2020 Subaru Forester
Complaints about this year name control valve far more often than the other years of this generation — 8% of them, about 8× the usual rate of 1.1%.
Generation 4 of the Subaru Forester, which began in 2019 and ran to 2024. Everything below compares this year against the others in that generation, not against a different car wearing the same name.
NHTSA opened a defect investigation into this model year.
| Complaints filed | 594 |
|---|---|
| Median for this model | 105 |
| Involving a crash | 26 |
| Involving a fire | 8 |
| Recalls | 0 |
| NHTSA crash rating | 5/5 |
| EPA combined | 29 mpg |
Also unusual this year
- thermo control — 7% of complaints, 6× usual
- middle — 9% of complaints, 3× usual
What owners wrote
Thermo control valve stays open. Needs replacement. Automatic brakes have gone on with no car in front of vehicle. Unsafe.
Check Engine light came on along with EyeSight, traction control and flashing [S] lights. Dealer confirmed that the thermo control valve failed.
Verbatim from NHTSA complaint filings, with identifying details removed.
How this was worked out
Every year of the Subaru Forester was compared against its own history rather than against other cars, which removes popularity and age from the answer — a common car draws more complaints at equal reliability, and an older one has had longer to accumulate them. A year is flagged when it drew at least 2.5× this model's median and at least 50 complaints.
This is a fault record, not a review. Nobody files a federal complaint to say the car was fine, so it shows what tends to go wrong — not whether owners liked it, and not whether it is a good car.
Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls and investigations, retrieved . Look this vehicle up directly on NHTSA's site to check anything here.
Own a 2020 Subaru Forester? What happened to yours?
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