2017 Subaru Forester electrical problems

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The airbag warning light for the front passenger seat has been intermittently lighting. Both when the passenger seat is occupied and vacant. The light sometimes indicates the passenger airbag is off when there is a passenger in the seat. I took the car to the Subaru dealer where I purchased the vehicle.. Per the dealership service report: “SCANNED CODES AND FOUND CODE B1760 STORED IN BODY CONTROL MODULE REGARDING THE PASSENGER FRONT SEAT BOTTOM. RECOMMEND REPLACEMENT DUE TO A FAULTY OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR.” This car was recalled several years ago regarding the passenger seat airbag sensor issue. The car was serviced per the recall. This car has not been in an accident. The car has approximately 70,000 miles which were driven primarily by me. The front passenger seat was occupied less than 25 percent of the time. There was never anything spilled on the seat. The seat was not used to transport anything other than a passenger. The dealer service department now wants $1566.79 to fix this issue. I contend that recall did not fix the issue correctly and I should not be charged for a faulty part or design that was not properly remedied the first time. The dealer will not resolve the issue and has referred me to corporate Subaru. I have contacted Subaru and am awaiting a response. Case # 260818-1700931. This is a safety issue that Subaru needs to address immediately.

NHTSA complaint #11758062 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

There was a recall on this vehicle from 2022, and we did not own this vehicle at that time. Recall passenger side airbag contact under seat can cause fire or electrical issues. I contacted Subaru and they said the recall was satisfied in 2022. If that's the case, the repair piece must have been faulty as the issue has come back. The dealership I took the car to said they have seen about 4 of this same issue within the last two weeks. Subaru is unwilling to assist in this, and I cannot pay the 1800.00 dollars the dealership wants to repair this vehicle. I've asked more questions of Subaru since their answer and have not received a response. I would like to know why their website says this was complete July 15, 2025, not 2022. It was not complete in 2025, or we would have had the repair done. Any help in getting someone to see if this is in fact another recall and how to tell if the recall was truly completed in 2022, possible faulty recall parts now. This is crazy if numerous folks have gone in with the same issue. We need Subaru to take a good look at this.

NHTSA complaint #11710736 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Two incidents happened first battery died, we replaced the battery. Then Battery died again, we replaced the alternator on June 5, 2025. Then on Saturday September 13, 2025; all system lights came on at once on the dashboard then the battery died again. Car locks up and is stalled out. Cannot restart car, has to be towed. We replaced the battery cable and cleaned the terminals. Three months later, December 1, 2025; the battery light came on then all system lights came on at once, the battery died again. This happened on Interstate 95, it could easily have caused a crash. Car locks up again and is stalled out again. Cannot restart car again, has to be towed again. Something in the electrical is causing this, we do not know what.

NHTSA complaint #11702417 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Passenger airbag safety intermittently turns on stating that the passenger airbag is not able to deploy. If I turn the car off and on it goes away and doesn't turn until another time I start the car. Also detects a passenger in the seat when there is no passenger or weight in that seat. Overall some sort of issue with the airbag safety system in the front passenger seat. I will state no liquids have been spilled on the seat.

NHTSA complaint #11699913 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Previous recall for passenger ODS. Having continued issues with passenger airbag ODS not recognizing someone sitting there. Intermittently turns on and off even if no one is sitting there. Took it to a dealer and they want me to pay out of pocket for diagnostic and possible parts. Very high concern for even allowing someone to sit in the car (even my pregnant wife) in the case there was ever an accident.

NHTSA complaint #11696166 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The passenger airbag sensor often, but not always, malfunctions in my 2017 Subaru Forrester. Often it says PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF when there is a passanger. Occording to KBB Kelly Blue Book there IS a current RECALL in place for 2017 Subaru Forresters for EXACTLY this issue, including for my car - but when i typed in my liscnese plate in the NHTSA website, no unrepaired recalls showed up for my car.

NHTSA complaint #11681854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I’m facing a really big issue here. I’ve been experiencing all the textbook issues in my vehicle for both of the recalls that did exist for my vehicle. I purchased my vehicle in [XXX], and I was just in to Walser Subaru in St. Paul MN where they said my recalls were completed in April 22, 2022. That is absolutely not true. I was at the dealership all day that day. So I called Miller hill Subaru in Duluth MN where it said it was done, and all they provided me with was the 2 dates I had brought it in for a general inspection and for an a/c issue. All I had done there was a transmission flush and both of those times were well after April 22nd. I purchased my vehicle from Anderson Auto in Rice Lake Township. So now I have my car with recalls that were falsified that they were done, but I am expected to pay for them. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11678149 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:INSTRUMENT PANEL:SPEEDOMETER/ODOMETER

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the vehicle mileage was 88,000, and at the time of registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 88,223.

