2018 Subaru Forester complaints

2018 Subaru Forester Safety air bag recall I drive my grandchildren in front passenger seat. There’s a safety recall. No incident yet. What has to happen before this air bag problem is fixed?

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost motive power. The contact was able to pull to the shoulder of the roadway, where the vehicle was able to be restarted. After restarting the vehicle, the vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who diagnosed a failure with the fuel pump. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related the failure to NHTSA Campaign Number: 21V587000 (Fuel System, Gasoline), but the VIN was not included. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 69,000.

THE ODS is not properly determining the status of the right front seat occupant. The airbag warning light is illuminated, and the front passenger airbag is deactivated even with a person sitting in the passenger seat. The ODS is also unable to determine if someone is in the seat and triggers the seatbelt alert when anything (even a purse) is on the seat. This exact issue was part of a Subaru recall WUM-98R, for 2015-2018 Subaru Foresters produced between January 20, 2015 – August 01, 2017. Subaru is claiming my vehicle doesn't qualify as it was not part of the recall even though I having the same issues as the recall and I own a 2018 Subaru Forester. Furthermore, as listed in the recall if a vehicle is part of the recall and is brought in for inspection "The part identification label affixed to the yellow sensor mat wiring harness is the focus of this inspection. If the date code is 18074 or BEFORE AND has the supplier code 6578 (RED box in photo) on it, the harness is NG must be replaced. Proceed to Harness Replacement Procedure as outlined below." The date code on my label is before 18074 and the supplier code is 6578. I am asking for your assistance in holding Subaru accountable to add my vehicle to the recall.

Airbag alert for front passenger seat is lit and disabling the airbag. the seat was empty and dry with nothing in it.

Windshield cracked starting in the black area under the driver's windshield wiper. Car was idling at a drive through, wipers were on. NOTE: car had fewer than 22,500k miles at the time, was likely around 22,485+. The crack continued to climb to the top edge of the window as my car sat on the driveway.

For the second time we were on the freeway at a hight speed and the car suddenly lost power, all the warning lights came on, and we had to get off the freeway (dangerously). We almost got hit, and other cars had to brake radically. We took it in to Subaru and they said the catalytic converter was bad. They replaced the catalytic converter, and when they took it for a test ride, they found that the SECOND catalytic converter was bad. Apparently they have two. The car must have suddenly lost power for them, too. We have 85k miles on the car, and the Subaru warranty for the catalytic converter is 80k. We're into it for thousands of dollars, but the MOST IMPORTANT reason I'm making this report is that SOMEONE IS GOING TO GET KILLED ON THE FREEWAY because of these failing catalytic converters, and it might not be people in the Subarus. The car just died at that speed in the left lane, and it was a miracle no one was killed. (I'm not sure if I have my date quite right. My calendar is not at hand). Note: Subaru is having a hard time getting the part, a delay, they say, of many days, so that makes me think that this is happening widely, and that these catalytic converters are getting replaced at an unanticipated rate.

We were driving at 70mph on the freeway, left lane, and suddenly the car lost power as if the fuel pump went out. We had to suddenly get over to the shoulder of the freeway, almost got hit, then limped along the shoulder until we called a tow truck which towed us 40 miles to Subaru dealer. The dealer looked at the car and "couldn't find anything." Now we are afraid to drive the car.

The lower right control arm bushings failed on the vehicle and the transmission is leaking. The vehicle has been owned by only two individuals, and was purchased by me in 2021 as a certified pre-owned vehicle from a local dealer. In three years we have put about 12,000 miles total on the vehicle (average of 4000 miles each year for three years), and the vehicle is solely driven locally on surface streets. This appears to be a known issue as noted by Subaru owners expressing frustration in public forum about premature failure of the control arm bushings.

