2016 Subaru Forester problems
Owners have filed 616 complaints about the 2016 Subaru Forester with NHTSA. Air bags account for 18.2% of them — narrowly the most common, ahead of electrical system at 15.3%.
Complaints616
Crashes77
Fires6
Injuries37
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Air bags 18.2% · 112
Electrical system 15.3% · 94
Unknown or other 11.2% · 69
Engine 9.7% · 60
Power train 8.0% · 49
Vehicle speed control 6.0% · 37
Service brakes 4.7% · 29
Fuel/propulsion system 3.9% · 24
Severity
Of those complaints, 77 describe a crash, 6 describe a fire and 37 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 23 model years of the Subaru Forester in this data, 2016 sits 6th by complaint volume. 2019 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 99 in the last three years against 179 in the three before. The issues here may already have been addressed.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 39,000 miles.
In owners' own words
The vehicle constantly shows a warning that passenger seat air bag is OFF while I am sitting in the car riding in that passenger seat. The issue was brought to manufacturer attention multiple times. Videos and pictures of the issue have been recorded for years. The manufacturer refuses to fix the issue and continues to ignore it which places my life at risk every time I drive in that passenger seat of the vehicle. Air bags
The front passenger air bag turns off while a 130 lbs. Passenger is riding in that seat. Adjusting the seat forward or backward while traveling turns the sensor back on (indicating the passenger air bag is on), but as of today, 4-5 minutes later it would turn off again...Occuring 5 times in 35 minutes. I fear that if we are involved in an accident, the airbag to protect my wife as a passenger may fail to deploy. Air bags · reported at 51,550 miles
The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the air bar warning indicator illuminated. The vehicle was taken to brunswick Subaru (2992 center rd, brunswick, oh 44212, (330) 273-3300) where it was diagnosed that the bottom seat sensor needed to be replaced. The repair would cost $1,200. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 40,000. Air bags · reported at 40,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…