Electrical System Problems of Subaru Forester - part 1

The airbag warning light for the front passenger seat has been intermittently lighting. Both when the passenger seat is occupied and vacant. The light sometimes indicates the passenger airbag is off when there is a passenger in the seat. I took the car to the Subaru dealer where I purchased the vehicle. . Per the dealership service report: “scanned codes and found code b1760 stored in body control module regarding the passenger front seat bottom. Recommend replacement due to a faulty occupant detection sensor. ” this car was recalled several years ago regarding the passenger seat airbag sensor issue. The car was serviced per the recall. This car has not been in an accident. The car has approximately 70,000 miles which were driven primarily by me. The front passenger seat was occupied less than 25 percent of the time. There was never anything spilled on the seat. The seat was not used to transport anything other than a passenger. The dealer service department now wants $1566. 79 to fix this issue. I contend that recall did not fix the issue correctly and I should not be charged for a faulty part or design that was not properly remedied the first time. The dealer will not resolve the issue and has referred me to corporate Subaru. I have contacted Subaru and am awaiting a response. Case # 260818-1700931. This is a safety issue that Subaru needs to address immediately.

See all problems of the 2017 Subaru Forester 🔎.

I brought my vehicle to an authorized Subaru dealership (byers imports, llc in columbus, ohio) to diagnose the reason for the airbag warning lamp illuminating. The dealer had the manufacturer's wum-98 safety recall (NHTSA campaign number 19v701000) performed to remedy a defective occupant detection system (ods) sensor harness. Despite the recall remedy being completed, the supplemental restraint system (srs) airbag warning light re-illuminated on the dashboard, completely disabling the front passenger-side airbag. The dealership confirmed that the passenger-side airbag remains completely disabled and inoperable due to a hardware failure of the internal occupant detection sensor mat. Because the initial wum-98 recall was previously marked as "closed" in Subaru's automated system, the manufacturer refused to cover the repair under the recall. I was forced to pay $1,258. 34 out of pocket up front to order a replacement front passenger seat cushion assembly (part #64139sg061ll) to restore basic airbag safety to the vehicle. The initial federal safety recall remedy failed to permanently correct the underlying safety hazard. The vehicle continues to exhibit the exact same life-threatening defect (disabled passenger airbag) targeted by the original recall, and the manufacturer is shifting the financial burden of this failed remedy onto the consumer.

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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.

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My 2021 Subaru Forester has a recurring, worsening defect in the idle stop/start (iss) system that creates a stalling hazard. When iss shuts the engine off at a stop, the engine intermittently fails to restart when I try to move again. It cranks progressively slower, warning lights illuminate, a continuous alert sounds, and the vehicle cannot proceed until I shift to park and restart manually. This has left me immobile in live traffic at lights, stop signs, and mid-turn. The system also attempts to shut down in unfavorable moments, such as mid-turn, or as I am already releasing the brake (meaning it was depressed only lightly or briefly); it then tries to restart while still mid-shutdown, producing a pronounced shake. This is not a battery-charge problem. It has occurred even when the battery tested above its rated cold-cranking amps, and after each failure the engine restarts smoothly by manual start, indicating the starter, engine, and fuel systems function normally. I raised this before 2024, but it was not recorded until may 2024. At that visit the dealer performed the tcm reprogramming in service bulletin 16-147-24 (forester, auto start/stop engine speed drop on restart) plus an ecm update. A later visit added another ecm update. A dealer has now identified yet another tcm reprogramming, quoted for a fee. The failure has persisted across all of these updates. Dealer staff acknowledge repeated customer complaints with these exact symptoms and say there is no known effective fix. Because iss cannot be permanently disabled through any factory control, I must remember to disable it manually every drive to avoid a restart failure in traffic. The vehicle is available for inspection. This is an ongoing, unresolved safety defect that repeated manufacturer software remedies have failed to correct, and it can leave the vehicle disabled in live traffic.

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**component or system:** Subaru eyesight driver assist system (specifically the pre-collision throttle management system). **incident description & warning messages:** there were no warning lamps, messages, or symptoms of any problem prior to this failure. The incident occurred while I was stopped at a red light at a busy intersection. When the light turned green, I removed my foot from the brake and pressed the gas pedal to proceed, but the vehicle would not accelerate. The system had engaged a false-positive throttle cut. At that exact moment, the car began beeping repeatedly and the eyesight logo flashed on the dashboard, incorrectly indicating an obstacle or imminent collision, even though the path in front of my vehicle was completely clear. **safety risk:** my safety and the safety of others were put at significant risk because the vehicle was unexpectedly immobilized in an active intersection during a green light. This sudden, unwarranted loss of acceleration created a high risk of being rear-ended by the drivers behind me who were expecting the flow of traffic to resume. **reproduced, confirmed, or inspected:** because this incident just occurred, the problem has not yet been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. Furthermore, the vehicle has not yet been inspected by the manufacturer, police, or insurance representatives.