With no warning. my 2018 Subaru Forrester had its transmission lock up on me in the pouring rain while I was traveling 60 miles an hour. I purchased the car new in 2018, had it regularly serviced and it only has 4700 miles on it. If I was not buckled in, I would have gone through the windshield. The car spun around, jumped the divider and moved into oncoming traffic. Luckily, the other cars were able to avoid me. My local Subaru dealership said they can take a look at my car in 40 days. Until then, the car is dead and still locked up.

Blind Spot Detection goes on an off. Safety is impacted by the system going on and off. Took care to Subaru dealership

Went to car wash,car was in nuetral after after wash finished I put the car in drive and it accelerated into the street at a very high rate of speed my foot was not on the gas.

After starting the car for the first time of the day, letting it warm for a minute or two, I started driving and when I went to stop at a stop sign about three blocks from my starting point I pressed the brake. The engine started to rev immediately so I had to stomp the brake to the floor and push the gear selector to the neutral position to avoid hitting a pedestrian and the dog she was walking. She was within 10 feet of the front of my car when I finally stopped. I have not taken it to a dealer yet since I am sure they will not be able to replicate the intermittent problem. There were no warnings of any kind that this was about to happen. I did note though, that the cold engine temperature indicator light on the dashboard was still illuminated.

The initial incident happened when I was accelerating uphill. When I pressed the gas pedal to accelerate, the car began jerking and sputtering. I released the gas pedal and let the car coast, as I was heading toward a stop sign. After I stopped and then accelerated the second time, the engine seemed to smooth out. Nothing further happened until about 1 week later. The second incident, I was 35 minutes into an hour-long drive. I was going around 45-55mph when the same issue happened suddenly: I pressed the gas pedal and the car started shaking and sputtering. If I released the gas pedal, the car was fine. All check engine lights came on and were flashing. I lowered my speed into the 30s, and the issue continued to happen, regardless of what speed I was driving at. If I was accelerating, the car was shaking a lot. At stop signs, the lights would turn off, but pop on as soon as I began driving again. I was able to make it to my destination and when I parked the car, it was shaking a lot while idling. It felt like the engine was about to die or shut off. It was late so I turned the vehicle off and left it parked for the night. The next morning, when I started the car, it was continuing to shake/sputter during idle and I drove it briefly to see how it ran. It continued to shake when pressing the gas pedal, however, the check engine lights were not on. Since I had to drive back home, I decided to take it slow and began the two-hour drive back. The engine again seemed like it wanted

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the air bag warning light illuminated, and the air bag was not activated message was displayed. The dealer was contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 70, 000.

Per the dealership, the occupant detection wiring harness resulting in the passenger side not activating despite a passenger sitting in the car. This causes a risk to the passenger as the airbag is not activated and the warning light goes on. This problem has been confirmed by the Subaru dealership. There is currently a recall for this issue for this particular issue and vehicle, however the VIN is not included. Additionally, when I look at the product campaign bulletin it outlines how to identify if there is a faulty harness. The harness ID falls in the vehicle within the the range of numbers that classifies it as a faulty harness. Despite this, Subaru refuses to replace it at their cost as the VIN is not covered by the recall notice.

The sensor in the seat has been intermittently working for years and finally quit. It costs close to $2000 to fix and there is no way to switch the air bag to stay on. It seems this is an issue with other 2018 Subaru foresters and for some reason the recall did not apply to my VIN.

This is related to the ODS recall (October 3, 2019 NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000) where the sensor mat harness was replaced. Turns out the ODS sensor mat also needs to be replaced. The issue was happening intermittently throughout 2024 and I have brought the car in for service but the part is on back order for 2 months now.

Windshield broke while sitting parked. Was not impacted by flying objects. Had to replace out of pocket.

