2015 Subaru Forester Horn stopped working at 80,000 miles. Replaced steering roll connector at considerable expense. 3rd Forester. Question of how frequent & whether Subaru is aware of problem.
COMPONENT SPOTLIGHT
Subaru Forester electrical problems
791 distinct owner reports with an electrical-system component in this snapshot.
Includes the electrical-system component and its detailed subcategories. Related recalls and investigations must also name this component; they are not linked by narrative keyword alone.
Reports by model year
Recall and investigation columns show each year’s full history. A report naming several years can appear in more than one row.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
332 reports with mileage · 459 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What owners actually said
791 reportsOn Friday, 12-3-21 I was in an accident in my local Costco parking lot while backing out of my spot. While backing out of the spot slowly with the wheel turned, my 2014 Subaru Forester had a sudden and extreme acceleration in reverse doing a reverse u-turn into a parked car causing considerable damage to the rear end of both car…
Read full complaint
On Friday, 12-3-21 I was in an accident in my local Costco parking lot while backing out of my spot. While backing out of the spot slowly with the wheel turned, my 2014 Subaru Forester had a sudden and extreme acceleration in reverse doing a reverse u-turn into a parked car causing considerable damage to the rear end of both cars. I am certain that I did not to press the gas pedal as this is a busy parking lot and I always back out very slowly just covering the brake. There is some kind of mechanical issue with my car that caused this malfunction. I was evaluated by paramedics and taken to the local emergency room with a significant bump on the back right side of my head. My car is currently available for inspection. I am in the process of reporting this to Subaru of America to see if they can inspect/evaluate the car.
Purchased this certified pre-owned, with warranty on 4/30/21. Required jumpstarts for dead battery five + times over the first 4 months, in moderate weather. Dealership confirmed that a new battery was installed at the time of my purchase. The vehicle has been towed to the dealership several times, they can find no issues. They…
Read full complaint
Purchased this certified pre-owned, with warranty on 4/30/21. Required jumpstarts for dead battery five + times over the first 4 months, in moderate weather. Dealership confirmed that a new battery was installed at the time of my purchase. The vehicle has been towed to the dealership several times, they can find no issues. They then replaced the battery on 8/4/21 as the 3-month old battery failed testing per fail code JRGKF50-328J0D1. The car required a jump start on 11/21, again on 11/26, and I am currently waiting (12/2/21) for Subaru Roadside assistance, for yet another jump start. The car was last driven (commute home from work) yesterday. External temperatures have not been overly cold - yet. It should be noted that I turn off the radio and heat/air before shutting off the ignition. I have also disconnected my phone from the car's system in order to prevent any further battery drain. This is completely unacceptable. Roadside assistance takes a minimum of 60-90 minutes to respond. I work in Trenton NJ, where it is dangerous to be with a disabled vehicle for possibly hours awaiting service. I've owned over a dozen cars through the years, and have never experienced battery drain issues.
Several instances of parasitic drain of the battery resulting in vehicle not being able to be started without a jump. Nothing was left on in the vehicle. Each time it was parked with the alarm set for approx 3-4 hours. The battery was completely dead. This vehicle is only 8 months old and this has happened around 8-9 times. Dea…
Read full complaint
Several instances of parasitic drain of the battery resulting in vehicle not being able to be started without a jump. Nothing was left on in the vehicle. Each time it was parked with the alarm set for approx 3-4 hours. The battery was completely dead. This vehicle is only 8 months old and this has happened around 8-9 times. Dealer does nothing about it except to charge the battery. This is unacceptable.
Car’s battery/ electrical system seems to drain car battery excessively. Even with a new battery, car battery dies if car isn’t run at least every 2 or 3 days, meaning I can’t rely on car if I take a trip of any length and leave the car behind. There’s a risk of being stranded. Car is 6 years old, and already has had 4 batterie…
Read full complaint
Car’s battery/ electrical system seems to drain car battery excessively. Even with a new battery, car battery dies if car isn’t run at least every 2 or 3 days, meaning I can’t rely on car if I take a trip of any length and leave the car behind. There’s a risk of being stranded. Car is 6 years old, and already has had 4 batteries. Im concerned about being stranded
The battery drains quickly compared to my husband's car. I had to get a new battery every other year. Subaru has known issues with the CAN system and it hasn't been addressed. This is dangerous as my car wouldn't start. I didn't feel safe. Other people have posted similar situtations online and those have to be corrected. I wou…
Read full complaint
The battery drains quickly compared to my husband's car. I had to get a new battery every other year. Subaru has known issues with the CAN system and it hasn't been addressed. This is dangerous as my car wouldn't start. I didn't feel safe. Other people have posted similar situtations online and those have to be corrected. I would rather not waste money on a battery every other year. My safety is more important of course. The electrical systems need to have a recall put in so this can be fixed without money coming out of my pocket as this is a wide-spread issue for subaru.
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 a…
Read full complaint
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.
As far as I know, my vehicle is performing as designed, but I am quite serious in thinking this is a safety issue - the radio cannot be muted, or turned off, or the volume decreased, when the transmission in in Reverse, because of interference of its head unit with the backup camera. This is a hugely annoying distraction when t…
Read full complaint
As far as I know, my vehicle is performing as designed, but I am quite serious in thinking this is a safety issue - the radio cannot be muted, or turned off, or the volume decreased, when the transmission in in Reverse, because of interference of its head unit with the backup camera. This is a hugely annoying distraction when trying to parallel park safely and quickly in dense urban settings. I want my backup lights on immediately, once I locate the parking spot I want, but time after time, I forget to turn off the radio before I start trying to park. I am the only owner of the car from new, and it now has about 69,000 miles on it.
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that as she attempted to park her vehicle, the vehicle independently accelerated forward at a high rate of speed without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped on its own before hitting another vehicle. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home but ha…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that as she attempted to park her vehicle, the vehicle independently accelerated forward at a high rate of speed without warning. The contact stated that the vehicle stopped on its own before hitting another vehicle. The contact was able to drive the vehicle home but had not driven the vehicle since the failure. The contact called the manufacturer and they informed her to tow the vehicle to a dealer for an inspection. The vehicle was towed to the dealer where it remained in their possession and was not yet diagnosed. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 73,000.
My battery keeps draining for some unknown reason. It's parked in the garage and locked but it is always dead when I need to use it. I need a reliable transportation and I have never had this problem before. I have had 4 - 5 jumps from my insurance company in the last few weeks. And it's dead again today after a jump a few days …
Read full complaint
My battery keeps draining for some unknown reason. It's parked in the garage and locked but it is always dead when I need to use it. I need a reliable transportation and I have never had this problem before. I have had 4 - 5 jumps from my insurance company in the last few weeks. And it's dead again today after a jump a few days ago.
Related Official recalls
219V297000 · Electrical System:ignition:switch
Apr 11, 2019
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUF-91.
16V738000 · Electrical System
Oct 13, 2016
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTM-73.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
Related NHTSA investigations
0No component-matched exact-year investigations in this snapshot.