2017 Subaru Forester Complaint Log

The windshield has failed without the vehicle suffering any collisions. The failure has led to the epoxy attaching the rear view mirror to detach with the glass from the windshield. Not only does the rear view mirror now hang from the electrical wire, the epoxy was able to remove a chunk of the glass. This has led to a significant safety issue as I’m unable to use my rear view mirror to no fault of my own. It is available for inspection. No dealer or further inspection with my insurance company has occurred.

Ignition key does not come out after I put the car in park.

We heard a new rattle, not uncommon in a Subaru. However, it bugged me to the point I looked into it. I determined it was a loose bolt that holds the female end of the seat belt buckle. I called Subaru of America on 5/4/23 at 3:17pm and was told I would receive a call back within two business days. As of this moment I have not heard from Subaru whatsoever. I checked every seat belt buckle in my other seven Subaru's (including my 1978 Brat) and none or them were loose. I find it unacceptable that Subaru refuses to acknowledge this safety issue. Not to mention its the only vehicle my wife can drive (automatic) and we have a 5 day old child.

automatic transmission shifting sluggish

We're having to consistently jump-start a battery that is only 4 months old. The problem has been consistent over the years (currently on our 3rd battery in about 5 years) but appears to have worsened after a DCM update to the Starlink system. Dealership has assessed the problem as parasitic battery drain (while the car is turned off) from the telematic module, but refuses to correct the issue.

I have been in contact with Michael Hohl Subaru for the last 1 1/2 years or more regarding airbag turning off while seats are occupied. I have continuously been told that the part to fix it is on eternal back order. Contacted to Shalana at Subaru of America and was told there is nothing they can do. They cannot give us a rental car or loaner car. Steve Dix at Michael Hohl said they cannot help us either.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at approximately 35 MPH, the passenger’s side air bag sensor showed that there was no passenger in the seat. The contact stated on other occasions while there was a passenger seated in the seat, the occupant detection system failed to detect a passenger seated in the seat. The contact stated that the failure was intermittent but recurred several times. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the passenger’s air bag sensor needed to be replaced; however, the contact was advised that the sensors were on a national backorder. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure and advised the contact that the sensors were on backorder. The contact was recently advised that he would have to take the vehicle back and return the loaner vehicle to the dealer. The contact was advised by the dealer not to have a passenger sit in the front passenger’s seat until the air bag sensor was replaced. The failure mileage was approximately 75,000.

Cam carrier leak-unreliable car-detected and confirmed by Subaru dealership-no warning lights-appears to be an issue for many Subaru vehicles

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.

The front windshield spontaneously cracked, beginning from the bottom of the windshield at the de-icer on the passenger side and propagated up and across the windshield toward the driver's side. No evidence of a strike or outside damage which caused the crack is evident. The obstruction to my view is hazardous on the roadway as the crack continues to spread. This issue has been well documented in Subaru vehicles, and was the subject of a class-action lawsuit in 2017 regarding 2016 model year Subaru Impreza's and Outback's.

I have a problem with the recall issue that the service dealership said they completed but now its showing alert and it seems to be wasn't fixed good. Please help because I dont understand why it would have been completed when its an problem now. If anything happens to me when Im driving an the airbag dosent come out, its you guys fault because its not fixed good. I been calling Subaru Hawaii and letting them know this but they dont want to fix the recall now because its was done but still broken? I dont understand. The car services I have been going to and I been paying them but they dont seem to do a good work to fix it or completed it. They had so much mistakes on my car and I am so upset. I wish I never had this car. Please help me! 

Windshield cracked without reason, and happened while vehicle was not being driven. Within the span on one day, the crack doubled in size, in my line of vision. There are other chips in the windshield that have occured, and I have filled them quickly as to not do damage like this. However, this crack occurred seemingly overnight, without time to schedule a repair at all.

