The Controller Area Network ("CAN") did not enter sleep mode when the car was turned off, resulting in a "parasitic battery drain." I replaced 3 batteries over a period of 24 months of ownership, and just paid $1355 to have the manufacturer-installed computer chip replaced to stop the battery drain and properly shut off the vehicle. This is a safety issue for several reasons - not knowing when my battery would be dead when the vehicle was needed, living in northern MN and having a dead battery in cold and potentially life-threatening conditions, and living in a rural area without ready access to businesses or others when support or a battery jump was needed.
2016 Subaru Forester electrical complaints
Page 3 of 4: complaints 41 to 70 of 93, newest first, as owners wrote them.
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 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.
There was a short in the wiring harness, causing the car to loose power and stall.
In March 2020, I took my 2016 Subaru Forester to the dealership to fix the issues associated with the Subaru Safety Recall WUM-98 / the federal safety agency Recall 19V‑701 (unstable electrical connections causing issues with the occupant detection system in determining the correct status of the right front seat occupant, which would prevent the front passenger-side airbag from deploying in the event of a crash). Service was performed and the ODS harness was replaced. In August of 2021, I took my Forester back into the Subaru dealership (where previous service was performed) because the “airbag warning” light and the “Passenger airbag off” indicator began to illuminate, however this occurred somewhat inconsistently. Sometimes both warning lights illuminate when someone sits in the front passenger seat, sometimes they do not illuminate at all and everything seems fine. Other times, the lights illuminate when no one is sitting in the front passenger seat. Additionally, sometimes the seatbelt alarm sounds when no one is sitting in the front passenger seat. However, this is also inconsistent. In August 2021, the Subaru dealership told me that the issue is likely caused by water damage (a spill) on the front passenger seat that has caused the sensors within the seat to malfunction. I told them that I did not recall spilling any liquids on the front passenger seat. Now the dealership is telling me to replace the passenger seat bottom assembly sensor for $1,211 USD.
At least a couple of times a week, the key gets stuck in the ignition. I can turn the car off, but I can't remove the key. If I start the car back up and shift it into Drive, and then slam it back into Park, after several tries, I can remove the key. I searched the Subaru forum and found this is a long-existing issue for all Subaru models with the key ignition. All with the stuck key issue here is the TSB 16-112-18R info and the P/N for the select lever (shifter) mechanism 3511AL00C.
Per Subaru's TSB 16-112-18R, it appears that my 2016 Subaru Forester XT is experiencing a failing Park-Range switch. Starting around July 26, 2021, I started having issues trying to take the key out while in Park. It started as intermittent but slowly has grown to where I having issues almost everyday now. Currently, there is not an official recall but there really should be given the number of folks I have read on internet forums having this occur from all makes, models, and years of Subaru vehicles. The unofficial workarounds present a safety hazard because the workaround disables the safety mechanism for the ignition key.
The ignition key has started getting stuck in the ignition after turning the motor off. It takes several tries, involving turning the motor back on and pulling the key out as I’m turning the motor off and pushing the stick back into PARK really hard per Subaru.... Subaru has acknowledged it’s a faulty part and lots of complaints online...they even did a tech bulletin # 16-112-18R but say its a customers problem....
The battery drains quickly if the engine is not running and the key remains in the ignition even for a short period of time. From what I can tell even if you shut off the car completely, you cannot leave the key in the ignition or something is still drawing power. You must physically remove the key from the ignition. The issue stranded my family on two separate occasions requiring a jump start. Once was late at night in a secluded area, the other in a parking lot. We have two other cars from different makes and have not had this issue. In one case the car was off in a parking lot with my wife waiting for 15 minutes. In the other my daughter was listening to the radio while parked for less than 10 minutes. This Forester has the stock radio with no after market mods. The Forester drives great and feels very safe in all other respects. We truly love the car. But I have to make sure that we do not park the car and leave the key in the ignition or the battery will die. I asked my mechanic to check the battery, but he said that the battery itself tested fine. Seems like this problem has been reported elsewhere. Thanks
Car turns itself off soon after starting when you try and put it into gear. Even after a tune up the car just stalls out when starting or low idle while sitting at light
Key stuck in switch when car is put into park. Steering locks up and then can not restart or remove key. This happens almost daily at this point
The oem battery in this vehicle has failed Multiple times (dozens of times), upon sitting for a few days. Nothing in the vehicle was On, it was just sitting. A couple of times it was towed to the dealership in Bozemanwhere I bought it (Gallatin Motors) for diagnosis and repairs (bad/dead battery). The battery was replaced Once per Subaru's policy. Then I was on my own for repeated, totally unexplained DEAD battery upon trying to start the car after a couple/ few days/ nothing left on. I finally bought my own new recommended Interstate Battery after repeated dead out non starts. I bought a Duracell battery maintainer/ conditioner to install in my garage, which I use when the vehicle sits for more than 2 or 3 days to be sure the darn battery will start the car. It's obvious to me there's a parasitic battery drain in this smart car, but no one from any dealership will acknowledge/ has any advice about this! This is discussed in multiple online forums. I love the car and it's smarts, but not turning Dead Off after I'm finished driving it - and draining the battery making it impossible to start again without a jump - is totally not acceptable for a "vehicle."
