2016 Subaru Forester electrical problems

Filed May 27, 2026 · Airbags, Electrical · AZ

Problem: Recall for passenger side airbag malfunction in heated seats for my model year. Manufacturer has said they addressed the recall but they have not. My car and thousands of others are unsafe for passengers to ride in because the airbag system does not work. Warning light is the airbag symbol and message that alerts driver that SRS system is not working. Manufacturer and dealers want to charge $200 to look problem over and then tell you its off warranty. My car has 96000 miles and this has been a problem since they “did the recall”. Subaru tells owners that passenger should ride in back seat. How does that work with two car seats. Subaru needs to take responsibility for their engineering design and fix this safety defect. These cars are death traps.

Filed Apr 28, 2026 · Airbags, Electrical · WY

Passenger Occupant Detection System is malfunctioning. It is not registering a passenger in the seat, and in turn not turning the passenger airbag on when the seat is occupied. This puts any passnger who sit in this seat at risk of the airbag not deploying. This issue has been confirmed by the dealer. There was a recall for the Passenger ODS harness (WUM-98R) that the harness was replaced. Since this has been completed they state the Occupant Detection System is a seperate issue that requires seat base to be replaced in order for the system to register an occupant and have the air bags turn on when occupied.

Filed Mar 22, 2026 · Brakes, Electrical · NY · crash

I had my foot on the brake, opened the garage door with my garage door opener, and before I took my foot off the brake the car surged, jumped, and smashed into the brick wall next to the garage. I did not put my foot on the gas.

Filed Feb 12, 2026 · Electrical · MD

I have a 2016 Subaru Forester and started 3 weeks ago with a problem when I turn it on all the lights on the dashboard turn on and the car won't star. The mechanic has changed the battery and the problem continues. It's happened three times now that it's suddenly shut off while I'm driving. It was very scary. Now the mechanic said that I have to take to the dealer because it is the body control module.

Filed Oct 21, 2025 · Electrical · CO

The rear backup camera failed. No warning lights appeared. This is a safety issue. This repair was expensive should not have happened at 79019 miles. The problem was inspected and estimated by our Subaru dealer. We were told that the radio/screen unit first needed replacement, then if that didn't fix it, to then replace the camera. We were give a rough estimate of $2500 to replace both items. We decided to get another estimate. They determine it was the camera, which we had them replace.

Filed Sep 1, 2025 · Acceleration, Electrical · CA · crash

Vehicle self-accelerated abruptly while parked and crashed into another vehicle causing damage to both vehicles

Filed Jul 25, 2025 · Airbags, Electrical · CA

The airbag sensor (ODS) malfunctions for front passenger seat. The "airbag off" warning lights up when the seat is occupied. This was fixed by dealer back in 2020 under recall WUM-98/the federal safety agency ID 19V-701000. However, this problem recurred intermittently about five months ago. I called Capitol Subaru in San Jose, CA and spoke with Service Advisor, Dan Padilla, who informed me that the recurrence of this SAFETY issue would no longer be covered under this recall. He offered to schedule an appointment for a diagnosis, but I declined since it would cost $300. I also spoke with Jorge, Case Specialist, from Subaru of America who reiterated that the aforementioned recall only covers a one-time repair and cannot be reopened. It is my understanding that safety recalls do not expire and that "Federal law often mandates the manufacturer to provide free repairs for safety recalls on vehicles up to 15 yrs old." How can the federal safety agency help in resolving this car safety issue with Subaru? The ODS system is unreliable and poses a risk to my passengers.

Filed Jun 23, 2025 · Electrical · 188,130 miles · CA

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a dealer sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 108,127 and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 110,000. The contact stated that on a Carfax Report the mileage was 188,130.

Filed Oct 4, 2024 · Airbags, Electrical · PA

Passenger's seat belt sensor is alarming when no one is in the seat. The passenger side airbag warning light is also coming on and off. I took it to the dealer, and they confirmed that the sensor in the seat pad is bad. The airbag light was intermittently going on for several weeks before I took it in. The car has been at the dealer since mid-August, and I am told that the part is currently on backorder without an estimated arrival date.

Filed Aug 18, 2024 · Electrical · VA

Battery constantly fails after a few days of driving. Even after battery has been replaced with new, the problem continues to occur. Car does not start and it needs to be constantly jump started. The problem first started happening in 2019. Just discovered there was a lawsuit related to this issue, but I did not receive any type of notification about it.