2017 Subaru Forester
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Air bags is the leading concern among 586 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 4th highest complaint count among 26 Forester model years with reports.
Of the 2017 reports, 40 involved a crash and 1 involved a fire. 28 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
Representative owner complaints
586 reports, newest first.
Electrical system, Nov 3, 2022
I have had to replace my Subaru Forester battery at least 4 times since I have owned it. The battery dies within a few days of replacing and I am forced to jumpstart the vehicle every time I want to drive. This has been happening since the day I bought the vehicle...
Steering, Oct 28, 2022
The steering began to shake and vibrate at interstate speeds upon changing lanes or making a "lazy" turn. It has VERY disconcerting. I slowed down, avoided changing lanes and very wary of the turns while I continued on my journey back home. Over time the problem became progressively worse. I had the tires rebalanced but the problem continued to worsened even at slower speeds. I took the car to another shop but they could not find a problem. I was finally took onto a shop where the mechanic instantly knew what the problem was. He stated he had seen many 2017 Subarus with the same problem over the past few months. Both steering control arms had to bee replaced and the tires aligned at a cost of $816.57. When the problem started the vehicle only had 56,000 and has never been driven off road and only driven on gravel roads at slow speeds about 6 miles a year. I have been driving for over 50 years and have had numerous vehicle during my life and I have NEVER had this happen to a 5year old vehicle with only 56,000 miles.
Engine, Oct 27, 2022
The catalytic converter had substantial rust and was beyond repair (i.e., welding). The vehicle was only 6 years old and did not have any issues with rust identified during the 2021 annual inspection (as required by our state). This year, the vehicle failed inspection due to the amount of damage from rust. Our mechanic advised the rust was most likely caused by the plastic covers surrounding the catalytic converter not allowing enough air to circulate to keep the area dry / prevent rust from forming.
Engine, Sep 29, 2022
Exhaust fumes noticed in the passenger cabin of the vehicle. PZEV equipped. I have heard of others experiencing the same issue. This was noted some time ago, however parts were not available at the time and Subaru N.A. had not responded to my written correspondance until i finally phoned them. Very concerned about potential for Carbon Monoxide. I understandf Ford explorer and VW had similar issues. The attached estimate was recently obtained from the dealership but service rep claimed this was the recommended service at time of discovery.
Air bags, Sep 23, 2022
2017 Subaru Forester. Air bag sensor light for the occupant occasionally flashes on and off. We brought it to the dealer and was told the sensor was defective and would not deploy if an accident occurred. The Subaru service tech informed us that the air bags would not deploy in case of an accident. The car only has 55,500 miles. It is garaged and has had no front end problems or accidents. This is a safety hazard that could cause a death if the sensor is not working properly and the vehicle was in an accident.
Electrical system, Exterior lighting, Sep 12, 2022
This is the same issue we are seeing with our other Subaru where we come out to drive and the battery is dead. We would jump the battery and be able to drive for the day and the next day the battery is dead in the morning. I replaced the battery several times over the last few year and the battery would die with a less than 2 month old battery. I was driving around in both cars with jumper cables permanently. After taking it to the dealer, the battery was in great condition, the alternator was charging properly and there is a known electrical issue with this model and year that is part of a class action lawsuit. I had to replace my rear gate module electrical unit because it was going on and off in the night and draining my battery. I will be looking to get re-eimbursed for this company issue.
Other or unspecified, Aug 30, 2022
I am unable to remove key from ignition switch when the car is placed in park requiring shifting several times to finally remove key. 2017 Forester with less than 40,000 miles on it.
Visibility/wiper, Aug 30, 2022
The windshield cracked without anything happening. It started at the bottom and moved it's way up.
Electrical system, Aug 29, 2022
If you do not start the car everyday, the car drains the battery. Car must be jumped.nothing left on. It has a battery drain problem.
Visibility/wiper, Aug 26, 2022
Windshield cracked while being parked on driveway over the week. Car has not been driven for a week and has not been hit by anything prior, normal outdoor temperature 50-85F.
