Exterior Lighting Problems of Subaru Forester - part 1

Driving at night , headlights low beam were weak and did not project far enough for me to see objects, the headlights cut off with complete darkness above a certain height I feel the car is unsafe to drive at night in low light situations , also raining conditions make the weak headlights worse.

The low beam lighting on my 2025 Subaru Forester is dangerous. The beam is set so that it is flat on top and too low. When the car dips at all the beam does not allow you see straight ahead. This is very dangerous when you cannot use the high beam as with oncoming traffic. I have taken it to the dealer and they state that the low beam is set according to Subaru specifications. Contact with Subaru America offered no correction. This is a dangerous condition and needs to be corrected.

I had a problem. Arming the remote control. With Forester Subaru 2014 -2015 model car w/n arm. With key or electronically. I had changed battery you can arm manually sometimes , alarm will go off if you use the key to open door and shut it off with key. In ignition. Had a diagnostic test done. With code b1500. Tpms lights stays on also. Tires are good. Pressure good. Extra remote key is good batteries changed. Any info concerning this. Thank you. This happen week and half ago Nov 11,2024. Have an appt will Subaru dealer on Dec 5 to toubleshoot. Is there any recalls for this matter.

See all problems of the 2015 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Low visibility and dark (shadowy) spots on road surface when low beam led lights are on, and you’re driving on a dark rural road. The cutoff of the visual field is uneven, with a shorter visual field and dark spots on driver side. Got the car on August 17th. I didn’t drive it at night until the morning of September 5th. That’s when I noticed the problem with the lights. Took car to Subaru dealer on September 10th. According to the dealer the lights are level and working as designed. On September 11th I called Subaru and reported the problem, and the dealer comments to them. The customer advocate told me that a specialist will contact me within a couple of days. On September 16th I called and I was told that the specialist was not in the office, and the next day when he would come in he would contact me. Today is September 19th and I still have not been contacted by the Subaru specialist. I live in a rural township that doesn’t have street lights or sidewalks. Due to the low visibility and dark spots I don’t feel comfortable driving the car at night.

The head lights are seriously defective in low beam. In low beam the car is not road worthy. It is dangerous! it is available for inspection upon request. We did not drive the car after dark until a week after taking delivery. We were at risk as was any other vehicle on the road at that time. We have not driven the car after dark since. The dealer who sold the car to us has been made aware of the problem. No one has inspected the car. There were on warnings or symptoms.

I see black/gray spots on the headlights and sometimes I cannot detect if it is something in the road. Especially if it is raining. I called today for my maintenance and I am going to address this. Another issue that scared me to death. I was backing out of my garage, I was clear to continue backing but it kept beeping. Again I checked and nothing there, I began to continue and all of a sudden the car braked on its on hard. It was so alarming. I’m glad I was not in traffic. I am addressing this as well at my dealership. Another issue, I am feeling a hesitation when I accelerate, like it is not getting gas, then it starts going without hesitation. I am addressing this as well at my dealership. Another issue all of a sudden the eye sight crossed through came on. No reason for it to come on. I will address with the dealership.

See all problems of the 2023 Subaru Forester 🔎.

When the daytime running lights are on in normal conditions, the instrument panel little green headlight indicator does not illuminate. But in low light conditions such as the thunderstorms we get here in florida very often, or at dusk as the ambient light starts to lessen, the instrument panel headlight indicator will illuminate if the daytime running lights are on and only they are on. So, I have witnessed drivers many times past dusk, in nighttime conditions driving with no taillights, no side running lights, and no headlights, just low intensity daytime running lights apparently thinking their headlights were turned on. I dismissed it as forgetful drivers or "old age" until it happened to me! the scenario was my headlights were not on automatic setting, it was late in the afternoon but decent light so I did not turn on my headlights on manually. Then on the 20-30 minute drive home clouds rolled in and it darkened substantially. The headlight indicator illuminated because the daytime running lights were on, leading me to think I had turned my headlights on as well. I had not, and I had driven almost 20 minutes with no tail lights or running lights in full darkness. I have witnessed this happen to at least three other vehicles on my route home from my work and they were a variety of SUV newer models likely with the same headlight control system. The solution is easy, I think. The instrument panel headlight indicator should never illuminate based on daytime running lights regardless of conditions. I have not taken this to the dealer yet to check it out but I plan to, although I fear it will be difficult to reproduce for them.

