NHTSA lists 587 complaints for the 2017 Subaru Forester, 40 of them mention a crash and 1 mention a fire. 25 complaints mention an injury, with 28 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-08.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as SUBARU FORESTER.
At a glance
Complaints
587
With crash
40
With fire
1
With injury (complaints)
25
Injuries
28
Deaths
0
Recalls
1
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
366,282
Investigations
1
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
449
Complaints per 100k sold: 330.587. Units sold: 177,563; sales year: 2017; basis: calendar_year_us_sales_proxy_for_model_year. goodcarbadcar.net.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
AIR BAGS
164
27.9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
106
18.1%
VISIBILITY/WIPER
104
17.7%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
96
16.4%
ENGINE
47
8.0%
POWER TRAIN
44
7.5%
SEATS
33
5.6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
33
5.6%
STEERING
25
4.3%
STRUCTURE
15
2.6%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
AIR BAGS
SENSOR
26
STRUCTURE
BODY
14
VISIBILITY
WINDSHIELD
7
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
4
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
WARNINGS
4
POWER TRAIN
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
3
BACK OVER PREVENTION
WARNINGS
2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
IGNITION
2
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
2
LANE DEPARTURE
ASSIST
2
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Forester vehicles equipped with heated seats. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may loosen.
Consequence: If the connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the ODS sensor mat harness, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUM-98.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
1 investigations; 0 open.
PE19009
Opened: 2019-08-06. Closed: 2020-01-22.
Occupant Detection System (ODS) Failure
The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-009 to investigate 51 complaints and additional Early Warning Report (EWR) data related to allegations of front passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) malfunctions in model year (MY) 2016 through 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. These vehicles use a capacitive type ODS, which is intended to classify the occupant of the passenger seat as e
Date: 2026-10-05. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.
11037940
Date: 2026-09-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
11037934
Date: 2026-09-16. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ENGINE.
This bulletin announces Warranty Extension and design changes made to the front exhaust pipe and covers to address the concerns of some customers regarding an odor or a rattle-type noise/fluttering sound coming from the undercarriage, during acceleration. This is an revised version of the original b
11037930
Date: 2026-09-15. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year Subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
11037927
Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11037929
Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11036807
Date: 2026-08-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts.This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11036810
Date: 2026-08-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.
This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body. The updated valve body incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11036796
Date: 2026-08-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.