Engine, Aug 20, 2022
Noticed sputtering in my car. Took it to dealership. I was told I needed condenser and compressor. When googled, there was a recall for condenser for Subaru Forester 2017 model. The dealership told me that it’s only vin# specific for that reason not covered under recall. That was a shock. Same model and year but they would only cover certain vin #? For the same known issue? Why? It should cover all vin # for the safety of the consumer. I am writing to report the issues encountered so far with this vehicle. 1. Batteries were leaking prematurely, I got it replaced 4 months ago 2. Need condenser and compressor replaced at less than 60,000 miles for a newly car purchased car from dealership. Please look in to this issue if reported by more consumers for safety reason and also to hold the company accountable for faulty parts. Thank you.
Air bags, Seats, Aug 19, 2022
My vehicle had the WUM98 Safety recall completed on March 09, 2020. In July 2022, the SRS system started giving error messages that the system needed to be checked. It seemed to reset when the vehicle was turned off and restarted. When it happened for the 3rd time in 3 weeks, I took it in to the Subaru Dealership where they found this: B1650 Perform Diag TSB#07-108-16R. They claimed that the seat must have gotten wet to create this error code, but it seems to me to be the same problem as was reported in the :NUMBER: WUM-98R NHTSA ID: 19V-701 DATE: 10/14/19 REVISED: 12/13/19 documents that I found on the NHSTA site. I think the same issue is in this newer harness that was in the older one. On August 16,2022, we picked up the vehicle from its other repairs (60,000 mile service and AC condenser replacement). The dealer had just reset the B1650 code. We drove less than 50 miles before the “SRS airbag system needs to be checked” error message came back on. It only seems to come on at certain times when the passenger is over 190lbs. In addition, every once in a while the passenger seatbelt alarm goes off with no one in the seat. The only way to get it to stop is to engage the seatbelt. The Subaru dealer wants to replace the seat cushion with the harness and the ODS mat for a total of $1600.00. I believe that this was one of the options to do in 2020, but they opted for only replacing the cable, not the full sensor and seat.
Air bags, Seats, Aug 17, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed that the passenger's side front seat and air bag sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000.
Vehicle speed control, Aug 14, 2022, crash
After coming to a complete stop, the vehicle, a 2017 Subaru Forrester suddenly and without driver input surged forward. It crashed into a large garbage can directly in front of the vehicle, crushing it. It then continued forward crushing two whole-home air conditioning units and driving one of them into a brick wall, dislodging and breaking some of the bricks. The vehicle suffered considerable front end damage including the bumper, right front fender, and right headlight. The collision avoidance system should have prevented this occurrence as the flat sided municipal type garbage can was directly in front of the car. Furthermore the front air-bag did not deploy despite the considerable damage to the front bumper.
Electrical system, Aug 12, 2022
Battery drains if not driven approximately every 5 days. We have replaced battery three times. We’ve asked the local Subaru dealer a couple of times why the battery goes dead so quickly. Their response it’s a known issue. Not good that whenever we park the car or take it out of town we have to take a battery charger with us. This includes manually unlocking doors, climbing over back seat to get to the charger.
Power train, Aug 12, 2022
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 50 MPH, the vehicle suddenly stalled. The contact veered to the side of the road and turned off the vehicle. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where the transmission clutch was replaced. However, the failure reoccurred while driving approximately 30 MPH, and the vehicle had 95,000 miles. The vehicle was towed to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission clutch, the ball bearings, and the flywheel needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 50,000.
Visibility/wiper, Aug 11, 2022
The lower part of the windshield has cracked and I have no incident that occurred to cause it to crack. If a piece of gravel caused it, it was so small to not even be noticed by me. I have never had a windshield crack so easily in all my years of driving.
Forward collision avoidance, Aug 9, 2022
We have a 2017 Subaru Forester 2.5i Premium with Eyesight with 58,582 miles. During the first week in June, 2022 the Eyesight System failed and displayed an error message that stated to “See Owner’s Manual “. The Owner’s Manual stated ”take the vehicle to Subaru dealer for servicing” which we did on June 9, 2022. The Subaru servicing dealer’s statement from the diagnostic invoice states “Checked for codes in all systems found code B2809 VDC Malfunction in Eyesight module. Checked code in VDC module found C1742 wheel cylinder pressure sensor ran test for code lead to needing VDC module replaced “. Subaru parts stated to the dealership that the part would not be available until July 30, 2022 when that date came I was notified that part would not be available until Aug. 8, 2022. I was notified again on Aug. 9, 2022 of another delay only this time indefinite as to when it may be available. Without the Eyesight System the following safety functions that I am aware of do not work 1) Adaptive cruise control, 2) Emergency front braking, 3) Lane departure and Lane keeping assistance, 4) Forward collision warning, and there may be other safety features that are connected to this system that I am not aware of.
