2015 Subaru Forester
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Engine is the leading concern among 614 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 2nd highest complaint count among 26 Forester model years with reports.
Of the 2015 reports, 53 involved a crash and 7 involved a fire. 34 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Air bags, sensor, occupant classificationOct 3, 2019
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Forester vehicles equipped with heated seats. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may loosen.
If the connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the ODS sensor mat harness, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUM-98.
Campaign 19V701000 on NHTSA.gov
Exterior lighting, brake lights, switchFeb 28, 2019
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights from illuminating and also preventing keyless ignition vehicles from starting and CVT/automatic transmissions from being able to be shifted out of Park.
Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90.
Campaign 19V149000 on NHTSA.gov
Engine and engine cooling, engine, gasoline, turbo/superchargerMar 21, 2016
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 WRX vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 21, 2015, and Forester 2.0XT vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 20, 2015. The turbocharger air intake duct may crack and possibly result in an engine stall.
An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the turbocharger air intake duct, and replace it as necessary, free of charge, depending on the lot number found on the duct. The recall began April 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTA-62.
Campaign 16V162000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
614 reports, newest first.
Air bags, Jan 11, 2023
“Passenger airbag off” light randomly turns on and off while passenger is sitting in seat during driving.
Power train, Jan 3, 2023
APRIL 2022 MY CAR STARTED TO MAKE NOISES WHEN ACCELARATING. I TOOK IT TO SEVERAL MECHANICS WHO COULD NOT DIAGNOSE THE PROBLEM. DEC. 30, 2022 I TOOK IT TO ANOTHER MECHANIC WHO THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE THE BRAKES AND REPLACED THEM. HE THEN TEST DROVE THE VEHICLE AND THE NOISE REMAINED, SO HE STOPPED AT A TRANSMISSION SHOP AND THEY SAID POSSIBLE TRANSMISSION ISSUES, NOT SURE. NO WARNING LIGHT EVER CAME ON. I WAS DRIVING ON DEC. 31, 2022 WHEN THE SOUNDS WERE LOUDER. I TURNED AROUND TO GO HOME AND WAS IN TRAFFIC AND DOWN SHIFTED TO DESCEND A HILL WHEN I DOWNSHIFTED THE CAR STOPPED AND MANY WARNING LIGHTS CAME ON THE DASHBOSRD. I SHIFTED BACK INTO REGULAR GEAR AND THE LEFT LANE WAS AVAILABLE SO I CHANGED LANES AND PULLED IN TO THE MNDOT PARKING LOT WHICH WAS ABOUT 100 FEET AWAY. I SHUT OFF THE VEHICLE AND HAD IT TOWED TO THE SUBARU DEALER. THEY DIAGNOSED THE CAR WITH A BROKEN TRANSMISSION AND THAT SINCE I HAVE A SALVAGE TITLE IT IS NOT COVERED. THE REPAIR COST IS OVER $9000.
Electrical system, Other or unspecified, Engine, Dec 7, 2022
I parked my car in the Walgreens parking lot while shopping, less than 30 minutes. When I returned, the car would not start. I called AAA for what I thought was a battery jump. When the AAA technician arrived, checked the battery and said his equipment said to replace the battery. After several attempts he was able to finally get the car started. I drove my car to the dealer where I had just had the battery and terminal replaced five months earlier. The service person checked the battery and charged it for more than an hour after having me call a Subaru warranty line and tell them how many times the battery had to be jumped - once. Yesterday, 12/6/2022 I was attempting to leave my home to take my husband to a cancer treatment clinic for an appointment and the car would not start. I called the Subaru technician who told me to bring the car in before 5 pm, which I could not do. Today, 12/07/2022, after several attempts I was able to start the car and take it to the service center. The technician could not find evidence of the battery purchase June 22, 2022. I showed him my paid receipt and he was able to locate the purchase. He told me the service manager wanted him to test the battery before doing anything. This is my only vehicle and I can’t keep going back and forth to the repair center whenever the new battery and connector , still under warranty, do not work. Today the technician told me the recall for coil replacement needed to be done. I was told it was done in June, but the service center has no evidence in their system that it was done. I never received any notice from Subaru that it was recalled.
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Dec 7, 2022
While driving 45mph on an icy road (approximately 25 degree(F) outside temp) the car suddenly lost power as if the CVT transmission was in neutral. However, it was still in drive. Pressing the accelerator only raised the RPMs but no power was sent to the wheels. There were cars behind me and my car was slowing down due to no power. I was fortunately able to pull off to the side of the road, stop, put in park. I put back into drive, power returned, and car drove normally for the remaining ~10miles of my trip. No warning lights from vehicle occurred during this event. This sudden loss of power could have been very dangerous especially given the road conditions. If drivers behind me were not following at a safe distance the sudden reduction in speed could have caused an accident due to the icy roads. I have not yet taken the car to be inspected, but will do so as soon as possible.