See all problems of the 2024 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Both headlights have a shadow of the light bulb at the top center of both headlights causing a distraction/confusion under certain conditions at night. I have never had a shadow show up in my line of sight in all the many vehicles I have owned in the past from my headlights. I previously owned a 2019 Subaru Forester and there was no shadow appear from the headlights beam of light. I talked to the local Subaru dealer, where I purchased the 2025 Forester, and they told me it is working as designed. .

Vehicle: 2024 Subaru Forester touring date of report: [July 3, 2024] what component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? on June 19th, 2024 I noticed the side mirror of my 2024 Subaru Forester touring has melted. This component is available for inspection upon request. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? the melting of the side mirror poses a potential risk of fire if it continues to deteriorate. This not only endangers the occupants of the vehicle but also poses a threat to nearby vehicles and property. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? the problem has not been reproduced or confirmed by the dealer. Subaru has declined to cover the issue under warranty, attributing it to user-caused damage, which I strongly dispute. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives, or others? the vehicle has been inspected by Subaru, who declined to cover the issue under warranty. Were there any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? there were no warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms prior to the melting of the side mirror. The problem was first noticed recently, within two months of owning the vehicle. Additional comments: I have owned the car for less than two months and have taken meticulous care of it. The car is always parked in my garage, ensuring no sun exposure. The only place I have had the car washed is at the Subaru dealership, which further confirms that I have not done anything to damage the car.

When driving my 22 Subaru Forester at night, I’ve noticed the headlight projection has rectangular dark spots which causes a huge distraction and a blind spot that moves when steering. I’ve noticed that I’m not the only person that has encountered this issue. I’m bringing it into the dealership to bring this to their attention and to see what they can do about this. I really hope Subaru fixes this problem, as it is/can be very dangerous due to the blind spot and distraction.

See all problems of the 2022 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Concerned driver stopped me and said I had no brake lights , only the lights atop the hatch showed breaking. After returning home I checked all settings on light controls and none made lower break lights work when pedal depressed. This could cause someone not watching top of vehicle crash into my vehicle. If light on top malfunctions I will not have any brake lights. Running lights work fine but do nothing when breaking. At first though it had to do with setting on light controls. I think I’ve been told I had no tail lights only front running lights and had to turn control at dusk to have taillights of any kind.

See all problems of the 2016 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Vehicle has led headlights. The low beams have a very sharply defined cutoff. This cutoff is very close to the vehicle. Much too close. Additionally, the bright leds in the lit zone contrast with the darkness beyond that it exacerbates the issue. Bottom line - you can not see a distance adequate for safe driving. To add insult to injury, there are two dark “rectangle” within the lit zone. These shadows cause significant distraction to the driver. The distraction of the shadows increases significantly if you turn on the “steering responsive headlight” feature. This causes the blobs to swing around left and right - which obviously increases the distraction.

See all problems of the 2020 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Factory installed headlights are dangerous as the low beam has a black line approximately halfway in the field of vision. Subaru states this is to keep from blinding oncoming vehicles. Driving in town not too bad, however in rural mountain areas with winding roads the headlights do not provide necessary lighting causing driving to be extremely dangerous. Low beams should not blind oncoming traffic. Dealer states these "projection" headlights cannot be replaced with traditional headlights. Complaint filed with Subaru who inform they can't take any action; however state in voice mail that "although not recommended" after market headlights could be installed when available. Dealer has previously informed that installation of standard headlights may void warranty. Mechanics consulted recommend driving with high beams, oncoming traffic will see why when low beams activated. Another recommendation has been to always drive with fog lights on and possibly install led lamps in fog lights, to add additional brightness. This type of headlights should be investigated to prevent unnecessary accidents. (another horrible idea with the Subaru headlights is that they "swing" as the car goes around curves, this feature can be turned off though. ).

