Saturday, dec 26, around 2:30-3pm I was leaving estes park colorado, driving down a windy mountain road. At this time I was applying my brakes around the corners and , constant on/off from the brake pedal. During one of these braking moments on a corner my car accelerated instead, as I'm applying the brake, for 1-2 seconds. It's like a lurch forward instead of a brake. Then it corrected itself…
2019 Subaru Forester cruise control problems
severe Owners of the 2019 Subaru Forester have filed 13 NHTSA complaints about the cruise control, typically surfacing around 12,000 miles at roughly $600 to repair (U.S. federal records, as of July 2026). Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation. See cruise control across all vehicles →
Failure mileage
Complaints
13
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$600
| Model year | cruise control complaints |
|---|---|
| 2015 Forester | 43 |
| 2016 Forester | 25 |
| 2017 Forester | 19 |
| 2018 Forester | 21 |
| 2019 Forester (this page) | 13 |
| 2020 Forester | 10 |
| 2021 Forester | 9 |
| 2022 Forester | 7 |
2crashes
3injuries
When does it fail?
Of the 13 cruise control complaints filed for the 2019 Subaru Forester, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 0-25,000 mi.
0-25k
25-50k
50-75k
75-100k
100-125k
125-150k
150k+
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
What stands out
No new NHTSA cruise control complaint has been filed on this vehicle in over 5 years — the issue may be aging out of the active population.
The failure pattern owners describe
Owners report unintended acceleration as the dominant complaint, striking at various speeds: slow parking maneuvers (5–30 mph), mid-speed coast-downs (30 to 15–16 mph), and mountain braking. The symptoms vary. During parking, the vehicle lurches forward without throttle input, sometimes hard enough to collide with poles or parked cars. During braking from moderate speed, owners describe sudden forward acceleration that feels like an unexpected transmission downshift. In snow and mountain driving with ECO mode and frequent brake cycling, the car accelerates while brakes are applied—owners describe it as the vehicle getting confused.
One 2019 with fewer than 100 miles on the odometer exhibited severe lurching during braking, creating a 20-foot stopping distance overshoot. Another owner reported the failure twice six months apart; the dealer found no problem. Brake responsiveness issues appear in some reports: one owner at 18 mph reported the brake pedal failed to respond during unwanted acceleration on an uphill bend.
A separate cruise-control complaint describes 5 mph increments per button tap instead of 1 mph—double-tapping drops speed by 10 mph instead of 2 mph, dangerous on long climbs.
Stalling tendency with 1–1.5 second throttle lag emerges during left turns at traffic lights, forcing hard pedal input.
One accelerator pedal became inoperable at 65 mph with no warning light.
Same Subaru Forester cruise control reports on nearby years: 2016 · 2017 · 2018 · 2020
Failure modes owners describe
Unintended acceleration at low speed / during parking
Vehicle accelerates without driver input while pulling into parking spaces or moving slowly (5–30 mph), sometimes forcefully enough to cause collisions with vehicles or fixed objects.
When: 6,000–29,700 miles; incidents reported within first 5–15 minutes of driving or after repeated braking in cold weather
Symptoms owners cite: Sudden acceleration with no throttle input; Acceleration lasts 20 seconds to 2 minutes; Occurs during slow parking maneuvers; Happens repeatedly in some cases; Brake pedal pressed but vehicle continues to accelerate
Repairs/costs cited: Dealers unable or unwilling to replicate; third-party inspection found nothing wrong; one vehicle estimated $1,000 in collision damage
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Subaru stated vehicle operating as designed; case filed with manufacturer after collision incident; no recalls or TSBs mentioned
Acceleration/lurch during braking from mid-speed coast-down
Vehicle lurches or accelerates forward unexpectedly when coasting or braking from 30 mph down to 15–16 mph, typically feeling like a sudden transmission downshift.
When: Less than 100 miles on one vehicle; occurs consistently during braking events
Symptoms owners cite: Sudden forward lurch while braking; Severity fluctuates; Feels like unexpected transmission shift; Abnormally fast deceleration when foot off gas (coasting resistance); Most severe when braking from 30 mph
Repairs/costs cited: Not repaired; dealer involvement not documented
Acceleration lurch during brake application in low-grip conditions
Vehicle accelerates forward (1–2 seconds) instead of decelerating while brakes are applied, particularly when driving in ECO mode with frequent brake cycling on snow or mountain roads.
When: 2019 winter driving; December mountain driving
Symptoms owners cite: Forward lurch while brake pedal pressed; Occurs 3–4 times during extended braking events in snow; Happens in ECO mode with frequent brake application; Described as car getting confused or trying to switch gears; Self-correcting after 1–2 seconds
Brake pedal unresponsiveness under acceleration
During acceleration or when vehicle accelerates unexpectedly, brake pedal fails to respond or responds with significant delay (18 mph uphill on bend with traction control).
When: Unknown mileage
Symptoms owners cite: Brake pedal does not respond when depressed during acceleration; Vehicle accelerates without warning on hill; Driver able to regain control but required intervention
Repairs/costs cited: Vehicle declared working as designed; not repaired
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Dealer stated vehicle working as designed
Cruise-control increment malfunction
Cruise-control increase/decrease buttons operate in 5 mph increments instead of 1 mph, creating dangerous overshooting when driver double-taps expecting 2 mph reduction but gets 10 mph drop.
When: Owner reports using cruise control for all highway driving
Symptoms owners cite: Single button tap causes 5 mph change instead of 1 mph; Double-tap causes 10 mph drop instead of 2 mph; Owner incompatibility with previous vehicles using 1 mph increments
Repairs/costs cited: Owner requesting PCM firmware update to allow 1 mph increment mode
Accelerator pedal inoperability
Accelerator pedal becomes inoperative (fails to accelerate vehicle) while driving at highway speed, with no warning light.
When: 12,000 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Pedal depressed but vehicle fails to accelerate; Occurs at 65 mph; No warning light illuminated
Repairs/costs cited: Not diagnosed or repaired
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Manufacturer notified
Stalling tendency with throttle delay when turning
Vehicle exhibits stalling symptoms primarily when turning left at traffic signals, with approximately 1–1.5 second throttle delay requiring hard acceleration input to prevent engine stop.
When: Primarily at idle during left turns at signals
Symptoms owners cite: Car feels like it will stall at idle; Throttle delay of 1–1.5 seconds; Requires hard pedal push to prevent stall; Caused near-collisions on several occasions; Engine stop button activated to suppress stalling
Repairs/costs cited: Owner attempted mitigation by activating engine stop button
Synthesized from 13 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 1 most recent
Had cruise control trouble with your 2019 Subaru Forester?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the cruise control problem on the 2019 Subaru Forester?
It's a meaningful issue. 13 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $600.
At what mileage does the cruise control typically fail?
Across the 8 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most cruise control failures cluster between 9,000 and 25,700 miles, with the median around 12,000. A quarter of owners report trouble before 9,000; a quarter make it past 25,700. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $600 for cruise control repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to cruise control?
No active recalls currently cover cruise control issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2019/Subaru/Forester.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.