The passenger-side front airbag Occupancy Detection System harness failed on my vehicle. The dealer charged me for a replacement, even though this part was recalled. They said they could not perform the repair free of charge because the recall was not listed for my VIN. I attempted to contact Subaru 12 days ago to request reimbursement, but I did not receive a response. I do not have the old part available, but I do have a photograph of the supplier code and date code on the harness. The codes are within the affected range, as indicated in recall bulletin WUM-98R (NHTSA ID 19V-701) Evidently, Subaru has failed to identify all of the vehicles affected by this defect. Passenger safety was put at risk because the airbag system would disable itself whenever somebody sat in the front passenger seat. Because the problem was intermittent, and because Subaru failed to notify me of the defect, this led to a delay in getting it repaired. The dealer diagnosed the issue and determined that the harness needed to be replaced. Whenever the failure occurred, the airbag trouble light turned on and the message "passenger air bag off" was displayed, even if there was a passenger in that seat.

I bought the car certified used from a Grand Prix Subaru in Hicksville, NY. They did not mention this issue. I’ve had the car for 2 years, drive it 1-2x a week, have it serviced regularly, etc. all of a sudden in the past week it’s needed a jump 2x, maybe a few days apart. My lights are on auto, always, & shut off when the car turns off after a few seconds. My interior lights are all set to off, after the first jump. Doors & cargo door are all closed well. Battery has been tested & they say it’s not bad & doesn’t need replacing. So what is draining the battery then? When the battery is dead, it’s completely dead. No turnover at all & the cargo door won’t open until it’s running & charged enough again. I’m shocked the cargo door can’t open without the battery!

The malfunction identified in NHTSA campaign number 19V701 has been continually malfunctioning again, beginning about a year ago. This is happening within a relatively short time after it was supposedly fixed. (Subaru's number for this recall is WUM-98). It is the exact same problem as previously identified in 19V701.

My 2018 Subaru Forester has a faulty passenger air bag sensor, which has been diagnosed by my local Subaru dealer, with a repair cost of $1,500+ for labor and parts. It has intermittently turned on and off again, but after getting a separate issue fixed by my dealer, they diagnosed this problem, and every time the car is turned on, the warning light is constantly displayed, and the passenger seat airbag light shows "OFF" even when someone is in the passenger seat. Upon research, this is a known and common issue with other Subaru Foresters with heated seats in the same model year (my Forester does have heated seats), but my VIN is not included in the Subaru recall for this specific repair. This greatly puts the passenger in my car at risk, as the sensor does not recognize that a person is in the seat while they are riding, and if we were to be in an accident, their airbag would not deploy. I am frustrated that this is a known, common safety issue that affects my model and year of car, but my VIN is not included on the recall list. I would expect that my car should also be included in the recall and fixed by the dealer at their expense as it is clearly documented many times on other 2018 Subaru Foresters.

LCA lower control arm front bushing on Right and Left front for 2018 Subaru Forester is a known issue with EVERY Forester. Mine had only 55K miles when the Right Front started shaking and now the left is doing so and I am only at 60K miles!!

Starting up the car in the morning after a long day stuck in traffic (over 100 degree F weather), moved about 5 feet then the eyesight system stopped working, rear braking stopped, and power steering gave out - the car started and the engine ran normally. The car was abandoned as unsafe until diagnostics could be performed and a different car was used to get around . That evening the car started up fine, also the next morning to reproduce conditions. Tested the battery, which showed "good" (93% charge/40%healthy). I suspect that, in the morning the A/C, headlights, radio, backup lights, etc... put a large draw on the electrical system resulting in a system wide shutdown of adaptive features - However loss of power steering is insane and can easily result in death if it happens while driving especially while making a turn if the driver is not prepared/strong enough to force it. The linking of non-critical system to help the driver to an essential system is just asking for trouble.

