The Lemon IndexP26A3 is a standard engine code we haven't explained yet. Full P26A3 page
16 owner complaints · the #2 code Subaru Forester owners name · 18% of Subaru Forester complaints that name a code (every car: 0.1%)
2019–2020 Subaru Forester · most: 2019 (9), 2020 (7)
Subaru Forester owners named P26A3 in 16 complaints to the U.S. government (NHTSA), most often on the 2019 and 2020 model years. Complaints are owner reports, not proof of a defect.
Subaru Forester model years that report P26A3
Owner complaints naming P26A3, by model year. Raw counts: years that sold more get more complaints, so this is each model year's record, not a failure rate.
Symptoms owners describe with P26A3
75% of these complaints say the check engine light came on.
- Warning lights and electrical faults12%2 of 16 complaints
Share of the complaints naming P26A3 whose text also describes each problem. A complaint can describe more than one.
Codes owners report with it
P26A5 2
Other codes named in the same Subaru Forester complaints, and in how many.
Recalls on these Subaru Forester years
- Engine · 2019 · issued 2019
The aluminum Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve can separate, allowing the separated components to enter the engine, resulting in a loss of power while driving. NHTSA 19V856000
1 recall for the same systems (engine and powertrain) on the Subaru Forester model years above. A recall for the same system isn't proof it's behind P26A3. Recall work is free at any dealer: check a VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with our VIN check.
Keep going
- P26A3: meaning, causes and every car that reports it
- Subaru Forester reliability by year
- 2019 Subaru Forester problems and recalls
Other codes Subaru Forester owners report
The details
How we count
We read every owner complaint in the NHTSA file whose text names this trouble code, and count the ones filed about this model (matched by the make, model and model year on the complaint). Mileage is what the owner entered on the form.
Parts: a complaint counts for a part when one of the owner's own sentences names that part together with a cause word (failed, bad, diagnosed, caused by, leaking ...) or a repair word (replaced, repaired, new, reprogrammed ...). "Came back" means the same complaint also says the problem returned or the repair didn't fix it. These are counts of what owners wrote, not a diagnosis, and one complaint can name several parts.
Complaints are reports, not proof of a defect, and most owners never file one. Popular models get more complaints, so the counts are not a failure rate. The code meaning is the standard SAE J2012 definition in our own words, or the carmaker's meaning where we verified it for that make.
What P26A3 means
P26A3 is a standard (generic) powertrain code. We haven't verified its meaning for Subaru yet. A dealer or a scanner with the maker's software can tell you exactly.
Check the complaints yourself
NHTSA complaint numbers (search them at nhtsa.gov): 11773646, 11589544, 11582861, 11579121, 11576156, 11559399, 11555731, 11533948, 11532738, 11528017, 11521436, 11520570 and 4 more.
Quick answers
Which Subaru Forester years have the most P26A3 complaints?
In complaints to NHTSA, owners of the 2019 (9), 2020 (7) Subaru Forester named P26A3 most (16 complaints in all, 2019–2020). Raw counts, not a failure rate.
Sources: NHTSA owner complaints that name P26A3 on the Subaru Forester, counted by The Lemon Index; NHTSA recalls; repair bills owners named. Meanings: SAE J2012 in our own words. Owner reports, not a diagnosis or repair advice for your car.