Constant battery jumps from friends and towing companies. Car is now dead and in driveway. No other vehicle. Senior citizen living alone. Also, rear gate does not open at all at times to get into trunk area and does not close fully which also leads to battery drain. Was told yesterday that a new gel battery to replace is $500 and they do not have in stock.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The vehicle was previously serviced under NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000 (Air Bags); however, the contact stated that intermittently, the air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that the failure recurred more frequently. The vehicle was taken to a local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the Occupant Detection System (ODS) sensor mat harness needed to be replaced again. The vehicle remained at the dealer awaiting the repair. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 75,000.

I believe this is my 3rd or 4th lug stud that's sheared off when removing. I believe it happened at the dealer once and the tire shop I have the tires rotated at two or three times in the last couple of years. This worries me that they may be weak and could potentially break, while driving, before removal breaks them. The boken stud is typically sheared and stuck inside the lug nut. Google searches would make this seem like it's not an uncommon issue. Subaru may have a TSB for rusted nuts already that may relate to this issue. TSB 05-79-20 is what I found through Google searches, if related.

I have a 2017 Subaru Forester Touring. It has stalled on acceleration twice. Once on a divided highway attempting to increase speed going up slight incline around 60mph. It stalled and shut off. It also stalled but didn't completely shut off going through an intersection at 45mph today.

Ball bearings all broke in car. This is a known issue but not until I googled it. It causes horrible noises and potential inquiry if not corrected.

My battery was replaced in May 2021, I bought the car in July 2021. I was never notified that there was a battery problems with the 2017 Subaru Forester's when I purchased my car and I just had to replace the battery today December 9, 2022. I called Subaru and was told that the settlement was only good for 60 days from the action date of September, 2022. So, this this problem could be very serious if not addressed going forward. The car probably should not be on the road if the battery drains that quickly.

We took our 2017 Subaru Forester on December 9, 2022, to change the ignition switch because our key continued getting stuck. It was covered under an extended warranty. The spark plugs were changed during the same appointment only to satisfy the maintenance agreement. Before we took our Subaru in, our vehicle was running at an optimal level, and nothing was wrong with how it drove. On December 10, 2022, we drove our car, and it started to hesitate and misfire. This has never happened before. We called the dealership, and they had us bring the vehicle back in. They performed a fuel injection cleaning and reset the computer. Once again, the same problem continued after picking up our vehicle. The same problem continued daily, and several calls were made to the dealership and trips to the maintenance service department. It is erratic when it happens, but we have experienced it more during city driving versus highway driving. It’s been over a month, and the problem is still not resolved. At this point, we genuinely feel that this is a safety issue. Not to mention that if the vehicle continues to perform poorly, it can create additional damage. We are at a point of pure frustration and disappointment.

During the last few months, the steering wheel has been locking, and I am not able to remove the ignition key. This happen when I stop and park the car, and want to turn the ignition off. I have to move the steering wheel from right to left or vice versa, or drive the car back and forward, until unlocks the steering wheel and I can remove the key. I just found through a web search that other drivers had similar issues.

My 2017 Subaru Forester, to which I am the original, and still current Owner, has a recall warranty for a cracked front exhaust system / catalytic converter - see attached letter. I am experiencing the these issues related to this fissure, including reduced performance of the vehicle, exhaust impact and noises. Because I spend sometime abroad and I have brought the vehicle to France, Subaru is attempting to deny my warranty / reimbursement request. Subaru's Warranty makes no mention of a situation where the vehicle spends a portion of the year outside the US, especially in the case where I am currently the Original Owner. On the contrary, the Warrany information published on the NTSB site, indicates that customers who pay for the repair may be reimbursed, this could specifically apply to my situation. I greatly appreciate your assistance to resolve this matter as I'm hopeful it poses to safety hazard to my young family. Thank you and have a pleasant day. I've attached a number of relevant documents.

Exhaust fumes noticed in the passenger cabin of the vehicle. PZEV equipped. I have heard of others experiencing the same issue. This was noted some time ago, however parts were not available at the time and Subaru N.A. had not responded to my written correspondance until i finally phoned them. Very concerned about potential for Carbon Monoxide. I understandf Ford explorer and VW had similar issues. The attached estimate was recently obtained from the dealership but service rep claimed this was the recommended service at time of discovery.