The passenger seat, passenger air bags, and occupant detection system are failing. YES! Available for inspection. Passenger occupants are put at risk riding in my passenger seat as the seat does not detect if the seatbelt is on, or even if someone is sitting in the seat. The AIRBAG WILL NOT DEPLOY WHEN INTENDED! Issue was first brought to [XXX] at Subaru in Pasco WA, where they “could not do anything because it was not YET a recall.” As of [XXX], it has been confirmed by an ISC (Subaru of Hermiston, OR) My vehicle has been there since!!! They have not been able to fix the issue or get the part. There is no date of when the part is expected to available. We have been working with Subaru Customer Advocates who have extended my loaner car out 30 days, but after that. I will be OUT OF A SAFE vehicle. I have three children and NEED my passenger seat to be working effectively and SAFELY! Yes, there were warning lights that came on. The lights were on the dash. The red square with an “i” next to odometer and a red passenger air bag symbol below the other light that popped up. I have pictures and videos dated between June 2023 to March 2024 of the lights coming on. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

2018 Subaru Forester has another cracked windshield. I do not drive this car a lot and all of a sudden there is a crack. It happened in 2021 too, it is exactly in the same spot this time. Subaru refused to fix it the last time, so I am not expecting them to fix it this time. This is not safe to drive when there is a crack like that. It is a matter of time before someone gets hurt or even worse because of the faulty windshield.

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side air bag warning light was intermittently flashing on the instrument panel with or without an occupant seated in the front passenger’s seat. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where a diagnostic test was performed; the diagnostic test discovered that the occupant detection system mat was defective and needed to be replaced. Upon investigation, the contact discovered NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000 (Air Bags) which was linked to the failure; however, the vehicle was not included in the recall. The manufacturer was then notified of the failure and confirmed that the vehicle was not included in the recall. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 57,000.

The air conditioning stops working in warm weather posing a health hazard.

I receive a warning light and the passenger air bag does not turn on when I have a passenger in the front seat.

Lower control arm bushing initial stages of premature failure. Issue is a known common defect. No safety incident yet, but potential for steering and control issues while driving. Bushing crack was discovered during brake inspection at 45k miles.

Airbag on passenger side stopped working last November . Subaru says it’s the switch in the seat and the seat needs replacing at a cost of approximately $1300. This should be part of the recall and be paid for by Subaru.

Component: EyeSight Camera motherboard failure due to cold weather (Code B28B3). Possibly an improper conformal coating that is susceptible to cracking or building moisture which then freezes and cracks components of the camera system. Safety Concern: It appears this is common in Subaru EyeSight systems for all models years 2017-2019. A local mechanic shop (Fairbanks, AK) has seen these systems fail repeatedly in our winter climate. I find this concerning that the system that has the ability to control steering and breaking is susceptible to what we consider normal winter climates. Subaru has been vague on the cause of this issue. Reproduced: Yes, this is known and not uncommon per the Subaru Dealer Service Center and an independent local shop. Inspected: Yes the vehicle has been inspected by Kendall Subaru of Fairbanks AK. Warning Lights: No warning before failure. Currently the display shows "EyeSight" in bold indicating the EyeSight system is non functional.

Vehicle Airbag light on Dash and is available for inspection upon request. Safety is at risk due to Airbag SRS system being disabled and bas will not deploy due to malfunctioning component. Vehicle has the symptoms of "Subaru recalled certain 2015-2018 Foresters equipped with heated seats, due to faulty wiring in an airbag sensor. If the wire's connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.​ This was remedied by replacing the ODS (Occupant Detection Sensor) in the passenger seat. Vehicle will be brought to dealer for inspection, however, myself and others on forums with 2018 Subaru foresters with heated seats apparently fall outside of the recall, but experience the same issue. Warning lamps appeared and system was scanned, airbag module tested ok.

Not sure why my car is not being recalled for occupant detection harness. Subaru telling me it’s the vin number, that’s not the problem it’s I have a defective harness according to Subaru product bulletin wud-98r harness with date prior to 18074 is defective and needs to be replaced free of charge. My harness has a date of 17293. My car has all the criteria of the recall. This started back in April 2020 with warning light on and off same with airbag indicator. Now the warning light is on constantly and airbag is off constantly

After ice storm and after car was cleaned of any ice, The emergency braking appeared to be confused by the ice on the road. I decided to not go forward once I was on the street as it seemed to slick and tried to back up to my house to get into my driveway which is on a slope. In reverse, the brakes kept slamming on after a foot or two and I would lose momentum and slide forward. I ended up having to drive forward around the block forward to get back to my house. The eyesight system seems to get confused very easily when there are icy reflections or snow on the road.