Other or unspecified, Aug 5, 2022, crash
UNKNOWN I was pulling toward a parking space. We heard a loud revving sound and the car jumped forward. I braked and then after a short discussion with my passenger trying to figure out what just happened I proceeded to turn into the space. All of a sudden the car revved even louder rapidly accelerated and we hit the pole grazing another vehicle. Felt like someone rammed us but nobody else was behind us when I looked in the rear mirror. Thank God nobody was hurt but if someone was walking in that area they could have been killed. There was almost seven thousand dollars in damage from the car wrapping around the pole and we are very lucky it happened in a parking lot
Electrical system, Aug 1, 2022
2 new battery drains dead just sitting in the driveway.
Air bags, Jul 30, 2022
The passenger seat air bag sensor failed. The seat cushion/ airbag sensor assembly was replaced under a recall at 43,000 miles. It was replaced with an identical assembly which has now failed at 113,000 miles. Subaru says they will not cover the cost ($1,150) of this 2nd replacement because the car is now out of warranty. I argued that the 1st part was defective and was replaced with an identical defective part. They (the Subaru customer advocate office) said the car was out of warranty so they were not responsible. The subaru tech who checked it said the seat may have been damaged by a spill since there were stains on the seat, tho he did note that the cushion was dry. It has worked correctly since he examined it. I think it is obvious that Subaru had a new design for this sensor and introduced it on the new model 2017 forester. The problem was limited to the Forester. I feel that they made a mistake on a vital piece of safety equipment and should own that mistake for the life of the car. Since I intend to keep this car for another 200,000 miles, and the part lasts an average of 56,000 miles, it will need to be replaced another 3 or 4 times and I do not feel that I should pay for Subaru's mistake. If the other 320,000 foresters that were recalled have the same part failure that I have and subaru charges them $1,150 each then subaru will be taking $368 million from their customers to pay for an engineering mistake. And then again. And again.
Electrical system, Jul 21, 2022
There appears to be a parasitic battery drain in the vehicle when it is stopped and all electrical systems are off (lights, heated seats, chargers etc) but the key is in the ignition. The most recent event was 7/20/2022 when the car was stopped for fueling and the key left in the ignition for no more than 10 minutes. Battery discharged sufficiently in that time that the car would not start requiring roadside assistance. Spoke with dealer who stated to keep the key 30 feet from the car (note, this is NOT a smart key car) and to ensure all is off as all computer electricals will continue to run even with the car off. Will be having a battery test next week but I see that this is a recurring issue for this make/model on this forum. The same problem happened in December 2021, although at that time the weather was also severely cold and the key was in the ignition (all electrical systems off) for approximately 45 minutes. The issue is one of personal safety and being stranded in a vehicle which cannot be moved (steering and transmission locked due to low/no power) as well as cost in time and money to investigate and remedy the issue. It is also an issue of functionality and usability. If I cannot leave the key in the ignition with the car off, I am unable to use any accessories or even my safety flashers in the event the situation would warrant it.
Other or unspecified, Jul 20, 2022
I started noticing grid lines on my computer screen and am unable to read the screen. I took the car to Suburu and was told they were always there but I have owned the car for six years and they just appeared this March. I asked them to replace the screen as I cannot read it and was told they wouldn’t replace it until it shows gridlines in the dark which doesn’t do me any good as I don’t drive after dark. Someone online said there is a Bulletin Number 15-177-14R; Revised 07/26/19 cause Defective Display Unit. Recommendation: Order an exchange head unit following the normal procedure. FF667UM
Electrical system, Jul 18, 2022
We have had issues with the battery draining since early on in owning the car. First the power windows stopped working and they replaced the battery. We are now having more battery issues and the care is in the shop.
Air bags, Seats, Jul 13, 2022
My SRS airbag light came on and said it needed to be inspected. Notably, this issue is similar to a prior recall of this vehicle that I had repaired. The Subaru dealership indicated that the bottom of the seat needed replaced and that the airbag may not function properly until this is fixed; however, they also noted that the part won't be in stick until October/November. This seems like a huge safety issue to not have the part and there is potential that the airbags won't work.