There are 2 stored owner reports matching the electrical system leading-label group for the 2004 Subaru Forester in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 2 of 2 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)WHILE RUNNING THE BLOWER MOTOR ON HIGH, THE CABIN BEGAN TO FILL WITH TOXIC SMOKE. THE BLOWER'S HOT WIRE CONNECTION HAD OVERHEATED, CHARRED/MELTED THE PLASTIC HOUSING AROUND THE TERMINAL, CHARRED/MELTED THE WIRES INSULATION AT THIS CONNECTION, AND MELTED THE COPPER UNTIL IT FELL LOOSE. THE BLOWER RESIDES EXPOSED UNDER THE GLOVE COMPARTMENT. NO EASILY COMBUSTIBLE MATERIALS WERE LOCATED UNDERNEATH THE BLOWER AT THAT TIME. *TR
THE AIR BAG SYSTEM WILL NOT FUNCTION IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION DUE TO AN ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR MALFUNCTION. THE CONNECTOR IS LOCATED UNDER THE DRIVER'S SEAT AND IS CONSTANTLY STRESSED BY SEAT MOVEMENT OR CONTACT BY THE DRIVER'S FEET. AS A RESULT, THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS CHRONICALLY BUT INTERMITTENTLY ON. THIS HAS BEEN A PROBLEM SINCE FIRST IDENTIFIED WHEN THIS VEHICLE WAS APPROXIMATELY 1 YEAR OLD. THE REPAIR OF THE CONNECTOR WAS EVENTUALLY INEFFECTIVE. WHEN THE AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT IS ON THE AIR BAGS ARE INACTIVE AND WILL NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION. *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.