The passenger airbag warning light had appeared intermittently but now is continuous, indicating that the passenger airbag will not function when someone is seated there. The car was taken to the dealer and I was told that the seat bottom would need to be replaced. There is a recall WUM-98 on this very issue for 2018 Foresters with heated seats which my car has. Neither the dealer nor Subaru of America has explained to me why my car is not included in this recall. This is a serious passenger safety issue and the recall should be expanded since it is clearly a vehicle defect.

The battery completely drains after not being started for 2-3 days. I’ve had the battery checked by autozone and it was found to be in good standing. This issue has happened twice in the last two months. Also, on occasion when driving an icy road message pops up from the eyesight, however it’s a clear sunny day. Although this hasn’t engaged any other safety features, it’s concerning that at any time it could initiate an eyesight safety feature to engage which could pose a safety issue for occupants.

In early October, 2023, the red airbag inoperative light (airbag "off") came on the dashboard when someone is sitting in the passenger seat. This was an intermittent issue with the light coming on at times and off for several days before reappearing. On , the vehicle was brought to the Suburu dealer (Subaru of Auburn, WA) for testing and repair. Suburu technicians tested the seat sensor unit and determined is was at fault. (see uploaded work order) Part number 64139SG200VH was ordered [XXX] as no local dealers had stock of this particular part number. At the time of the order, I was informed that the part would be available in December, 2023. I queried Suburu of Auburn in mid-December and they indicated a new date of February, 2024 for availability of the part. On [XXX], I visited the Suburu dealer and was told the part is still "on back order" with no firm date of delivery. My concern is this is a safety related issued that has no definitive time frame for rectification. This renders the vehicle unsafe for front passenger occupancy. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

A few days ago, a crack suddenly appeared in the windshield. It appeared when the car was parked in the garage. I reached out to SUbaru and they wanted me to take it to dealtership and get pictures taken. So, i complied and pictures were taken. The cause was given as a less than a mm speckk hitting about 1 inch or so above from dash. Area where glass is supposed to be strongest. I repeat, the cause was less than a mm sized dust particle. The vehicle was driven on paved roads, within city at a max speed of 60 miles per hour. MY concen is that when such a small speck can cause a crack, what is to say a 5 mm particle will not blow the windshield on my face. This is a serious quality concern and I am afraid to drive Subaru with Subaru parts in it. ALl while it is advertised as rugged off road vehicle. After reading through forums, it was found that a lot of folks have had this issue and SUbaru has had recalls on some vehicles for the same quality of windshield issue. The response from Subaru was that they make thin glass because of eyesight technology. Either ways, Subaru has compromised on quality to add a piece of technology. Compromise that could shatter the windshield while driving on highways causing accident or worse. I will be happy to provide pictures and communication with Subaru if needed.

The ignition key gets stuck from time to time and will not turn all the way to off, which means it cannot be pulled out. When this happens, I have to turn the car back on and off, move the gear away from park and then back to park, and then try again to remove the ignition key. Sometimes, it takes multiple tries before the key can be removed! This has been happening for several years now.

Our Subaru began experiencing intermittent issues with the warning light for the occupant detection wiring harness (ODS) in October 2023. The vehicle was inspected by Duteau Subaru of Lincoln NE on October 19th 2023 who determined the issue was a malfunctioning of the seat sensor for the occupant seat and was told I would have to replace the entire seat base to correct the issue. I understand that this issue has already been recalled in Subaru Foresters produced from January 20 2015 to August 1 2017 in recall NHTSA ID 19V-701; however, my forester was produced in March 2018 outside the recall dates. Upon inspection of the ODS sensor mat the tag specified in the recall (photo attached) matched the producer (6578) and dates specified prior to 18074 (17321) in the recall so we were wondering why our car was not part of the recall if all parts by that producer were recalled prior to production date code 18074? When I contacted Subaru of America to determine why our car was not also recalled I was told that recalls are VIN specific and set by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and no further action was going to be taken to replace the defective seat sensor.

