There are 3 stored owner reports matching the lighting leading-label group for the 2007 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 3 of 3 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY FOUND WITH APPROX. 1" - 1-1/2" FREE WATER IN THE ENTIRE INSIDE BOTTOM. THERE WERE NO VISIBLE LEAKS. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON PROBLEM. SUBARU SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE ALSO HAD HIS PERSONAL SUBARU HEADLIGHT ASSEMBLY WATER FILLED. OTHER SUBARU'S ALSO AT DEALERS SERVICE AREA ALSO CONTAINED WATER. WATER & ELECTRICAL COMPONENTS ARE NOT COMPATIBLE. SERVICE REP. HAD PREVIOUSLY SEARCHED FOR RECALLS/TECH. BULLETINS REGARDING THIS ISSUE AND FOUND NONE. IT'S VERY EXPENSIVE TO REPLACE THESE ASSEMBLIES, WE REPLACED BOTH BELIEVING THAT IT COULD SOON OCCUR TO THE REMAINING ASSEMBLY - WHICH DID HAVE DEW/FOGGY MOISTURE INSIDE BUT NO FREE WATER - YET! FEEL FREE TO CONTACT US FOR OTHER INFORMATION. HAVE PATIENCE, MY SENIOR CELL PHONE FAILS AT TIMES. *TR
I HAVE REPLACED THE LOW BEAM BULBS 3 TIMES ON THIS VEHICLE IN 11 MONTHS. I HAVE OWNED THIS VEHICLE FOR LESS THAN A YEAR AND THE DAY I BOUGHT IT A BULB HAD TO BE REPLACED BEFORE I EVEN DROVE IT OFF THE LOT. THEY ALWAYS BURN OUT WITH DAYS OF EACH OTHER. I'M CONCERNED THAT IT MAY BE AN ELECTRICAL PROBLEM AND THAT MY VEHICLE MAY CATCH FIRE OR THEY WILL GO OUT WHILE DRIVING. *TR
I PURCHASED A USED 2003 SUBARU FORESTER IN 2006. IN MARCH OF 2007 A SMALL PARKING LIGHT WENT OUT. I WENT OUT AND PURCHASED A NEW BULB FOR ABOUT $1.25 AND TRIED TO REPLACE IT. I QUICKLY FOUND OUT THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE A VERY SKILLED MECHANIC TO CHANGE ANY BULB ON THIS VEHICLE. IN ORDER TO CHANGE ANY BULB YOU FIRST HAVE TO REMOVE THE ENTIRE FRONT GRILL WHICH IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE FOR THE AVERAGE PERSON WITHOUT DAMAGING THE PARTS THAT HOLD IT INTO PLACE. THEN YOU HAVE TO REMOVE THE ENTIRE LIGHT FICTURE TO CHANGE ANY BULB THEN YOU WOULD HAVE TO HAVE THE HEADLIGHTS REALIGNED. SUBARU CHARGES 1 HOUR LABOR TO CHANGE 1 BULB @ $50.00 WHAT IF YOUR IN AN AREA WHERE YOU DON'T HAVE A SUBARU DEALER. MOST MECHANICS WON'T ATTEMPT TO CHANGE A LIGHT BULB ON THIS VEHICLE. SO I WOULD HAVE TO DRIVE AROUND WITH MY HEADLIGHT OUT UNTILL I FOUND A DEALER. SUBARU SHOULD CHANGE THE LIGHTS AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER SINCE IT'S CERTAINLY A DESIGN FLAW. I HAVE GONE ON SUBARU OWNER CHAT ROOMS AND IT'S A MAJOR PROBLEM FOR ALL FORESTER OWNERS. EVERYONE AGREES THAT IT TAKES A NUMBER OF DAMAGING TRIES BEFORE CHANGING 1 BULB. IT SEEMS THAT SUBARU KNOWS THAT BECAUSE THEY CARRY A READY SUPPLY OF THE PARTS YOU'LL NEED TO REPLACE WHEN YOU BREAK THEM IF YOU CAN GET THE GRILL OFF IN THE FIRST PLACE. THANK YOU FOR YOU TIME ..
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.