NHTSA — Unknown Or Other Problems

2017 Subaru Forester (Page 2 of 5)

10.0

really awful
Crashes / Fires:
5 / 0
Injuries / Deaths:
1 / 0
Average Mileage:
17,483 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.

2017 Subaru Forester miscellaneous problems

miscellaneous problem

Find something helpful? Spread the word.
Get notified about new defects, investigations, recalls & lawsuits for the 2017 Subaru Forester:

Unsubscribe any time. We don't sell/share your email.

2017 Subaru Forester Owner Comments (Page 2 of 5)

« Read the previous 20 complaints

problem #69

Jun 022019

Forester

  • miles

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

My 2017 Subaru Forester battery died in June 2019, leaving me stranded in a parking lot on a Sunday 50 miles from my home. The battery was still under warranty & was replaced by Subaru. I was told by the Service Manager that the batteries only last approximately 2 years. In early Oct 2021, my car sat idle for 10 days in the airport parking garage at JFK Int'l airport in NYC while I was away. When I returned home, the battery was dead, again stranding my approximately 50 miles from my home. I had to get a jump from a tow company who found that the red terminal on the battery was completely corroded. He advised that I would need to get a new battery when I returned home. I brought the car to Subaru the next day & was told by a tech in the service department that the battery was fine & was at 100% capacity but that the issue was a defective cable connected to the battery which they replaced. I had occasion to bring my Forester to Subaru for service yesterday (11/8/2021) and had the battery checked. This time a more thorough check was done & although the battery again tested at 100%, when it was checked for its capacity from a "cold start", it tested as weak. Again, Subaru replaced the battery.

- East Northport, NY, USA

problem #68

Nov 082021

Forester

  • miles
Subaru OEM Windshield glass is too weak and prone to cracking / chipping / breaking. I've owned my car for nearly three years and the windshield glass has cracked three times now. More so than any other vehicle I've owned. I think it is a design flaw which makes the glass too thin / brittle.

- Bolingbrook, IL, USA

problem #67

Oct 182021

Forester

  • miles
When I try to turn off the vehicle, the ignition key gets stuck in the ignition switch, and does not turn to the off position; I cannot remove the key. This is a recurring problem that been happening every day for the past three weeks. According to YouTube, there are MANY other people having this same issue, with no fix being provided by Subaru. I-??ve tried moving the steering wheel back and forth, tried spraying lubricant in the key hole, with the vehicle is in park, pulled the car up and back to park again, tried with my foot on the brake pedal and foot off the brake pedal while in park, etc., etc. -?"none of these things work. I-??m still having the issue of removing the key from the key hole, and cannot turn the vehicle completely off. One -??fix-?? being provided by consumers on YouTube, is to disengage a selinoid from the key switch. This selinoid prevents the key from being turned off while the vehicle is running-?"a safety feature, which is now being disengaged by people so frustrated with this problem, because there is no manufacturer documented fix.

- Mount Airy, MD, USA

problem #66

Jul 272021

Forester

  • miles

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

When in PARK, the key will not pull out of the ignition. The car is not recognizing that it is in PARK and shoild release the key. I was told by a Subaru dealership that Subaru is aware of the problem but does not intend to recall it at this time. I was told that aggressive shifting is causing a plate to bend. My car only has 18000 miles on it and I'm not a kid and I don't shift aggressively. The only way I can get the key out is to shift it back-and-forth aggressively and then it will release. Although I have onky 18000 miles on the car, it's over 3 years old so now I'm out of warranty (hich does not please me at all) This is an expensive repair for customers. This can be a safety hazard if I must leave the iey in the ignition making it possible for a child to start the engine!

- Merriam, KS, USA

problem #65

Aug 012021

Forester

  • miles
Spontaneous windshield crack occurred while car was parked (i.e., no collision or pebble impact). Crack originates at lower portion of passenger side in black-colored perimeter of windshield glass with windshield deicer and spread upward and across middle of entire windshield. Crack obstructs driving visibility and poses risk to integrity of entire window including adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning system calibration. No previous impacts to windshield. Suspect defect in windshield consistent with those found in 2015-2016 Subaru Outback and Legacy models related to materials used in deicer area of windshields in recent class action settlement against Subaru. Took to Subaru dealer who confirmed origin of crack in originates in deicer region of windshield, but denies any liability for weakened material at sight of deicer as determined for other models.

- Sacramento, CA, USA

Search CarComplaints.com for these popular complaint phrases...

problem #64

Jul 152021

Forester

  • miles
My windshield is cracked. It is available for inspection. This could cause my whole windshield to break and possibly get a ticket and crash. Nothing has been reproduced or confirmed. It happened today. I noticed it when I was got in the car to leave work. It has not been inspected by anyone. No warning lamps or messages. Just happened today.

