Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.
vehicle
2020 / subaru / forester
known issues
6 clusters (reviewed 2026-06-14)
complaints
599 on file (2019-10-28 → 2026-09-13)
recalls
0
investigations
0
fars
30 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
Windshield cracking without impactVISIBILITY/WIPER54 complaints2022-11 → 2025-07 (sample of 200 most-recent of 590 total)forester-2020-windshield-cracking
11589535 On Monday, 5/13/24, I got in my car and there was a crack across the windshield that was not there earlier in the day. It seems to have spontaneously cracked for no known reason.
11585119 The windshield developed a spontaneous crack, starting at the base of the right passenger windshield wiper and traveling in a line up toward the middle in a slanted line. There is no spike, no rock hit, nothing to have caused this. I believe it is a stress fracture as reported…
11579906 Fourth windshield crack in 4 years. Enough. Please do a recall of this model.
11588830 The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving 40–45 MPH in the rain, the lower left corner of the front windshield cracked without impact. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired.
Auto start-stop stall and no-restartELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE30 complaints2024-03 → 2026-05 (sample of 200 most-recent of 590 total)forester-2020-auto-start-stop-stall
11660101 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…
11628535 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…
11720770 My son, [XXX] is currently driving this car. The car only has 29,200 miles so far. Last week, while at the stop light on the hill, he had near fatal accident! Forester suddenly completed shut down. The only functioning part was the brake. My son had to put the car in park and…
11634379 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…
Thermo control valve and EyeSight warning lightsENGINE26 complaints2024-03 → 2025-12 (sample of 200 most-recent of 590 total)forester-2020-thermo-control-valve
11589544 2020 SUBARU FORESTER JUST HAD A CHECK ENGINE LIGHT APPEAR. THE ENGINE MALFUNCTION CODE IS P26A3, WHICH IS A DEFECTIVE THERMOSTATIC CONTROL VALVE. THIS MALFUNCTION ALSO AFFECTS THE VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS ADVANCED DRIVER ASSITANCE SYSTEMS SUCH AS: "EYESIGHT" BLIND SPOT MONITORING…
11578588 The thermo control valve failed causing the coolant to run at full and not allowing the engine to reach proper temperature and the heating system to not provide heat, also it caused multiple safety systems to turn off including eye sight, emergency braking, rear auto brake, lane…
11585787 The thermo valve leaked into connector, causing engine to shut down abruptly to prevent overheating. This happened at 70 mph on interstate highway in traffic. Part was replaced with modified thermo valve later. Barely able to coast to narrow shoulder flanked by deep ditch, with…
11638104 Upon exiting freeway, all lights on car came on including brake light. When placed in park, the engine would rev. If placed in drive, car would drive without gas given. Car towed to Subaru dealership and diagnosed with thermo control valve defect which seems to be a known…
Battery drain and replacementELECTRICAL SYSTEM8 complaints2022-10 → 2026-02 (sample of 200 most-recent of 590 total)forester-2020-battery-drain
11489643 Repeated experiences of battery going dead after simply opening and closing doors a few times a day for four days. Engine was not started in this time. All interior light were off and rear hatch remained closed. Safety risk is being stranded in rural locations, at times with no…
11594133 I picked-up my new 2020 Subaru Forester on January 2, 2020. Within two years the battery became too weak to start the engine. Since then, I've had to repeatedly charge the battery. Now a battery maintainer is constantly connected to the battery.
11719471 The airbag system has a sensor issue and I keep getting warnings from Subaru to get it fixed because it affects the seatbelts. The garage where I take my car says they are unable to get the part needed for the passenger sensor. And, Subaru says they need to replace the whole…
Unintended acceleration and EyeSight brakingVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, SERVICE BRAKES, FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE4 complaints2024-03 → 2025-04 (sample of 200 most-recent of 590 total)forester-2020-unintended-acceleration
11599272 Eyesight pre-collision braking feature and pre-collision throttle management feature malfunctioned and caused the 2020 Forester to accelerate unexpectedly and lurch forward while I was manually braking and slowing to come to a complete stop behind two other vehicles stopped at a…
11575411 On 11/18/2023, as soon as I started the vehicle, put it in reverse and let off the brake to back down the driveway, the car made a loud unfamiliar noise (like bzzzzzt) and suddenly and unexpectedly accelerated on its own. Nothing worked, brakes, automatic gear shift, gas pedal…
11652853 I was on cruise control, and it randomly decided to go 81 MPH instead of 50 mph i set it to, it did not respond when I tried to turn off the cruise control, and I ended up crashing into a semi, I survived but my [XXX] daughter died.
Power liftgate closing unexpectedlyLATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES2 complaints2024-11 → 2024-12 (sample of 200 most-recent of 590 total)forester-2020-power-liftgate
11627170 The automatic rear liftgate opens all the way, then closes automatically on your head/back. This has been happening with my car for over a year. When it started, it was occasional, but now it happens nearly every time. When it closes, it does so with considerable force, and has…
11631660 Automated lift gate opened fully, and then immediately closed without warning upon a person who was trying to access the back, nearly causing injury. It is unknown what precisely is failing within the lift gate and it is available for review.
FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.
Cite this
Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.
Wrench.Pro (2026). 2020 Subaru Forester vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2020/subaru/forester
@misc{wrenchpro_2020_subaru_forester_2026,
author = {Wrench.Pro},
title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2020 Subaru Forester},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2020/subaru/forester}},
note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}
