Acceleration complaints by model year
| Year | Complaints | Share of year's complaints | Typical mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2025 | 5 | 5% | 15,000 miles |
| 2024 | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2023 | 6 | 8% | 9,000 miles |
| 2022 | 9 | 9% | 2,000 miles |
| 2021 | 12 | 6% | 7,000 miles |
| 2020 | 24 | 4% | 26,000 miles |
| 2019 | 27 | 3% | 12,000 miles |
| 2018 | 30 | 6% | 18,000 miles |
| 2017 | 33 | 6% | 29,000 miles |
| 2016 | 37 | 9% | 17,000 miles |
| 2015 | 70 | 11% | 37,000 miles |
| 2014 | 42 | 10% | 30,000 miles |
| 2013 | 7 | 9% | 47,000 miles |
| 2012 | 18 | 17% | 30,000 miles |
| 2011 | 13 | 9% | 24,000 miles |
| 2010 | 24 | 9% | 40,000 miles |
| 2009 | 19 | 11% | 41,000 miles |
| 2008 | 6 | 12% | 38,000 miles |
| 2007 | 8 | 11% | 68,000 miles |
| 2006 | 20 | 23% | 36,000 miles |
| 2005 | 17 | 18% | 58,000 miles |
| 2004 | 12 | 5% | 52,000 miles |
| 2003 | 15 | 8% | 55,000 miles |
| 2002 | 23 | 26% | 93,000 miles |
| 2001 | 29 | 21% | 78,000 miles |
| 2000 | 4 | 5% | 95,000 miles |
| 1999 | 6 | 5% | 49,000 miles |
| 1998 | 14 | 14% | 105,000 miles |
Which parts fail
Components named in complaints (accelerator pedal, throttle, sudden acceleration, cruise control).
Mileage when the problem started
What owners report
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. The impact resulted in damages to the front bumper and caused a body panel to detach. No warning light was illuminated before or after the crash. The air bags did not deploy. There was no property damage, no reported injury, and no Police report was filed. The vehicle was driven to the dealer, where Subaru field technicians inspected the Event Data Recorder (EDR) and informed the contact that no data was recorded. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that data was not logged because the vehicle was traveling at a significantly slow speed. …
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving into a parking space and applying the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration, surged forward and drove over a parking bump before crashing into the hedges and a lamp post. No injuries were reported. A police report was filed at the scene. The vehicle was later towed to the local collision center. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,920.
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and the RPMs were significantly high. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact shifted to park(P) and turned off the vehicle, and the vehicle decelerated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed. Additionally, the contact stated while his wife was reversing, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and hit a chained gate. The contact's wife depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The vehicle went into the woods, hit several small trees, and then the vehicle crashed into a big tree and bounced 30 ft. away from the tree. …
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, and drove over a concrete curb and uphill toward a building. The contact quickly made a right turn, however, the fender and driver's side of the vehicle crashed into the edge of the building and scraped it. The vehicle then drove downhill through the grass and stopped on a sidewalk. The air bags did not deploy. The contact did not recall whether a warning light was illuminated. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer informed the contact that it could take approximately two months for a Subaru engineer to diagnose the vehicle. …
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while attempting to park in her brother's driveway with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact continued to apply the brakes but the vehicle failed to respond, drove into the garage, and crashed into appliances. The air bags did not deploy. There was no injury sustained. There was no police report filed. The vehicle was later taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that no issues were found. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and sent a field technician who diagnosed that no issues were found. The manufacturer did not provide further assistance. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 4,000.
The contact owned a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while slowing pulling into the parking space the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and drove over a curb and traveled up a hill before crashing into a tree. During the crash neither the driver nor passenger-side air bags deployed. The driver and front passenger sustained chest injuries. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away. A police report was taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 1800.
The contact owned a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that his wife attempted to turn into a parking lot while her foot depressed on the brake pedal, the vehicle jolted into acceleration, ultimately crashing into two parked vehicles at 5 MPH. The front passenger side of the contact's vehicle crashed into the front of two vehicles. No property damage was reported. The vehicle came to a stop upon impact. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle was not towed. The Steering Responsive Headlight Warning Light was illuminated. A police report was filed. The vehicle was destroyed. No Injuries were reported. The local dealer was not contacted, and the vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 39,500.
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked, she shifted the gear shifter into reverse(R) and the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration and lunged backward, crashing into another vehicle. Additionally, the vehicle made abnormally loud noises and was extremely hot after it was turned off. The contact did not sustain any injuries. No police report was filed. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and the dealer inspected the brake system. The dealer was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.
Frequently asked questions
Which Subaru Forester years have acceleration problems?
By NHTSA complaints, the 2015 (70), 2014 (42), 2016 (37), 2017 (33) and 2018 (30) model years. Acceleration complaints make up 11% of all complaints for the 2015.
Is there a recall for Subaru Forester acceleration problems?
No. NHTSA lists no speed control & acceleration recall for any Subaru Forester model year. A widespread problem may still be covered by an extended warranty or a manufacturer service bulletin, so ask a dealer.
At what mileage do Subaru Forester acceleration problems start?
Across all years, half of the complaints with a recorded mileage happened before about 37,000 miles; 68% happened before 50,000 miles.
What part fails most often?
Owners most often name the accelerator pedal (33 mentions), followed by the cruise control (3).
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.