2015 Subaru Forester acceleration & cruise control problems

Related recalls

No recalls on file.

What owners say

1. Filed Feb 3, 2026MAEngineAcceleration & Cruise Control

   On 3 different occasions the car randomly accelerated at a high speed without stepping on the gas pedal. The first time was in a parking lot. The second time was on a busy road while traveling at 35 mph. The car accelerated to about 60 mph, fortunately once applying the brakes the vehicle slowed down to gain control. The third time it happened was recently on [XXX] while slowly backing down [XXX]. The car accelerated backwards at a very high speed narrowly missing a fence in…

   NHTSA complaint #11715389 · source
2. Filed Jan 24, 2025FLCrashDriver Assistance & Safety TechAcceleration & Cruise ControlSteering

   The Vehicle Dynamics Control safety system malfunctioned and forced me to drive straight on a curved banked overpass into the concrete barrier

   NHTSA complaint #11638240 · source
3. Filed Oct 3, 202350,000 miNCCrash1 injuredTowedAcceleration & Cruise Control

   The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 1 MPH into a parking space, the contact attempted to shift the transmission into park (P) while depressing the brake pedal when the vehicle inadvertently lunged forward and crashed into a building. No warning light was illuminated. The air bags did not deploy. The impact caused soreness in her chest and stomach. The contact received medical attention on the scene from Emergency Medical…

   NHTSA complaint #11547939 · source
4. Filed Aug 16, 2023100,000 miMAAcceleration & Cruise Control

   The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 65–70 MPH, the vehicle failed to accelerate as needed. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic and the contact was referred to the dealer for assistance. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer, who was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The…

   NHTSA complaint #11538825 · source
5. Filed Apr 3, 2023NJCrashTowedAirbagsOther / UnknownAcceleration & Cruise Control

   I was parking the car it suddenly accelerated jumped the curb and was heading towards the building entrance dore. I could not stop it. To avoid entering the building I turned the vehicle tight and it collided against the wall. The air bags inflated.

   NHTSA complaint #11515233 · source
6. Filed Mar 8, 2023MDEngineAcceleration & Cruise ControlTransmission & Drivetrain

   We were driving at 75 mph in the left lane when our car suddenly dropped in speed to 40 mph as though the transmission had dropped into neutral. There were no warning lights or any indication about what was happening. We were in heavy traffic, with trucks and car hitting their brakes. This could have caused a very serious accident. We managed to move our car to the right shoulder. The car's transmission re-engaged and we picked up our speed. This happened 3 times in the…

   NHTSA complaint #11510749 · source
7. Filed Feb 13, 2023ILCrashTowedOther / UnknownAcceleration & Cruise ControlTransmission & Drivetrain

   I was backing out of a parking spot, and there was a telephone poll behind me in my path. I needed to pull forward to navigate around this poll. After backing up some, I put the car into drive to pull slightly forward, and the car lurched aggressively, so much so that I got out to see if it'd caught on something. It did not -- there was absolutely nothing there. So I got back in and tried to continue forward, and the accelerator went full force. I floored the brake pedal,…

   NHTSA complaint #11507009 · source
8. Filed Jan 23, 202370,000 miWICrash1 injuredAcceleration & Cruise Control

   The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while at a carwash moving forward, the vehicle accelerated up to approximately 35 MPH and crashed into the rear of a Ford Explorer. There were no warning lights illuminated. The driver sustained injuries to his chest due to striking the steering wheel. Medical attention was provided. The contact was able to drive away from the crash site. A police report was filed. There was no air bag deployment. The vehicle…

   NHTSA complaint #11503188 · source
9. Filed Nov 2, 202282,000 miNYCrashTowedAcceleration & Cruise Control

   The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated upon pulling into a parking space, the brake pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and crashed into the side of the apartment building of her friend. The contact stated that the crash damaged the apartment of her friend located on the first floor. There was no warning light illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The…

   NHTSA complaint #11491903 · source
10. Filed Sep 25, 2022MAFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionAcceleration & Cruise Control

    Suddenly lost acceleration and engine stopped - without any dashboard signal of low gas or engine issue. Car was able to start after couple of minutes. At the time of losing acceleration and stopping gas indicator was showing two bars - and car was not running with low fuel indicator. My whole family was in the car and stopping in the middle lane of a busy national highway of 65 miles speed limit on a Saturday late in night was very scary!

    NHTSA complaint #11486260 · source
11. Filed Aug 4, 2022CAFuel, Hybrid & EV PropulsionAcceleration & Cruise ControlTransmission & Drivetrain

    I was driving with cruise control going around 70 when the car started slowing down suddenly. Not wanting to slow down even more, I turned off the cruise control by hand using the cancel button on the steering wheel (rather than tap the brake) but when I then hit the accelerator, the engine felt like it was in neutral, revving past 6000 rpm on the tachometer. At that point, I realized I had no control over the drive train so I pulled off the road onto the center median of…

    NHTSA complaint #11477675 · source
12. Filed Aug 4, 2022FLAcceleration & Cruise Control

    I have had several instances while driving on the highway when my forester revs to a very high RPM, the vehicle speeds up suddenly, and then shuts off completely. The only fix is to put the vehicle in neutral, move to the shoulder, and restart the vehicle. This has happened approximately 4 times during my 1 year of ownership and it is completely random when it occurs.

    NHTSA complaint #11477539 · source

Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Office of Defects Investigation public data. Complaints are submitted by owners and are not verified by NHTSA or by us; a complaint does not prove a defect exists. View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov Methodology