2016 Subaru Forester
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Air bags is the leading concern among 414 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 6th highest complaint count among 26 Forester model years with reports.
Of the 2016 reports, 40 involved a crash and 3 involved a fire. 17 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
414 reports, newest first.
Vehicle speed control, Sep 2, 2024
Acceleration issues, this is the 3rd time it has happened since we've owned our forester in 2018. Yesterday morning my wife was pulling out of our driveway and while she put it in reverse and started to release the brakes to naturally roll back, it hard accelerated and shot us out into the road until she fully pressed the brakes in. I was already aware of this issue, so I looked over as this was happening and saw her foot was on the brake pedal the entire time. The car was fully warmed up, on an inclined driveway nose pointed in, the acceleration has also happened going forward and on a flat surface as well in a parking spot just after putting in in reverse. My wife is the main driver of the car, and before it happens, she can normally catch the problem because the rpms are higher than normal before shifting into gears and she will wait a minute until the rpms have settled back down. I believe in 2020 we had the shifting looked at and they stated the time it takes to go into each gear was a little bit longer than normal but found no issues. Big safety issue due to others and us for not having control of it when that happens.
Electrical system, Aug 18, 2024
Battery constantly fails after a few days of driving. Even after battery has been replaced with new, the problem continues to occur. Car does not start and it needs to be constantly jump started. The problem first started happening in 2019. Just discovered there was a lawsuit related to this issue, but I did not receive any type of notification about it.
Engine, Aug 9, 2024
My car accelerated on its own while I was driving slowly through a parking lot and had to slam on the brakes.
Electrical system, Air bags, Aug 6, 2024
Had recall completed for Subaru Forester (WUM-98) where dealer replaced ODS sensor harness in 2020. At the end of 2021 had the SRS light intermittently come on but would then go off for months( front passenger seat). This kept happening intermittently so I brought it to dealership and had it diagnosed in 2023. They suggested replacing the passenger seat (1200 P&L). Dealer said no water damage to seat and cables looked good. Brought it to new dealership in 2024. They said it needed a new ODS sensor harness and replaced it. Since this was replaced, I have not had the SRS light come back on. This is a huge safety risk to front passenger riders. Disappointed that it needed to be replaced so soon after the recall was completed. I did open a case with SOA and they offered goodwill assistance but said the recall warranty only lasted a year.
Engine, Aug 3, 2024
The cam carrier seal was leaking oil into the car and potentially causing damage to the engine. It was a $3,806.20 repair cost.
Power train, Electrical system, Aug 2, 2024
113,727 miles. 2016 Subaru Forester. 5 different warning lights all came on at the same time. Before that I noticed occasionally there was a delay starting again at a stoplight. Reputable mechanic replaced the valve body of the transmission. They said they service 2-3 Subarus for this same issue every month.
Air bags, Jul 9, 2024
Passenger Airbag occupancy light stays in off position when seat is occupied. When this occurs the airbag system warning light comes on. Took it to the dealership and they said the problem is the seat sensor, which they say is not covered by the earlier wiring harness for the sensor recall. Cost of part is 1,200 and with labor is 2,000. Part is on back order minimum 3 months. Dealer indicated they had three other people waiting for the same part. So basically I can't have anyone in the front passenger seat. Subaru forums are filled with similar stories. How is this not a recall?
Power train, Jul 1, 2024
Subaru is aware of issues with their transmission system and previously offered an extension but my car is outside the 100k limit. The transmission started to fail and each time i stopped at an intersection, it would start to idle roughly and try and lurch foreward even with the brake fully depressed. I had to shift to neutral to avoid being pushed into oncoming cross traffice each time for a few weeks and then all my warning lights came on and my usual safety features were shut down
Vehicle speed control, May 4, 2024
I bought a new 2016 Subaru Forester in March of 2016 from Subaru of Dayton. I have been hearing reports of unexpected acceleration. I have had two cases of this problem. Both times I was turning right. The first time I was pulling into a parking spot in a shopping center. As I turned right the car surged and I almost hit a light pole. Luckily when I jammed on the brakes, it stopped in time. The second time I was slowly pulling out of a parking lot. As I turned right the car lurched and quickly caused the car to hit the curb very hard. This was 8/5/2021and I took my car to Dayton Tire Sales to see if there was any damage that needed to be fixed. They just checked the tire and said that there was no major damage to the tire. I have a copy of the invoice (could not attach) from that incident but never went to the dealer thinking it was just some fluke. Now I am concerned and feel that Subaru needs to address this problem before more people get hurt. Now that I have heard these other complaints I am very concerned about this problem. Has Subaru looked into this problem? Is there something that I should be doing? Is there a fix? Is it safe to drive my Forester?
