10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 5 / 6
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 6,819 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Check engine light seemed to put vehicle in "limp" mode, cancelling all onboard safety features, i.e. "eyesight", cruise control, vehicle dynamics control, blinking "S" Upon bringing it to a repair shop, they informed me that the thermal value control needs to be replaced, despite having owned the car for only three years. This leads me to suspect either a faulty part or a design flaw.
- New River, AZ, USA
March 9, 2023 at 7 AM, I was driving in Philadelphia and traffic had slowed slightly and I was going 5 MPH, coming to a stop in traffic when my car completely "froze", and all the lights on the dashboard came on and it said "auto start disabled" and my car would not move. I tried to hit "start/stop" button but nothing worked and I tried to hit my blinkers so I could warn the cars behind me, but nothing worked in the car and it was stalled. This was the situation for 4 full minutes. I am lucky the cars behind me were paying attention and did not hit my car when it abruptly stopped like that with no warning at all. I am really concerned about this car's safety. This issue occurred to the same car in 2021 and I made an incident report then as well. The dealership said it was due to a faulty hood sensor which they replaced but the same exact thing happened a few times in 2021. I think there is some problem in the car's wiring or electrical system that is not being addressed. This is unsafe and a safety hazard for me and other cars on the road. Subaru needs to address this.
- Macungie, PA, USA
Thermo Control Valve went bad only after 4 years of owning a car. I do mostly highway driving put very little stress on the car. I think thermo Control Valve going bad just within 4 year. I suspect the parts to be faulty and it has some design flaw.
- Huntington Beach, CA, USA
2019 Subaru Forester. Consumer writes in regard illuminated check engine light.
- York, PA, USA
The Subaru Forester 2019 Thermo Control Valve (TCV) fails. It is responsible for cabin temperature but also engine temperature and can result in overheating. There are numerous reports that this is a frequent problem and dealerships want to charge $1200+ to replace. It is certainly a design flaw and should be issued for recall. Mine is available for inspection and has been inspected by the dealership. It was first detected by a check engine light.
- Sackets Harbor, NJ, USA
The engines shut down or stalled on me while driving completely. It did not accelerate when I was trying to move the car off the road. the engines sputtered / shaken, all the lights came up on the dash board, smokes started to come out of my engines. this problem is similar to the recent Subaru recall on the fuel pump. Please add 2019 Forester on your list of recalls. This is a serious and dangerous issue, i could have been killed if I was dring on the freeway. I was lucky it shut down on a little local street when I was dring slow, about 30 - 35 mpg. Imagine if this happened on the freeway, it could have created a chain reaction, and a lot more people will be involved, and deaths might be involved. Please add Subaru 2019 forester sport on your list immediately because deaths involved. Thank you.
- Wexford, PA, USA
The Thermo Control Valve has stopped working It causes the engine to overheat while drive. The windows fog up in the cold making it hard to because the defrost does not work Yes by an independent service center No No the engine light came while I was drive.
- Hillsborough, NC, USA
Car stalls out sometimes when running while stopped. This is not the stop/start system. Also, driver door power window will sometimes raise and lower on its own.
- Ocala, FL, USA
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....
- East Canton, OH, USA
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 https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2022/MC-10208664-0001.pdf
- Birmingham, AL, USA
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.
- Ocala, FL, USA
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.
- Cedar, MI, USA
Keep getting check engine light. Blue cold engine light stays on. Getting code P26A5 Engine Coolant Bypass Valve 'A' Position Sensor Circuit Range. Parts are unavailable at the dealer. They can-€™t give me a time frame when they become available.
- Flushing, NY, USA
when driving and stopped at a light the car died, I had to put it in park and restart it, this has happened on 4 different occasions, and I've taken it to the dealer and was told nothing checked out as failing, also, the radio has gone wild on occasion, dialing contacts in my phone numerous times, and me being unable to stop it. was told that heat and temperatures could cause the electronics to shut down or burn. I feel that I was in danger of getting hit because these things occurred while in traffic, and I had no control over the car, the system was acting out on its own.
- Palm Desert, CA, USA
The problem seems to be a faulty Thermo Control Valve Assembly. When I started the car, the dashboard lit up with several warning signs including the check engine light and 6 or 7 other warning lights. I also received texts and emails from Subaru saying to have my vehicle serviced ASAP. My 2019 Forester only has about 16,000 miles on the odometer. Continuing to drive would cause damage to the engine and potentially the car could abruptly stop on its own. Our car has been in the service department of our dealership for five weeks. I just received a call this morning that we had to return the loaner rental today, but that the thermal control valve is not expected until mid- or late-October. (It is now September 20.) I researched several Subaru blogs, and it seems that many others are having the same issue with their Foresters. Our dealership has five automobiles in their service department waiting for this part (and this is only one dealership). I also researched the Subaru service bulletins and see that they have a newly-designed thermo control valve assembly (same part number as the old one but a different date etched into the part). Apparently this has been an issue known by Subaru since at least September 2021 when their service bulletin came out. It seems that with so many owners having the same issues, there should be a recall and part replacement without cost to the owners.
- Novato, CA, USA
Vehicle will not start after it has rained or if auto shut down occurs while it is raining. Vehicle has to be jump started if raining. Might start if -€œdried out-€ or left in dry conditions.
- Kenosha, WI, USA
The problem cited below is on a 2019 Subaru Forester with 20,101 miles. The 'check engine' light came on when I started my vehicle as well as all the ADAS warning lights came on. All ADAS were inoperable. The car was drivable so I cautiously drove it to a Subaru dealership. While driving, I noticed the engine never warmed up. Running a cold engine causes an emissions problem and may be a violation of an EPA standard. The problem was diagnosed by the dealership as a faulty Thermo Control Valve Assembly, Part Number (21319AA010). Upon researching the problem on www.SubaruForester.org, I discovered over 240 similar postings about the same complaint on the same model car. I consider this to be a Safey issue with a potential of significant engine damage causing engine failure as well as making all the ADAS inoperable. Subaru of America is aware of the extent of this problem and should be made liable for recalling these vehicles and fixing this safety problem. The vehicle is currently (since Aug. 23, 2022) at the dealership awaiting a back-ordered part. I am currently negotiating with Subaru to have the part repaired under the 5 year/60,000 mile powertrain warranty. Please look into this issue since so many other owners of this vehicle are having this same issue. Thank You.
- Rockville, MD, USA
Thermo electro valve failed, tripping check engine lights in the dashboard. I was told that the vehicle was undrivable until the part, which has been affected by supply chain issues, can be acquired by the dealer.
- Elmore, AL, USA
Stopped at a red light. The Forester was in Auto Start/Stop mode and was in Stop. When I tried to start the Forester up again, it would not. A bell started ringing and all the warning lights lit up. I put the car in Park and and within a minute it started up again.
- Temecula, CA, USA
- Stephens City, VA, USA