- The problem
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Forester vehicles equipped with heated seats. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may loosen.
- The risk
- If the connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.
- The fix
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the ODS sensor mat harness, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUM-98.
Vehicle safety record
2015 Subaru Forester Problems, complaints & recalls
Owners have filed 617 complaints about the 2015 Subaru Forester with NHTSA, most often about the engine & cooling (136) and the airbags (102). Those complaints describe 53 crashes, 7 fires and 34 injuries. It is covered by 3 recalls, the latest in October 2019 for the occupant classification. For comparison, the 2014 has 403 and the 2016 has 416.
NHTSA data checked
FFar more problems than a typical Forester year, for its age
#21 most complained-about 2015 vehicle
- Complaints
- 617
- Recalls
- 3
- Crashes
- 53
- Fires
- 7
- Injuries
- 34
- Deaths
- 0
Most common 2015 Subaru Forester problems
Share of all 617 complaints. One complaint can name more than one area. Tap an area for its complaints and recalls.
2015 Subaru Forester recalls 3
Recall repairs are free. Your dealer fixes them whether or not you bought the car there - check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see if yours is done. What to do
- The problem
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights from illuminating and also preventing keyless ignition vehicles from starting and CVT/automatic transmissions from being able to be shifted out of Park.
- The risk
- Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.
- The fix
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90.
- The problem
- Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 WRX vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 21, 2015, and Forester 2.0XT vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 20, 2015. The turbocharger air intake duct may crack and possibly result in an engine stall.
- The risk
- An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
- The fix
- Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the turbocharger air intake duct, and replace it as necessary, free of charge, depending on the lot number found on the duct. The recall began April 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTA-62.
What owners say
Problems or none - your experience is exactly what the next buyer is looking for. Write it now
617 complaints about the 2015 Subaru Forester
Newest first, as filed with NHTSA by owners. Page 1 of 25.
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the vehicle was towed to an auto body shop after striking a deer, and it was determined that the ECM system had malfunctioned. The contact stated that the vehicle experienced sudden unintended acceleration. The contact stated that after the brake pedal was depressed, the vehicle stopped as intended; however, when the brake pedal was released, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated. The contact stated that several unknown warning lights were illuminated....
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The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed, and the failure was associated with a tire. The contact stated that replacing the tires failed to correct the failure. The contact stated that the insurance company had inspected the vehicle but could not determine the cause of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2015 Subaru Forester. It was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 74,700, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 184,064.
I started to have problems with my Forester, and reading upon what could be the issue, I ran across recall 16V162000, on which describes exactly what my car simptoms are. I went into different sites, and my car does not show to be part of the recall. Can you help me with the reason on why my car is not part by the recall, when in fact is the same car, same engine, and having the same problem. Thank you so much for your time.
The passenger seat belt went off when my beagle was jumping around on the front seat and I had made an appointment to bring it into the shop the dealer and the light was off but I had the appointment so I brought it in anyway and now the lights on all the time now and it's coming up on the screen too they just made the whole problem even worse and it did have the initial fix for the harness already but that did not work
I was parking at the dentist office in their parking lot going slow, turned into a parking space and thought i was slowly braking but my car lunged forward and hit a tree. I would normally be minimally braking, so I'm not sure what happened but it was sudden. I could have hit the gas pedal but i would have pressed it a lot I think for the sudden lunge to happen.
The contact's spouse owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving from a complete stop or at various speeds on several occasions, the vehicle hesitated and failed to accelerate as intended. The Hill Assist and Automatic Transmission Oil Temperature warning lights flashed, and the ABS, Traction Control, and VDC warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was steered to the side of the road and turned off to cool down on each occurrence. After approximately 45 minutes, the vehicle was restarted and was driven to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 108,000.
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the passenger's side air bag warning light illuminated, and the air bag module warning light was illuminated. The air bag occupant classification system was not operating as intended. The vehicle was taken to a local independent mechanic to be diagnosed, and an occupant detection system malfunction code was retrieved. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact referenced NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000 (Air...
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Bags); as a possible cause for the failure; however, the VIN was not included in the recall. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 127,684.
