Subaru Forester phantom braking problems

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 16, 2026 · Driver assistance · NY · crash · 1 injury

my car came to a sudden and immediate stop, causing the car behind me to collide with my rear end. in researching this, i have discovered that my car make and model are subject to a class action suit for what is called "phantom braking." I was not injured but the driver of the other car claimed that his son in the back seat was injured. There were no warning indicators going off, either visual or audio. the vehicle's condition was observed by a XXX Police Officer at the scene, and an accident report (XXX) was filed, to be available sometime next week. I contacted my insurance company, State Farm, about 8 PM, after having been directed by an officer to pull around the corner to a side road. they issued a claim # XXX and told me to have the car towed to their approved body shop Bucci's Auto Body in [XXX]. [XXX], the principal at Bucci's inspected the car the following morning and provided an estimate for repairs which State Farm accepted and I authorized to begin. He has not touched any of the electronic data system modules, nor disconnected the battery, and has been instructed in writing not to, so that the forensic evidence can be retrieved. Therefore, there is no information available yet on the mechanical or systems causes of the crash, but it is being preserved for future retrieval and analysis. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Filed Sep 22, 2025 · Driver assistance, Electrical · 100 miles · CA · 1 injury

The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid. The contact stated that the hatchback had opened independently while the vehicle was parked. The contact stated that the doors had opened unintendedly while the vehicle was being washed at the car wash. The contact stated that the door required to be slammed to close and to latch securely. Additionally, the contact stated that while reversing out of a 2-15 percent sloped driveway, the Reverse Automatic Braking (RAB)Â system's beeping sound engaged while there were no vehicles or objects in the proximity of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped abruptly, causing the driver's side seat headrest to hit the contact's head violently. The contact stated that the vehicle became inoperable. The contact exited and inspected the surroundings of the vehicle. The contact verified that the vehicle had not collided with an object. The contact returned inside the vehicle, and the vehicle responded as needed. The contact pulled into the driveway. The contact contacted the Doctor's office weeks later, and was referred to the ER. The contact went to the ER, where a CT scan, and other tests were performed, but internal bleeding was not found. The contact sustained a concussion and persistent headaches. Additionally, the contact underwent an MRI and was waiting for the neurologist to interpret the MRI test results. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was advised to deactivate the reverse automatic braking(RAB) system. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and sent a field technician who inspected and test-drove the vehicle. The manufacturer later informed the contact that the vehicle had operated as designed while reversing on the sloped driveway. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100.

Filed Aug 7, 2025 · Driver assistance · 23,000 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving on a main road at 32 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) system suddenly engaged while there were no objects or vehicles nearby. Additionally, the contact stated that the Subaru EyeSight system was disabled due to being a seasoned driver. The contact stated that she was forced to purchase the vehicle with the feature. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, where it was inspected and recalibrated. The dealer informed the contact that the EZ Pass may have contributed to the failure; however, the contact stated that the EZ Pass had been on the console for approximately three years. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.

Filed Jul 22, 2024 · Acceleration, Engine · MD

I was driving the car, towards the end of about a 40-minute drive the car, I can best describe, lost its mind. Without any prior signs of symptoms, in about the span of 5-10 seconds, the check engine light came on, then eyesight warning came on, then traction system error appeared and I lost all power. It started braking on its own and completely acting on its own. I could still steer, but I had no other control over the vehicle! THANKFULLY I was in a 25 MPH zone, with no other vehicles or pedestrians anywhere near me. I was able to steer the piece of junk into a vacant loading dock and at least get it off the street. I shudder to think what would have happened to me if the car did this on the interstate that I had exited from not five minutes prior to this incident. The car was rendered undriveable. I had it towed to the dealership. I don't know what is wrong with it yet as the dealer is closed on Sunday. This was an EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION! If the car lost its mind a mere five minutes earlier than it did, I could have been killed! I am still shaking from this incident.

Filed May 22, 2023 · Driver assistance · SC

Forward collision braking activated for no reason. No traffic in front or behind when activated. Steady speed of 35-40 mph when activated - conditions were clear and dry. No warning prior to incident, message appeared on dash during braking. Seat belts activated and car came to a complete and very abrupt stop. Thankfully no vehicle behind us or most likely would have been rear ended. Problem has not been reproduced as we will not drive the vehicle without disabling the Forward Collision feature on the car. Vehicle had less than 2500 miles on it when incident occurred. Vehicle has not been to the dealer for inspection yet but will have them check the Forward collision system at first oil change service unless requested sooner. Emailed Subaru customer service to notify them of the incident.

Filed Jul 22, 2022 · Driver assistance · 250 miles · NJ

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, no fault codes were retrieved. The vehicle returned to operating as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250.

Filed Mar 27, 2021 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 5,000 miles · CT

I was driving up an empty suburban road at 25 MPH when the brakes suddenly went off, causing the car to skid to a stop. The dashboard screen said the pre-collision emergency braking system was activated. There was nothing in the road and no reason for the car to stop suddenly. Thank god I wasn't on the highway - this is extremely dangerous.

Filed Feb 27, 2020 · Brakes, Driver assistance · 10,000 miles · OH

We have a 2019 subaru forester, problems have been with the eyesight slamming on the brakes for no reason, and turning on and off at random times. The major issue has been the slammed on brakes when the road ahead was clear, jarring me and passengers, my wife literally had whiplash and a headache from the extreme, unexpected braking. This has happened when a vehicle in from of us made a right turn, road ahead is clear, traveling the speed limit of 35 MPH, sensors must be picking up the corner of the other vehicle as we approach, locking up the brakes, thinking it is still in front of us. Another incident, eyesight sensing an empty paper bag being blown across the highway, slamming on the brakes, this could have caused a rear end collision from a driver behind us if they were following to close, like is the norm in rush hour traffic. Another event, a dog ran across the freeway, eyesight never activated, I thought I had braked and cleared the dog, he kept running, no impact, found damage to front end upon inspection. Another issue unrelated to eyesight, the defroster blower motor does not respond to high setting when first turned to high to clear window fog, it takes 3 to 5 minutes before it ramps up to high speed. I have brought this to the attention of our salesperson and service department our subaru dealership, maybe be a calibration issue, program issue with the eyesight sensors, they refused to document anything I shared and told me their is absolutely nothing wrong with the system without even looking at it. There is no more love in our subaru, and no concern for safety at the dealership. I have spoken with other 2019 subaru forester owners experiencing the same eyesight issues. This has been happening since we leased the vehicle october 2018 to recently on 2/20/2020. I was informed to file this by the ohio attorney general while filing a complaint with them.

Filed Sep 18, 2019 · Brakes · 12,000 miles · DC

I have experienced two instances of phantom braking, similar to reports I've read about nissan rogues. Once in july, and once last week. In both cases I was driving at low highway speed on a sunny afternoon. The car's "object dectected" warning flashed and beeped, and the car braked automatically, for no reason. I suspect bright sunlight and/or a shadow on the highway was to blame