Subaru Forester Vehicle Speed Control Problems
Owners have filed 532 complaints with NHTSA about vehicle speed control problems on the Subaru Forester across 29 model years. The 2015 model year has the most (70). The words owners use most often: “parking space” (12% of reports).
- 532vehicle speed control complaints
- —median miles at failure
- 248mention a crash
- 85mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 24%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Parking space: mentioned in 66 of 532 complaints (12%)
- Suddenly accelerated: mentioned in 64 of 532 complaints (12%)
- Foot brake: mentioned in 49 of 532 complaints (9%)
- Unintended acceleration: mentioned in 34 of 532 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do vehicle speed control problems happen?
Based on 368 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 532 complaints, 248 mention a crash, 1 a fire, 85 an injury.
Subaru Forester vehicle speed control complaints by model year
| Model year | Vehicle Speed Control complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Forester | 1 | 4% | — |
| 2025 Forester | 5 | 5% | 8,060 |
| 2024 Forester | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2023 Forester | 6 | 8% | 6,750 |
| 2022 Forester | 9 | 9% | 1,615 |
| 2021 Forester | 12 | 6% | 7,000 |
| 2020 Forester | 24 | 4% | 26,000 |
| 2019 Forester | 27 | 3% | 12,000 |
| 2018 Forester | 30 | 6% | 18,000 |
| 2017 Forester | 33 | 6% | 28,980 |
| 2016 Forester | 37 | 9% | 17,279 |
| 2015 Forester | 70 | 11% | 36,000 |
| 2014 Forester | 42 | 10% | 27,500 |
| 2013 Forester | 7 | 9% | 47,000 |
| 2012 Forester | 18 | 17% | 28,800 |
| 2011 Forester | 13 | 9% | 22,750 |
| 2010 Forester | 24 | 9% | 39,215 |
| 2009 Forester | 19 | 11% | 39,875 |
| 2008 Forester | 6 | 12% | 27,094 |
| 2007 Forester | 8 | 11% | 67,893 |
| 2006 Forester | 20 | 23% | 36,340 |
| 2005 Forester | 17 | 18% | 58,000 |
| 2004 Forester | 12 | 5% | 50,500 |
| 2003 Forester | 15 | 8% | 55,000 |
| 2002 Forester | 23 | 26% | 62,500 |
| 2001 Forester | 29 | 21% | 71,000 |
| 2000 Forester | 4 | 5% | 95,000 |
| 1999 Forester | 6 | 5% | 48,700 |
| 1998 Forester | 14 | 14% | 102,500 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists vehicle speed control for the Subaru Forester. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
I was parked at my banks' ATM to deposit a check into my account. The car was parked and I put the gear shift in the Neutral position and applied the emergency hand brake. When I finished with the deposit, I released the hand brake. Then I moved the shift from Neutral to Drive and the vehicle did a…
I was pulling into a handicapped parking spot at the grocery store, turning right into it, and was almost stopped, with my right foot on the brake, when the vehicle suddenly accelerated at top speed, surging over the median strip, flattening the "Handicapped Parking" sign, and racing ahead into the…
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 30 MPH with the adaptive cruise control engaged, the vehicle accelerated independently. The contact depressed the brake pedal; however, the engine revved loudly, the vehicle continued to accelerate and collided with…
I am writing to formally report a critical safety defect regarding the driver-side footwell design in my 2023 Subaru Forester Sport, which poses an immediate and severe risk of a crash. A hard plastic lower extension for the HVAC air duct sits dangerously low directly above the brake and…
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space, the brake pedal was slightly released to move the vehicle forward; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated, failed to respond upon depression of the brake pedal, and crashed into a brick wall…
Frequently asked questions
Do all Subaru Foresters have vehicle speed control problems?
No. NHTSA has 532 owner complaints about vehicle speed control for the Subaru Forester. Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the Subaru Forester vehicle speed control?
No recall currently lists vehicle speed control for this vehicle.
What do owners say about vehicle speed control problems on the Subaru Forester?
The most frequent phrase is “parking space”, in 66 of 532 complaints, followed by “suddenly accelerated” (64).
Other Subaru Forester problems
- Visibility/wiper problems (1,061)
- Engine problems (827)
- Air Bags problems (817)
- Electrical System problems (797)
- Power Train problems (556)
- Suspension problems (415)
- Fuel/propulsion System problems (350)
- Service Brakes problems (273)
See all Subaru Forester problems.