VinCanary

Reliability report · 2019 Subaru Forester · Updated July 2026

The loud fifth-gen launch year — the thermal control valve is the headline, but it's covered to 15 years, so buy one where the work got done.

2019 is the first year of the redesigned fifth-generation (SK) Forester, and it shows: the loudest complaint file in our Forester set. The defining problem is the thermal control valve (also called the coolant bypass valve) — it fails with codes P26A3 or P2682, stalling the engine and lighting up a cascade of warnings including EyeSight (Subaru's camera-based driver-assist suite). The good news is Subaru extended the valve's warranty to 15 years/150,000 miles for 2019–2021 cars, so the fix is free on almost any example.

The second big thread is the auto engine start/stop system: owners report the engine failing to restart at lights and stalling in traffic. Three recalls apply — an electric-power-steering connector (19V065), a PCV valve that can shed debris into the engine (19V856), and rear stabilizer bracket bolts (21V263) — all free. This is a Squawking year because the volume and the stalling reports are real, but nearly every headline item is covered; the cars to avoid are the ones where the valve and recall work was never done.

Evidence: 831 NHTSA complaints · 3 recall campaigns · 4 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Squawking

What that means: 831 federal complaints — the most of any Forester year here — as the redesigned fifth generation launched. The headline engine issue, the thermal control valve, causes stalls and warning-light cascades, but Subaru extended its coverage to 15 years/150,000 miles. The auto engine start/stop system also draws heavy stalling complaints.

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

831

Federal complaints

3

Recalls

a few hundred

Out-of-coverage valve replacement

$0

Thermal control valve under extension (15yr/150k)

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Thermal control valve (P26A3 / P2682) — covered 15 years / 150,000 miles

major

The fifth-gen engine uses a thermal control valve (also called the engine coolant bypass valve) to manage coolant flow. It fails — owners report the engine stalling, overheating, and throwing codes P26A3 or P2682 along with a cascade of EyeSight, pre-collision and check-engine warnings. It's the single most common serious complaint on the 2019. Crucially, Subaru extended the valve's warranty coverage to 15 years/150,000 miles for 2019–2021 Foresters, and the replacement uses a redesigned valve with a stainless internal shaft and better sensor waterproofing. On any 2019, ask whether the valve has been replaced with the updated part; if the coolant system codes or the engine has stalled, this is the first suspect and the repair should be free under the extension.

What to check

Pink and cleanServiced. Proceed.

Dark brownDamage underway.

Thermal control valve under extension (15yr/150k)

$0

Out-of-coverage valve replacement

a few hundred

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2019 Subaru Forester (true count 831) · NHTSA recalls + manufacturer communications (19V856, 19V065, 21V263; thermal-control-valve 15yr/150k extension)

Auto engine start/stop — stalling and restart failuresmoderate

The 2019 introduced auto engine start/stop, which shuts the engine off at stops to save fuel. The federal file has a heavy, recurring thread of owners reporting the engine failing to restart when they lift off the brake — the car loses power in traffic and has to be shifted to park and restarted, sometimes taking several tries. Some of these overlap with the thermal-valve failures above; others are start/stop behavior on its own. It reads more as a driveability and nuisance concern than a covered defect, but it's persistent enough to test for. On the drive, sit through several stop/start cycles in traffic and confirm the engine restarts cleanly every time; many owners simply disable the feature each drive.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2019 Subaru Forester (true count 831)

PCV valve recall — debris-into-engine risk, freemajor

Recall 19V856 (Subaru code WUW-08) covers an aluminum PCV (Positive Crankcase Ventilation) valve that can separate, letting the broken pieces enter the engine and cause a loss of power while driving. Dealers inspect and replace the valve free — and if the valve has separated and the debris can't be found, they replace the short-block engine free. This is a serious, powertrain-level recall; confirm 19V856 shows completed by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2019 Subaru Forester (true count 831) · NHTSA recalls + manufacturer communications (19V856, 19V065, 21V263; thermal-control-valve 15yr/150k extension)

$0

PCV inspect/replace, short-block if needed (recall)

Electric power steering and rear-stabilizer recalls — freemoderate

Two more free recalls: an EPS (Electric Power Steering) unit connector that can short and cause a loss of steering assist (19V065, 2019 Forester/Crosstrek), and rear stabilizer bracket bolts that can loosen and detach (21V263, 2019 Forester and 2018–2019 Crosstrek). A loss of steering assist and a detaching stabilizer are both handling/crash concerns — confirm both are closed by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA recalls + manufacturer communications (19V856, 19V065, 21V263; thermal-control-valve 15yr/150k extension)

$0

EPS gearbox + stabilizer bolts (recalls)

What does NOT apply here — head gasket and the oil-consumption programminor

Two Subaru reputations that don't fit this car. The head-gasket meme belongs to the older EJ-series engines (roughly 2013 and earlier), not the FB25 in this Forester — a Subaru specialist channel raises the rumor about this generation specifically and debunks it. And the famous oil-consumption warranty program covers 2011–2015 engines only; it does not reach the 2019. Buy on the thermal-valve and recall status, not on those older stories.

Sources: Independent Subaru mechanic channel transcripts (gen5 buyers guide, head-gasket/CVT rumor debunk)

While driving, the engine stalled and many dash lights came on. The thermo control valve was the cause.
4 mechanic & owner sources

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Open recalls

Free fixes at any Subaru dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 19V856Aluminum PCV valve may separate and send debris into the engine, causing a loss of power (2019 Forester/Crosstrek/Ascent). Free valve inspect/replace; short-block replaced free if debris cannot be found. Subaru code WUW-08.open
  2. 19V065Electric Power Steering unit connector may short, causing loss of steering assist (2019 Forester/Crosstrek). Free inspect/replace of the steering gearbox. Subaru code WUC-88.open
  3. 21V263Rear stabilizer bracket bolts may loosen and detach (2019 Forester, 2018–2019 Crosstrek). Free retorque and replacement of any missing bolts. Subaru code WRD-21.open

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