The low beam headlights project a light field which has distracting dark spots within the field. When turning the car the dark spots move as the headlight field moves and appear to be an animal or unknown object in the field of vision. We asked the Subaru dealer for a different type of headlight. The dealer said Subaru has no other options for headlights. We were not told about this feature when we purchased the car. And we did not test drive the car at night. The dark spots are dangerously distracting as a driver is trained to alert when an object is in front of the car. If a driver swerves to avoid the object the object will remain in the field of vision as it is caused by the headlight. The dealer said it is a design feature so approaching vehicles are not facing a bright low beam. The dealer refused to take the car back and return our money. We would not have purchased this car if had we driven it at night and saw this distracting feature. Vehicle owners may become more or less accustomed to the light feature, but persons driving the car for the first time will think an object is in the road ahead of them as we did. When they turn to avoid the suspected unknown object drivers will turn into oncoming traffic or on to the shoulder of the road and whatever is on the shoulder (trees). The hazard is greater when the steering responsive headlight feature is turned on. The dark spots move and converge back together as the car turns, confusing and distracting the driver. Subaru will do nothing to correct this feature on their own. Respectfully request NHTSA investigate this feature before drivers, or other persons on the road or on the shoulder are hurt or killed. Subaru needs to develop a fix and conduct a recall. We also found the jagged & stark delineation between lighted and dark fields to be confusing. The headlights don't gradually dim on the edges of light beam. Confirmation is at Subaruoutback. Org (2023 outback headlight casting a shadow???).

Front end collision with car making an illegal left in front of our Subaru. Our car hood, bumper, head lights, grill and parts of the engine were smashed, with liquid draining out of the engine. My husband (wearing a seatbelt) hit his knee and shoulder on impact. Airbags failed - not a single airbag deployed. A police officer helped him move car parts out of the street. Safety was at risk because my husband hit the dash. Car is at an independent service center now. We need to know how to get it inspected. There were no warning lights on dash prior to impact.

See all problems of the 2018 Subaru Forester 🔎.

No incident yet. Have led projection lights which are supposed to prevent glare to oncoming drivers. Live in rural area where there is little lighting. Even on dim, lights apparently are too bright & other drivers flash their brights as if I have them on bright. Don't understand how this helps safety. The projection prevents me from seeing the top 2/3 of screen at night the dark cut off line allows me to see very little in front of me. I will try to upload photos. Have almost hit deer. Have to put on bright for visibility, but can't do this in traffic, obviously, because I don't want to blind them. Have been to Subaru in kennesaw twice. All they say is they are reset to factory setting which is safest. I have let my insurance agent know this, in case there is an accident where this causes a collision or even road rage incidents where my dim lights are blinding other drivers. Please give me any advice to improve vision. Love safety features on car but will need to trade if no solution.

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the power steering malfunctioned, and the steering wheel became very difficult to turn in either direction. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who was unable to duplicate the failure and no repair was performed. Additionally, while driving at an undisclosed speed, the rear brake lights failed to illuminate while depressing the brake pedal. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer who replaced the brake light switch under NHTSA campaign number: 19v149000 (exterior lighting). The failure mileage was 19,000.

Left front head light will turn off while turning left, more than 10deg. This is part of the steering responsive system where the headlights will move with the steering. This is a sealed unit and not a user replaceable component such as a head lamp. Replacement costs are excessive for this manufacture failure. This left front headlight turning off while turning left is a common problem found on the Subaru forums.

See all problems of the 2017 Subaru Forester 🔎.

I purchased my Forester wilderness on 11/5/22 - this problem is with the headlights. I have a serious safety concern 1. There are two large shaded dark spots directly in my field of vision. These are approximately fifteen to twenty feet directly in front of the vehicle and never go away - because the headlights are steering responsive, they are always moving which is distracting and dangerous. 2. The cutoff lines of the projection are jagged and irregular with low points dropping down. These too, are always in motion with the steering responsive headlights. 3. Two rectangular black areas below the cutoff area in my field of vision. And these too are always in motion with the steering responsive headlights. These headlights create a variety of safety concerns. The dark shaded areas result in a reduced clarity in the most needed area; directly in front of the car in the dominant field of vision. The jagged irregular moving cutoff lines are extremely distracting. When the lowered dark cutoff areas move across your field of vision, it’s as if something is jumping out in front of the car. As the driver, it's hard to know if there is an actual need for emergency action or not. Then perhaps the greatest concern of well being is the two dark moving rectangular boxes below the cutoff lines. My eyes tend to fixate on these moving rectangles. This is distracting and I'm concerned I and other Forester drivers are not giving complete attention to the whole field of vision. 4. This is especially prominent and dangerous on unlit roads which is what I mainly travel. I first thought it was an issue with my vehicle and mentioned it to the dealer a day or so after purchase. But today I found many other 2022 Forester owners reporting the same problem. Subaru needs to create a fix for this dangerous issue!.