Codes for B1760 and B1650 present, intermittent SRS light for the passenger airbag. Passengers put at risk in event of crash. SRS sensor issues seem to be common for this vehicle according to online databases and dealership technicians.
2 Rear wheel bearings failed on low milage vehicle.Although car is 10 years old it is well maintained and has 57k miles on od.Never driven off road or in water. Perhaps worse three studs and lugs had to be replaced due to snapping off. Apparently this is common as the same story was told to others waiting at dealership
Subaru part # 63269SG002 "hatch lift support / stay tailgate (rear gate, right)". Pin that attaches hydraulic lift to rear tailgate snapped in half when closing trunk - available for inspection. Lift extended fully, preventing closure of rear tailgate. Failure left tailgate solely held up with (1) remaining lift which could not fully support weight, letting door sag/droop and causing injury to scalp of (1) person. A 4 year old child was not injured, but was present - safety was at risk based on proximity to the...
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door at the time of failure. Dealer advised no active recalls open on vehicle 5/26/26. Manufacturer does appear to have issued service bulletin 12-289-20 in 2020 providing warranty extension for this component. Component was not inspected. No warnings or symptoms were observed - corrosion noted on attachment point of life gate after removal.
I was pulling into a parking spot almost stopped when the vehicle suddenly surged forward. I slammed on the brake and put the car in reverse since it had driven upon the walkway. This happened earlier today and I plan to have it checked out as soon as possible . Never have had this problem before, no warning lights or messages.
Front passenger airbag sensor light stays on continuously
Vehicle: 2015 Subaru Forester Mileage at Failure: 85,000 miles Component: Powertrain - CVT Transmission My 2015 Subaru Forester is experiencing a premature safety-related CVT transmission failure at approximately 85,000 miles. The vehicle developed a pronounced whining noise that increases with vehicle speed, consistent with internal CVT bearing or pulley failure. This is a known defect pattern in Subaru Forester CVTs and is not related to maintenance or wear. The noise is continually progressing and the risk of...
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sudden catastrophic failure makes the vehicle unsafe to operate. An authorized Subaru dealer and the District Parts & Service Manager (DPSM) both confirmed that the CVT has failed and requires full replacement. This failure occurred well within Subaru's extended CVT warranty mileage limit of 100,000 miles, and matches the defect pattern Subaru acknowledged when it extended CVT coverage nationwide for this model. However, Subaru is refusing to replace the CVT due to the 10 calendar year extension expiration. Subaru's maintenance schedule for this vehicle does not require any CVT fluid replacement interval, so there is no missed maintenance that contributed to the failure. A failing CVT creates a safety hazard due to to the risk of sudden loss of power, hesitation, or inability to accelerate. I am filing this complaint so NHTSA is aware of this premature CVT failure and the associated safety concerns of SOA's refusal to replace the CVT under their extended warranty.
This has now happened twice to my daughter, both times on the highway. One time the car shut down completely and the 2nd time the car just started slowing while pressing the gas and coasted to a stop. Luckily she was able to avoid other cars and get to the shoulder. The car restarted both times...1st time after about an hour wait and 2nd time within minutes. Both incidents happened when the gas gauge was at 2 bars. I am terrified of this thing right now. No warning signs at all prior to the incident. I took it to...
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the dealer after the first incident but they could not figure out what the problem was as they were not able to recreate the issue. This is an extremely unsafe issue and I am not sure what I should do next.
On 3 different occasions the car randomly accelerated at a high speed without stepping on the gas pedal. The first time was in a parking lot. The second time was on a busy road while traveling at 35 mph. The car accelerated to about 60 mph, fortunately once applying the brakes the vehicle slowed down to gain control. The third time it happened was recently on [[redacted]] while slowly backing down [[redacted]]. The car accelerated backwards at a very high speed narrowly missing a fence in the neighbors yard. These...
