Car frequently dies and won't want to start. Have changed the battery already. Will come to a stop and it will just randomly shut down. Have had to shift to park and restart the car. This is unsafe.

- Fontana, CA, USA

2020 Subaru Forester periodically will stall out at a light or stop sign in heavy traffic. It then takes several attempts to restart. (Sometimes completely dead) My mechanic hasI changed the battery and checked the alternator, all in working order. It-??s hard to figure out what is wrong because it doesn-??t happen all the time.

- Yardley, PA, USA

We were traveling in rural California, 1 hour north of Bishop, CA on [XXX] when our vehicle's "Check Engine" light, "Parking Break" light, and several other lights lit up on our dashboard. Our car began to stall out immediately. We were able to pull off to the side of the road as best as we could as we were towing a camper at the time as well. We waited for 4 hours to get our vehicle and camper towed 1 hour away to a mechanic. The mechanic couldn't fix our car, but we were able to get an engine code reader to clear the codes as they came up. The closest Subaru dealership was 4 hours away in Las Vegas, NV. We had to drive through mountains and Death Valley. Despite using the engine code reader to clear codes every 30 seconds, our car stalled out 6 times on the way. The problem was the thermo control valve for P26A6, a known problem with Subaru vehicles like ours. We had our vehicle serviced in July 2025 for 60,000 miles and the dealership did not say anything about this known issue. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Salt Lake City, UT, USA

I, the owner of a 2020 Subaru Forester am writing to you in regards to an issue with my vehicle-??s Eyesight program. Over the past month, there have been several instances where the Eyesight program fails and caused the vehicle to suddenly stop without warning. This prevents me from safely moving the vehicle to the side of the road as the car stops. In other words, the car abruptly stops on the spot. This creates an immediate danger to life and health to myself and to other motorists. This issue must be addressed immediately and the necessary steps taken to ensure the safety the driver, passengers and other motorists on the road. Thank you for understanding.

- West Nyack, NY, USA

When stopped at an intersection the car stalled. It would not restart for three minutes and caused a dangerous situation for my family and children in the car while traffic was moving. There were no warning signs, lights, or engine codes. The problem is random and cannot reproduced. The car is available for inspection.

- Glen Cove , NY, USA

Parasitic battery drain

- Big Bear City, CA, USA

I was stopped at a red light and the engine stalled. It read "FOR SAFETY, AUTO RESTART DISABLED". All warning lights on the dashboard lit up. I had to put the car in park and restart it in order to drive. I was honked at and put in a dangerous position. This has happened at least twice now.

- Mineola, NY, USA

This has happened 8 times in a month span. The car is currently being looked at by the dealership and so far they can-??t find anything wrong. When I-??m stopped in traffic, my car-??s engine turns off. Once the light turns green and I press on the accelerator I hear a beep and the car doesn-??t move. The dashboard shows a few error messages and a message stating that the eyesight has been turned off. In order to get the car to work again I have to put it in park, turn it off, and turn it on again. It is particularly dangerous because the car won-??t move when the light is green.

- Seattle , WA, USA

While driving, the vehicle's Automatic Stop-Start System Engaged as usual when the car came to a stop (e.g., at a red light or in traffic). However, when releasing the brake, the Automatic Stop-Start System failed to restart the engine. Not only it failed to restart the engine, but multiple attempts of manually start the engine all failed. And the car became stranded in the middle of road with heavy traffic. Had to call 911 and tow truck to get the vehicle out of the road. No dashboard warning or error message appeared prior to the failure. Never had issues with engine cold start prior to the failure. Basically, the battery was good to cold start the engine prior to the incident, but while driving when the car came to a stop at a red light for few seconds, the Automatic Stop-Start System's engagement somehow suddenly cause the battery not able to start the engine anymore. The issue poses a serious safety hazard, particularly if it occurs in traffic, at intersections, or on highways, as it may leave the car stranded in a dangerous location.

- Escondido, CA, USA

Numerous times when using the "gas saving feature" when the engine stops after the brake is pressed, the car has stalled and I have had no control over the vehicle. I have had to turn on my emergency flashers and restart my car in order for it to move again. Luckily whenever it has happened for me I have been stopped on a flat surface, and not on a hill, but if this ever happened while I was trying to turn I would be T-boned, or if it ever happened while I was stopped on a hill I would roll backwards. This also increases the chances of me being rear ended, because the person behind me has to be paying attention that my car has stalled. My Apple Car Play has also not worked since I purchased the vehicle in 2020. Their only suggestion was that I needed to swap out my iPhone cord every few months, and then it may or may not work. Also what if I was not an Apple user?