This is the same issue we are seeing with our other Subaru where we come out to drive and the battery is dead. We would jump the battery and be able to drive for the day and the next day the battery is dead in the morning. I replaced the battery several times over the last few year and the battery would die with a less than 2 month old battery. I was driving around in both cars with jumper cables permanently. After taking it to the dealer, the battery was in great condition, the alternator was charging properly and there is a known electrical issue with this model and year that is part of a class action lawsuit. I had to replace my rear gate module electrical unit because it was going on and off in the night and draining my battery. I will be looking to get re-eimbursed for this company issue.

Three issues with the headlights. First, major shadowing. From the bumper to 6 feet out there is a dark spot. Second issue. Vehicle is two weeks old. We drive twisty windy roads. Headlights are almost a foot and a half low at 25ft. You can not see more than 50 feet on roads that are hilly due to the headlights being low and the auto level not correcting fast enough. I do not understand at all how this is ok from Subaru or federal agencies. Multiple times we had to slow down due to not being able to see or the headlights being so slow to adjust. Maybe raising them would help but why is this not being checked before deliver. Last issue, the high beams are literally no brighter than the low beams. My wife works nights. She drives home in the dark and in to work in the dark during half the year. This vehicle is horrible for night driving. I have never seen headlights so bad. This is after owning 4 brands of vehicles. I can send video and pics if needed.

Same complaint as NHTSA id number: 11454147. I have a serious safety concern with a new vehicle purchased in February 2022. I have there are three issues concerning the vehicle’s headlights: 1. There are two large shaded dark spots directly in your field of vision. These are approximately fifteen to twenty feet directly in front of the vehicle. 2. The cutoff lines are jagged and irregular with low points dropping down. These are always in motion with the steering responsive headlights. 3. There are two rectangular black areas below the cutoff area in your field of vision. These too are always in motion with the steering responsive headlights. These headlights create a variety of safety concerns. The dark shaded areas result in a reduced clarity of vision in the most needed area; directly in front of the car in the dominant field of vision. The jagged irregular moving cutoff lines are extremely distracting. When the lowered dark cutoff areas move across your field of vision, it’s as if something is jumping out in front of the car. The driver struggles to know if there is an actual need for emergency action or not. Then perhaps the greatest concern of well being is the two dark moving rectangular boxes below the cutoff lines. Your eyes fixate on these moving rectangles. When fixated on these boxes the driver is not giving complete attention to the whole field of vision. The first time I drove the vehicle at night I became almost completely disoriented and would have had a accident if I had been driving faster than the 20mph under cruise control. I stopped, got my bearings and drove the last quarter mile home. I thought I had had a brain seziure.

When driving at night, there are two black dots that appear in my headlights on the road. They move with the steering and become an extreme nuisance. Its all your eye can focus on and are right in the field of view from the lights. They move and create blind spots.

There seems to be an issue with the led headlights. When on they are projecting two dark shadows of something looking like rectangle objects. This is very unsafe and definitely very annoying because all you see are those two shadows right in front of your eyes.

This is not a specific incident but a serious safety concern with a new vehicle purchased in January 2022. There are three contributing issues to the concern with the vehicle’s headlights: 1. There are two large shaded dark spots directly in your field of vision.   these are approximately fifteen to twenty feet directly in front of the vehicle. 2. The cutoff lines are jagged and irregular with low points dropping down.   these are always in motion with the steering responsive headlights.   3. The most glaring problem is two rectangular black areas below the cutoff area in your field of vision. These too are always in motion with the steering responsive headlights.   up close to a wall these are about eight inches wide, but when projecting on the road these grow exponentially to several feet. Note - these matters are most prominent with the low beam headlights.     these headlights create a variety of safety concerns.   the dark shaded areas result in a reduced clarity of vision in the most needed area; directly in front of the car in the dominant field of vision.   the jagged irregular moving cutoff lines are extremely distracting.   when the lowered dark cutoff areas move across your field of vision, it’s as if something is jumping out in front of the car.   the driver struggles to know if there is an actual need for emergency action or not.   then perhaps the greatest concern of well being is the two dark moving rectangular boxes below the cutoff lines.   your eyes fixate on these moving rectangles.   when fixated on these boxes the driver is not giving complete attention to the whole field of vision. This seems to be a design flaw.

I believe low beam head lights must be carefully inspected in low light environments, when driving at around 60mph at 2 lanes highway where you cannot use high beam lights, the sight is clear at the sides of the road but its to low down at at the speed driven if something shows up at the road it would be impossible to see and to stop at a safe distance. I believe the lights from your car ahead are too low to the ground and the visibility is dangerously short, I think that problem should be revised carefully. When driving on a highway alone at night that concern can be seen and maybe understand what I want to say and why that can cause an accident.

