2015 Subaru Forester: doors won't lock, open or latch

Filed Feb 10, 2022 · Electrical · MN

I hand washed my 2015 Subaru Forester using a garden hose with no pressure nozzle on the hose. While drying it I noticed a very strong burning smell. I then noticed smoke coming from the drivers side door mirror. It smoked for 30 to 40 seconds. Afterward my key fob door locking/unlocking functions do not work. Also the dome lights and clock do not work, as well as the TPMS. When I lock the car with a key, it only locks the drivers door. If I lock the car manually with the inside push button and close the door all doors are locked, but when I unlock it with the key the "Panic Horn" starts beeping. The car has not been repaired yet and is available for inspection. There were no warning lights or messages prior to the smoking mirror. This happened inside a washbay and I was definitely concerned about a major fire, luckily this did not happen. I googled this incident and there are other instances of this exact same incident occurring, as well as a recall of 630,000 Subaru vehicles in prior years, but not the 2015 model. My vehicle has never sustained any damage of any kind. No accidents, no fender benders, no weather related damage what so ever. This Forester, although being a 2015 model year, is in showroom condition with only 15,850 miles.

Filed Feb 29, 2020 · Body · 29,000 miles · MA

The driver's side interior door handle no longer functions. When the door is shut, and unlocked, and the interior door handle is pulled, nothing happens. The exterior door handle still functions, but the interior handle does not. This is a critical safety issue. We have less than 30,000 miles on the odometer. We contacted the dealership and subaru u.s. Corporate office via email for assistance, but received no replies.

Filed May 16, 2019 · Electrical · 55,000 miles · AZ

The horn on my 2015 subaru forester failed to function at approximately 55,000 miles. I do not know specifics about the horn failure as I don't routinely use it. Approximately 10 days after I learned about the horn, the radio, clock, and door lock remote feature also failed to function. The subaru dealership service department diagnosed the horn problem as a faulty steering roll connector (src) and replaced the connector. The horn now functions. The subaru service department stated that a misplaced fuse (#8 - backup) caused failure of the other systems. They implied that I had misplaced the fuse - I did not - I checked only the horn and radio fuses. No one else has access to my vehicle. I have learned that subaru recalled tens of thousands of other models of their vehicles in 2010 due to faulty srcs. Suspiciously, the symptoms they blamed on my supposedly misplaced fuse coincide with some of the symptoms associated with the faulty srcs in the 2010 recall. I am filing this complaint for the following reasons: a car horn is an extremely important safety component and should not be prone to failure due to a faulty connector within the steering wheel. Subaru service stated they rarely encounter src failure, yet just 4 years before my vehicle was manufactured, their srcs were recalled by the tens of thousands. Secondly, blaming me for failure of other systems that are directly connected to the steering wheel (radio volume and tuning) or horn (horn beeps if you push the lock remote 3 times) appears (in my opinion) like an attempt to cover up a problem with the src that involves more than just the horn - which is already enough to cause major safety issues in itself. Thank you for the opportunity to file this safety complaint - I hope you will be able to determine if subaru srcs are still causing major issues.

Filed Aug 10, 2018 · Electrical · 25,000 miles · CA

Power door locks have failed in three of four doors, starting immediately after three year warranty expired.

Filed Jul 11, 2018 · Electrical · 75,000 miles · NJ

Drivers side door un/lock function doesn't operate . All other locks work correctly from key fob. Manual operation of driver door lock works.

Filed Feb 13, 2017 · Electrical · 14,000 miles · NJ

When I stop my car, put it in park and shut off the engine I can not open the driver's side door using the in-door silver door latch. The door stays locked and will not open. The door will not open even when I try to unlock it using the unlock rocker switch on the driver's door arm rest. The door can only be unlocked and opened when I unlock it using the black in-door locking latch. There is an apparent electrical or software problem which can cause someone to get trapped inside the car. This needs to be corrected before someone is killed. Thank you.

Filed May 29, 2015 · Locks · OR

Tl* the contact owns a 2015 subaru forester. The contact stated that the rear door latch failed to open from inside the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer. The technician stated that the vehicle was working up to specifications and was unable to alter the design of the vehicle. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was 0.