Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition...
Electrical system
Subaru Forester Electrical problems by year
809 complaints filed with NHTSA about the Subaru Forester's electrical system. Dead batteries, warning lights, wiring, alternators, infotainment and electronic module failures.
Electrical complaints by model year
Electrical recalls
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air...
Latest Forester electrical complaints
I own a 2018 Subaru Forester with a current mileage of approximately 70,485 miles. The airbag warning light intermittently illuminates and then turns off, indicating a possible malfunction in the passenger-side Occupant Detection System (ODS). This issue occurs repeatedly and unpredictably, raising serious concerns about whether the front passenger airbag will deploy properly in a collision. On [redacted], when the vehicle had 68,274 miles, I brought it to an authorized Subaru dealership, Grand Prix Subaru in...
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[[redacted]], for diagnosis. The dealership identified a problem involving the front passenger seat occupancy detection system and recommended replacing the passenger seat frame, occupant detection mat, and wiring harness. The estimated repair cost was $1,822.99. I am particularly concerned because Subaru previously issued Safety Recall WUM-98 (NHTSA Campaign 19V-701), covering certain 2015-2018 Forester vehicles with defects involving the passenger-side occupant detection system wiring harness. The recall describes intermittent electrical connection problems that may cause the passenger airbag to become disabled. My vehicle exhibits similar intermittent symptoms, yet its VIN is not included in the recall. I am concerned that the affected vehicle population may be broader than originally identified. This is a critical safety issue, not a routine maintenance problem. An intermittent malfunction of the passenger occupant detection system could prevent proper airbag deployment during an accident, potentially resulting in serious injury. I respectfully request that NHTSA investigate whether additional 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles may be affected by the same or a similar safety defect and whether the existing recall should be expanded. The vehicle is available for inspection, and I can provide the Subaru dealership's diagnostic report and repair estimate upon request. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
After reversing, the car will shift into drive but will not drive. The power steering signal pops up and takes restarting the car and opening and closing the door to get the car to actually drive. When taken to a dealership, I was told there was nothing they can do about it. This is a major safety concern that almost caused an accident by having the car unmoving in the middle of the road.
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.
• Symptom: Total electrical and mechanical shutdown at highway speed (70 mph) immediately following the manual disengagement/deactivation of the cruise control system. • Behavior: Complete loss of engine power, power steering assist, braking assist, and all instrument cluster functionality. • Post-Incident Diagnostic: An OBD-II code reader scan registered zero active, pending, or historic DTCs, indicating an instantaneous loss of primary ECU/ECM power or a critical grounding drop rather than a sensor-driven component fault.
When coming to a stop, the auto start/stop system shuts the engine off and it fails to restart. All dashboard warning lights illuminate. The vehicle must be shifted to Park and restarted manually with the start button. The component that failed is the auto start/stop system; the exact cause is UNKNOWN. The vehicle is available for inspection upon request. This put safety at risk because the vehicle was left immobile in live traffic at stops until it could be restarted. There were no warning lamps or symptoms before...
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the failure; the warning lights come on when the failure occurs. The vehicle was inspected by Gillman Subaru Southwest on October 229, 2026, and the dealer stated the battery performance was bad and in critical condition.
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 was stopped at a red light. When the light changed to green I put my foot on the gas and the car totally stalled out. There were no lights, fans or radio on just total silence. I tried to restart the car putting it is park and depressing the brake while pushing the start button and nothing. It didn't even try to turn over. silent, dead. I tried several times with no luck. I got out of the car to signal to the bus and row of cars behind me to pass me. I got back into the car and tried to start it again and...
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this time it started. I drove immediately to the mechanic near my house. They couldn't see what was going on without me leaving the car next week. The battery had been replaced 6 months ago. This was a busy intersection and I was worried about getting out of the car but I had no choice.
