What 405 owners told NHTSA about the 2016 Subaru Forester Wilderness

Alternator failed about a year old 2017. Next year battery failed.

NHTSA ODI 11487001

The horn does not respond when pressing the button on the steering wheel. The only works if the steering wheel is turned. This is a hazard as the horn is needed to prevent a collision. I have had near miss collisions due to this failure.

NHTSA ODI 11485198

Our Subaru Forester is slow to respond on acceleration and then surges quickly. This problem just started to surface. Our concern is when stepping down on the accelerator the car is very slow to react and then surges forward quickly, creating a serious concern over a potential accident. On August 17, 2022 I was reversing up my driveway to the garage and as I depressed the accelerator the car failed to respond. I was reluctant to depress the pedal further over concern it might suddenly surge backward too fast. What was concerning is that the accelerator did not respond as normal. August 18th, I started the car, drove out of the garage and onto the street. When I stepped onto the accelerator the car showed no response, then suddenly without warning surged forward at high speed, catching me off guard. I stepped on the brake and the car immediately stopped. I carefully tried to drive forward, again the car surged forward. I drove back into the garage. Our neighbor’s nephew took it for a drive and experience the same unexpected surge of acceleration. It was towed to the Subaru Dealership. The Dealership has consistently maintained our Forester since purchased. I asked if the car had surged and the Service Advisor shared that the technician had noticed an irregularity in acceleration. However, Diagnostic tests found nothing. The shop manager said he put almost 40 miles on it but found nothing. The service adviser called and suggested we come in and ride with the shop manager, which we did. He test drove it for a few miles and the acceleration appeared normal. He did say after the test drive that he sensed something irregular about the acceleration when leaving a stop sign. We asked they keep the car and test the car after sitting over the weekend. I asked service advisor and the shop manager if he had ever heard of a Subaru with this issue of being slow to respond on acceleration and then surging quickly. They both said they had never heard of this issue

NHTSA ODI 11480297

I pulled into a parking space with a friend and as I turned the wheel to pull in and had the foot on the break, as soon as I let up on the brake the car lurched forward. Luckily, I slammed back on the brake since my foot has just come off it. This was very scary as I came close to ramming into the car parked in front of me. There is no way that I hit the gas and made it lurch like it did. The car is only a 4 cyl. Now I am scared to drive it. There were no warning lights at all. I have not taken the car in to the dealer as I suspect they will say there is nothing wrong and charge me for diagnostics. I saw there were 200 complaints about this, mostly with 2017 models, but there should be a recall. I had another problem where the power steering quit working after parking the car in the garage overnight. Again, no recall and when I called Subaru they said they could run diagnostics but if nothing is found, I have to pay. Nice racket they have going.

NHTSA ODI 11480344

Battery dead from constantly parasitic drawing in less a week. Brand new Interstate AGM MTX-35 battery. Had to take out the battery nad charged in room because living in an old apartment building which does not have outlet to connect the charger. Very annoyed by this flaw. The Subaru of America should settle a recall to fix the problem.

NHTSA ODI 11476012

The brake light bulbs keep burning out. As much as 1 per year the last four years.

NHTSA ODI 11474396

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at various speeds, the vehicle started jerking and hesitating while attempting to accelerate. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the transmission fluid was flushed; however, after retrieving the vehicle the failure persisted. The contact stated that several unknown warning messages were displayed. The vehicle was taken back to the dealer who diagnosed that the transmission was faulty and needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but no assistance was offered. The failure mileage was 126,000.

NHTSA ODI 11471298

Was Backing up and car started excelling and the throttle stuck hitting 2 cars It was out of control I got it in drive and it took off forward running full throttle up over the pavers around a tree and ran up on the side of a BMW which was sitting on the side of The hostess paved driveway coming down the side of the car My car was on 2 wheels . Came off the BMW and slammed into a tree trunk which stopped it. I got out of my car in disbelief . It happened on private property and We did call the police. But since it happened on private property They did not come but told us to get each others info for insurance Purposes

NHTSA ODI 11466929

Car will kill a new battery in less then 7 days.

NHTSA ODI 11466235

Battery drains quickly and car dies, even after replacing with a brand new battery.

NHTSA ODI 11464763

While driving on highway using cruise control at 70 mph my car suddenly stalled …. I was able to get to apron of road , but my steering locked and I had no brakes.. I could put car into neutral but had to “jam” it into park , trying to get it to stop rolling . It would not restart . I had it towed to an auto repair center as there was no Subaru dealer in the area. Because I had kept trying to restart it , my battery was dead . They recharged my battery and the car then started . I took it to a Subaru dealer where I was told they could find nothing wrong …. Except I needed a new battery . This was NOT the reason that my car suddeney lost power ! It had happen once before while on the highway but I was able to restart it at that time . This could have caused a serious accident and I worry that it will happen again. I warning was indicated prior to episode . I have receipts from auto repair shop (In Lincoln, Illinois) and Subaru dealer ( in Columbia Missouri)

NHTSA ODI 11464689

I have had to replace the car's battery three times in under 3 years. The most recent battery lasted for under a year. I am attaching paperwork from last year. I just a battery replace this week as well but am awaiting the paperwork on that.

NHTSA ODI 11461631

I have replaced the battery 3 times since June 2020. The car battery dies after the car has sat for 8-12 days. We have had to get it jumped, towed and called an on call roadside service to replace.

NHTSA ODI 11460950

Parasitic drain after car left parked and locked for ~4 days. This has occurred since I purchased the car new in 2016. I have replaced the battery 4 times but it has not helped the issue. I am now forced to leave the car plugged in to a battery tender when parked.

NHTSA ODI 11450455

The battery in my car continually dies. It all started about 2 years ago, we replaced the battery, but I have to charge it frequently. The car never dies while I’m driving it, but sometimes I will come to start my car and it won’t start. This happens about 1-2 times a month.

NHTSA ODI 11449458

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.

NHTSA ODI 11448232

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

NHTSA ODI 11442143

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.

NHTSA ODI 11440727

There was a short in the wiring harness, causing the car to loose power and stall.

NHTSA ODI 11437916

In March 2020, I took my 2016 Subaru Forester to the dealership to fix the issues associated with the Subaru Safety Recall WUM-98 / NHTSA 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.

NHTSA ODI 11436840

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 https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2018/MC-10153178-9999.pdf and the P/N for the select lever (shifter) mechanism 3511AL00C.

NHTSA ODI 11434984

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.

NHTSA ODI 11428820

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....

NHTSA ODI 11428706

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

NHTSA ODI 11424727

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

NHTSA ODI 11424729