2023 Subaru Forester Pricing and Specs

A car can stop in its tracks for hundreds of reasons, but in a car like yours, first suspicions would be either the fuel pump or something like the crank-angle sensor. If the problem had been a clogged fuel filter or a dud spark plug, the problem would probably have made the engine run poorly, but not stopped it dead in an instant.

Electric fuel pumps don’t last forever and, when they die, they die quickly and without notice. Same goes for crank-angle sensors, without which, the computer doesn’t know where the individual pistons are in each cylinder and, therefore, can’t inject fuel or create spark at the precise time it needs to.

Any time the brakes (or any other system of a car) start to feel different than they have done since you bought the car, there’s probably something wrong. If it was an older car, I’d suggest a brake fluid change as the first step, but that’s unlikely to be the reason in an almost-new car. The problem sounds like there’s air in the braking system (there should only be brake fluid, and no air) but, again, that’s a wild card in such a new vehicle.

In any case, you’re doing the right thing by having the car independently tested. If the results come back suggesting a problem, you have good ammunition to get the dealership to fix this as a warranty matter. Make sure you get a written report from the mechanic detailing the braking system’s performance, and don’t be afraid to go over the dealer’s head to Subaru Australia’s customer service department.

Your car is trying to tell you that there’s something wrong somewhere and that it has disabled its cruise-control function as a result. A flashing cruise-control light in this vehicle is often accompanied by a check engine light, so make sure that’s not lit as well. If the check engine light is illuminated, then the flashing cruise light is the car’s way of telling you you won’t be able to engage cruise-control to avoid causing a bigger problem.

But you could have a different problem with the cruise-control - perhaps a speed sensor or brake-light switch problem – that is forcing the car to disable the cruise function.