See all problems of the 2020 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Airbag light came on - dealership confirmed it is an occupant detection system failure - wiring harness has gone bad. No history of moisture exposure, which would leave faulty part as the problem. Similar to Subaru recall from 2020 on heated passenger seats - this vehicle was not included in that recall, but is in the same year range and has heated seats. Entire bottom piece of front seat must be replaced, including wiring harness and seat mounting bracket; otherwise air bags may not deploy in case of accident. Quick online search reveals this problem has been prevalent in other 2018 Foresters not included in the original recall.

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.

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while trying to roll up vehicle windows from driver sits and passenger sit they would roll up to 3/4th all the way up and they would roll back down after. The contact stated this was a recurring event. The dealer was aware of failure and diagnosed issue needing repairs for window regulator and run channels for driver and passengers side. Manufacturer was made aware of failure and let contact know it was outside of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 22,500.

Infotainment center had popup ad about sirius xm trial ending soon and a phone number to call to extend. Had to hit small x in the corner to disable while vehicle in motion or have no access to air, radio controls, or see map.

2021 Subaru Forester the vehicle has experienced recurring electrical and battery-related issues for several years. The original battery was replaced by the Subaru dealer with a larger-capacity battery because of repeated starting concerns. The replacement provided only temporary improvement. The vehicle continues to experience rough starting on a regular basis, even after installation of a newer aftermarket battery with a higher cold-cranking-amp rating. The current battery is approximately five months old. The most significant safety concern occurs during auto start-stop operation. On multiple occasions, the engine has shut off at a stop as intended, but then failed to restart when attempting to move again. When this occurs, multiple warning lights illuminate on the dashboard and the vehicle is unable to proceed until it is shifted into park and restarted manually. Because of this issue, I now disable the auto start-stop feature on every drive to avoid a potential failure to restart while in traffic. The issue has been ongoing for years and has occurred with multiple batteries, including the dealer-installed replacement battery and a newer aftermarket battery. The dealer suggested that an aftermarket dash camera could be contributing to battery drain. The dash camera was disconnected, but the problem continued. I am concerned that failure of the vehicle to restart after auto start-stop operation could leave the vehicle disabled in traffic and create a safety hazard. The condition appears to involve the vehicle’s electrical system, battery management system, charging system, auto start-stop system, or a combination of those components. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request.

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.

My car is violently shaking and completely stalling out in intersections when attempting to restart from an auto-stop.

Brand new 2026 Forester's factory amplifier system completely failed within a week from purchasing at approximately 570 miles, disabling hands-free communication. California law strictly requires drivers to use phones in a hands-free manner. Drivers are prohibited from holding or physically touching their phone for any reason while operating a vehicle.

June 2025: I proactively replaced the battery October 2025: left the car parked for 17 days. Dead battery. Got a jump, drove for 2 hours. May 2026: left the car parked for 10 days. Dead battery. Got a jump, drove to mechanic who replaced it under warranty. Saw article about Subaru class action lawsuit about this issue, so I'm reporting it. I will visit the Subaru dealer where I purchased to car and ask them about it and Subaru's plans for permanent repair.

I have owned this vehicle since 2019 and the auto start has always stalled out when I stop at a light or stop sign. The vehicle needs to be put in park and restart the car. It is very dangerous.

Vehicle stopped at light,auto start stop engine off,stepped on gas to go engine didn’t restart,my passenger and I jumped out and grabbed a noco gb40 jump box I carry and jump started car,we were on a road trip out of town and could not wait for the dealership so finished our trip with the auto start stop turned off and if we had a problem starting used the jump box.

This vehicle has died 4 times in one week. When this happens, multiple lights have flashed in the dash board, including the "eye sight" warning. Then, it would not restart but continued to "turn over" when the ignition button was pushed. One instance was on a busy street at a stop light, another at a busy intersection in the inner left turn lane, the other 2 instances were in parking lots. The first 2 times the vehicle was able to be jump started and was not taken to the dealership. The 3rd, it was jump started and taken to the dealership. They said the battery was slightly low, but had sufficient charge. They changed the fob battery, and topped off the car battery. That was all. The next day was the episode where it died in the turn lane. I had it towed to the dealership. This time they changed the battery to a more high capacity battery, and admitted that these vehicles have a battery put in them at the manufacturer that is not strong enough for the systems it runs. I even found a service bulletin about it online, #TSB 07-218-23r. This should be a recall item, and they should have changed this battery at my first visit! a vehicle suddenly dying on a busy roadway puts those inside at risk, as well as everyone around them. Very disappointed in this 2023 Subaru Forester premium.

