Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
Owner reports
Selected complaints filed with NHTSA by 2014 Subaru Forester owners, lightly cleaned up (personal details are redacted by NHTSA).
The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while pulling into a parking space, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, went over a cement post, onto a sidewalk pavement, and crashed into a condo building. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact did not recall whether the brake pedal was depressed but failed to respond. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact was informed by the emergency units who examined her at the scene that she had sustained high blood pressure. There was no police report filed. The vehicle was towed to an autobody shop where it was repaired. The vehicle was then taken to the dealer where it was being diagnosed. The failure mileage was approximately 44,000.
The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while she had the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle suddenly accelerated unintendedly. The vehicle crashed into the garage in front of the vehicle. The air bags did not deploy. The contact had not received any injuries. There was damage to the garage, itself. The contact had not taken the vehicle to a certified mechanic or dealer as of yet. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 61,765.
On Friday, 12-3-21 I was in an accident in my local Costco parking lot while backing out of my spot. While backing out of the spot slowly with the wheel turned, my 2014 Subaru Forester had a sudden and extreme acceleration in reverse doing a reverse u-turn into a parked car causing considerable damage to the rear end of both cars. I am certain that I did not to press the gas pedal as this is a busy parking lot and I always back out very slowly just covering the brake. There is some kind of mechanical issue with my car that caused this malfunction. I was evaluated by paramedics and taken to the local emergency room with a significant bump on the back right side of my head. My car is currently available for inspection. I am in the process of reporting this to Subaru of America to see if they can inspect/evaluate the car.
Went through automated car wash. Proceeded to lane for towel drying. Car suddenly unintentionally accelerated. Hit rear passenger side of parked car and also collided with the fence that ultimately stopped my forward motion. The car passed across two side walks and one side street during this event. No pedestrians or cross traffic was present or this would have been catastrophic. There were no previous warning signs of this event. My insurance company was notified and inspected the vehicle. A formal complaint was filed with Subaru of America and we are still waiting for them to inspect the vehicle. They have authorized repair of the vehicle prior to them seeing it.
September 6,2018 the vehicle suddenly unintentionally accelerated. Came off the highway.Pulled in to a parking lot to turn around. Reaching for the shifter with my foot on the brake. The vehicle went 42mph in less than four feet, a woman was directly in the front center of vehicle when a loud roar happened. The woman jumped out of the way. As the 2014 Subaru Forester shot forward hitting a suburban and then bounced off a fence to stop in the road next to us. Had to fight to get towed to Gresham Subaru. Pulled dtcs and box information.Subaru denies SUA, has a recall on BLS. No airbag deployed, brakes did not work. Skid marks and chunks of tires.
I was driving my 2014 Subaru Forester (about 148,000 miles) behind a minivan at a safe distance and speed. Without warning, my vehicle accelerated uncontrollably. Despite applying the brakes, shifting into low gear, and using the emergency brake, I was unable to slow it down. After impact, the car then hit a telephone pole, spun me around and rolled the car over. There is major damage to the car and we looked at it at the tow yard but the salvage adjuster is moving it shortly.
Car revved too much and was not moving. Was able to pull over on the shoulder from the fast lane due to the momentum of the car. Avoided a fatal injury for sure. Apart from this, 1. Car sometimes speeds up way more than it should. 2. Subaru changed the short block due to excessive oil consumption but intermittently it still is out of oil way too soon.
I reported this incident on August 19, 2018 -complaint number 1120961. I had SUV towed the following day to dealer where I purchased it brand-new. The dealer service dept is trying to tell me there is nothing wrong with the SUV, but that is impossible. The dealer has arranged for Subaru of America from nj to contact me, but I need your help to get this resolved. The problem is intermittent and they say they have not been able to replicate it. When the incident occurred in my daughter's driveway when I placed it in reverse and it acclerated at such a high rate in reverse with brake depressed and I could not stop it when my foot was depressing the brake, I had my accident running into the back of my daughter's SUV in which was parked in her driveway - causing over $2,000 damage to her SUV - my SUV was damaged in the rear bumper but dealer has not told me the estimate of damage. …
July 6, 2018 driving on city street when my foot had the brake depressed and the auto suddenly accelerated so much that I had to turn into a curb to avoid a collision with another vehicle - I hit a curb with one tire to avoid accident and had to get four new tires because it is AWD. Today my brake was depressed and it accelerated when I was in reverse then attempting to get SUV into drive - driving down my daughter's driveway today, it accelerated so rapidly unintended that pressing the brake would not stop vehicle - engaged emergency brake and it still did not stop it - placed it into park and pressing brake continuously and emergency brake engaged, finally stopped the car at roadside after turning off ignition - very hazardous safety issue - lucky no one was hurt or killed - this SUV is a dangerous vehicle - having it towed by aaa tomorrow morning to dealer. What can I do about this? …
Tl* the contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the vehicle independently accelerated, while attempting to park. The contact stated that the brake pedal was depressed however, the vehicle failed to stop. The contact was able to turn the steering wheel to avoid crashing into a building. The vehicle came to a stop when it crashed into two poles. The contact stated that no injuries were sustained. The police department was present; however, the contact was unaware of a report was filed. The vehicle was towed to an auto body repair facility where the physical damage was repaired. The cause of the failure was not diagnosed by a dealer. The manufacturer was not contacted. The contact mentioned that when the brake pedal was depressed the vehicle would slightly 'hop'. The failure mileage was 30,000.
Acceleration complaints in other Forester years
Frequently asked questions
How common are acceleration problems on the 2014 Subaru Forester?
NHTSA has 42 complaints about the speed control & acceleration of the 2014 Subaru Forester, 10% of the model year's 403 complaints. The component named most often is accelerator pedal (1 mentions).
Is there a recall for 2014 Subaru Forester acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for the 2014 Subaru Forester, though it has 2 recalls for other components. If the problem is widespread, a repair may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin — ask a dealer.
At what mileage do 2014 Subaru Forester acceleration problems start?
Half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 30,000 miles, and 47% before 25,000 miles.
Is it dangerous?
Owners linked 25 crashes, 0 fires and 13 injuries to speed control & acceleration problems on this model year. If you notice symptoms, have the car checked before driving further.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — owner complaints through October 20, 2026, recalls and defect investigations; fuel economy from the EPA. Complaints are unverified reports and are not proof of a defect. How we rate model years.