10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
2 / 1
Injuries / Deaths:
0 / 0
Average Mileage:
15,917 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 electrical problems

electrical problem

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2016 Subaru Forester Owner Comments (Page 4 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #23

Jan 202020

Forester

  • 50,000 miles

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

The key will not come out of the ignition when the car is stopped and in "park, " intermittently. I need to restart the car, readjust the shifter out and then back into "park, " until the vehicle senses that I am actually in "park" and allows me to remove the key.

- Mililani, HI, USA

problem #22

Nov 292019

Forester

  • 43,000 miles
My car was parked in my garage and had not been started for one day. The battery would not start the car, I had to call for a jump. I waited approximately one hour for someone to come through Subaru road side assist. The battery was relatively new, as the original was replaced 1/2019. We took it to the dealer and they tested the battery and alternator, which were fine. They recharged the battery. I paid for the battery inspection.

- Dublin, OH, USA

problem #21

Oct 142019

Forester

  • 40,006 miles
Unable to remove key from ignition after car is turned off. Requires several attempts of jiggling the transmission shifter to finally free the key. Vehicle is off and not moving when this occurs. A quick bit of research indicates that this is problem is occurring on all Subaru models not just the Forester. Subaru service bulletin 16-112-18R addresses this issue. Only 40K miles my vehicle, out of warranty repair is over 500 dollars. I don't see how this is not a recall if it happening on all Subaru models, an obvious defect here.

- Chicago, IL, USA

problem #20

Aug 012019

Forester

  • 30,000 miles

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

Unable to remove the key from the ignition switch when the vehicle is in park. Per tsp 16 112 18R the cause is contamination of the park-range switch internal components. We own 2 identical cars purchased the same day. Both have started to experience this every day since we hit 30,000 miles. We purchased in April 2016, so warranty no longer covers. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of postings on many forums indicating the same issue. This has resulted in us having to leave the key in the car when we park somewhere. It takes round 3-4 minutes to start and restart the car and move it back and forth in order to release the key. This is not the situation that occurs when you just need to turn the steering wheel.

- Dover, MA, USA

problem #19

Aug 082019

Forester

  • 30,000 miles
Unable to remove the key from the ignition switch when the vehicle is in park and the car is stationary. Per tsp 16 112 18R the cause is contamination of the park-range switch internal components. We own 2 identical cars purchased the same day. Both have started to experience this every day since we hit 30,000 miles. We purchased in April 2016, so warranty no longer covers. There are hundreds (maybe thousands) of postings on many forums indicating the same issue. This has resulted in us having to leave the key in the car when we park somewhere. It takes around 3-4 minutes to start and restart the car and move it back and forth in order to release the key. This is not the situation that occurs when you just need to turn the steering wheel.

- Dover, MA, USA

problem #18

Jul 302019

Forester

  • 55,000 miles
Airbag sensor for front passenger seat is defective. SRS warning light remains on most of the time that the car is running. Lights indicate airbag is off even with passenger in seat. Dealer has checked computer; told me that I may have caused damage to the sensor, usually with water. Seat has never been wet nor have we done anything that could damage the sensor. Google search brings up numerous cases of same issue, indicating a possible widespread problem. I am advocating for a recall to repair this defect.

- Midlothian, VA, USA

problem #17

Dec 012018

Forester

  • 55,000 miles

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

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that a red warning indicator icon flashed intermittently inside the vehicle. The contact drove to Subaru of rochester (4840 Maine ave SE, rochester, Minnesota 55904, (507) 285-4777) and was informed that the occupant detection system sensor failed. The contact was provided a cost estimate for repairs. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was 55,000.

- Rochester, MN, USA

problem #16

Sep 182018

Forester

  • 45,000 miles
Key stuck in ignition carmust be left unlocked with key in it when parked - this creates a safety problem because car can be stolen or intruder can come into car. Dealer acknowledged it is a known problem and had a revised part 35122fj033 to fix the problem. Despite being a known design defect with safety implications there is no recall and the consumer must pay the $400 for the repair.

- Brighton, MI, USA

problem #15

Jul 022019

Forester

  • 39,000 miles
Intermittent ignition issue will not always release key when auto is turned off. The position of the steering wheel seems to affect it.does not allow rotation to the release key position.sometimes I have to turn auto back on, back out, and pull in with wheels and steering wheel in perfect straight alignment, which seems to allow me to turn key to release key position.

- Sandy, UT, USA

problem #14

Jun 192019

Forester

  • miles
The airbag sensor in the front passenger seat randomly goes off when there's a passenger in the car or not. The seat belt alarm for the passenger side goes off without a passenger in the car. Airbag sensor says "off" with a passenger in the car. This is very unsafe, as I do not know if that airbag is truly functional, and also an annoyance, as the seatbelt alarm dings while I'm driving.

- Norfolk, VA, USA

problem #13

Jun 172019

Forester

  • 14,000 miles

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

The rear hatch door has opened three times without my doing anything to open it.. each time I have found the door up after the car had been parked overnight in my carport. I live alone and no one else has access to the electronic controls.

