2017 Subaru Forester problems
Owners have filed 796 complaints about the 2017 Subaru Forester with NHTSA. Air bags account for 24.7% of them — the clear leader, ahead of electrical system at 13.3%.
Complaints796
Crashes63
Fires1
Injuries35
Deaths0
What owners report breaking
Air bags 24.7% · 197
Electrical system 13.3% · 106
Visibility/wiper 12.9% · 103
Unknown or other 12.1% · 96
Engine 5.8% · 46
Power train 5.5% · 44
Seats 4.1% · 33
Vehicle speed control 4.1% · 33
Severity
Of those complaints, 63 describe a crash, 1 describe a fire and 35 report an injury.
Reading the numbers
Across the 23 model years of the Subaru Forester in this data, 2017 sits 4th by complaint volume. 2019 draws the most.
Filings have fallen off, 141 in the last three years against 243 in the three before. The issues here may already have been addressed.
The median odometer reading at the time of complaint was 30,000 miles.
In owners' own words
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact received a recall notice for nhtsa campaign number: 19v701000 (air bags). The contact called nhtsa and was informed that the parts were pending and were not available. The dealer and manufacturer were not notified. The contact had not experienced a failure. Vin tool confirms parts not available. Consumer states that vehicle was repaired on 01/13/2020. Air bags
SRS AIRBAG LIGHT continuously switches on in the car with a passenger present. The seat has been replaced, light is still coming on and issue is not resolved. The dealer is refusing to resolve the issue with the sensor/ wiring harness and saying it is not applicable for recall repairs. This is a Safety issue that Subaru of America is refusing to address that directly impacts the safety of passengers and consumers. Air bags
The passenger side air bag sensor does not always know when an adult is seated in the front passenger seat. The passenger side airbag will remain off even when an adult is seated with the seat belt on. The airbag light will light up on the dash randomly but clears once the vehicle is shut off. This occurs while the vehicle is in motion and is concerning as the front passenger airbag would not deploy in a crash. Air bags · reported at 70,000 miles
Verbatim from NHTSA filings. Complaints are unverified owner reports.
Safety recalls
Checking NHTSA for open recalls…