2018 Subaru Forester complaints

When there is a passenger in my Subaru Forrester, the Occupant Detection System deactivates the passenger airbag. When I researched the issue, I noticed there is a recall for Foresters but my specific vehicle doesn't fall into the recall. When reviewing Product Campaign Bulletin on the NHTSA website, the Harness Label Inspection Procedure states to inspect the label and if its has supplier code 6578 AND the date code before 18074, the harness must be replaced. My Forester has both the supplier code and the date code before 18074 but my vehicle doesn't have a recall associated with it so the Subaru service center won't replace it. I'm currently driving with a deactivated airbag and that can't possibly be safe. Please NHTSA, widen the recall!

I was making a 90 degree left turn, at a very slow rate of speed, onto a tarred parking bay located in front of a hedge approximately 4 feet high. (This is a parking spot I was very familiar with, and moving extremely carefully which is necessary, because the small cat colony I was there to feed were milling around on the parking bay as they always do.) When I depressed my brake to bring the car to a complete stop, my vehicle surged forward through the hedge and landed up against a wall on the other side of the hedge. The movement was wholly unexpected, and directly contradictory to my braking to bring the vehicle to a stop. It felt as if I, the driver, was not actually in control of the vehicle for those few seconds. After the tow truck pulled it back onto the parking bay, although my Subaru was still mechanically drive-able, I had the vehicle towed to the closest Subaru dealer as it would have been irresponsible for anyone to drive the vehicle given the unexplained spontaneous acceleration issue that had just occurred. I immediately reported the accident to AAA Insurance and made the Claims Representative at the time, and subsequently the Insurance Adjuster, aware of the safety issue experienced. • The mechanical root cause is unknown • Immediately following the body shop repairs I sold the vehicle back to Subaru and made them aware of the safety issue. • I could have been injured. Fortunately, I was alone, and although in shock for several days, not physically hurt. • When

The SRS passenger warning light comes on intermittently. Sometimes with a passenger the indication is the air bag is "ON" and everything seems to be fine. Sometimes with a passenger we get the message that the "SRS SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE CHECKED". And sometimes we get that message even without a passenger. This started at around 80K miles.

We are on our 4th windshield with this vehicle and just got a crack overnight on it, nothing that we could tell hit it. 1 other time this has happened where it randomly cracked. The first two were rock strikes but nothing out of the ordinary, I've had much harder hits to my 2011 WRX with no issue, not even a chip. A smaller than golf ball sized rock hit the passenger side of the windshield the 2nd break and glass CAME INTO THE VEHICLE ALL OVER THE DASH. Glass repair place said they see Subarus with the eyeSight the most of any vehicle type.

I'm unsure why this 2018 Forester wasn't one of the many manufactured that year recalled for an intermittent passenger seat air bag sensor malfunction since the focus of that recall remains the problem with this particular Forester: it has heated seats and displays an intermittent on/off passenger seat air bag light while a passenger is seated in that seat. The malfunction has been occurring for the past several years, however, our attempts to document and diagnose it have occurred much more recently. We took it to a dealership on 5/9/23; despite keeping it overnight and making numerous attempts to duplicate the problem (at a cost to us of $142) they were unable to do so. However, on 6/27/23, as I drove my wife a distance of approximately 150 miles and she sat in the front passenger seat, the airbag light displayed “off” almost the entire trip. Also, she and our son traveled about 400 miles between 16-19 June; he drove, she sat “front right”. During that trip the sensor light showed intermittently on and off and my wife was able to take time and date stamped photos of the sensor light from her point of view in the passenger seat; both when it was on and when it was off. I reported "all of the above" to the dealership and received a reply referring me to the "apparent" minimum weight limit needed for a passenger to trigger the sensor (100 lbs; I've seen 75), together with the explanation that "electronics" could interfere with operation of that sensor. Although my wife at time

AC compressor went out at 110k miles. This is a common issue with Subaru compressors.

