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2020 SUBARU FORESTER — FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

firecrash · 2234703 · 2026-08-11

Vehicle

Make
SUBARU
Model
FORESTER
Year
2020
Manufacturer
Subaru of America, Inc.
Component
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Speed
65 mph

Severity

Deaths
0
Injured
0
Fire
Yes
Crash
Yes
Police report
Yes
Medical attention
No
Vehicle towed
Yes

Narrative

While driving my girfriend's 2020 Subaru Forester on August 11, 2026 at approximately 65 to 70 mph, I struck a deer on a highway. The airbags deployed immediately, and I temporarily lost all forward visibility due to the airbag deploy, and smoke or steam coming from the front of the vehicle as it decelerated to a stop. Within moments of stopping, smoke transitioned to visible flames coming from the engine compartment. The fire spread extremely quickly, and the vehicle became fully engulfed in flames within minutes. The specific component or system that failed is UNKNOWN, but based on the sequence of events, it appears that a front‑end structural failure during the collision may have caused a rupture of one or more engine‑bay components (oil system, coolant system, or other fluid lines), leading to a rapid fire. The vehicle was completely destroyed and is not available for inspection, but the incident was documented by emergency responders and my insurance company. This fire created a severe safety risk, as the vehicle ignited shortly after coming to rest and burned intensely. I had no warning lights, messages, or symptoms prior to the collision. The problem has not been reproduced, but I have since learned of multiple similar fires involving Subaru Foresters after front‑end animal impacts, which raises concern about a potential design vulnerability.

Source

Authoritative
NHTSA ODI Flat-File Downloads
ODI Number
11756381
Machine
JSON-LD · Markdown