NHTSA complaint #11661953 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The WUM-98 recall fix did not address the problem with the front passenger occupancy detection system. We, and many other Subaru Forester owners are continuing to experience problems post recall repair with the SRS Airbag light on, indicating error code B1760 "Occupant Detection Sensor Mat" failure. Subaru is not covering the cost of addressing this problem, and the entire seat frame and bottom cushion (that includes the sensor mat) are required to be replaced at the consumer's expense, with bills for repair in excess of $2,000. And, due to the high demand for this repair, parts are not available to perform the repair for as much as 6 months! This is jeopardizing the safety of occupants in the front passenger seat for extended periods of time while waiting for parts, whereby the airbag is not active due to the sensor mat problem. The original recall should have encompassed not only the harness cable component, but also the sensor mat.

NHTSA complaint #11633282 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The Occupant Detection System (ODS) has failed in this 2017 Subaru Forester. The dealership tried replacing the wiring harness under a previous recall but it did not fix the problem. The ODS does not correctly identify when a passenger is seated in the passenger seat and therefore will not properly activate the passenger airbag. I ordered a replacement seat assemby in October 2023 but to date the dealership has been unable to obtain the part, and has been unable to fix the ODS malfunction in any other way.

NHTSA complaint #11614619 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Suddenly ignition starts having an issue where driver cannot pull out ignition key, which creates risky situations. If an emergency and unable to remove keys, then the driver is stuck. Apparently, this has been happening to Subaru's from 2014-2018 all over the country, and clearly defective design. Here is the TSB [XXX] Subaru should do a recall to prevent dangerous cases of drivers unable to pull their keys out, or having drivers "hack" the car, which remove important safety features. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA complaint #11590165 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

For the last few weeks on several occasions the ignition key remained stuck after parking and shutting off the engine. I was eventually able to release the key but was in a bit of a panic. I believe this should be a recall as I have read about this happening to many Subaru owners.

NHTSA complaint #11550606 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

After driving the vehicle I will arrive at my destination. I will stop, continue pressing the vehicle break while moving the shifter from drive to park. Then, I turn the key to the off position in an attempt to remove my key from the Ignition. About 40-50% of the time, the key can not be removed. In order remove the key I will have to do one of the following: Option 1. Let my foot of of the break, pause, then press my foot hard on the break peddle, move to shifter from park to drive, while continuing to press my foot down hard on the break peddle, move the shifter back from drive to the park position. Often I will have to repeat this process several times to remove the key form the ignition or attempt Option 2.. Option 2. When Option 1 above does not work, with the vehicle turned off and I park, I will release my foot from the break, pause, press down on the break, start the ignition, place my vehicle in drive or reverse (depending how I am parked) and drive the vehicle 2-3 feet, stop and repeat step 1 above. Again, I many have to try this procedure several times. Option 3. After 5-10 minutes and several attempts, I will give up, turn the vehicle off, place it in park, and leave the car unlocked with keys in the ignition. I'm not sure why this has not been addressed prior as I have found several articles from 2008 to 2020 on the same issue, specifically on Subaru's.

NHTSA complaint #11540854 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I noticed that the airbag light was continuously illuminated on the dashboard of my Subaru Forester. I promptly took my vehicle to a certified Subaru dealership to have the issue diagnosed and resolved. After a thorough inspection, it was determined that the passenger seat bottom occupant seat mat required replacement to rectify the problem. Otherwise, my airbags would not inflate in the event that I would need them. I would like to emphasize that I have always maintained my vehicle in excellent condition and followed all recommended maintenance procedures. I have never exposed the seat to moisture or allowed any foreign objects to be shoved under it. Furthermore, I am the primary driver of the vehicle and rarely have passengers, which makes it highly unlikely for any undue stress or wear to be placed on the seat mat. Considering the circumstances, it is evident that this issue is a result of a manufacturing defect or premature failure, rather than any negligence or misuse on my part. I find it disconcerting that a critical safety component such as the airbag system would fail within a relatively short period of time and with minimal use. There was a significant repair cost as well.

NHTSA complaint #11536604 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

During the last few months, the steering wheel has been locking, and I am not able to remove the ignition key. This happen when I stop and park the car, and want to turn the ignition off. I have to move the steering wheel from right to left or vice versa, or drive the car back and forward, until unlocks the steering wheel and I can remove the key. I just found through a web search that other drivers had similar issues.

NHTSA complaint #11526680 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I have a 2017 Subaru Forester 2.5i touring that seems to be plagued by a parasitic battery drain issue. I bought the car used in 2019 and successfully moved from Seattle to the Boston area in it shortly after the purchase with no issues. The dead batteries started during the pandemic, when the car was sitting undriven for extended periods of time. I’ve had the battery replaced multiple times, most recently in January of this year with a Diehard (3 yr warranty), and yet, once again, the car is dead and I had to call AAA yet again today. I'm at my wits end and cannot afford to continually purchase new batteries over and over again. My online research has produced dozens and dozens of stories about Subaru knowing about this parasitic drain and not admitting wrongdoing. I even found a class action lawsuit. Some folks online have reported having a mechanic who was able to diagnose which component was causing their drain … not always the same component all of the time, however. Most recently, I read it was the DCM causing the issue. At any rate, I don’t have the technical expertise to mitigate this, so I’m looking for a mechanic who can successfully diagnose where my particular parasitic battery drain is coming from.