Steering, Dec 4, 2022
Started the car and began to back out of driveway when power steering warning light came on and power steering was loss as soon as I began turning the wheel. Total loss of power steering. If this were to happen at highway speeds, unexpectedly, a major life threatening collision could occur. The odds of a probable coolision would be pretty high for even an experienced driver.
Other or unspecified, Dec 4, 2022
Check engine light keeps coming on for an O2 sensor that has been recently replaced.
Air bags, Dec 2, 2022
2015 Subaru Forester 135K miles Air bag light came on intermittently dealer replaced the front passenger seat and the problem went away . Out if warranty , but wanted to document it .
Fuel/propulsion system, Nov 30, 2022
I was on the MA Pike in the middle of three lanes going 70mph and all my red lights came on, the engine revved high RPM, then seemed to be getting no gas and next stalled out. The trip computer said I had had 60 miles of gas left until empty, and I still had a bar of gas left showing on the odometer. There were no warnings lights or messages prior to the failure. It was an extremely unsafe situation, as I had to pull into the “slow” uphill truck lane, lane one of three lanes. There was no shoulder to get on. Trucks were whizzing by me at 70mph. AAA was not able to assist me, as I was in an unsafe location. They called the MA State Troopers who showed up immediately, and frankly probably saved my life, while risking their lives. They ordered gas, as they indicated they had seen this problem before. Two gallons of gas and the car started right up even though it still had gas in the tank. The problem has not been reproduced by a dealer, but it has been written about my many other 2015 Forester owners. Others have reported the same exact problem, sometimes resulting in accidents. How has Subaru gotten away without a recall on this extremely dangerous problem. They definitely are aware of it.
Air bags, Nov 30, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated he notice that the front passenger’s side air bag warning light illuminated indicating that there was no one seated in the passenger’s side seat, even though there was someone seated in the front passenger’s side seat. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who stated that the Occupant Detection System (ODS) sensor mat harness needed to be replaced. The dealer was contacted and stated that the vehicle needed to be diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that the vehicle was not included in NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000 (Air Bags). The failure mileage was 89,000.
Steering, Other or unspecified, Nov 21, 2022
My Vehicle's horn stop working about six months ago, not long after I had to replace the battery. I took it to dealership and they had to replace the clock spring , roll connector. I use the horn only when absolutely necessary. I have never had a cars horn go out. I think they ought to last at least ten years if not longer. Is this a defect? I just wanted to let you know.
Power train, Nov 15, 2022
My transmission is having issues after being repaired by dealer. It is stalling when I try to accelerate leaving me at risk of being rear ended.
Vehicle speed control, Nov 2, 2022, crash
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated upon pulling into a parking space, the brake pedal was depressed, however, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and crashed into the side of the apartment building of her friend. The contact stated that the crash damaged the apartment of her friend located on the first floor. There was no warning light illuminated. The air bags failed to deploy. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to a tow lot. The dealer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 82,000.
Power train, Oct 28, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while his wife was driving approximately 55 MPH, the vehicle started shaking abnormally. The contact stated that his wife smelled like the brakes were burning. The contact stated that his wife did not notice any warning lights being illuminated. The driver pulled over and turned off the vehicle; however, the vehicle failed to restart. The contact had the vehicle towed to an independent mechanic. The vehicle was diagnosed, and it was determined that the clutch flywheel had fractured and separated. The mechanic also stated that the clutch plate needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 40,300. The consumer stated the flywheel was in two pieces and outer two pieces broke apart, destroying the clutch assembly.
Air bags, Oct 27, 2022
This is a known recall in 2019 with Suburu Foresters manufactured between 2015-2018 when the passenger seat has a heating feature. The recall was because the passenger-side front airbag Occupant Detection System (ODS) harness malfunctions over time causing the passenger to not be detected so the airbag does not deploy. My 2015 Suburu Forester which has heated seats happened to not be included in this known recall. However, my vehicle has the same malfunction as the recall. We have taken the vehicle to the dealership where they confirmed the malfunction in the ODS when running a diagnostic test. We notified Suburu’s customer service about the malfunction but they are not willing to repair this known major safety issue and are expecting us to pay out of pocket for the all parts and labor because my VIN was not included in the 2019 recall. The recall number was WUM-98R and the NHTSA ID is 19V-701. This is a major safety issue that could result in a death or severe bodily injury and it is unacceptable that my vehicle, which meets all the criteria of the recall, was no included in the recall. We should not have to pay out of pocket for a malfunction for a device that is intended for safety.
Engine, Oct 26, 2022
The engine on my 2015 Subaru Forester consumes oil at a very high rate. I use fully synthetic oil and within 1,000-2,000 miles, I have to top it off due to excessive "burn off". I have done on-line research, and this seems to be a common problem for this year/make/model. I have been unable to get any action but wanted to report the issue to support a general recall, if applicable. I recently took a road trip of just over 2,000 miles and changed the oil the day before we left. I checked the oil at every fuel-up and could watch the oil level fall. By the end of the trip, I had to top off the oil level to keep it within acceptable range.
Air bags, Seats, Oct 18, 2022
SRS airbag light with and without passenger in front passenger seat. Brought to dealer for diagnostic and code B1650 is coming up.