- South Bend , IN, USA

problem #63

Jul 052021

Forester

  • miles

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

Since purchasing this vehicle in October, 2016, I have purchased two new batteries. It continues to die with no apparent reason. Even with a new battery that was installed this past spring, it died again on July 5th. Yes, it is available for inspection. Nobody was at risk. The mechanic who works on my car checked the battery before he replaced it a second time. He said there was nothing wrong with it; then, when he changed the oil and did some routine maintenance, it died. He replaced it a second time. This was in the spring. There were no warnings. I need to reset the automatic window feature each time this happens. I do not understand why the battery continues to be a problem. I have had to get it jumped multiple times, both in my garage as well as the parking lot at work.

- Eastlake, OH, USA

problem #62

May 132019

Forester

  • miles
Windshield cracked straight across. Looking to see if this is part of the class action lawsuit. We have replaced the windshield

- Festus, MO, USA

problem #61

Jun 102021

Forester

  • miles
I was driving down the street and the whole car shut off without warning. It was the scariest thing ever. I had to pull over the side of the road with cars driving past me. I felt like I had no control of the car.

- Pittsburgh, PA, USA

problem #60

Mar 252021

Forester

  • 55,338 miles
I bought a certified pre-owned 2017 Subaru Forester on June 19 2020. I have had an intermittent safety issue with the vehicle not responding correctly when I try to accelerate since. When I press the gas pedal the car will begin to accelerate with my rpms rising normally. Then my rpms will start to drop when they would normally rise and my car stops or maintains the acceleration prior. Once they have dropped they will stay there for a little and then will shoot up suddenly and red line. I have tried a variety of things to prevent this from happening; I have taken my foot off the gas, kept the same or more pressure on the gas, and breaking. Regardless of what I do the vehicle red lines and my speed will either drop or stay the same. I have taken the vehicle to Subaru dealerships on 3 separate occasions and it was returned to me without diagnosing or repairing the problem. The last time I drove my vehicle it did this again and the rpms red lining causing my engine to fail. I was accelerated from a stop at a street light and the vehicle stopped accelerating even though I was pressing the accelerator. The rpms redlined and my engine began making a terrible noise that we later discovered was from unrepairable engine damage. The vehicle has now been at the dealership for over a month to replace my engine and try to fix this issue. Every week they tell me I will get it back the next week and then something else fails or causes a set back. I bought a Subaru Forester because of advertisements about how "safe" and 'reliable' they are supposed to be. Instead I have had near misses when merging onto the interstate or turning across traffic in a busy denver intersection because the vehicle doesn't respond as expected. The dealership has ignored my concerns by either saying "that just happens with Foresters sometimes" or "we can't fix it unless we can replicate it.'

- White Rock, NM, USA

problem #59

Apr 262021

Forester

  • 119,201 miles

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

Driving on the highway and the driver side window which is rolled up completely shattered. There are no cracks no indentation that the glass would have broken at time of the incident. The only issue leading up to this the window would not roll up all the way at times. Which is why I personally never rolled the window down once I knew that was an issue

- Clarksburg, MD, USA

problem #58

Mar 312021

Forester

  • miles
I had to get my catalytic converter replaced after discovering an exhaust leak. The shop that performed my work said he has seen numerous Subaru Foresters with the same exact problem. The vehicle has not sustained any damage or been in any accidents that might warrant this issue to have occurred.

- Hopwood, PA, USA

problem #57

Jan 072021

Forester

  • 30,000 miles
Key gets stuck in ignition when parked. Must constantly move shifter back and forth and slam into park. Subaru service bulletin 16-112-18R. Seems to be a popular problem as per forum. Constant problem at this time

- Warwick, NY, USA

problem #56

Mar 242021

Forester

  • 48,000 miles
Forester windshield started cracking for no clear reason, spread quickly to a 20" or longer crack that continues to spread.

- Austin, TX, USA

problem #55

Mar 162021

Forester

  • 44,477 miles
Windshield cracked with no cause while parked at work

- Portland, OR, USA

problem #54

Feb 172021

Forester

  • 0 miles
When you shut the engine off you can't take the keys out off the ignition.

- Southaven, MS, USA

problem #53

Feb 082021

Forester

  • 114,000 miles
Periodically unable to remove key from the ignition. Has been happening more frequently over the past 2 months. Key is "locked" in ignition, unable to completely "turn off" key switch and therefore unable to remove the key. Only resolution has been to turn the vehicle back on and shift the gears and reattempt to turn car off and remove key. This is also, likely, affecting being able to use the remote start for my vehicle.

- Geneva, OH, USA

problem #52

Oct 312019

Forester

  • miles
Windshield crack

- Grand Rapids, MI, USA

problem #51

Nov 052020

Forester

  • miles
The windshield seems to be chipping in multiple places and I fear it might crack while I am on the road

- Columbia, MD, USA

problem #50

Oct 082020

Forester

  • miles
My car windshield is cracked

- Orlando, FL, USA

Read the next 20 complaints »

Not what you are looking for?