UPDATE TO EXISTING ODI 11761974 - 2026 Forester Wilderness - WRF-26 Power Moonroof Glass Adhesion Recall / 26V346000 Component/system failed: Power moonroof tracking assembly bonding area / roof panel paint. Available for inspection upon request, garaged, unrepaired with exposed bare metal. On 08/18/2026 at 3364 miles dealer completed WRF-26 recall and marked PASSED. On same repair order same day same dealer documented: "YELLOW FLUID COMING OUT OF DRIVERS SIDE OF SUNROOF CAUSING DAMAGE TO PAINT. DOWN TO BARE...
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METAL AT THIS TIME." Macro photos taken BEFORE that RO was opened on 08/18 at 07:35 AM show yellow/orange chemical extruding FROM UNDER black rubber tracking channel seal, not deposited on top. Fluid burned through factory clear coat to primer and bare steel. Photos on 08/15 show same leak path. Photo on 10/09 at 4605 miles shows bare metal still exposed with corrosion starting at edges. Safety risk: Chemical discharge from moonroof bonding area causes paint failure to bare metal on roof structure. Exposed steel will corrode. If factory bonding adhesive is failing and leaking, potential for moonroof glass adhesion failure per WRF-26. Has problem been reproduced/confirmed by dealer? Yes. Dealer documented coming OUT causing bare metal. Authorized collision estimate $1,830 - Body 9.8 hrs, Paint 5.3 hrs, Mechanical 2.4 hrs (sunroof R&I 1.5 + headliner R&I 3.6) for full roof strip + headliner drop + side-curtain airbag disassembly. Body shop advised spot repair will not hold and still requires removing sunroof assembly. Has vehicle/component been inspected by manufacturer? Yes. WRF-26 marked PASSED. On 10/01/26 service manager issued formal written refusal: "does not have an on-site body shop, and we are not able to perform or coordinate the alternative paint touch-up/mitigation process." Manufacturer case #260817-2301925 claimed wiped away before evaluation, unable to determine if moonroof or tree sap, external environmental, customer complaint not diagnosis,
There have been intermittent failures of numerous vehicle systems over the last 4 months. Some of these systems have impacted the cars safety systems including but not limited to steering, braking, collision avoidance, inability to enter vehicle in an unfamiliar location and stranding owner hundreds of miles from home.
On Thursday October 1st upon leaving work the dashboard and infotainment system glitched and rebooted while driving. I thought I was seeing things. I was stopping at a stop sign ad paying attention to the road. Everything seemed fine at that point. On October 3rd while driving approximately 45 MPH our 2026 Subaru Forester stalled and quit running without any warning or warning lights. Both the dashboard lights and the infotainment system went black then came back on. After restarting the car the transmission...
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would not engage. Subaru of America had it towed to the closest dealership. A loaner was obtained. Said dealership found nothing and said car was good to go. Upon pick up a buzzing sound was noted upon start. Left the car again. The phone charger was replaced. Still nothing found of the original stall while driving. Under duress, the was driven to the original dealership it was purchased from. Still nothing found of the original stalling issue.
On [[redacted]], my [[redacted]] son was driving our Forester on [[redacted]] at [[redacted]]. At red light, Auto Start-Stop shut off engine as designed. On green, releasing brake triggered restart attempt. Dash lights cycled continuously, engine failed to restart. Brake pedal pushed back firmly and would not depress. Simultaneously, Electronic Parking Brake auto-engaged and would NOT disengage, preventing shift to neutral or pushing to safety. We were stranded in active lane off high-speed artery until flatbed tow...