The catalytic converter had substantial rust and was beyond repair (i.e., welding). The vehicle was only 6 years old and did not have any issues with rust identified during the 2021 annual inspection (as required by our state). This year, the vehicle failed inspection due to the amount of damage from rust. Our mechanic advised the rust was most likely caused by the plastic covers surrounding the catalytic converter not allowing enough air to circulate to keep the area dry / prevent rust from forming.

2017 Subaru Forester. Air bag sensor light for the occupant occasionally flashes on and off. We brought it to the dealer and was told the sensor was defective and would not deploy if an accident occurred. The Subaru service tech informed us that the air bags would not deploy in case of an accident. The car only has 55,500 miles. It is garaged and has had no front end problems or accidents. This is a safety hazard that could cause a death if the sensor is not working properly and the vehicle was in an accident.

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.

If you do not start the car everyday, the car drains the battery. Car must be jumped.nothing left on. It has a battery drain problem.

The windshield cracked without anything happening. It started at the bottom and moved it's way up.

Windshield cracked while being parked on driveway over the week. Car has not been driven for a week and has not been hit by anything prior, normal outdoor temperature 50-85F.

Noticed sputtering in my car. Took it to dealership. I was told I needed condenser and compressor. When googled, there was a recall for condenser for Subaru Forester 2017 model. The dealership told me that it’s only vin# specific for that reason not covered under recall. That was a shock. Same model and year but they would only cover certain vin #? For the same known issue? Why? It should cover all vin # for the safety of the consumer. I am writing to report the issues encountered so far with this vehicle. 1. Batteries were leaking prematurely, I got it replaced 4 months ago 2. Need condenser and compressor replaced at less than 60,000 miles for a newly car purchased car from dealership. Please look in to this issue if reported by more consumers for safety reason and also to hold the company accountable for faulty parts. Thank you.

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the passenger's side front seat and air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.

Loud roaring noise came from rear of vehicle while driving. Sound increased with increasing speed. At first I thought it might have been the tires but they were properly inflated and in excellent condition. The vehicle was brought to the dealer who determined that the rear wheel bearings were defective and needed to be replaced. The noise and condition began at roughly 50,000 miles but the car was 6 years old and out of warranty. I contacted Subaru and they offered to cover half the cost of the repair. Had the situation not been corrected the rear wheels could have frozen causing loss of control of the vehicle. The only warning was the noise itself. I believe that this issue, especially at such a low mileage, is a significant safety concern.

After driving the vehicle I will arrive at my destination. I will stop, continue pressing the vehicle break while moving the shifter from drive to park. Then, I turn the key to the off position in an attempt to remove my key from the Ignition. About 40-50% of the time, the key can not be removed. In order remove the key I will have to do one of the following: Option 1. Let my foot of of the break, pause, then press my foot hard on the break peddle, move to shifter from park to drive, while continuing to press my foot down hard on the break peddle, move the shifter back from drive to the park position. Often I will have to repeat this process several times to remove the key form the ignition or attempt Option 2.. Option 2. When Option 1 above does not work, with the vehicle turned off and I park, I will release my foot from the break, pause, press down on the break, start the ignition, place my vehicle in drive or reverse (depending how I am parked) and drive the vehicle 2-3 feet, stop and repeat step 1 above. Again, I many have to try this procedure several times. Option 3. After 5-10 minutes and several attempts, I will give up, turn the vehicle off, place it in park, and leave the car unlocked with keys in the ignition. I'm not sure why this has not been addressed prior as I have found several articles from 2008 to 2020 on the same issue, specifically on Subaru's.

2 new battery drains dead just sitting in the driveway.

The steering began to shake and vibrate at interstate speeds upon changing lanes or making a "lazy" turn. It has VERY disconcerting. I slowed down, avoided changing lanes and very wary of the turns while I continued on my journey back home. Over time the problem became progressively worse. I had the tires rebalanced but the problem continued to worsened even at slower speeds. I took the car to another shop but they could not find a problem. I was finally took onto a shop where the mechanic instantly knew what the problem was. He stated he had seen many 2017 Subarus with the same problem over the past few months. Both steering control arms had to bee replaced and the tires aligned at a cost of $816.57. When the problem started the vehicle only had 56,000 and has never been driven off road and only driven on gravel roads at slow speeds about 6 miles a year. I have been driving for over 50 years and have had numerous vehicle during my life and I have NEVER had this happen to a 5year old vehicle with only 56,000 miles.