The battery died on several occasions. I had to purchase a portable jump starter to keep in the vehicle for times that the vehicle would not start. I had the battery replaced by the dealer, but the same issue happened again. In the winter of 2020 I ended up purchasing an after market AGM (Advanced Glass Mat) battery for the vehicle.
The battery drains when the car is turned off without anything electrical being on, possibly a parasitic battery. Have taken the car to dealership multiple time and they said the battery itself was fine.
Battery seems to drain for no reason very frequently.
Since my driving has cut down drastically since Nov 2019 right before the pandemic, I have been plagued with my battery draining quite quickly. This happens when the car is not driving regularly, sometimes within a week and a half. I have to put the battery on a tender as well. This even occurred after getting the battery replaced at Subaru, and the problem coming back nearly immediately.
Battery drain requiring multiple jump starts and battery replacement
In spite of careful maintenance and use I have had at least 7 instances where the battery had died. In 4 of those instances I was able to jump start the car and continue using it. In 3 instances I was unable to jump start it, so I had to remove and replace the battery 3 times since owning it new in late 2016. I have lost my feeling of confidence in using the car overnight in remote areas, such as when camping or hiking. I brought it to the dealer twice and they have not found any electrical problems to correct, so I think it is a design flaw.
Key often will not rotate to the lock position so the key may be removed after vehicle iis stopped. The transmission is set for park and the parking brake is also set at the time. This happens regularly now and has been for over a month. At times, I've been successful when rotating the key to start and turn off the engine several times, but results are not consistant.
Unidentified problem in the electrical system is causing the second battery to drain in my subaru forester. The battery was replaced january 02, 2021 after it went dead on the parking lot but I had to jump start the car three times in one month after that. Subaru certified technician can not identify the issue. The battery check shows battery is fine.
The contact owns a 2016 subaru forester.the contact states that his vehicle is not safe to be on the road ,the contact stated that his lights on his vehicle are not properly working. The vehicle has been to 3 different dealers for repair and the problem is still occurring .the contact stated the engine stops on its own without any notification
Tl* the contact owns a 2016 subaru forester. The contact stated that the key was stuck in the ignition. The contact stated that several attempts were made before the key released and was removed from the ignition. Colonial subaru (761 e chester st, kingston, ny 12401, (845) 339-3330) acknowledged the that failure had occurred in other vehicles. The mechanic attempted to tap the shift column to dislodge the key however, the key remained stuck in the ignition. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and referred the contact to the federal safety agency for assistance. The approximate failure mileage was 25,000. The VIN was not available.*dt the consumer stated the repairs were made at the owners expense but consumer complained to subaru about having to cover the costs and subaru reimburse the consumer for the repairs.
My 2016 forester will accelerates with no warning .the very first time it happened I cannot remember exact date , I would guess it was around oct. Or nov. Of 2015. I bought the car may 2015. To the best of my recollection, I was parking space car and as I put the car in park the car lunged forward , barely missed hitting the fence in front of me. At that time I blamed ugg boots .never wore them again. The second time do not remember when but it had to be sometime after march 2017 because I had was purchased a puppy and went to petco and I was in that parking lot when it happened. I was pulling out of a parking space and as I put car in it jetted backward with such force and I hit a cement pole that was directly behind me . The pole was designated for a handicapped space .and car . Luckily there were no pedestrians there or I could have hurt or killed them. No damage to car . I didn't know what happen. I checked mats to make sure they were not under gas because I've heard that could happen but no all was good . Going forward just kept watch and see if it happens again cause then I would know there is a problem with the car. One, two, three times, no definitely something wrong with car. The most recent sept. 8, 2020, I was on side street stopped at light. Took foot off brake to inch up to make turn all of sudden car lunged forward to intersection I quickly made turn. Luckily avoiding accident. When I took car in to be checked was told by representative at the dealership she never heard of such a thing. When this happens it's usually due to human error and they're not aware of any acceleration issues with their cars. She then preceded to ask if I had air conditioner on when this happened. I said I don't remember but I'm assuming I did. Left car to be checked.r dealership said the mechanic drove car for 3 mile , could not duplicate my complaint.
