Subaru Forester door locks problems

Filed Jan 6, 2023 · Electrical, Visibility · WV

The motor for the wiper fluid dispenser went bad. I took the vehicle back to be repaired and while they had the vehicle apart, I was informed that my entire wiring harness needed to be replaced. Now, my vehicle has sporadic issues such as windows not going down, the door locks engaging on their own, my fuel economy will suddenly drop to 19mpg from 28 mpg. Subaru initially stayed this was all due to the remote start I had installed at a retailer, this was after calling the dealership and they informed me that it was fine since my warranty had just expired. When I tried ro pursue something through the retailer, the dealership that had my vehicle denied saying that it was due to the remote start. So, I am stuck with a vehicle that has numerous problems, is not very safe and everyone says not my problem.

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 11, 2021 · Body · 7,500 miles · MN

The linkage cable between the drivers' front interior door handle and the door latching mechanism became unhooked somehow during normal usage, rendering the door inoperable from the interior. Simply removing the interior trim from the door and reattaching the linkage fixed the problem, but until then the door was only useable from the exterior of the vehicle.

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 Jan 21, 2020 · Body · FL

The rear door on the forrester sport does not open. It first happened after going through a car wash, the door does not open even if the car is unlocked. Neither by fob or door button. I have been unable to recreate problem however it happened again after a light rain. Door would not open. There have been similar claims online for the same year and model. Only fix I have is holding the door button until it switches from automatic to manual and it seems to reset it. However this only worked once out of the 2 times it has happened in the last month.

Filed Dec 20, 2019 · Electrical · 14,000 miles · MD

Automatic rear lift gate will not open (with either key fob or inside auto release). Beeps three times and still will not release. (this started on 12/15/19). Also, locks appear to have an electrical short (I.e. Sometimes they work, sometimes they won't). At times, touching the door handle will not open/lock the doors and unlock must be pressed on fob instead. This has been occurring for past 5-6 months. Vehicle is stationary for all issues.

Filed Sep 21, 2019 · 3,000 miles · VA

The back door will not open with remote control, dashboard open button, or manual button on door itself. There are ways mechanics can open it, but not your average child or adult. Sometimes the back gate is is the only way out to rescue a passenger. This gate fails and could cause death in emergencies like when trapped in car during hot (or cold) weather, and if it is the only way out in accidents. This fault happens intermittently, but it is reported all over the internet for this model.

Filed May 18, 2019 · Electrical · 66,466 miles · PA

The door lock mechanism locks itself immediately after I unlock the door. I can't get my drivers side door to stay unlocked in order to close the door. Having to hold the door tight while driving is obviously not safe. I have looked online and found quite a few posts from people with the same issue.

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 Feb 21, 2019 · Electrical · 400 miles · CA

Rear gate door would not open whether using keyless fob, rear gate door button or dash button. Had to have car battery disconnected for a short period of time and then reconnected it to get the rear gate door to work.