Table 1 shows one common electrical system related problems of the 2025 Subaru Forester.
| Problem Category | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| Electrical System problems |
I have been having problems with my 2025 Subaru Forester since I purchased it. It has failed multiple times to alert me of people and cars when I am backing up. I have rctw on my vehicle . Sometimes it alerts me when there is a car or person is coming behind me ,sometimes it doesn't. I have a video dated June 4th 2026. Three times people walked right behind my car when I was backing up. I almost hit them! I decided to video tape it. The back up camera also doesn't always work and did not go off when I was backing into the curb until I hit it without an alarm going off. The lighting alert system was also messed up because the light was on green until I almost hit the curb. This also happened on June 4th and I have a video. I could have hit a small animal or child or damaged my car. I have brought this to the attention of my Subaru service department and they claim they can not replicate this problem. This is of great concern for me and I have filed a lemon law case as I am too fearful I will hurt someone or myself because of these issues. In addition to this, my headlights are aimed down at the ground and I live on curvy country roads. Hard to see at night. My service department said Subaru of America would have to approve the adjustment. They never got back to me on this issue. The tech specialist told the service department manager that I had electrical problems with my vehicle as she witnessed the hvac working improperly. My radio, navigations, phone and sound systems also cause distracted driving. The radio would blast on high volume randomly . The navigation, phone and radio volume would be blasting without being able to turn this down. There is no way to turn off the radio. If you do, the whole navigations screen won't work. My navigation system is not functioning properly and has blacked out . Subaru has seen my vehicle 6 times for these issues . They claim they can't replicate the problem. My car is sitting in the garage. It is too unsafe to drive.
My new vehicle, with under 4,000 miles, has already suffered multiple chewed wires due to rodents attracted to the soy-based wire coatings used by the manufacturer. This is not a minor inconvenience — it is a serious safety issue. Damaged wiring can cause loss of power steering mid-drive, abs and braking system malfunctions, airbag deployment failures, engine stalling on highways, and electrical fires — any of which can result in injury or death. The manufacturer knows soy-based coatings attract rodents, the consequences are safety-critical, and proven mitigations exist (capsaicin-infused coatings, hardened sheathing, metal conduit) yet are not implemented from the factory. If vehicles are engineered to withstand foreseeable environmental hazards like water intrusion, heat, and road debris, there is no justification for leaving critical wiring defenseless against a well-documented and predictable threat. A material choice known to invite damage, paired with insufficient physical barriers, is not an external cause — it is a design flaw.
Sirius add pop-up on the infotainment screen, locks you out of the system. Not allowing use of hands free calling, text or climate control. Recurring issue making vehicle unsafe.
While driving the head unit was connected to google automotive with google maps giving me directions and music through you tube music when a full screen sized ad for sirius xm took over the entire screen. I could no longer see the map and directions, couldn't use the climate control. The entire screen was locked by this add until I removed my focus from the road to hit the small x icon in the top right corner of the add to close it out. Ads for a product I've never used taking over my entire head unit distracting my driving and following the directions from google maps is unacceptable and unsafe.
Navigation system gives incorrect directions including wrong freeway exits and and incorrect home location ( off by about 300-500 feet ) . This creates a safety hazard while driving. Vehicle has been taken for repair about six times , but the issue remains unsolved. Dealer com bined multiple visits into fewer repair orders.
8/25/seat heater came on by itself on a hot day this summer, it got so hot it burned my right thigh. Seat heaters are burning people. I drove directly to Subaru dealership service and the service person, dave confirmed the seat heater was off and felt that the seat was hot and getting hotter as the heat began going up into the back of the seat. The service personnel inspected my car and could not duplicate the incident and everything tested "normal" ~ I requested they unplug the heater and they said they could not as it will effect the computer. Subaru corporate connected me with a customer advocate who arranged inspection by a corporate service person. Scheduled 11/25/he did not drive my car -I dont know what he did besides remove my car seat covers, he left a message for me that everything tested normal he couldn't duplicate the issue and the seat covers were not allowed (Subaru sells the same type covers for my Forester :/ finding this odd I began researching and found others are getting burn by the same issue!! ) there were no lights on- the seat heater was in the off position ~Subaru service personnel can confirm. I am requesting an emergency "kill switch" be installed in all vehicles with seat heaters to prevent further injury. Thank you.
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester hybrid. The contact stated that the hatchback had opened independently while the vehicle was parked. The contact stated that the doors had opened unintendedly while the vehicle was being washed at the car wash. The contact stated that the door required to be slammed to close and to latch securely. Additionally, the contact stated that while reversing out of a 2-15 percent sloped driveway, the reverse automatic braking (rab) system's beeping sound engaged while there were no vehicles or objects in the proximity of the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped abruptly, causing the driver's side seat headrest to hit the contact's head violently. The contact stated that the vehicle became inoperable. The contact exited and inspected the surroundings of the vehicle. The contact verified that the vehicle had not collided with an object. The contact returned inside the vehicle, and the vehicle responded as needed. The contact pulled into the driveway. The contact contacted the doctor's office weeks later, and was referred to the er. The contact went to the er, where a CT scan, and other tests were performed, but internal bleeding was not found. The contact sustained a concussion and persistent headaches. Additionally, the contact underwent an mri and was waiting for the neurologist to interpret the mri test results. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the contact was advised to deactivate the reverse automatic braking(rab) system. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and sent a field technician who inspected and test-drove the vehicle. The manufacturer later informed the contact that the vehicle had operated as designed while reversing on the sloped driveway. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 100.