advanced driver assistance technologies available, and is designed to help prevent accidents and reduce the severity of collisions. The EyeSight system includes features such as adaptive cruise control, pre-collision braking, lane departure warning, and sway warning, which work together to provide a comprehensive safety package for drivers and passengers. These features are critical in keeping drivers safe. I am concerned that this issue may be more widespread than initially thought, and that it may pose a safety risk to drivers and passengers of affected Subaru vehicles. The faulty thermo control valve can cause the EyeSight safety features to be disabled, which can lead to reduced safety performance, accidents, and potentially harm to drivers and passengers. Sincerely, Davide Alves
When I turn the car on it flashes check engine eyesite failure which then turns off the ability to use cruise control, crash detection, lane assist, ext. we called Dick Hannah Subaru and the code came up as P26A5 engine coolant bypass valve A position sensor. They said a thermo valve needs replaced and they’ve seen that happen a lot in 2019/2020 Subarus
2019 Subaru Forester Premier. 6/29/23 All ok while driving for 3 hours on highways. Never had any issues before. I stopped car to take a break, when I restarted the car. All the warning lights lit ou and eye-site was off and could not be turned on. Check engine light on along with many others. Had 30 minutes more to go, stopped a few more times to check on the engine compartment - all ok. Brought it to the dealer today, 6/30/23, they were going to need 4 hours to replace a Thermo Coupler Valve? Issued a loaner car, and said Subaru will cover it under warranty even though it has expired. Only 24500 miles on a 2019 Forester.
RAB disabled, eye sight disabled, I drive disabled, check engine light came on. Car drives like it's is in sport mode with very touchy throttle. Pulled a code and it's the TCV. It's a known issue by Subaru with a part that has since been revamped but with thousands of vehicles on the road affected. Should be a recall. Contacted Subaru of America with no response so now a $1,900-$2,500 depending on dealer cost is being pushed on the consumer. Vehicle currently has 80,000 miles but as a Subaru ambassador I used to put a lot of miles on going to events, meets and typical camping and outdoors activities you expect out of these vehicles so my milage is slightly higher than the normal work commuter.
Was driving in the right-hand lane on the interstate with the cruise control set, went to change lanes as I was approaching a slower moving semi truck going up an incline. Cruise control deactivated with no inputs from myself. Vehicle began to decelerate. Looked at instrument cluster, the Check Engine Light was on along with Eye Sight Off symbol. Additional symbols for forward collision avoidance and rear active braking were also on. No warning signs were present prior to the cruise control turning off. The unexpected loss of power increases the risk of collision while traveling on the highway. Vehicle was taken a Subaru dealer, diagnosed with code P2682, Coolant Bypass valve performance, with a recommendation to replace the coolant bypass valve.
Driving home for 15 minutes. parked on left turn lane, slight incline. when traffic light turned green, i stepped on the gas and the engine stalled. I remember seeing "eyesight disabled" warning light come on. I put vehicle in park, shut it off, and turned engine back on. I was able to drive home. possible system failure - fuel system, auto/stop feature? yes, available to inspect safety - 5:30pm heavy traffic on 4 lane highway0. blocked traffic turning left. no where to pull over. have not taken vehicle to mechanic or been inspected. I saw no warning lights prior to vehicle stalling, or experienced any engine anomalies.
First problem was eyesight was not engaging. Had diagnostics run and they said there was no problem. That problem continued. Second problem was when I was sitting at a red light. When the light turned green and I started to go, Eyesight engaged and totally shut the car off. It had to be placed in Park and restarted. Dealer said they have never heard of this. Internet says it's a problem. I had contacted Subaru headquarters after 1st incident. They paid for diagnostics, but would not respond after I contacted them to say it continued. Dealer and headquarters blew me off.
Eye-sight system shutdown and the car, although it was drivable, ran rough. Since there is a huge reliance on the monitors as they are designed to "forward think" to aid the driver, this was a major disruption to the driving experience. Not knowing what the disabled components affected, was a huge cause for alarm. Upon seeing the check engine light come, my wife brought the car home and I hooked up my device to read the code (P26A3 - showed up). Then I looked up that code and was directed to multiple incidents where that very same thing has become frequent on this model and a few others like it. We called the Winston-Salem NC Subaru Dealer (Flow) and they suggested we bring the Forester in for a check. Once they checked the vehicle out and confirmed the code we mentioned, they told us the "TCV" problem was found on our vehicle and they have seen others with the same problem. They even had the parts in stock to make the repair that day! They kept the parts and said they were going to be sent back to Subaru of America for analysis.Interesting detail: once we drove the repaired vehicle, it ran better than it ever had and the only work they did was to fix the TCV issue (according to the repair paperwork).