- Raleigh, NC, USA

I am writing to express serious concerns about the Auto Start-Stop feature, which poses a significant safety risk when it causes shutdowns in critical situations. Recently, my vehicle shut off due to Auto Start-Stop while in the express lane of a highway. A depleted battery prevented it from restarting, leaving me stranded without the ability to shift to neutral or activate brake lights and hazard signals. For 30 minutes, I was stuck in a vulnerable position, forcing high-speed traffic to swerve dangerously close to my vehicle. While the battery issue was a factor, the car would have remained running had I been able to turn it off manually once parked. Reports from other drivers indicate similar issues, including stalling, hesitation, and complete system failures. Given these risks, I urge the NHTSA to investigate this feature and require manufacturers to provide a permanent disable option rather than a temporary one that resets.

- Arlington Heights, IL, USA

Periodically, the vehicle stalls at stop lights, stop signs, and in other situations when coming to a complete stop. Once the vehicle comes to a complete stop and turns off due to the auto-stop/start function, it stalls immediately after the car re-starts and you press the gas pedal. This leaves the vehicle stalled in intersections and in potentially dangerous conditions. You must engage park and restart the vehicle while stopped in the middle of traffic, which poses a significant safety risk. I believe this issue is related to the auto-stop/start functionality. The vehicle has been inspected by a Subaru dealer several times, but they claim they cannot reproduce the problem and there are no diagnostic codes or warning lights. No other mechanic has inspected the vehicle.

- Spokane, WA, USA

My car completely lost power. I had driven to the stop light and was waiting when it lost power. It had no power for several minutes and was unresponsive to the ignition or anything else.

- Antelope, CA, USA

This has happened multiple times, is increasing in frequency. Stopped in traffic at a red light. The Auto Stop/Start was enabled and activated when stopped at the light. When the light turned green, tried to go, but the AS/S system failed. A -??No Eyesight-?? warning flashed and disappeared; various symbol lights blinked across the instrument panel. Car would not start, hazards would not activate. After 10-20 seconds, I was able to put the car in park and restart the engine (would not start before then). No battery or check engine lights had been on previously, up to date on oil changes, 66k total miles, vehicle fully maintained at the nearest dealership. This was scary as I was stuck in the middle of the road on a state highway with traffic and cars behind me. Many people have reported this issue in Subarus and I-??d like for this dangerous problem to be formally addressed.

- Oakland, CA, USA

The auto start stop feature has caused my car to shutdown with all lights lit on the dash in more than one scenario. In traffic on the freeway, I had my foot on the brake. It auto stopped. Then when the traffic was starting to move, I went to push the accelerator and the dashboard lights all lit up and the engine shut off completely. The car was still in drive but it was off. I had to shift the car into park and push the start button to start the engine back up. It has happened before at traffic lights with the same outcomes. I went to subaru dealer and they said some of the batteries were faulty and replaced it but that is not the issue since it is still happening. It is dangerous in traffic!

- San Jose, CA, USA

Stopped in traffic near a red light. The Auto Stop/Start was enabled and activated when stopped at the light. When the light turned green, tried to go, but the AS/S system failed. A -??No Eyesight-?? warning flashed and disappeared; various symbol lights blinked. Car would not start, hazards would not activate. After 20-30 seconds, I was able to put the car in park and restart the engine (would not start before then). No battery or check engine lights had been on previously, up to date on oil changes, 35k total miles, and I had a quarter tank of gas. This was scary as I was stuck in the middle of the road with my children while cars behind me tried to pass on either side. Many people have reported this issue in Subarus and I-??d like for this dangerous problem to be formally addressed.

- Alpharetta, GA, USA

Stopped at a red light at busy intersection. The Auto Stop/Start was enabled and activated when stopped at the light. When the light turned green, tried to go, but the AS/S system failed. A -??No Eyesight-?? warning flashed and disappeared; various symbol lights blinked. Car would not start. Driver activated hazard lights, which flashed for no longer than three to five minutes before stopping completely. While car was stalled in traffic, a few lights continued to blink on the dash.

- Rockford , IL, USA

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while at a complete stop, the automatic START/STOP, the feature intermittently failed to operate upon depression of the accelerator pedal. The contact stated that the failure occurred without warning. The contact stated that once the vehicle was restarted, the vehicle resumed normal operation. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the contact was informed that the failure was related to the battery. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but offered no assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 80,000.

- Snyder, NY, USA

Vehicle traveling W on [XXX] Bryan TX. Automobile suddenly started shaking and not developing power, Driver was able to pull off on the shoulder barely clearing the #2 lane. The engine would crank but not sustain operation. The auto required transport to the home garaging location. Subsequent analysis of the fuel showed it to be gasoline, no water, lacked appearance of any foreign matter. With the ignition on 12V were detected at the gas tank terminal, however the in tank pump would not produce fuel flow at the connection at the top of the tank. Had the vehicle been operating in the #1 lane it may not have been possible to clear the traveled lanes thus causing a traffic safety problem. A State Trooper did provide protection until the vehicle was transported. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

- Bryan, TX, USA

The head unit suddenly stopped working. It unfortunately isn-??t covered Under warranty. The screen consistently turns on and off.

- La Puente, CA, USA