Air bags, Structure, Engine, May 1, 2024, crash
I backed out of a parking space, put my foot on the brake and shifted into Drive to finish maneuvering out of the space. Although I didn't remove my foot from the brake, my Forester immediately accelerated at extremely high speed, striking the two cars parked next to me, and seriously damaging both. Rather than slowing down after hitting the other two vehicles, my car continued to speed up, only coming to a stop when it hit, head-on, a cement barrier surrounding the lot. My car hit with such force that every airbag in it deployed, and its front end was totally destroyed. No one was in the other two cars; I suffered minor injuries.
Structure, Forward collision avoidance, Apr 28, 2024, crash
I was driving very slowly in a long line of traffic due to a sudden downpour of hail, ice pellets, and frozen rain which blanketed the road in white. Suddenly, without warning, my 2016 Subaru Forester accelerated and veered to the right and into a grove of trees doing extensive damage to the front end. The vehicle was totaled by my insurance company. I suspect that there was sudden acceleration and because of the icy road conditions my car left the road instead of plowing into the car ahead of me. The airbags didn't go off and I wasn't hurt at all but the entire front end was beyond repair.
Air bags, Seats, Apr 1, 2024
Issue with the Front Passenger Seat Airbag Sensor. The Airbag Warning Light, indicating an issue with the passenger side airbag, has been illuminated recently. Passenger seat is also occasionally registering as occupied even when no one is sitting in it. Previous recall on the same seat's wiring harness was completed previously. Took the vehicle to the dealer and they told me that the seat must have gotten wet to cause the issue. The seat has not been wet. Dealer said a new seat is needed at a price of roughly 1500. This is a safety issue, as I am uncertain whether the airbag will deploy if needed. Googling "2016 Subaru Forester Passenger Seat Airbag Sensor Issues" indicates that this is a systematic issue across Foresters of this model year and not isolated to my car.
Air bags, Seats, Mar 28, 2024
SRS failure Passenger airbag default to off
Air bags, Mar 14, 2024
ODS failure on passenger side impacting air bag. Cost to repair is prohibitive, 1922.97. Complete seat needs to be replaced. There was never any damage to the seat.
Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Feb 15, 2024
Continuous leaking of oil even after Subaru tested and verified it's "normal."
Other or unspecified, Jan 26, 2024
I was backing up and the way that the sun came through the passenger window, I was unable to see people walking behind my car using the back up camera because of the squiggle lines throughout the screen. When the sun hits the screen, you cannot see anything. Whether it is changing the radio station, or backing up. Had I had only relied on the backup camera ( which most people do) I would’ve hit the pedestrians. I notice in newer models, the issue is not there as the screen is different. This is extremely dangerous. I’m grateful no one was hurt but the radio screen needs replaced. This needs to be a safety recall.
Service brakes, Jan 22, 2024
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while parking the vehicle and shifting into park with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle suddenly jerked forward and drove over the curb. The vehicle came to a stop after striking a fence. The contact stated that there were no warning lights illuminated. No injuries were reported. The vehicle was driven to the residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The local dealer was not made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 73,000.