See all problems of the 2021 Subaru Forester 🔎.

The backup camera and reverse taillights stopped functioning soon after I bought this vehicle in 2020. I am the 2nd owner and bought it from peterson Toyota dealership in boise, id. There was no particular incident, I just noticed that the backup camera no longer showed an image when putting the car into reverse. I later found out while getting an oil change that the reverse taillights were not functioning either. It is available for inspection, and I have taken it to 2 Subaru dealerships who assessed it and said they couldn't find any specific issue. They confirmed the problem however. It has not been assessed by insurance representatives or police. There was no warning lamp or indication that my reverse lights were not working, other than realizing why no one was letting me out of parking spots. I have tried both replacing the bulbs and replacing the fuses for these systems, with no change. Upon researching, I found an identical problem occuring in Subaru wrx's manufactured between 2015-2021 that is listed under recall 22v522000. I would like to get this fixed as soon as possible and would like to see if it is possible to extend the existing recall to include my vehicle?.

I have my back light on by itself without hit breaks and back door poton does not work and I have light on my board always light up.

See all problems of the 2014 Subaru Forester 🔎.

1. While the car is in motion (and under normal driving conditions) on highways, my front windshield has cracked 4x since taking delivery of new vehicle at the end of July 2019. Once the front windshield cracks, it continues to spread. During the process of paying for the vehicle, I was encouraged at every step to purchasing additional windshield coverage to cover the cost of replacing the front windshield in case it needed to be replaced due to the eyesight camera system. The windshield has cracked on the interstate, a state tollway, and a highway. 2. The blue temperature light turns on for five minutes or more when starting the vehicle. I have brought this to the attention of the dealership and they dismiss me saying that this is a normal condition of the car (which was not mentioned during the sales process) and to just wait until the blue temperature light goes out before driving the car. When taking the car back to the dealership for the replacement of the front windshield for 4th time, they finally listened to me and added checking the coolant to the list but it has been a fight to have this looked at. 3. While the car was in motion and with no other cars in front of me, to the side or behind me, the car pre-collision system activated and braked the car on its own. There was no pre-warning that the car was going to brake. 4. The car auto light on and off function does not fully turn on the car lights at night. 5. While the car is in motion and backing out of a parking space, I hear a big ka-thunk sound from the front left of the car. It doesn't matter which way the steering is being turned. Ordered the car in June 2019, was told that the car wouldn't be ready until mid-Aug. Due to the factory shutting down for a two week holiday in japan, received notice from the dealership that the car had been delivered much earlier than expected in July.

See all problems of the 2019 Subaru Forester 🔎.

Tl the contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact received a recall notice for NHTSA campaign number: 19v149000 (exterior lighting). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Evanston Subaru (3340 oakton st, skokie, IL 60076, (847) 869-5700) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. VIN tool confirms parts not available.

Tl the contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19v149000 (exterior lighting). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Tucson Subaru (4901 n oracle rd, tucson, az 85704, (520) 422-2111) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Tl the contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19v149000 (exterior lighting). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Byers Subaru alexandria (2301, 7416 richmond hwy, alexandria, va 22306, (703) 768-5800) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Tl the contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19v149000 (exterior lighting). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Morrie's minnetonka Subaru (12520 wayzata blvd, minnetonka, mn 55305, (612) 284-5696) was contacted and confirmed that the next available appointment was not until August. The manufacturer was not made aware of the issue. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

Tl the contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact received notification of NHTSA campaign number: 19v149000 (exterior lighting). The contact stated that the manufacturer exceeded a reasonable amount of time for the recall repair. Hassette Subaru (3520 sunrise hwy, wantagh, NY 11793, (516) 785-7800) was contacted and confirmed that the parts were not available for the recall remedy. The manufacturer was made aware of the issue and was not able to confirm when the parts were to become available. The contact had not experienced a failure. Parts distribution disconnect.

My high beam/daytime running bulb blew on the passenger side. When replacing the bulb I found it had actually melted, and had a large bubble in the glass. Approximately a year previous the drivers side bulb had blown and I had found the same bubble, but didn't report it at that time, assuming it was just something weird that happened once. Now that it's happened twice, once on each side, I'm more concerned there's a larger issue with the electrical components for the blurb to get so hot that it actually melted the glass.