THERMO CONTROL VALVE (TCV) is suspected. I am a member of 2019 Forester group on facebook and reports are quit common for these model year. The check engine light is on and RAB system/eyesight is disabled.
* Eyesight disabled and Thermal Control Valve-P26A3 diagnostic code. Vehicle is available upon request. * Eyesight immediately disabled and maintaining that all safety features are disabled. Safety features that are relied upon, disengaged, and aborted for literally a Subaru known engine issue (TSB #09-80-21) - THAT IS SAFETY AT RISK to everyone that owns a Subaru with this issue. * 2 Independent services confirmed diagnostic- P26A3 *Subaru was requested to review when the vehicle was in for recall inspection. * No warning lamps, messages or any other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure. The warning lights and safety features disengaged all appeared at one time.
There have been multiple incidents where the automatic collision braking system has almost caused me to be in an accident. Although it can be turned off, you must remember to do it manually each time you turn the car on. The dealership has not offered a choice to have this dangerous feature permanently disabled. In this incident, traffic in front of me started to slow down significantly, and I started to make a lane change into the left lane which was open. In the middle of the lane change, the brakes slammed on, which meant if anyone was approaching in the left, they would have to quickly slam theirs on to not rear end me. It is honestly very scary to find yourself suddenly not in control of your vehicle when a human is better able to interpret a constantly evolving situation than a computer system. Case in point, the last time I was scared half to death, the brakes slammed on while I was driving unobstructed as a car pulled out from a store far ahead of me into the lane to my right. I was in the middle lane. At no time was the car crossing into my lane. It had just started to pull out, and my brakes slammed on. If the person behind me didn’t think fast, I would have been hit. There have been lawsuits against Subaru’s eyesight feature because it misinterprets items like trash cans or cones as obstacles. The braking system is going to cause serious harm to someone, and I personally am tired of almost being in accidents because the car brakes without warning. I don’t know at this point what to do to get it disable. Safety features aren’t supposed to cause harm.
The Thermo Control Valve has failed and threw a check engine light. This disables the Eye Sight System and causes no heat or defrosters. There seems to be a huge backorder with no ETA in sight for the replacement part. When this part fails there is no defrosters, no crash warning, no emergency braking....
TCV valve failed and as a result RAB and Eyesight were disabled. The TCV has a known defective design and there is a bulletin about it. MC-10208664-0001
On 10/7/2022, all the warning lights came on and stayed on, even after tightening the fuel cap and replacing the battery. I brought the car to Ocala Subaru this morning, and paid for a diagnostic that shows the Thermal Control Valve needs replacement. Apparently this is now a common problem on this year and model Subaru. I was told that this is not covered under the powertrain warranty, even though it is part of the engine assembly, and is a very expensive repair, even though the car has only 43,669 miles on it. I was told the part is on national back order and that the car is okay to drive, but that most of the safety systems that have the lit warning lights are now disabled. This is the car my wife uses to transport our 6-year-old granddaughter to school and swim practice and events, as well as elsewhere, and I feel this has compromised their safety and warrants a recall.
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at 45 MPH the RBD warning light stated off, as well as the Lane Keep, Eyesight, ABS off, and check engine warning lights were illuminated. The contact stated he noticed that several unknown safety features became inoperable. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and the contact was informed that the gasket for the heater control valve needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired because the parts were not available at the dealer. The manufacturer was contacted and a voicemail was left. The failure mileage was 47,500.
While on freeway at night on 9/28/22 about 8pm several dashboard lights activated including check engine, eyesight assisted safety light, steering and safety controls disabled, all at once! I pulled over and called Subaru for assistance. Called AAA. AAA suggested I drive vehicle off freeway. I went to brothers and he noted car not overheated and drive short distance home. Car manuals did not explain so many warning lights. Drove car to Roseville Subaru next day and determined that engine part had failed to leave for repair. Dealer service agent Raj would not provide any details, strange? Went online and found Subaru Service Bulletin #09-80-21 dated 2/28/22 indicating thermo valve defective causing warning lights, and to replace. I felt unsafe as on freeway at risk at night and am elderly. Subaru bulletin shows part faulty as of June7,21 per s.bulletin. Why not recalled by now? Unsafe to drive this car as steering, braking, and driver assistance systems all fail to operate at once and I was not sure if I could control car. Virtually every safety system shut down as simultaneously the speed control, collision monitoring and lane control all stopped working. Furthermore, dealer can't estimate when part is available or provide me a lender car. I am a cancer patient at risk! This car only has 17,000 miles and is not safe or reliable and the dealer won't help. Please help asap!
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