Control arms failed within 55,000 miles, shaking and dangerous conditions for a vehicle less than 5 years of age. Leaking air condition and numerous electrical issues started ironically just after the standard 35,000 bumper to bumper warranty extended. Now my car smells like coolant and worried it’s going to overheat. All my tire sensor pressure gages burn out before 50,00 0 miles and needed replacing. Violent shaking of suspension at highway speeds and not one safety alarm goes off.

Airbag light has come on stating that they will not deploy. Upon looking my vehicle (2018) has the passenger side airbag product with supplier code 6578 and date code 17346 meeting the NG status per bulletin released by NHTSA in October of 2019. I purchased my vehicle 1/2021 from a certified Subaru dealer who did not fix this product despite being notified of the faulty part in December of 2019. However, my VIN does not flag the recall (recall WUM-98, recall number 19V70100). Currently my airbags are not working. It has periodically happened in the past but then would fix itself and the light would go off. Now it has maintained staying on.

We purchased 2018 Subaru Forester. Paid top dollar. When we got home we noticed rust and paint bubbles across the windshield. Subaru says they won't do anything car is 5 yrs old. collision shop wants $1700 to repair. Says it is more than stone chips as rest of car body is in perfect condition. It will become safety issue and compromise safety of windshield. They cannot guarantee the work. We went back to used car dealer where we purchased it, they say just touch it up, would not do anything. It is much more tha a touch up. On line many 2018 Subaru owners are complaning of same issue.

We just received the recall replacement on the car seat base, but our child is now practically grown out of it, rendering it now useless for the time we've lost in waiting for a replacement for the recall... My wife and I are not sure what to do here, but we've not really been able to use this car seat when we needed it most, and now that we have the corrected seat base, it's long past when it makes sense to have it. Is there a way to get a refund in some way for this?

Front end collision with car making an illegal left in front of our Subaru. Our car hood, bumper, head lights, grill and parts of the engine were smashed, with liquid draining out of the engine. My husband (wearing a seatbelt) hit his knee and shoulder on impact. Airbags failed - Not a single airbag deployed. A police officer helped him move car parts out of the street. Safety was at risk because my husband hit the dash. Car is at an independent service center now. We need to know how to get it inspected. There were no warning lights on dash prior to impact.

My 2018 Subaru Forester should be included in a recall and subaru is denying that this recall exists. My SRS air bag light is on. The dealership wants to charge $1216.73 to replace the passenger side seat occupant detection sensor mat Information from https://www.nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2018/SUBARU/FORESTER/SUV/AWD#recalls October 3, 2019 NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V701000 Occupant Detection System May Deactivate Airbag 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. NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000 Manufacturer Subaru of America, Inc. Components AIR BAGS Potential Number of Units Affected 366,282 Summary 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. 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.

While reversing out from a drive way and turning to get into the lane the cars velocity massively increased from no throttle coasting to approximately 20 mph. Panic braking and enough space due to it being a cul-de-sac saved us, but we were launched forward in our seats and slammed back during breaking. we were very fortunate not to have anyone or anything behind us as we nearly went over a curb and into a lawn. A very scary experience that has cast doubt onto this vehicles driving suitability.

Doors are rusting in areas where seam sealer was improperly applied. Water collects in these areas and rust is evident and perforating the metal, separating the inner and outer shell of the door. Dealership took the vehicle in for warranty and stated Subaru would not cover the defect until the rust had entirely perforated its way through the metal, leaving a hole.

Went out in the morning to get in my car and noticed the windshield was a crack that starts close to bottom of windshield on passengers side and goes up and across about half of the windshield. I have not noticed anything else wrong with the windshield. It literally cracked while sitting in the driveway. There were no rock pecks or anything that I had observed prior to this happening.