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arrived. Because EPB had no manual override, tow operator had to drag vehicle onto flatbed with brakes locked. Towed Sunday night to selling dealer, diagnosed Monday 7:30 AM as dead/failing 12V battery, which was replaced. CRITICAL SAFETY QUESTIONS: Why no Battery State-of-Health warning before failure? Vehicle should alert when cranking capacity degrades below safe Auto Start-Stop restart threshold. A voltage/health indicator would have prevented this. Why no emergency EPB manual override? No accessible mechanical backup to release EPB during electrical/start fault. Locking wheels in live roadway creates severe collision hazard for occupants and traffic. REQUEST: Formally document as Product Safety Concern, assign corporate case number, and escalate to engineering/product safety team for review of battery monitoring logic and EPB override design. This created unacceptable hazard for my son. We request written response. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
The contact owns a 2026 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the engine sputtered before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with an inoperable fuel pump. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure returned three weeks later. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer. The dealer was unable to duplicated the failure but determined that the failure was caused by a blown fuse and the fuse was replaced. The manufacturer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.
Experienced parasitic battery drain which disabled the vehicle. The drain is tied to a 30 amp fuse labeled "BACKUP" under the hood of the vehicle. This fuse controls the touchscreen, backup camera, interior lights, key fob and radio. There were no warning lights or trouble codes associated with this issue. The problem was replicated by both a Subaru dealer and an independent shop. Neither could find the immediate problem without further investigation, which would have cost more than $1000. I have not contacted the manufacturer, police or insurance rep. The car will operate with the fuse pulled but the safety features listed above will be disabled.
Brand new vehicle purchased 08/29/2026, backed out of the driveway (on Sept 25, 2026.) A few hundred feet down the road turned right (going ~20 MPH?) and all the dashboard warnings including the check engine light came on and the vehicle began to lose power. Turned the car around, barely made it back into the driveway. The car would not restart after several intermittent attempts. Immediately called the dealer's service dept who instructed me to contact the towing service # listed on the window sticker. It was...
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towed within an hour or so to the dealership. Prior to this specific incident there were no other issues. As of today, (Oct 2, 2026) the vehicle is still at the dealership's service department (7 days and counting). The service dept said they are working with the techs to determine the exact cause which is unknown at this time, but possible electrical or communication issue. No anticipated date of completed repair or return.
Transmission slipped, stranded me in the middle of a road [redacted]. Stopped wouldn't go. Started locking down in reverse 1 month after I purchased the vehicle. [redacted], my husband was backing down a road that had no turnaround. The RAB locked down, slammed so hard, the car slid six feet and the motor shut down. I found out a week later that L-5 was fractured in my back. The lockdown has hurt my [[redacted]] mother's neck also, in March of this year. The friction clutches is fried in my transmission. My...
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transmission is jerking, slipping, clanking, shaking from multiple lockdowns. I took vehicle to [[redacted]] Subaru [redacted] for service. I told [[redacted]] about it locking down, what is sounded like and what it done. He brushed me off, said that's what it's supposed to do and that it had something to do with backup camera. [[redacted]] went to my car and showed me how to turn backup camera off. Put car in reverse and hold RAB until off. [redacted] [redacted], a dry rotted hose blew out. RAB light was on, check engine and more. I had it towed to [[redacted]]. I plainly told them it locked down in reverse. They told me my DOG tore it up and gave me a bill for a new transmission. Only 14 k miles. I took it to Hallmark Subaru [redacted]. I had 3 complaints. Clanking, locking down in REVERSE, jerking. They replaced 3 parts, said it should solve all my problems. And as the usual the old phrase CANNOT DUPLICATE PROBLEMS. Now the RAB system has gone haywire, it does whatever it wants to. My transmission is becoming to a point it sounds like it is going to fall out of my car, 25k miles on this vehicle, haven't even had it 3 years. The new parts really messed things up. I was going to take it back to Hallmark, but I'm afraid to drive in interstate traffic. BELIEVE ME WHEN I TELL YOU SUBARU CORPORATE KNOWS ABOUT THIS PROBLEM. THE ONLY THING THEY DONT KNOW YET IS THAT IT IS MESSING TRANSMISSIONS UP. IT TAKES A WHILE. SUBARU IS TRYING TO STOP A CLASS ACTION L INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Source: U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) complaints and recalls, checked daily. Complaints are owners' own reports and are not verified. How we use the data