When turning off the car, the key will not completely turn counterclockwise but will get stuck at about 2/3 of the way towards off (near the "acc" point). Cannot take the key out. The only way to get it to release is to start the engine again. Sometimes several times are needed. This is an intermittent problem but is happening more frequently and could be a safety issue if there is a need to leave the vehicle quickly or secure the vehicle in a public parking area. Leaving the car with the battery engaged and the key stuck is not an option. The car is completely stopped, in park, and I am ready to turn the engine off. The problem has been occurring for approximately a month (started in aug 2020) and initially I thought I was not putting it in park, or the steering wheel had turned or some other issue I could correct. Since it is intermittent, I thought it might go away. Unfortunately it is happening more frequently and is disconcerting.
While the vehicle is stationary, the key gets stuck in the ignition when attempting to turn the car off. The motor shuts down, but the key will not turn completely to the removal location. I often have to turn the vehicle on and then quickly off in order to get the key to remove from the ignition. Sometimes putting the vehicle back into gear (reverse or drive) before returning the transmission to park is also required. Several attempts may be necessary before successfully removing the key from the ignition. This problem started suddenly in the last month and occurs at least 50% of the time when the vehicle is used.
Please recall the 2016 subaru forester for failure of the accelerator at high speeds. Our 21-year-old daughter, a nursing student, took her 2016 forester into grayson subaru in knoxville, tn for a recall service on rear coil springs, oil change and tire rotation. Within an hour of leaving the service department she was driving 70 MPH on the interstate when her "low fuel" warning light came on. According to the subaru, that means 2.6 gallons of gas remain. Assuming 20 mpg, that means she could drive approximately 52 miles before running out of gas. Within a minute of the low fuel light coming on, the accelerator failed to work and all the warning lights came on the dash. While traveling at 70 MPH on the interstate, she had to cross 3 lanes of traffic to pull over on the shoulder. Very shaken and crying, she called grayson subaru and they sent a tow truck. After steve kachelrie of grayson's service department assessed the car, he concluded, "your daughter just ran out of gas. There is nothing we can do other than put gas in the tank." when I told him that the gas meter said she had 50 miles of driving to go before empty, he dismissed it and repeated that she "just ran out of gas." I researched the 2016 subaru forester on and found 20 reports of identical incidents of the car showing 50-70 miles to go before empty and the accelerator completely failing at high speeds on the interstate and all warning lights lighting up. When I told grayson service that was an unacceptable response, they referred me to the owner of the dealership, walter grayson. He agreed to fulfill subaru's guarantee to pay us the trade-in value of the car, $14,800. The dealership sent us a check for the 2016 subaru forester and we purchased a new toyota.
The key will not come out of the ignition after car has been driven and car is parked. The first time was saturday,august 1. Since then, it has been happening about once every other day for five days. Now it is happening at least once every day.
After parked the 2016 subaru forester, the key was stuck and could not be pulled out of the key cylinder. It happened every other days.
Ignition key will not disengage after the vehicle is parked and the engine turned off; vehicle has a CVT transmission.
Car suffered 10 unexplained original battery discharges in years 2-3 of ownership. Upon jump start, auto would start and operate normally for 2-5 months before next discharge. Subaru authorized warranty replacement through dealership with new larger powered battery at end of year 3 of ownership. Repair stated failure due to battery leakage although none was observed by owners. 13 months after replacement battery was installed, it discharged twice in same day and was taken to original dealership (subaru of portland). Service technician check determined battery could not be recharged, could not determine reason for its failure, could not find any electrical parasitic draws and found all software was up to date. Owner was charged for new battery and installation as failed battery was now out of 1-year subaru replacement policy. Brief internet review shows this has become a common problem with 2016-2017 subaru's. Subaru u.s. Corporate customer care department demonstrated no interest in taking complaint or logging in any detail information, directing owner back to repairing dealership. Dealership claims no responsibility for failed batteries.
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