Subaru Forester adaptive cruise problems

Filed Nov 2, 2026 · Driver assistance, Electrical · MD

• Symptom: Total electrical and mechanical shutdown at highway speed (70 mph) immediately following the manual disengagement/deactivation of the cruise control system. • Behavior: Complete loss of engine power, power steering assist, braking assist, and all instrument cluster functionality. • Post-Incident Diagnostic: An OBD-II code reader scan registered zero active, pending, or historic DTCs, indicating an instantaneous loss of primary ECU/ECM power or a critical grounding drop rather than a sensor-driven component fault.

Filed Oct 26, 2026 · Driver assistance, Engine · FL

On XXX, while driving my 2020 Subaru Forester Sport (VIN [XXX]) at approximately 35 mph on [XXX], the check engine light came on and EyeSight, adaptive cruise control, and pre-collision braking were disabled / other warning lights appeared / engine temperature issues. A diagnostic scan showed code [P2682 / P26A3 / P26A5], and the Thermo Control Valve (TCV) was found to be defective. Mileage at failure: 33,297. Subaru has acknowledged this defect in Technical Service Bulletin 09-119-24, which extends warranty coverage for the TCV on 2019–2021 Foresters to 15 years/150,000 miles. However, Subaru of America denied coverage and goodwill (case XXX) because the vehicle was originally sold in [XXX] through Subaru’s independent distributor, Trebol Motors, before I moved to [XXX] in XXX. This failure disables key safety systems without warning and should be addressed through a safety recall that covers all affected vehicles, including those sold in U.S. territories. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Oct 20, 2026 · Driver assistance · MD · crash

Driving in stop and go traffic. Cruise control wouldn't work. Forward collision warning didn't work. Auto braking didn't work.

Filed Oct 19, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · WI

Mid-afternoon - clear day - dry pavement - cruise control set at 70+ MPH on Interstate 35. Car suddenly detects obstacle and starts phantom breaking excessively. Causes complete terror that we're about to hit something - only there was no obstacle to be found. Alarm eventually shut off and after a few moments, I was finally able to accelerate again. Luckily, there were no cars directly behind me or that would have been a huge pile up. Reported concern to Subaru dealer - referred to corporate - they have had my car for 25 days. Today I was notified that due to not signing a waiver issued today stating I would turn all eyesight data over to any third party vendor and law enforcement - both now and in the future data - the safety case was at an impasse. No further explanation as to how this concern would be addressed. Corporate has not contacted local dealer with next steps. It is a 2026 forester with under 15,000 miles on it. No explanation as to why they could not have a form with a reasonable request - I.E. timeframe, no law enforcement involved, etc. Concern for this is the phantom braking with no explanation as to why and refusal to fix it.

Filed Oct 8, 2026 · Driver assistance · NY

On October 7, 2026 at approximately 7:40 PM, the EyeSight system inexplicably stopped working with a warning light notification. Prior to the EyeSight failure, the touchscreen froze completely with subsequent inability to control the climate and other control options. After pulling over and stopping the engine and then restarting several times, the problem did not resolve. After parking and shutting the engine and then restarting after a hiatus of not driving, the problem resolved. The EyeSight system failure created a risk due to loss of pre-collision braking and throttle management, lane keep assist and adaptive cruise control. No incident occurred. I am scheduling a visit to Subaru dealer on October 13, 2026.

Filed Sep 10, 2026 · Brakes, Driver assistance · CA · crash · 1 injury

On May 30, 2026, I was driving the freeway 2(Glendale Fwy) south, I was using the cruise control and driving 63 0r 68 miles. All of sudden, my car start to shaking violently, moving toward right lane, so I tried move my car back to my lane. My car was out of control and driving zig zag way then went up to hillside of the freeway and roll over end up crash on the concrete swale. I thought that was my last moment of my life. I could not move, severely injured and my car was totally damaged. The driver was driving who witnessed whole thing from behind my car, stopped and called 911. He was kindly came to me and gave me a drinking water. The mileage in my was about 68000 miles and I did maintenance as the manufacture recommended it.

Filed Aug 21, 2026 · Acceleration, Brakes · 80,000 miles · NY · crash

The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH with the adaptive cruise control engaged, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact depressed the brake pedal; however, the engine revved loudly, the vehicle continued to accelerate and collided with the rear of a minivan. The contact was able to steer the vehicle to the side of the bridge and stopped the vehicle. The side air bags deployed after the crash. No injuries were reported. A police report was not filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard by the Port Authority Police. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The contact retained legal counsel. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

Filed Aug 13, 2026 · Fuel system · TX

Purchased new 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid Sport on 01 May 2025 (owned 19 months). Approximately 156 DAYS (a little over 5 months) after purchase we began having trouble with an unknown fuel system defect which prevents the vehicle from being refueled, disables our hybrid system, disables safety features such as the vehicles eyesight system, cruise control, and RAB. Vehicle leaking strong gas smell. Issue has been increasing in frequency, occurring more often, and now escalating to leaking fuel all over the side of my car. I took my vehicle to the Subaru service center at the dealership for repairs on: 06 OCTOBER 2025 (~14,700 miles), 22 OCTOBER 2025 (17,394 miles), 09 MARCH 2026 (27,470 miles), 02 JULY 2026 (35,782 miles), 23 JULY 2026 (35,782 miles) To date, Subaru has been unable to identify the direct cause of the problem and replacing the gas cap is a bandaid on the unknown issue.

Filed Jul 9, 2026 · Driver assistance · NC

While driving my 2022 Subaru Forester, the factory EyeSight autonomous safety system completely failed and disabled itself permanently. The total system shutdown caused an immediate loss of Pre-Collision Emergency Braking, Lane Change Detection, and Adaptive Cruise Control, creating an active highway safety hazard. A subsequent diagnostic scan by an authorized retailer confirmed hard fault code B1402, indicating that the internal factory camera software permanently corrupted itself and erased its own model code data profile. The manufacturer has issued TSB 07-225-24 to address this exact internal memory logic crash, but is currently refusing to replace this critical, failed safety system on a vehicle with only 32,364 miles.

Filed Jul 5, 2026 · Driver assistance, Fuel system · CA

Leading up to a windshield replacement, my eyesight cameras that help with adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist kept failing. This feature would turn on and off repeatedly. When I got my windshield replaced, it took longer than expected because of the camera calibration. The microchip(s) inside one of the three cameras was fried and they had to put in a new camera. This failed camera was an original to my car and the justification provided was that "this sometimes happens." For the fuel/propulsion system, I was topping off my car with gas one day when something went very wrong. My fuel tank was just shy of full, and when the gas pump handle tripped to stop pumping gas, a large amount of gasoline came flooding out as I removed the gas pump handle. This was scary and highly concerning because I have never experienced this with any previous vehicle before. The dealership, in cooperation with corporate, identified one other instance of this issue occurring somewhere in the midwest. Their best guess as to what happened is that the air relief valve of my gas tank somehow became blocked and that is what caused the overflow of gasoline. The solution was to turn the air relief valve around from facing the outside of my car to the inside metal frame. July 2026 marks one year since acquiring my car, and these experiences thus far make me question the safety and longterm viability of my car and the Subaru brand. This is ironic, because Subaru's legacy and strong reputation of safety and build quality was my primary incentive for getting one in the first place.