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incidents have happened with large time frame gaps in between the occurrences. After the third incident I took the car to a dealer Planet Subaru in Hanover MA. After keeping the car for a few days, the dealer called and said that they could not find anything wrong with the car and there was nothing that they could do for me. This issue is obviously very serious, if the car surges forward randomly while someone is crossing in a crosswalk it could be potentially fatal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I bought a used 2015 subaru forester with 117,000 miles from an auto shop/used car dealer in March of 2024. In September of 2025, 11,000 miles of driving later, a bunch of lights came on my dash. Check engine, traction control, ABS, at oil temp, and incline assist. I took it to Autozone to get the codes read and the part it suggested was the transmission oil pressure sensor. I then took it to a trusted mechanic who said they weren't able to get the lights to turn back on and told me to come back when the lights...
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reappeared. In December of 2025, the lights came on and they were on long enough to take it back to the mechanic. The mechanic told me that it looked to be the transmission valve body and recommended a local transmission shop. I took it there and the mechanic told me there was a speed sensor that was failing and the transmission and valve body would need to be replaced. He said that they don't sell the speed sensor anywhere and it is impossible to obtain. I got quoted 9,100 to fix my car (I originally paid around 8,500 for it). I was told it would not be worth my time or money to fix the transmission. The transmission guy told me that Subaru cvt transmissions are horrendous and to take this is a lesson to never buy a Subaru. I heeded to this advice and traded her in for $2000 towards a 2010 rav4. Additional info: It had a rebuilt title and had been in an accident before I got it. Lived its entire life between kentucky and tennessee. I replaced the engine oil and filter every 4,000-6,000 miles. Tire treads were very mismatched for the time I had it (almost two years) which I was told by a subaru dealership can damage the transmission. Back tires had significantly lower tread than front. I had front left lower control arm, rear spring coils, brake switch lamp, and one of the battery terminals replaced during the time I had it. My TPMS light was always on. My front right headlight went out frequently. My brake light assembly also broke and wasn't worth fixing
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...
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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.
Passenger airbag sensor intermittently works and turns off when passenger is in the seat. Dashboard light for airbag is constantly on and passenger airbag is constantly off. Issues with seat sensor going off when no one is sitting in the passenger seat. Abs system error message. All identical to recall symptoms.
Airbag light intermittently turns on to indicate that airbag may not deploy even if there is someone in the passenger seat. This is a known safety issue with a recall in 2019 but for some reason is affecting a much larger set of vehicles than in the recall, including mine.
Getting an SRS Airbag system needs to be checked. Took the 2015 Subaru Forester to Williams Subaru in Lansing MI and they stated the code B1760 for the occupant detection system Mat was determined. The seat has not been wet and nothing spilled on it and was also determined dry by the repair specialist at time of service. They were able to reset sensor and did a test drive. Less than a week later when a passenger was in seat the warning SRS Airbag needs to be checked is back on. They stated if this happens...
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then part cost will be approx 1000 not including service/repair (approx total 1700) They also state this part is on backorder. I have Concern for previous recall completed in 2019 for the passenger seat sensor matt harness. Is this a continuation of a problem that should be recalled with the sensor harness. Service states passenger front cushion frame and assembly needs replaced.
Passenger air bag warning light goes on and off even if there is no one sitting in the seat
My passenger and rear airbags are not working due to a failure in this part: CUSHION AY OCPANTRH 64139SG002. I have been waiting for the part for around 10 months. My safety is put at risk as my airbags are not working and Subaru has not provided a solution while we are waiting for this part. I have asked for a rental car and they refused. It has been confirmed by multiple dealerships. The vehicle has been inspected by two licensed Subaru dealerships. There is a warning light on my dash and there has been since it failed.
I am reporting a recurring safety defect in my 2015 Subaru Forester (VIN: [[redacted]] ) that directly relates to Recall WUM-98 / NHTSA Recall 19V-701 (Occupant Detection System wiring harness). Original Recall (2019-2020): The Occupant Detection System (ODS) failed, disabling the passenger airbag. Subaru performed the recall remedy at that time. Reoccurrence (August 2025): The exact same defect reappeared. The SRS airbag warning illuminated and the passenger airbag was disabled while my wife was seated in the...
