Subaru Forester engine failure problems

Filed Oct 28, 2026 · Engine · CO

Component Failed & Inspection Availability: The vehicle suffered a sudden, catastrophic mechanical engine block failure at 74,000 miles. The dealership teardown confirmed a failed/spun lifter bearing and a fractured connecting rod cap, requiring a complete engine replacement. This sudden oil pressure failure/blockage occurred while the engine oil pan was verified completely full. This sudden mechanical failure is directly consistent with severe localized thermal breakdown from a failing Thermo Control Valve (TCV)—a component subject to Subaru Warranty Extension WMM23—or loose factory RTV silicone debris clogging the oil galleries. The failed components, including the engine block, rod cap, and TCV, have been retained by the owner and are fully available for inspection upon request. Safety Risk: The engine failed catastrophically and seized instantaneously while driving at highway speeds, causing a sudden and total loss of motive power. This created an immediate hazard as the vehicle rapidly decelerated in active traffic without warning, blinding drivers behind me and stripping the vehicle of power steering assist. This forced a dangerous maneuver to navigate the disabled vehicle through highway traffic to the shoulder, significantly risking a severe rear-end collision. Dealer Confirmation & Inspection Status: The problem and point of failure were officially confirmed and documented via a physical engine teardown conducted by a certified Subaru dealership service center. Subaru of America Corporate Advocacy was notified under Case Number 260818-1500487 but denied coverage. The components have not been inspected by the police or insurance representatives, but they remain preserved as physical evidence. Warning Lamps & Symptoms: There were no warning lamps, check engine lights, low-oil indicators, or abnormal electronic codes prior to the instantaneous mechanical failure. The vehicle had been professionally serviced and oil-changed just 3,800 miles prior to the breakdo

Filed Oct 16, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · TX

On [XXX], my [XXX] son was driving our Forester on [XXX] at [XXX]. At red light, Auto Start-Stop shut off engine as designed. On green, releasing brake triggered restart attempt. Dash lights cycled continuously, engine failed to restart. Brake pedal pushed back firmly and would not depress. Simultaneously, Electronic Parking Brake auto-engaged and would NOT disengage, preventing shift to neutral or pushing to safety. We were stranded in active lane off high-speed artery until flatbed tow arrived. Because EPB had no manual override, tow operator had to drag vehicle onto flatbed with brakes locked. Towed Sunday night to selling dealer, diagnosed Monday 7:30 AM as dead/failing 12V battery, which was replaced. CRITICAL SAFETY QUESTIONS: Why no Battery State-of-Health warning before failure? Vehicle should alert when cranking capacity degrades below safe Auto Start-Stop restart threshold. A voltage/health indicator would have prevented this. Why no emergency EPB manual override? No accessible mechanical backup to release EPB during electrical/start fault. Locking wheels in live roadway creates severe collision hazard for occupants and traffic. REQUEST: Formally document as Product Safety Concern, assign corporate case number, and escalate to engineering/product safety team for review of battery monitoring logic and EPB override design. This created unacceptable hazard for my son. We request written response. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 28, 2026 · Engine · 15,000 miles · TN

The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while her husband was driving on a road trip at interstate speed with the contact and her daughter inside the vehicle, the vehicle started shaking violently from side to side. The driver pulled over to the side of the road momentarily. The driver resumed driving, and upon accelerating to overtake a vehicle, the engine made an abnormal sound; the vehicle started shaking violently and pulling from side to side and made abnormally loud and rumbling sounds. The driver pulled over to the side of the road. The vehicle was towed to the dealer, where it was test driven, and the failure was duplicated. The vehicle was diagnosed with engine failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure by phone and by email. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

Filed Sep 17, 2026 · Electrical, Engine · TX

On July 31, 2026, I was driving with my daughter when the a/c compressor clutch seized up and experienced a catastrophic compressor failure that also blew out the expansion valve o-rings. The failure led to a total loss of engine power and control of the vehicle. The car would not start back up because the clutch was seized and the pulleys wouldn’t turn. Luckily, I was in a residential neighborhood and cars were able to safely go around me. If this had happened on a highway or faster speed limit zone there could have been fatalities. There were tons of lights all over the dash as I attempted to restart the engine. The engine wouldn’t turn over until I gave it plenty of pedal pressure. This extra power to the engine during ignition freed the seized clutch and I was able to drive home without air conditioning. I parked outside in the driveway due to a strong odor of burning metal (probably clutch) when we arrived home. Several years earlier I had completed a Subaru recall WRB-21 for the condenser, and I believe this is directly related to the failure. Subaru of America denied my request for goodwill repair claim under claim 260810-210789 and won’t recognize this as a serious safety issue. There are hundreds of thousands of views on YouTube videos of complaints that the a/c compressor fails prematurely and SOA has only acknowledged the condenser failure. My vehicle has less than 70,000 miles and it has been verified by the dealership (North Park Subaru Dominion) as a “faulty” compressor and leaking expansion valve o-rings. I have requested the dealership to use tracer dye and ensure that metal shavings and debris are not in the closed loop system before replacing the a/c compressor and o-rings which will cause another failure of the entire system. I will also request that they save the compressor for inspection.