See all problems of the 2023 Subaru Forester 🔎.

We have replaced the battery twice and likely will need a third battery soon. I have learned that there is a known issue with the dcm trying to connect using 3g. This is causing a parasitic drain on the battery. The vehicle will fail to start. This has occurred many times over the last few years. We have just learned of the problem.

See all problems of the 2019 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Automatic start/stop fails to turn car on - intermittent. Taken it to Subaru detailer miltiple times and paid for services to correct the issue, but the issue persists. Fist time - replaced the battery in July 2025. 2nd time, went on a ride along for 1 hour, issue did not happen, replaced spark plugs, issue persists. 3rd time, updated tcm software, issue still persists. Subaru of America is aware of the issue and have not gotten a resolution either.

My apple car play has never worked since I bought the car new in 2020. The dealership's solution each time I asked about it was for me to get a new plug in cord, update my iphone settings, and then they can update the system manually. I have taken it in multiple times, and each time it has worked for 2-3 weeks before it no longer works again. This is dangerous because it usually happens mid-drive, and I no longer have the directions of where I am going, without stopping the vehicle. I also have to hold my phone and look at the directions since it does not display on the screen.

I had my foot on the brake, opened the garage door with my garage door opener, and before I took my foot off the brake the car surged, jumped, and smashed into the brick wall next to the garage. I did not put my foot on the gas.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Driving along and various system warnings came on, then started losing power, then the engine died and the car was completely dead. Got a jump start and the car ran for a couple of minutes and died again. Had it towed to a repair shop and when they checked it the next morning, they couldn't find a problem and it ran great for them. I replaced the battery and alternator just to be safe because we were about to leave on a trip.

Stalling/shutting down at stoplights with the auto start-stop feature has occurred continuously for the last 2 years I’ve taken to dealer, and multiple mechanics and they can’t find a problem.

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.

This 2020 Subaru Forester has experienced repeated failures involving the auto start/stop system. When stopped in traffic, the system shuts the engine off as designed, but on multiple occasions the engine has failed to restart normally when the driver needed to proceed. This has left the vehicle unable to move in active traffic and created a serious risk of collision. The failures have occurred in highly dangerous situations, including a busy [xxx], a major [xxx] intersection, and most recently while entering a freeway. In these incidents, surrounding drivers had to brake hard to avoid striking the disabled vehicle. The occupants reasonably feared a serious collision, and the events were potentially life-threatening. The battery was replaced, but the auto start/stop no-restart condition later occurred again, so battery replacement did not resolve the problem. Subaru issued technical service bulletin 16-147-24 on xxx for 2019-2021 Foresters. The bulletin addresses tcm reprogramming related to engine behavior during auto start/stop restart and instructs technicians to reprogram the tcm when the described symptom is reported. However, the bulletin’s warranty section provides reimbursement under the basic new car limited warranty. For a 2020 vehicle, the original 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty would ordinarily have expired before this 2024 bulletin was issued. The vehicle is now being evaluated by an authorized Subaru dealer. The condition is intermittent and dangerous because the driver cannot know whether the engine will restart when movement is required. The vehicle is available for inspection. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

My son, [xxx] is currently driving this car. The car only has 29,200 miles so far. Last week, while at the stop light on the hill, he had near fatal accident! Forester suddenly completed shut down. The only functioning part was the brake. My son had to put the car in park and restart the engine. I reported the incident to customer advocate at Subaru and taking the car in for inspection. We never skip any scheduled maintenance. My next maintenance not due until April. I also purchased Subaru safety monitoring software. The car never shows any malfunction. It’s a very serious issue. We strongly suspect it’s related to the start-stop system on this car. We strongly support to override the system at consumer level giving their unreliability. Thank you for your attention to this matter. Sincerely, [xxx] information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

The gps/map display, displays the wrong speed, on some traffic circles it directs me to go around in the wrong direction. The auto vehicle uses the speed limit from the installed map to display the speed limit on the main dash between the tach and speedometer. Both conditions could easily cause and accident. Contacted the manufacturer, the corporate headquarters, my dealership where I purchased the vehicle, and tomtom in the netherlands. None will assist in the correction of the issue. Tomtom did commit to investing the issue after I gave them the specific locations, but they closed my record/complaint file. On fb, I see a good many people complain about the same issues and also that they can't get sny help from the dealership, like me, to resolve the issue. Please help the all consumers to be able to purchase a new car that is functioning as advertised and to be confident that they will be safe when driving the highways.

