Subaru Forester fire or smoke problems

Filed Oct 12, 2026 · Engine · WI · fire

I was driving my 2013 Subaru Forester on 10.11.2026 and the engine caught fire driving at 35-40mph. I immediately stopped, and turned off the car. Fire Dept and Police responded and put out the fire. The fire was an oil fire is my best guess (blown head gasket?). The head gasket had been replaced by the dealer (Don Miller Subaru East- Madison) per a warranty at 100K. The mileage now is 165K. I and my partner are safe and not injured. I have reported this to Subaru America (Corporate) as well.

Filed Sep 22, 2026 · Transmission · 100,000 miles · MD · crash · 1 injury

The contact owned a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while at a complete stop with her foot on the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated without warning and crashed into a fire hydrant. While the foot was still on the brake pedal, the vehicle continued to accelerate and struck a street sign. The vehicle continued to accelerate across the street and accelerated up a hill. The vehicle headed straight towards a home and crashed into the home, which caused the vehicle to stop. The air bags deployed upon impact, with white smoke coming from the vehicle. The contact exited the vehicle without severe injury. Due to a setting on her iPhone, the contact's family members and Police were alerted immediately that there was a crash. The crash into the residence caused a pipe inside the home to burst and flooded outside the home. The crash caused damage to the home, the street sign, and the fire hydrant. Authorities arrived at the scene, and the contact’s vital signs were checked. The contact sustained a severe bruise to the left shin and severe mental anguish. The contact was transported to a hospital and was given an MRI; no further injuries were discovered. The vehicle was towed to a tow yard and declared a total loss. A Police report was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

Filed Aug 15, 2026 · Airbags, Body · CA · crash · fire

While driving my grandbaby home I was unable to avoid hitting a deer when it ran into the road. Neither the automatic braking nor the airbags deployed when I hit the deer at the front left side. It destroyed the headlight and damaged the fender and quarterpanel lightly and slightly bent the hood. I was able to pull over safely. When I got out to look at the damage, I could not open the hood but I could see a small flame on the passsenger side of the engine (this would be on the other side of the engine from where I hit the deer.) I grabbed a fire extinguisher from the back of my car but could not get the fire out. I got my grandbaby out safely at that point. Another driver stopped and tried to get the fire out with his fire extinguisher but to no avail. We called 911 and the fire department promptly got there. By then the entire car was in flames. The fire dept put out the car and nearby weeds that were burning. Besides the safety equipment not working, what concerns me most is that a minor accident caused the entire car to become engulfed in flames within 3-4 minutes. I had enough time to get myself and my grandson out but not his carseat base or diaperbag. The car was burnt down to the frame.

Filed Aug 11, 2026 · Fuel system · IL · crash · fire

While driving my girfriend's 2020 Subaru Forester on August 11, 2026 at approximately 65 to 70 mph, I struck a deer on a highway. The airbags deployed immediately, and I temporarily lost all forward visibility due to the airbag deploy, and smoke or steam coming from the front of the vehicle as it decelerated to a stop. Within moments of stopping, smoke transitioned to visible flames coming from the engine compartment. The fire spread extremely quickly, and the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames within minutes. The specific component or system that failed is UNKNOWN, but based on the sequence of events, it appears that a front‑end structural failure during the collision may have caused a rupture of one or more engine‑bay components (oil system, coolant system, or other fluid lines), leading to a rapid fire. The vehicle was completely destroyed and is not available for inspection, but the incident was documented by emergency responders and my insurance company. This fire created a severe safety risk, as the vehicle ignited shortly after coming to rest and burned intensely. I had no warning lights, messages, or symptoms prior to the collision. The problem has not been reproduced, but I have since learned of multiple similar fires involving Subaru Foresters after front‑end animal impacts, which raises concern about a potential design vulnerability.

Filed Jun 10, 2026 · Engine · NY · fire

Vehicle caught fire after oil change. Oil leaked from engine onto catalytic converter and causes catastrophic engine fire

Filed May 10, 2026 · Airbags · MD · crash · fire · 1 injury

On Wednesday, May 6, the vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle while traveling on I-270. After the impact, the vehicle continued down the highway lane and crashed into the highway divider. During the crash, the front hood opened and fumes/smoke came out from the front of the vehicle. Despite the severity of the collision and secondary impact with the highway divider, the airbags did not deploy. The failure of the airbags to deploy placed the driver at significant risk of injury during the crash. Law enforcement officers at the scene also expressed concern that the airbags did not activate given the magnitude of the accident. The vehicle and airbag system are available for inspection upon request.

Filed Apr 22, 2026 · NJ · fire

I purchased the car Feb. 2026 from [XXX] in Seagirt. There were no problems with it. In Saturday April 18 , 2026 I was driving on Parkway north. As I paid toll at Tinton Falls toll I proceeded to go and the car made weird noises followed by a loud pop and black smoke and flames appeared under the hood. The car was engulfed in flames. I exited the car right away and starting walking away from it and called 911. They came and put out fire and towed it. I did not have comprehensive coverage therefore not getting anything back. The dealership sold it as is so they aren't doing anything about it. I do not understand why that happened to my car since it only had 73,000 miles INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Feb 21, 2026 · Transmission · OH

After traveling for unknown number of miles on repeated occasions, arriving at the destinations to the smell of burning oil. Smell was evident while driving as well. Subaru was able to diagnose this issue to a leaking CVT pump seal causing CVT fluid to leak and run down on top of the transmission pan onto the hot exhaust system. Subaru has acknowledge this is an issue back in 2016 due to the sealant us from the factory. Customer was quoted $1400 for the repair this known issue. Vehicle had 90,000 miles at the time of occurrence.

Filed Jan 4, 2026 · Electrical, Steering · PA

My 2022 Subaru Forester Sport, <24,640 miles, suffers from persistent, life-threatening safety failures. Thick white exhaust is present in every temperature, and a heavy burning smell fills the cabin during acceleration regardless of outside temperature. I have been dealing with these failures since March/April of 2023. My car was in a rear-end collision in May 2023 and was repaired at an authorized Subaru body shop. Despite these authorized repairs, the mechanical and electronic failures have continued to deteriorate. My car has required 4 emergency tows and was out of service for around 90 days in 2025 alone. It has been to several independent mechanics and they tell me that since everything happens intermittently, I must take it back to Subaru as it should be covered under warranty due to the low mileage. However, four different authorized dealerships consistently claim "nothing is wrong". My car sits at these dealerships for weeks at a time without a significant change in the odometer. I had 2 claims with Subaru of America this year, including a claim for the vehicle randomly unlocking itself (not via remote), but they closed both claims and nothing was done. Ongoing failures in steering, suspension and braking systems make the vehicle unstable and dangerous to drive. I have a 2-inch thick file documenting repeated service visits for these specific issues yet Subaru refuses to acknowledge or repair them. The primary computer system, media system, and Eyesight (ADAS) safety suite fail daily. The dashboard lights up constantly when these safety features fail. The system frequently freezes and resets while driving, which disables all safety and navigation features without warning. The remote start fails to warm the car after 10 minutes in cold weather; once the heat functions, the car is filled with chemical fumes. All of these issues continue to get worse as time goes on.

Filed Nov 10, 2025 · Engine · NY · fire

Vehicle had just received an oil change at the dealership and the car caught fire. Oil leaked onto the catalytic converter and ignited. Car was a total loss. After my own review, there are several instances of this happening and many customers have experienced similar fires. The oil filter is inverted which makes leaks more susceptible