Filed Jul 17, 2026 · Engine · CO

My 2020 Subaru Forester Sport suffered catastrophic engine failure on 6/19/2026 at 156,322 miles, 15 days and 1,031 miles after a thermo control valve (TCV) repair performed at an authorized Subaru dealer on 6/4/2026. The TCV is a known defect covered under Subaru TSB 09-119-24 (extended coverage to 150,000 miles/15 years). I never received mailed notification of this TSB and therefore did not seek repair within the covered window; Subaru approved the repair as a goodwill exception. While driving on I-70 westbound near Genesee, CO, on a sustained mountain grade with my family in the vehicle, I heard a loud noise. The oil temperature spiked to approximately 280°F, warning lights illuminated, and the vehicle lost all power in highway traffic. Losing propulsion on a steep grade in mountain traffic created a serious risk to my family and surrounding vehicles. Post-failure condition: empty coolant reservoir, coolant-contaminated (milky, green-tinted) oil, and metal debris on the dipstick, consistent with cooling-system failure causing engine seizure. I have timestamped photos. The engine is locked and the vehicle inoperable. The vehicle was towed to the same authorized dealer on 7/9/2026. The dealer's technician confirmed the engine is seized and requires teardown ($3,302.95) for full diagnosis; the dealer states teardown proceeds only on authorization from me or Subaru of America. I opened a case with Subaru of America on 5/26/2026 and formally requested in writing that Subaru authorize the teardown, with a stated deadline. As of 7/17/2026, the dealer confirms Subaru has sent no authorization or any communication during the week the vehicle has been on their lot. My written deadline, follow-up call, and final written notice went unanswered. The vehicle and all components are preserved at the dealer and available for inspection upon request.

Filed Jun 13, 2026 · Electrical · MI

Driving along and various system warnings came on, then started losing power, then the engine died and the car was completely dead. Got a jump start and the car ran for a couple of minutes and died again. Had it towed to a repair shop and when they checked it the next morning, they couldn't find a problem and it ran great for them. I replaced the battery and alternator just to be safe because we were about to leave on a trip.

Filed Apr 14, 2026 · Visibility · MD

The air conditioning system of my 2017 Subaru Forrester suddenly went out without warning. I noticed a defect when the A/C started buzzing with a high pitched sound and blowing semi-warm air instead of cool. I took my auto to a car repair shop. He provided this diagnostic analysis: Normal coolant level in the system. Performed Leak Detection Test- no detectable leak found at this time. A/C system pressures are too high on both pressure ports. A/C compressor has an internal noise. System is clogged. Ventilation interior cabin filter inspected and given a check at 24, 027 miles. Inspected , removed and replaced engine and cabin air filters at 41,600 miles. Inspected and removed and replaced engine and cabin air filters at 56,375. There are no other A/C related inspection or maintenance requirements to be accomplished (reference Subaru Forrester Maintenance/ Automation Subaru Arapahoe.My vehicle currently has 64,695 miles. My mechanic is currently working up an estimate for the A/C condenser, clutch, pump replacement... essentially the entire system. I consider this a latent defect and wish to be compensated for the repairs. Due to the weather, I wish to have the repairs accomplished and then be reimbursed. I have read articles on line stating this defect has become commonplace for 2017 and 2018 Subaru Forresters. This should be a recall item.

Filed Mar 20, 2026 · Engine · GA

The A/c compressor seized up causing the belt to break. Looked up online and it seems it's a common occurrence with this year and model.

Filed Jan 24, 2026 · Lights, Transmission · TN

I bought a used 2015 subaru forester with 117,000 miles from an auto shop/used car dealer in March of 2024. In September of 2025, 11,000 miles of driving later, a bunch of lights came on my dash. Check engine, traction control, ABS, at oil temp, and incline assist. I took it to Autozone to get the codes read and the part it suggested was the transmission oil pressure sensor. I then took it to a trusted mechanic who said they weren’t able to get the lights to turn back on and told me to come back when the lights reappeared. In December of 2025, the lights came on and they were on long enough to take it back to the mechanic. The mechanic told me that it looked to be the transmission valve body and recommended a local transmission shop. I took it there and the mechanic told me there was a speed sensor that was failing and the transmission and valve body would need to be replaced. He said that they don’t sell the speed sensor anywhere and it is impossible to obtain. I got quoted 9,100 to fix my car (I originally paid around 8,500 for it). I was told it would not be worth my time or money to fix the transmission. The transmission guy told me that Subaru cvt transmissions are horrendous and to take this is a lesson to never buy a Subaru. I heeded to this advice and traded her in for $2000 towards a 2010 rav4. Additional info: It had a rebuilt title and had been in an accident before I got it. Lived its entire life between kentucky and tennessee. I replaced the engine oil and filter every 4,000-6,000 miles. Tire treads were very mismatched for the time I had it (almost two years) which I was told by a subaru dealership can damage the transmission. Back tires had significantly lower tread than front. I had front left lower control arm, rear spring coils, brake switch lamp, and one of the battery terminals replaced during the time I had it. My TPMS light was always on. My front right headlight went out frequently. My brake light assembly also broke and wasn’t worth fixing

Filed Dec 30, 2025 · Engine · OH

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 Advocacy. Subaru has offered partial goodwill assistance but has declined further escalation or full remedy. Note: I have video of this showing no engine lights however unable to upload it below. Can send via email if required. Thank you. [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)