1. Lower control arm failed, February 2022. Part is not available for inspection, repair shop disposed of it. 2. The car vibrated at highway speed, steering was compromised as steering wheel was shaking. 3. Yes, shop confirmed part had failed. 4. No manufacturer representatives have inspected the part or vehicle. 5. No car built-in diagnostic measures were triggered, no indication of a failed component. 6. Car is starting to show similar behavior now, roughly one year later, vibration at highway speeds, especially when turning and on road curves.

NHTSA 19V-701 is for Subaru Forester's concerning the passenger airbag being off while the passenger seat is occupied. The recall stops with Forrester's built after August 2017. My Forrester has this problem but was built in October of 2017 so Subaru says it is not covered! That's ridiculous. The exact recall problem not being honored because of some Subaru created arbitrary date? Subaru should repair this for me. I reported it to them and they never followed up as they indicated they would. Since I'm driving the "safest car in America" according to Subaru, my passenger airbag should work while someone is riding in the passenger seat!

My srs airbag system has just started going on and off. What I read is there is recall for this. 2018 with heated seats caused by faulty wiring. Yet when I put in my vin shows no recalls. Filed complaint with Subaru they stated basically go get it fixed and will notify you if there is a recall.

Purchased NEW , after 5 years battery died ..OK time for a replacement, Les Schwab installed a New Higher Capacity battery. 3 weeks later dead Battery, had it jumbled, Les Schwab replaced new battery. 4-5 weeks later DEAD battery. Made appointment with Dealership (Lithia Subaru) 3-17-2023 in Reno Nv. A hour + away. I waited a few hours for their service department to check out the charging/battery issues. Came back said NOTHING WRONG, need to drive it more ! Drove it a couple days ago , this morning DEAD Battery AGAIN ! I’m almost 70 / Disabled and live in a very Rural mountainous area and need a dependable vehicle… especially in the SNOW. HELP Please!

Since purchase in 2019, Subaru indicates that front passenger seat air bag will not turn on unless passenger is 65 lbs or more. My passenger seat air bag registers "on" if I place any item such as 1 gallon Milk (full bottle from store) in the passenger seat and furthermore, the Warning chime for passenger seat belt (not buckled) will sound continuously until I buckle the seat belt? Our local Subaru dealer will not look at issue unless we are willing to pay $100-$200 for diagnostic test? And then warns us we will have to pay labor and parts costs if sensor is found defective.

The Condenser for the A/C went at 70,700 miles. This is a known problem with 2017-2018 Foresters.

This is the third time my car has completely drained my battery. I have replaced the battery twice since I purchased it in 2018. I drove it less than 24 hrs ago and it’s completely dead off a 8 month old battery. Nothing was left on any of the times it has died.

2018 Forester: front windshield. Second crack in windshield in 14 months. First crack: A minor rock strike caused small crack in windshield, within several days, spider web of cracks evolved from initial small impact. Windshield was examined and replaced at Subaru dealership: cost: $1674.00. (02/25/22). (including eye sight system as needed) Second strike: 03/31/2023: Same scenario, small impact on highway, crack is now 17" across middle of windshield.

When the vehicle is driven 60 MPH or greater, the front end/steering starts to vibrate and rattle.

The contact's mother owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the front passenger's side seat belt warning light failed to illuminate and alert the passenger to fasten the seat belt. The air bag warning light was illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed that the front passenger's side seat and sensor needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and confirmed that a credit towards the repair would be provided. The failure mileage was approximately 23,000.

