This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
As I got in my 2010 Subaru Forester the driver's seat with less than 60,000 miles snapped. The car was stationary at the time, and I weigh 180 pounds. The welding on the left side of the seat snapped and the seat then sat on the metal bracket underneath. If this had happened while I was driving it could have been very dangerous.
Drivers seat support failure. My 2010 Subaru Forester limited has what appears to be a broken weld or support in the drivers seat. While the power seat still functions, the left side of the seat cushion/seat frame has collapsed. If the power seat is raised, only the right side rises creating an uneven seating surface and very uncomfortable and not particularly safe since the integrity of the seat is now in question. From looking at the www.subaruforester.org web site, this appears to be a problem that has happened to a number of other 2010 Forester owners as well. The dealer feedback included on this website concludes that faulty/inadequate welds is the cause of the seat/seat support failures.
About 2 weeks ago the drivers seat started making a squeaking noise when would sit down. After 2 weeks of this squeaking noise, part of the drivers seat frame broke, seems to be a bad weld. When sitting on the seat, the front left side of the seat bottom sinks down. This seems incredibly unsafe and it's something that should never break in the first place. I am the original owner and weigh about 170 lbs. I'm not putting any unusual stress on the seat. Looking online and doing some quick research, I see a lot of fellow 2010 owners who are starting to have the same problem. I will contact soa shortly because I expect them to pay for the repair. A recall would help, there are a lot of people who are having this issue. I can't trust the structural integrity of the drivers seat in a crash at the moment. The collapse of the seat happened when the vehicle was stationary.
It appears seat weld broke on driver's seat where it attaches to bracket. After searching online I found this is very common. It could pose a hazard to the safe operation of the vehicle and potentially come loose in an accident.
Entered vehicle and sat down on drivers seat and there was a loud pop and the left front corner of the driver seat dropped. Removed side cover and found two welds broken from bracket that goes to the seat bottom. After looking on safercar.gov found same issue with other Foresters. The car was bought new and was never abused. Never had a problem with it until now.
- Todd, PA, USA
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When getting into the driver's seat I noticed the left side of my seat was 1-2 inches lower than the right side. When trying to adjust the seat, the controls moved the right side up and down, but the left side remains stationary at the bottom. Also the lumbar support controls no longer function.
While sitting stationary in parking lot, drivers power seat suddenly dropped a few inches. Upon inspection I noticed the front bracket which attaches to the underside of the seat had snapped (weld broke on the left side).
Sat down in drivers seat to drive, everything normal. Approx 1.5-2 minutes later while driving straight, approx. 10-15 mph over a slightly bumpy neighborhood street, I hear a small "snap" underneath seat and front left part of driver seat collapses. Seat feels very unstable and off center, almost to the point of being unsafe while turning and using pedals. Upon looking underneath the seat; the front bracket had snapped from the 2 spot welds holding it upright. Can not fix on my own, must be welded.
Driver side seat collapsed on front left side offering no support. Awkward seating position. After doing research it seems to be common and is a welding issue. It happens while I was driving making a turn almost causing an accident.
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 30 mph, the front driver side seat fractured causing the contact to slide downward. The contact stated that he had to hold himself up using the steering wheel in order to drive. The failure recurred continuously. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 86,000. The VIN was unavailable.
While fastening seatbelt, drivers seat, front left corner, made a "snap" noise and dropped slightly under driver's leg; now is unstable, does not support driver's left leg properly, feels uneven and off balance. Vehicle was stationary, in parking lot.
The driver's side power seat collapsed for the second time. A few months ago the right side collapsed. I found that the toggle bracket on the upper right seat frame broke loose from the lower scissor assembly that raises and lowers the seat. The toggle bracket is held the the scissor assembly by two spot welds. The spot welds broke loose causing the seat to fail. There was no Subaru tsb or warranty coverage so I removed the seat and rewelded it. Today I noticed that the left side toggle has broken loose at the same two spot welds. These welds are too weak for the application and Subaru Corp should issue a recall. I ask you: Where's the love from Subaru for their customers. There are many complaints for this problem on this govt website and a search on-line will reveal a lot more instances of this problem!
While sitting on the driver's seat, the front left portion of the seat collapsed downward, and now has no support from the frame of the seat. Dealer has confirmed that the welds on the seat bracket have failed. This seems likely to be the result of a factory defect, as this seat has not been abused or had an abnormal amount of weight supported on it. My concern now is in the safety of the restraint system.
I was driving when suddenly I felt a crack or snap in the lower front left portion of my driver's seat. The front left portion of the seat felt soft, when getting out of the car the seat sagging and shifting (unlike the right side of the seat). According to the dealer, it was due to the failure of a broken bracket or bolt and they will have to replace the front seat frame bracket for $381. There have been many reports of this defect in 2010 Foresters on the internet and on this safety complaint log.
Drivers side seat cushion collapsed on left side and became loose due to a weld failure on the seat frame. I believe that the loose seat cushion compromises the integrity of the restraint system and warrants a safety recall.
The front left corner of the driver's seat has broken and no longer provides support for your left leg. This corner of the seat collapses towards the floor when minimal force is applied. After investigating, two spot welds underneath the front left corner of the driver's seat have failed and have detached.
Noticed driver's seat (power) was not providing normal support on left side. Assumed it was just age related deterioration at first, but when I investigated I found two welds on the seat frame assembly (pn 64100sc001) had failed. I was concerned that this might have an impact on the performance of the restraint systems and contacted dealer and Subaru to seek assistance in a repair. None was offered. I ordered a replacement factory part from my dealer and notice that the replacement part had been modified by adding a screw to the welds holding the bracket on. Checking on the internet, it appears that this is not an uncommon problem. I was able to replace the seat frame, but this requires removal and disassembly of the seat which is a fairly advanced diy job.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Arlington, VA, USA