Suspension, Dec 11, 2023
- On 3/6/2023 upon exiting my garage I noticed the rear right spring had broken off and was on the ground. - On 3/7/2023 I took my vehicle to Pops Exhaust (CT Licensed repairer R6579) located at 53 Slater Street, Manchester, CT 06042, which repaired my vehicle, which consisted of replacement of the rear struts, for $200 labor and $480 parts and $43.18 CT Sales tax - total $723.18. Vehicle was broken and Pop's Exhaust notified me that it would be dangerous to drive with a broken spring and vehicle needed repair. - I learned of the recall on October 26, 2023 (WUT-05). I promptly mailed my receipt to Subaru, as stated in the Subauru Recall and Service Campaign Program letter. [XXX] - I followed up with a call to Subaru and opened a case [XXX] - Subaru refuses to repay me the for the recall as the state: "If non-Subaru parts were used, we would not issue any reimbursement." 1. The recall never states that Genuine Subaru parts must be used 2. The vehicle was broken and needed to be repaired and thus was brought to a CT licensed repair shop (R6579) INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6) The contact stated that the manufacturer has reimbursed them for everything and considers this complaint resolved.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Service brakes, Dec 7, 2023
Concerned driver stopped me and said I had no brake lights , only the lights atop the hatch showed breaking. After returning home I checked all settings on light controls and none made lower break lights work when pedal depressed. This could cause someone not watching top of vehicle crash into my vehicle. If light on top malfunctions I will not have any brake lights. Running lights work fine but do nothing when breaking. At first though it had to do with setting on light controls. I think I’ve been told I had no tail lights only front running lights and had to turn control at dusk to have taillights of any kind.
Electrical system, Dec 6, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the battery had drained and was replaced by an independent mechanic. A few months later, the vehicle received an oil change by a dealer. After leaving the dealer, the vehicle failed to startup while in a parking lot. The contact was able to restart the vehicle and drove back to the dealer. The contact was informed that the battery was defective, and the battery was replaced a second time. The old battery was taken back to the independent mechanic and tested. The contact was informed that there was nothing wrong with the battery. Several months later the battery failed. Upon investigation, the contact linked the battery failure to the STARLINK technology feature that came equipped with the vehicle. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer and the contact was informed that the DCM (Digital Control Module) needed to be replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 108,000.
Air bags, Nov 28, 2023
My horn stopped working. When I press the lock button three times the horn still sounds the problem is the clockspring on the steering wheel it is broken and this is a safety issue. It controls multiple things on the steering wheel including the Airbag. One evening on my way home a car was trying to enter my lane I tried to sound a warning and my horn didn't work, to avoid being hit I had to move over to on coming traffic lane which was thankfully empty. Subaru should be fixing the the issue. I have since found out the original part has been updated but that update has not been passed on to the consumer unless they need to replace the part. And the replacement cost is the consumers responsibility.
Fuel/propulsion system, Oct 31, 2023, crash
October 31, 2023 at approximately 11:45 am was slowly pulling in to HEB Curbside parking spot #[XXX] at 651 N U.S. 183 in Leander, Texas and the car accelerated at a high speed without touching the gas pedal. I responded with braking but it did not stop the crash in to the concrete pylon. The pylon is fine but my front end on the 2016 Subaru Forester is not. It will need extensive repair. I got a ride for myself and my groceries, notified my insurance company but unfortunately, I am only covered by liability insurance. I am very fortunate that no-one was hurt including myself. The car remains at the scene of the accident in parking slot [XXX]. I am aware that this is not an isolated incident for this Make, Model, and Year of this vehicle. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Electrical system, Oct 11, 2023
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that she was able to safely drive the vehicle to her residence. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where the battery was replaced for the third time, and the dealer informed the contact that they could not duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The contact stated that the battery had been replaced three times in less than two years. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000. The VIN was unavailable.
Electrical system, Oct 7, 2023
BATTERY DRAIN ISSUE, 3RD BATTERY IN SINCE PURCHASE
Power train, Electrical system, Engine, Oct 6, 2023
While driving my vehicle on my daily trip to work, I experience sudden power loss. My interior lights began to blink erratically, as my vehicle loss power and caused me to panic, as I was entering the highway. Some highways have no shoulders, so as quickly as I entered the highway, I pulled off took the next exit. I went into a shopping center, to see what the issue was. I noticed that my radio and my air conditioning loss illumination. I turned the car off, opened the hood. I did not see anything of significance, I started the car up again, now the radio would not even start nor did the air conditioning. I phoned the Subaru dealer, to be told that this happens often! What, I thought to myself? I asked them if this was a well-known problem, why this has not become part of a recall, or why the dealership not contact Subaru of America, to work with their customer base and remedy the issue. I was told, that all that is done in the "diagnostic process", any codes are cleared, and this should get you back on the road. Are you kidding me, this is truly any motorist's nightmare. Losing power on a major highway, any road at night, or on a turn will literally bring catastrophic consequences to us Subaru owners, but all other motorists as well.