Steering, Power train, Engine, Sep 30, 2022
Driving in merging four lane traffic 70mph when forward motion stopped due to power loss. Almost wrecked getting to shoulder of road. Stranded in 90+ heat. Vehicle would not crank.
Power train, Air bags, Sep 28, 2022
With no one sitting in the passage seat the warning light will not turn off unless the seat belt is buckled The CVT transmission is making a high pitch whining sound The dealership informed me the transmission is going out. There is a manufacturer extended warranty for up to 100,000 miles that I have not received. My car started to make the sound at 110,210 miles Subaru was fully aware of the CVT problems and are not being held accountable for the repairs. I have been quoted I’ve $7000 from the dealership for a replacement The CVT is not repairable My car is now unsafe to drive. The CVT transmission can fail and not shift or not stop while braking
Electrical system, Sep 27, 2022
I own a 2015 Suburu Forester with just under 60,000 miles. i have noticed the engine does not start right off, making me nervous. I drive a lot and don't want to get stranded. On 9/19/2022 I went to the Battery Outlet in Quakertown and they said i have a battery drain. They did not think the battery needed to be replaced but to me, the greater issue is WHY IS MY BATTERY DRAINING TO BEGIN WITH. Of course, the car would be available for inspection. No I am not at risk. I have to ask my mechanic to check it out. I bought the car in 9/2020 and due to covid I did not use it as much as I am now. No warning lights on this; I can hear the engine struggling to start.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 25, 2022
We had driven up Mt Washington in NH (about 6000ft high) and were returning back. We had used the X mode (hill assist) intermittently on the way down. Had driven almost 150 miles back to home, when the car suddenly lost power and started to shudder. We were able to coast to the side. We tried to start again and again the same problem. We noticed that the brakes seemed quite warm. After about 5 minutes we tried again and were able to drive slowly to a gas station, but no one to help since it was late. Since fuel was low at 1 bar (60 miles distance to empty). We filled up the tank and made our way home driving slowly on the back roads. We are not sure if it could be a problem with the fuel, electrical system, brakes or the hill assist. While the car seems to run fine on short trips of a few miles, have not taken it out on any longer drives.
Vehicle speed control, Fuel/propulsion system, Sep 25, 2022
Suddenly lost acceleration and engine stopped - without any dashboard signal of low gas or engine issue. Car was able to start after couple of minutes. At the time of losing acceleration and stopping gas indicator was showing two bars - and car was not running with low fuel indicator. My whole family was in the car and stopping in the middle lane of a busy national highway of 65 miles speed limit on a Saturday late in night was very scary!
Service brakes, Air, Aug 11, 2022
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the antilock braking system (ABS), vehicle dynamic control (VDC), and the check engine warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the brake light switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was repaired. The contact then stated that the vehicle was previously repaired at a local dealer under a manufacturer's recall code WUE-90 for Brake Lamp Switch. The dealer was not notified. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they were not available. The failure mileage was 56,915
Power train, Vehicle speed control, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 4, 2022
I was driving with cruise control going around 70 when the car started slowing down suddenly. Not wanting to slow down even more, I turned off the cruise control by hand using the cancel button on the steering wheel (rather than tap the brake) but when I then hit the accelerator, the engine felt like it was in neutral, revving past 6000 rpm on the tachometer. At that point, I realized I had no control over the drive train so I pulled off the road onto the center median of the highway, just as the engine died - fortunately, there wasn’t anyone following close behind. We had been driving for about 1.5 hours with the AC blasting and the gas tank at that point was low, with less than 1/8 remaining. All this happened without any dashboard warning lights turning on. This was the very last leg of a ten-day, 2,000 mile road trip. I tried restarting the engine but only got clicking. Since I thought we’d be struck a while and it was so hot, I turned the key to the accessory position and was able to roll down the windows. We sat there for a couple of minutes wondering what to do. It took another minute to find my AAA card. Before calling for roadside assistance, I tried starting the engine again and this time it turned over. We did not have any further problems in the remaining 100 miles of our trip (though I was very anxious about it happening again). I took the car in to a Subaru service center this morning (36 hours later). They did a multi-point inspection and road test but did not find any issues and were not able to replicate the problem.
Air bags, Aug 4, 2022
The passenger airbag light switches to ON when no one is in the seat, and switches to OFF when I have a passenger. The seat is completely stock (no back support pads or cushions or baggy clothing) and my passengers sit in the seat normally. Restarting the vehicle does not fix the issue. There is an associated recall for this specific issue, but my forester is a few months outside of the covered range. The listed fix for this is replacing the entire seat bottom, and is incredibly expensive, especially for such a crucial design flaw regarding passenger safety in the event of an accident.
Vehicle speed control, Aug 4, 2022
I have had several instances while driving on the highway when my forester revs to a very high RPM, the vehicle speeds up suddenly, and then shuts off completely. The only fix is to put the vehicle in neutral, move to the shoulder, and restart the vehicle. This has happened approximately 4 times during my 1 year of ownership and it is completely random when it occurs.