There appears to be a parasitic battery drain in the vehicle when it is stopped and all electrical systems are off (lights, heated seats, chargers etc) but the key is in the ignition. The most recent event was 7/20/2022 when the car was stopped for fueling and the key left in the ignition for no more than 10 minutes. Battery discharged sufficiently in that time that the car would not start requiring roadside assistance. Spoke with dealer who stated to keep the key 30 feet from the car (note, this is NOT a smart key car) and to ensure all is off as all computer electricals will continue to run even with the car off. Will be having a battery test next week but I see that this is a recurring issue for this make/model on this forum. The same problem happened in December 2021, although at that time the weather was also severely cold and the key was in the ignition (all electrical systems off) for approximately 45 minutes. The issue is one of personal safety and being stranded in a vehicle which cannot be moved (steering and transmission locked due to low/no power) as well as cost in time and money to investigate and remedy the issue. It is also an issue of functionality and usability. If I cannot leave the key in the ignition with the car off, I am unable to use any accessories or even my safety flashers in the event the situation would warrant it.

We have had issues with the battery draining since early on in owning the car. First the power windows stopped working and they replaced the battery. We are now having more battery issues and the care is in the shop.

I am unable to remove key from ignition switch when the car is placed in park requiring shifting several times to finally remove key. 2017 Forester with less than 40,000 miles on it.

Battery drains if not driven approximately every 5 days. We have replaced battery three times. We’ve asked the local Subaru dealer a couple of times why the battery goes dead so quickly. Their response it’s a known issue. Not good that whenever we park the car or take it out of town we have to take a battery charger with us. This includes manually unlocking doors, climbing over back seat to get to the charger.

The passenger seat air bag sensor failed. The seat cushion/ airbag sensor assembly was replaced under a recall at 43,000 miles. It was replaced with an identical assembly which has now failed at 113,000 miles. Subaru says they will not cover the cost ($1,150) of this 2nd replacement because the car is now out of warranty. I argued that the 1st part was defective and was replaced with an identical defective part. They (the Subaru customer advocate office) said the car was out of warranty so they were not responsible. The subaru tech who checked it said the seat may have been damaged by a spill since there were stains on the seat, tho he did note that the cushion was dry. It has worked correctly since he examined it. I think it is obvious that Subaru had a new design for this sensor and introduced it on the new model 2017 forester. The problem was limited to the Forester. I feel that they made a mistake on a vital piece of safety equipment and should own that mistake for the life of the car. Since I intend to keep this car for another 200,000 miles, and the part lasts an average of 56,000 miles, it will need to be replaced another 3 or 4 times and I do not feel that I should pay for Subaru's mistake. If the other 320,000 foresters that were recalled have the same part failure that I have and subaru charges them $1,150 each then subaru will be taking $368 million from their customers to pay for an engineering mistake. And then again. And again.

Sitting in line to get gas and when I put car in Drive it went to full throttle and struck two vehicles in front of me. Car ended up on resting on driver's side and had to be towed.

My SRS airbag light came on and said it needed to be inspected. Notably, this issue is similar to a prior recall of this vehicle that I had repaired. The Subaru dealership indicated that the bottom of the seat needed replaced and that the airbag may not function properly until this is fixed; however, they also noted that the part won't be in stick until October/November. This seems like a huge safety issue to not have the part and there is potential that the airbags won't work.

