Complexity Framework for Forbidden Subgraphs: When Hardness Is Not Preserved under Edge Subdivision

A graph $G$ is $H$-subgraph-free if $G$ does not contain $H$ as a (not necessarily induced) subgraph. We make inroads into the classification of three problems for $H$-subgraph-free graphs that have the properties that they are solvable in polynomial time on classes of bounded treewidth and NP-complete on subcubic graphs, yet NP-hardness is not preserved under edge subdivision. The three problems are $k$-Induced Disjoint Paths, $C_5$-Colouring and Hamilton Cycle. Although we do not complete the classifications, we show that the boundary between polynomial time and NP-complete differs for $C_5$-Colouring from the other two problems.