10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
40,788 miles

About These NHTSA Complaints:

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.

2016 Subaru Forester drivetrain problems

drivetrain problem

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2016 Subaru Forester Owner Comments (Page 3 of 3)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #5

Oct 032016

Forester

  • 6,000 miles

A D V E R T I S E M E N T S

When shifting from reverse to drive, there is a 3 to 4 second lag time in the transmission between shifting and getting power to the wheels. This is very dangerous when you back out of your driveway, especially if you live on a busy street (as we do). I took it to the dealer today and they said this is normal for the type of transmission (cvt) and they wouldn't even look at it. This is irresponsible and needs to be corrected.

- Lubbock, TX, USA

problem #4

Nov 172016

Forester

  • 1,832 miles
Vehicle was parked on a level surface. I started the car, put my foot on the brake. Release the parking brake, put the car into drive, release the brake. The car started rolling backwards rather quickly. I stepped on the brake, released it again and the car started rolling forwards. The car was definitely in drive, it should not have gone backwards.

- Weston, CT, USA

problem #3

Aug 302016

Forester

  • 1,800 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. While the vehicle was in reverse, it accelerated and crashed into a parked vehicle without warning. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. The air bags did not deploy. The failure recurred, but only when the contact attempted to shift into reverse. The failure was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and stated that this type of failure had never before occurred. The failure mileage was approximately 1,800.

- Roseville, CA, USA

problem #2

Apr 082016

Forester

  • 4,000 miles
When you go from reverse to drive there is a lag time in the transmission. Or if you go from park to drive its the same. This is very dangerous as you rely on your car moving when you shift from reverse to drive (e.g., when you back out of your driveway). We went to the dealer. The service manager told me that they have had a lot of complaints about this problem but he also said it was one of the characteristics of the vehicle. This to me is very dangerous.

- Glen Rock, NJ, USA

problem #1

May 102016

Forester

  • 200 miles
When you go from reverse to drive there is a lag time in the transmission. Or if you go from park to drive its the same. If your on an incline it makes you hit the gas to accelerate. And if you were to pull a trailer and you are on a small hill it feels like the car is in neutral which is very dangerous. We only have 3700 miles on the car. I have contacted Subaru Corp and they told me to go to the dealer, which I did. The service manager told me that they have had a lot of complaints about this problem but he also said it was one of the characteristics of the vehicle. This to me is very dangerous. I was told there is no fix. The dealer asked how come I hadn't noticed this when we first tried the vehicle. As I told him its my wifes car and I drive my own vehicle and I didn't notice it till she told me to try it out. I wouldn't recommend anyone to buy a 2016 Subaru Forester until they have tried it for a while.

- Greene, ME, USA

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