NHTSA complaint #11526339 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Key repeatedly gets stuck in ignition. Similar problem to other model years. Vehicle needs to be restarted and put in park several times to be able to remove key. Needing to start and move the car several times to remove the key puts pedestrians in the area at risk as visibility in parking spaces is often limited. It happens randomly, and is not regularly reproducible, but happens frequently. We have not yet had it serviced, and there are no warnings when it happens.

NHTSA complaint #11525422 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Malfunctioned component is Start / Stop switch. It is a safety Issue since not able to remove the key after stopping and parking the car. This creates issues when we need to get out of the car quickly. This issue can be reproduced. There was no warning or message.

NHTSA complaint #11524755 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

We're having to consistently jump-start a battery that is only 4 months old. The problem has been consistent over the years (currently on our 3rd battery in about 5 years) but appears to have worsened after a DCM update to the Starlink system. Dealership has assessed the problem as parasitic battery drain (while the car is turned off) from the telematic module, but refuses to correct the issue.

NHTSA complaint #11518460 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Battery fails often, does not hold a charge, consistently registers as low battery. Occurs several times in 2021, 2022, and 2023, Have had to replace battery twice in 2 years.

NHTSA complaint #11518463 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

We took our 2017 Subaru Forester on December 9, 2022, to change the ignition switch because our key continued getting stuck. It was covered under an extended warranty. The spark plugs were changed during the same appointment only to satisfy the maintenance agreement. Before we took our Subaru in, our vehicle was running at an optimal level, and nothing was wrong with how it drove. On December 10, 2022, we drove our car, and it started to hesitate and misfire. This has never happened before. We called the dealership, and they had us bring the vehicle back in. They performed a fuel injection cleaning and reset the computer. Once again, the same problem continued after picking up our vehicle. The same problem continued daily, and several calls were made to the dealership and trips to the maintenance service department. It is erratic when it happens, but we have experienced it more during city driving versus highway driving. It’s been over a month, and the problem is still not resolved. At this point, we genuinely feel that this is a safety issue. Not to mention that if the vehicle continues to perform poorly, it can create additional damage. We are at a point of pure frustration and disappointment.

NHTSA complaint #11502918 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

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.

NHTSA complaint #11500531 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

I have had to replace my Subaru Forester battery at least 4 times since I have owned it. The battery dies within a few days of replacing and I am forced to jumpstart the vehicle every time I want to drive. This has been happening since the day I bought the vehicle...

NHTSA complaint #11492155 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This is the same issue we are seeing with our other Subaru where we come out to drive and the battery is dead. We would jump the battery and be able to drive for the day and the next day the battery is dead in the morning. I replaced the battery several times over the last few year and the battery would die with a less than 2 month old battery. I was driving around in both cars with jumper cables permanently. After taking it to the dealer, the battery was in great condition, the alternator was charging properly and there is a known electrical issue with this model and year that is part of a class action lawsuit. I had to replace my rear gate module electrical unit because it was going on and off in the night and draining my battery. I will be looking to get re-eimbursed for this company issue.

NHTSA complaint #11483974 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

If you do not start the car everyday, the car drains the battery. Car must be jumped.nothing left on. It has a battery drain problem.

NHTSA complaint #11481885 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

Battery drains if not driven approximately every 5 days. We have replaced battery three times. We’ve asked the local Subaru dealer a couple of times why the battery goes dead so quickly. Their response it’s a known issue. Not good that whenever we park the car or take it out of town we have to take a battery charger with us. This includes manually unlocking doors, climbing over back seat to get to the charger.

NHTSA complaint #11479070 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

2 new battery drains dead just sitting in the driveway.

NHTSA complaint #11476863 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

There appears to be a parasitic battery drain in the vehicle when it is stopped and all electrical systems are off (lights, heated seats, chargers etc) but the key is in the ignition. The most recent event was 7/20/2022 when the car was stopped for fueling and the key left in the ignition for no more than 10 minutes. Battery discharged sufficiently in that time that the car would not start requiring roadside assistance. Spoke with dealer who stated to keep the key 30 feet from the car (note, this is NOT a smart key car) and to ensure all is off as all computer electricals will continue to run even with the car off. Will be having a battery test next week but I see that this is a recurring issue for this make/model on this forum. The same problem happened in December 2021, although at that time the weather was also severely cold and the key was in the ignition (all electrical systems off) for approximately 45 minutes. The issue is one of personal safety and being stranded in a vehicle which cannot be moved (steering and transmission locked due to low/no power) as well as cost in time and money to investigate and remedy the issue. It is also an issue of functionality and usability. If I cannot leave the key in the ignition with the car off, I am unable to use any accessories or even my safety flashers in the event the situation would warrant it.

NHTSA complaint #11475084 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

We have had issues with the battery draining since early on in owning the car. First the power windows stopped working and they replaced the battery. We are now having more battery issues and the care is in the shop.

NHTSA complaint #11474592 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

The SRS airbag light is on, airbags disabled while driving vehicle with passenger in front. Sensor within passenger seat cushion is defective. Dealer says to fix passenger seat cushion needs to be replaced. Previous recall for harness already complete. Quoted $1400 to repair. 2017 Forester Premium, 78,000 miles

NHTSA complaint #11469614 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.