My vehicle had the WUM98 Safety recall completed on March 09, 2020. In July 2022, the SRS system started giving error messages that the system needed to be checked. It seemed to reset when the vehicle was turned off and restarted. When it happened for the 3rd time in 3 weeks, I took it in to the Subaru Dealership where they found this: B1650 Perform Diag TSB#07-108-16R. They claimed that the seat must have gotten wet to create this error code, but it seems to me to be the same problem as was reported in the :NUMBER: WUM-98R NHTSA ID: 19V-701 DATE: 10/14/19 REVISED: 12/13/19 documents that I found on the NHSTA site. I think the same issue is in this newer harness that was in the older one. On August 16,2022, we picked up the vehicle from its other repairs (60,000 mile service and AC condenser replacement). The dealer had just reset the B1650 code. We drove less than 50 miles before the “SRS airbag system needs to be checked” error message came back on. It only seems to come on at certain times when the passenger is over 190lbs. In addition, every once in a while the passenger seatbelt alarm goes off with no one in the seat. The only way to get it to stop is to engage the seatbelt. The Subaru dealer wants to replace the seat cushion with the harness and the ODS mat for a total of $1600.00. I believe that this was one of the options to do in 2020, but they opted for only replacing the cable, not the full sensor and seat.

This is for a 2017 Subaru Forester. The passenger airbag sensor in the seat keeps turning off the airbag when a passenger is in the seat. The problem is intermittent. The dealer couldn't replicate the problem and it wasn't repaired. I believe this car had a recall about this, but the problem keeps happening. This car has had the issue dozens of times and the problem needs to be investigated. There are many, many complaints about this issue.

After coming to a complete stop, the vehicle, a 2017 Subaru Forrester suddenly and without driver input surged forward. It crashed into a large garbage can directly in front of the vehicle, crushing it. It then continued forward crushing two whole-home air conditioning units and driving one of them into a brick wall, dislodging and breaking some of the bricks. The vehicle suffered considerable front end damage including the bumper, right front fender, and right headlight. The collision avoidance system should have prevented this occurrence as the flat sided municipal type garbage can was directly in front of the car. Furthermore the front air-bag did not deploy despite the considerable damage to the front bumper.

Issue with passenger air bag. Issue was caught and detected by dealership as ods sensor error. Further research revealed recall in vehicles of the same year, make, and model as vehicle in question for that part. Dealership and corporate offices deny relation of problems with recall, claim no such recall exists for the vehicle.

46,000 miles and the lower control arm is broken. Causing the vehicle to shake and almost be undrivable.

We have a 2017 Subaru Forester 2.5i Premium with Eyesight with 58,582 miles. During the first week in June, 2022 the Eyesight System failed and displayed an error message that stated to “See Owner’s Manual “. The Owner’s Manual stated ”take the vehicle to Subaru dealer for servicing” which we did on June 9, 2022. The Subaru servicing dealer’s statement from the diagnostic invoice states “Checked for codes in all systems found code B2809 VDC Malfunction in Eyesight module. Checked code in VDC module found C1742 wheel cylinder pressure sensor ran test for code lead to needing VDC module replaced “. Subaru parts stated to the dealership that the part would not be available until July 30, 2022 when that date came I was notified that part would not be available until Aug. 8, 2022. I was notified again on Aug. 9, 2022 of another delay only this time indefinite as to when it may be available. Without the Eyesight System the following safety functions that I am aware of do not work 1) Adaptive cruise control, 2) Emergency front braking, 3) Lane departure and Lane keeping assistance, 4) Forward collision warning, and there may be other safety features that are connected to this system that I am not aware of.

The SRS airbag light is on, airbags disabled while driving vehicle with passenger in front. Sensor within passenger seat cushion is defective. Dealer says to fix passenger seat cushion needs to be replaced. Previous recall for harness already complete. Quoted $1400 to repair. 2017 Forester Premium, 78,000 miles

2017 Subaru Forester - Passenger airbag seat sensor intermittent failure. Does not detect passenger when seated and thus does not arm airbag while in motion. Safety of driver, passenger, and other drivers at risk due to product failure. Problem has been confirmed by local Subaru dealer and Subaru of America, but part is back ordered with no timetable for fulfillment. Multiple owners facing same issue, should be investigated for a full product recall.

2017 Subaru Forester- I had arrived to work and stopped at parking spot. Before I could put car in park position.. I heard a car high pitch revving sound. The car throttles forward and hit a building. Now I’m scared of the car.