Around 83,000 miles my passenger safety air bag warning sensor started coming on and off intermittently. It would happen both when a passenger was in the seat and when no one was in the seat. There have been no previous issues. I immediately scheduled my car to be diagnosed at the Subaru dealership and they notified me the passenger occupancy sensor pad is faulty and that it would cost $1,483.47 to replace. The dealer stated that the passenger airbag might not deploy if the sensor is not replaced. This puts the safety of the passenger at risk. I researched and found that there was a recall with 2016-2018 Subaru Forester SUV's with heated seats. Recall WUM-98. However, when I called Subaru they said that there were no open recalls on my car.

Twice in the last 4 months, after turning into a parking place and accelerating gently to pull forward into the space, the car surged forward much more than it should have given my light acceleration. The first time this happened I slammed into a split rail fence which broke, damaging the vehicle. The fence parts went over a restraining wall and damaged a house. I was able to stop the car but it came very close to going over the 6 foot restraining wall, which might very well have killed me. It happened again today in a different location but similar circumstance and no damage was done because I was able to stop before it hit the house. The car surged on its own. I had the damage to the car fixed, but the problem has not been confirmed by a service center. The damage was inspected by my insurance company and repaired by an auto body shop. My insurance rates will be increased because of the incident. There were no warning lights, messages or other symptoms prior to the episodes.

Engine started to race when applying the brake and vehicle was being placed into gear (either forward or reverse the first time it happened and reverse the second time it happened). I could not verify my foot was not on the accelerator the first time, but I was able to verify I was on the brake and only the brake to second time.

Starlink screen has failed - the screen will either only show the initial agreement screen and freeze or it will freeze with the back up camera activated. I can’t access Bluetooth capabilities, camera function, etc

We took the car in for servicing because the SRS light went off. Upon inspection, the Subaru service department found that the SRS sensor was faulty and needed to be replaced. They said if not replaced, there is a chance the airbag would not go off in the event of an accident. The part is backordered until January, but Subaru won't ok a rental or car loan until the part arrives. Their solution is to inform us that there is nothing they can do until the part arrives, and released our vehicle with instructions to not have anyone in the passenger seat until then. This cannot be a safe and appropriate course of action.

I purchased the car CPO June 2021 Battery replaced December 2022 Battery replaced January 2023 Between these replacements, car was consistently dying/would not start, required frequent jumps. Left me stranded numerous times. Each time the car was serviced (at different dealer locations), no mention was made of known issues with batteries being drained. This issue was known by Subaru, as evidenced by class action suits filed and won. At this time, the car engine is dead and will not respond to a jump. This has cost me thousands in car rentals/ride shares.

While driving steering wheel freezes and driver is not able to control steering.Engine quits .

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Lower control arm bushings are worn out. How was your safety or the safety of others put at risk? The vehicle starts to wobble and vibrate violently when driving above 70 mph, creating potential safety hazard at such a velocity. Has the problem been reproduced or confirmed by a dealer or independent service center? Yes, the problem is confirmed by the technician at the Subaru dealership. Has the vehicle or component been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others? Inspected by the technician at the dealership. Were there any warning lamps, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to the failure, and when did they first appear? They first started to appear a week prior to repair when driving on the highway.

I have had multiple instances where I am unable to remove the key from the ignition switch when the vehicle is in Park. Subaru's technical bulletin 16-112-18R states this is caused by contamination of the Park-Range switch internal components. I'm concerned I will be unable to remove the key and will have to leave the vehicle unlocked with the key in the ignition. I am also concerned I'll be stranded somewhere the next time this happens. I found information online that states Subaru dealers are charging $500 to $800 to repair this issue, which should be a recall or extended warranty situation and not a cost to the vehicle owner.