This is something I've experienced with my Pfaff, not so much with my Janome. (In fact my Pfaff and I have not 'gelled', but that's another story
).
I read somewhere that machines 'eating' fabric is a common problem with wider stitch widths. If I have to use my decorative stitch plate instead of my straight stitch plate, I start off each new section with a 'leader' - a small piece of fabric to be cut off later - and this has largely solved the problem. I also noticed a difference when I changed to a new needle - it did it less often.