I have a 2016 Subaru Forester and started 3 weeks ago with a problem when I turn it on all the lights on the dashboard turn on and the car won't star. The mechanic has changed the battery and the problem continues. It's happened three times now that it's suddenly shut off while I'm driving. It was very scary. Now the mechanic said that I have to take to the dealer because it is the body control module.

Car drains battery. 45,000 miles and has had 3 batteries and have been told it needs another. Dealer says start stop switch, requires a battery of 750 cca and not the Subaru recommend battery. Car will die in traffic and driver seat adjusts to different positions by itself. Told that these problems will never stop unless I get a higher rated battery than required.

Report of failed recall remedy (recall 19v-149 / wue-90) my 2015 Subaru Forester experienced a total recurrence of the defect addressed in 2019. The vehicle became trapped in 'park' intermittently on several occasions before remaining immobilized. During one incident, the manual shift-lock override failed to function. While the brake lights functioned during these incidents, the failure to shift is a documented symptom of a failing brake light switch. I had the switch replaced by a technician who initially suggested a full shifter assembly replacement. However, replacing only the brake light switch immediately and permanently resolved the issue. This confirms the recall-related part was the point of failure. Subaru of America was notified but declined to acknowledge this as a failure of the safety remedy. I am also reporting intermittent 'ghost' activations of the right turn signal stalk.

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There was a recall on this vehicle from 2022, and we did not own this vehicle at that time. Recall passenger side airbag contact under seat can cause fire or electrical issues. I contacted Subaru and they said the recall was satisfied in 2022. If that's the case, the repair piece must have been faulty as the issue has come back. The dealership I took the car to said they have seen about 4 of this same issue within the last two weeks. Subaru is unwilling to assist in this, and I cannot pay the 1800. 00 dollars the dealership wants to repair this vehicle. I've asked more questions of Subaru since their answer and have not received a response. I would like to know why their website says this was complete July 15, 2025, not 2022. It was not complete in 2025, or we would have had the repair done. Any help in getting someone to see if this is in fact another recall and how to tell if the recall was truly completed in 2022, possible faulty recall parts now. This is crazy if numerous folks have gone in with the same issue. We need Subaru to take a good look at this.

Two incidents happened first battery died, we replaced the battery. Then battery died again, we replaced the alternator on June 5, 2025. Then on Saturday September 13, 2025; all system lights came on at once on the dashboard then the battery died again. Car locks up and is stalled out. Cannot restart car, has to be towed. We replaced the battery cable and cleaned the terminals. Three months later, December 1, 2025; the battery light came on then all system lights came on at once, the battery died again. This happened on interstate 95, it could easily have caused a crash. Car locks up again and is stalled out again. Cannot restart car again, has to be towed again. Something in the electrical is causing this, we do not know what.

Subaru Forester 2019 January - February of 2025: issue initially presented as the hatch beeping, indicating that it was not closing fully. The hatch would not pop back up as if something was in the way, just remain down & continue beeping. The car would then not start, with only the hatch beeping noise (beep beep beep) going off. When I drove it, it kept warning me that the hatch wasn't shut completely. After I parked it in the garage, the next morning it would be dead. The issue was supposedly resolved in February of 2025 as I replaced the battery on my own and replaced this part: 29182aa060. Schomp subuaru reported no issues with their diagnostic tests. November 30th - December 2025: I started the car just fine. When I opened the trunk and closed it, it gave me three beeps and wouldn't fully close, even if I pushed it shut and locked it. The next morning, the car would not start - the battery was dead. The tow company also could not jump start the car. As the car was being towed, the hatch alert was the only thing working/beeping. Even when not trying to use the hatch. I have used the car every single day up until this issue started. I have not left the keys in the car. The car is now back at the dealership. The unreliability of this can/has left me and my passengers stranded and cold. The dealership found no issue the last time this occurred even though there was a class action lawsuit about this exact issue, but somehow my car was not considered included. I cannot have Subaru tell me that there is no issue again.

On 5/15/2024 and 5/21/2024 I had sudden uninteded acceleration. I had a auto shop try to solve the problem by replacing the air fuel ratio sensor and the mass air flow sensor. This seem to fix the issue until 11/27/2025 & 12/7/2025 when the sudden uninteded acceleration returned.

See all problems of the 2014 Subaru Forester 🔎.