- Atlanta, GA, USA

problem #12

May 252018

Forester

  • 45,000 miles
The contact owned a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the vehicle had been parked for approximately 5 minutes before the neighbor noticed flames coming from under the hood of the vehicle. Moments later, the vehicle was engulfed in flames. The nearby motor home and house also caught on fire and were destroyed along with the vehicle. The cause of the failure was not determined. The fire department was called to the scene to extinguish the flames. The cause of the failure was not determined. The local dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was informed of the failure. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 45,000.

- Bossier City, LA, USA

problem #11

Apr 152019

Forester

  • 50,400 miles
We've had the car from new lease the battery has died at least 4 times. After the 2nd time, we took it to the dealer to be checked. They said battery and charger were fine. It is not fine if the battery can't hold enough power to start car after leaving key on acc for 15 minutes with no lights, no radio, nothing knowingly drawing power. Even when the battery starts the car normally, cranking is slow, almost unable to crank. I have had to rescue my wife, her son-in-law has had to, but what if we aren't available. A car should be generally able to start unless you've left the lights on for hours. The last situation, driven to mcdonald's, parked and engine off, key was turned to acc to roll down window; nothing else. After 15-20 minutes, car would not start, dead battery. I had to come and jump it.

- Lebanon, OH, USA

problem #10

Oct 182018

Forester

  • 42,000 miles
My vehicle alarm system came on unexpectedly toward the end of a day-long drive, with the engine light, hill assist, eyesight, and other dash warning lights all illuminated. The problem disabled the eyesight system, which is a safety issue in clear weather when a driver expects it to work. The remainder of the drive was unnerving, late on a Thursday night, on a highway in the middle of nowhere, when nothing was open. Turns out this problem is all over the internet. It deserves a recall!

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #9

Sep 132018

Forester

  • 12,000 miles
Water is entering the interior of the car from underneath the dashboard near the glove compartment. The carpet is starting to smell of mildew. I am afraid of the reaction with the electrical components and water. I notified my dealership and awaiting a response. Meanwhile, I taking my car to be serviced.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #8

Aug 272018

Forester

  • 31,000 miles
I drove from NJ to me (bought in 2017). I noticed difficulty when trying to accelerate/pass cars from the left lane. I thought nothing of it. After 5 hrs I got off the highway & made a right onto a main St when I heard a loud noise, felt it pull back & my wheels lock up. I thought I hit something or got a flat & was riding on my rims. From the right lane I moved onto the shoulder-it jerked roughly but remained stuck. I walked around it & noticed nothing wrong on the outside. I waited 2.5 hrs for a tow truck to take me 6 mins away to our hotel. I called a few local repair shops. None could see me for a week so my plan was to bring it to the hotel. The tow truck driver said my caliper was sticking & recommended I have it towed to Subaru since no one would be able to service it at the hotel. Subaru called/said someone pulled my rear differential plug & it would need to be replaced with possible transmission damage. They blamed the oil change guy, saying he made an error (the differential was near the oil drain plug) & the repair was not covered under warranty. The diff they meant was the front diff-they are close. There are 2 diffs & the rear diff is where my issue was-10 ft away from oil drain. I've only had oil/brake pad changes & neither had a reason to touch any diff. That work is recommended between 30-50K miles & I had 31K. I drove a rental to NJ while my car waits in nh. I talked to corporate/service all week but they won't listen to me even though I make a valid point. They asked who did those routine services. I shared the info & asked why it was relevant. He "hinted" that it could void the warranty. I asked if that was why my claim was denied but he said he didn't say that was the reason. It's illegal to tell customers only Subaru can service their cars. Experienced mechanics say if anyone pulled the diff plug in NJ I wouldn't have made it to me-5 hrs away.

- Roselle Park, NJ, USA

problem #7

Jul 182018

Forester 4-cyl

  • 20,000 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. While attempting to park the vehicle, it suddenly accelerated without the accelerator pedal being depressed. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a fence and a pole. There were no injuries and a police report was not filed. There was extensive damage to the bumper. The vehicle was towed to an independent body shop and then to Subaru of englewood (135 South dean street, englewood, NJ 07631, (201) 816-6000). The dealer stated that they could not find any failures. The contact researched and learned of many similar occurrences, which were due to electrical failures. The manufacturer stated that there was an event data recorder that the dealers did not have and they were investigating the matter. The manufacturer further stated that they would call the contact if they decide to send the equipment to the dealer for diagnostic testing. The failure mileage was 20,000. The consumer stated the vehicle has had to incidents of sudden acceleration that caused the vehicle to crash into other vehicles causing damage.

- Hackensack, NJ, USA

problem #6

Nov 242017

Forester

  • 30,000 miles
I've had this car for 1.5 years and it's already stalled twice times. Both times I was driving on the highway and without any warning my car just started to rapidly decrease speed. Both times, I my gas meter said that I had over 50 miles of gas left in my car. Its absolutely terrifying because when the car shuts off, I have about two minute to get to the shoulder before it's completely dead.

- Washington, DC, USA

problem #5

Sep 062017

Forester

  • miles
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. While driving approximately 70 mph, the vehicle's power seized. There were no warning indicators illuminated. The vehicle was taken to fitzgerald Toyota (907 N frederick ave, gaithersburg, md 20879) where the cause of the failure could not be determined. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

- Derwood, MD, USA

problem #4

Jul 142016

Forester

  • 300 miles
We got our 2016 Subaru Forester premium 2.5I from bay ridge dealer in brooklyn on June 7,2016.

- Broooklyn, NY, USA

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