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passenger seat. Subaru of Lancaster County (PA) initially reported no error, but when I retrieved the car, the warning illuminated immediately. Repair: On August 28, 2025, the dealer replaced the ODS wiring harness at my expense (440.73). Since then, the issue has not reappeared. Concern: This is the same safety defect already subject to Recall WUM-98. I believe the original recall remedy failed to permanently correct the defect, leaving owners vulnerable to reoccurrence and forcing them to pay out-of-pocket for a known recall-related safety failure. I request NHTSA's review to determine whether Subaru's recall remedy is adequate and to ensure owners are not unfairly charged for repeat repairs of the same defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The ignition key kept getting stuck in the ignition. Subaru acknowledged a defect in the shifter plate and parking range switch. They replaced it on 8/30/25 under service bulletin 16-12-18R but the dealer charged me $584.94 and Subaru North America refused to reimburse, stating that they had extended the warranty period to 2022, and therefore I was not covered for repair. However, they acknowledged that the original parts had failed for certain customers and that they had better parts available IF the original...
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parts failed before the extended warranty period lapsed in 2022. They should have issued a recall and replaced the original parts. I was unable to remove the keys and could not secure and lock my car. I was also concerned that the steering wheel would lock up while driving.
SRS air bag system needs to be checked Alert on
Subaru Forester: every year compared
| Year | Complaints | Recalls | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 834 | 3 | F |
| 2018 | 500 | 3 | F |
| 2017 | 593 | 1 | F |
| 2016 | 416 | 3 | D |
| 2015 | 617 | 3 | F |
| 2014 | 403 | 2 | D |
| 2013 | 78 | 12 | B |
| 2012 | 107 | 15 | B |
| 2011 | 147 | 16 | C |
2015 Subaru Forester vs rivals
| Vehicle | Complaints | Recalls | Grade | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Subaru Forester | 617 | 3 | F | |
| 2015 Jeep Cherokee | 1,794 | 11 | F | Compare |
| 2015 Ford Escape | 1,151 | 9 | D | Compare |
| 2015 Chevrolet Equinox | 680 | 2 | F | Compare |
| 2015 Toyota RAV4 | 305 | 4 | F | Compare |
| 2015 Mitsubishi Outlander | 239 | 5 | F | Compare |
| 2015 Hyundai Tucson | 229 | 1 | D | Compare |
| 2015 Kia Sportage | 146 | 2 | C | Compare |
| 2015 Mazda CX-5 | 133 | 4 | C | Compare |
More sales usually means more complaints, so compare similar vehicles of the same year. The grade compares each vehicle with its own model's other years.
Questions about the 2015 Subaru Forester
Does the 2015 Subaru Forester have any recalls?
Yes - NHTSA lists 3 recalls for the 2015 Subaru Forester: occupant classification (October 2019); switch (February 2019); turbo / supercharger (March 2016). Recall repairs are free at any authorized dealer. Enter your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls to see whether yours has been fixed.
What are the most common problems with the 2015 Subaru Forester?
By the complaints owners filed with NHTSA, the most common problem areas are the engine & cooling (136), airbags (102), transmission & drivetrain (95).
How many complaints has the 2015 Subaru Forester had?
617 complaints have been filed with NHTSA, the first on May 30, 2014 and the latest on November 2, 2026. Of these, 53 describe a crash and 7 a fire, and together they report 34 injuries and 0 deaths.
Is the 2015 Subaru Forester a reliable vehicle?
Its Safety Index is 17 out of 100 (grade F: far more problems than a typical Subaru Forester year, for its age). The index weighs complaints, crashes, fires, injuries, deaths and recalls against how long the vehicle has been on the road, compared with the same model's other years. It is not a measure of every repair - read the complaints and owner experiences, and have any used vehicle inspected before you buy.
Which Subaru Forester years have the most complaints?
2019 (834), 2015 (617), 2020 (603). See every Subaru Forester year compared.
What should I do if my 2015 Subaru Forester has a problem?
If it is a safety problem, stop driving it if it is unsafe and contact your dealer. Report it to NHTSA at nhtsa.gov/report-a-safety-problem - enough reports start investigations and recalls - and share your experience here so other owners know what to look for.
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked . Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data