Battery has drained drastically twice to the point of the car dying while just waiting for some takeout

Steering wheel locking intermittently, without warning. white car symbol appears between lanes, followed by green car symbol as the wheel locks. Took the car to Liberty Subaru, my dealer, Emerson, NJ. First two times garage unable to replicate the problem, no repairs done. Third time this happened to me, the car started rocking from side to side on the road as the wheel remained locked, terrifying. I called the dealer, they told me to turn off the safety system (lane assist) which I did. Back to the same garage, same outcome. Could not replicate the problem. 4th time this happened to me, I had not reset the lane assist and the same warning symbols appeared as the wheel locked. Back to garage, told me they were not going to give me a loaner car as they cannot replicate the problem. Reported to Subaru of America, no response to first email. Second email acknowledged receipt and gave me a case number: Case# 230306-0200125. Car remains at Liberty Subaru, it is dangerous to drive. I will end up in an accident as I cannot control the car when the wheel is locked, and I will endanger others on the road at the same time. Dates are approx, occurred 4 different days over two weeks approx. Speed ranged from 41 miles per hour to 60 miles per hour when it occurred,

I was traveling on the highway when I heard a clunk and noticed that my hood had released and was bouncing against the hood safety release. I had not touched the hood release lever, and the hood was fully closed prior to coming unlatched. I have not had any prior accidents or work performed on the vehicle that might have affected the release mechanism. Had the safety release not caught the hood when it was unlatched, the hood would have blown open and obstructed my visibility, potentially causing an accident. This has happened twice before, but initially I assumed I must have hit the release inadvertently. I am certain that I was not touching the release lever this time. I will be having the mechanism inspected at my next service.

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that she was unable to start the vehicle. The contact stated that the power steering warning light was illuminated. The contact stated that after 5 minutes she was able to start the vehicle and to drive to her destination. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 77,978.

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that after shifting to drive, the steering wheel suddenly became very difficult the turn in either direction. The contact stated that the power steering fault message was displayed. After turning off and restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. A service appointment was scheduled with the local dealer. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 51,000.

Windshield crack developed in July of 2022 on the passenger side of the vehicle. The small crack grew large within a day, covering half the windshield. This crack developed out of nowhere - no items had hit the windshield. In January of 2023, less than a year later, a crack developed again in the exact same location. The crack again spread across half the windshield.

My car is a 2018 with only 28100 miles on it. I have now had to replace the battery three times. Subaru tells me I need to drive it every two days in order to keep it from discharging the battery. This is unacceptable. Clearly there is a parasitic drain. My issue is very common, and affects many late model subarus. I have already been stranded several times by this issue.

I was the first car stopped at a red light of an intersection coming off the freeway, in far right lane. When the light turned green, as I released my foot off the brake and not even stepping on the gas the RPM surged with full force accelerating without my foot on the gas. I stepped on the brake but it would not engage - it locked. The steering wheel locked and only had minimal movement, as much movement as you would get in a parked position. There was no way to stop the car. Given the lane position and obstructions ahead (freeway on ramp), the car ran over a median and scraped along side the curb and on top to damage the front passenger wheel enough for it to pop. Only when the wheel broke did the car’s brake re-engage and I was able to put it into park. The vehicle has not yet been inspected and is available in my driveway for inspection. There was no warning or indicators leading up to this. In fact, the vehicle had just been inspected for an oil change at the dealership three weeks prior. This accident would have caused a fatality, mine, if not many others if there had been cars ahead of me or cars had been in the intersection or if the wheel did not break in time before merging with the freeway traffic. I am fearful to drive this car again. There were absolutely NO indicators leading up to this or right before it happened. The car simply took over and there was no control of it.

Rear wheel bearings are needing to be replaced at 65,000 miles, car is less than 5 years old. No specific incident is connected to this premature failure.

Needed to replace a wheel bearing and a front control arm bearing at 18k miles. Have seen multiple reports of the control arm bearings going bad prematurely on these vehicles and it seems this could be a serious safety concern. There should probably be a recall for the front control arms on this year/make/model.

We keep replacing batteries and they keep failing. We wonder if this is related to the class action lawsuit concerning the CAN bus system.

My 2018 Subaru Forester front low control arms and wheel bearing were damaged after about 24000 miles of driving in 5 years. I got it second hand in 2020 and it had only about 14000 miles. I had them replaced due to safety concern.

In June 2022 I purchased a 2018 Subaru Forester Turbo Touring at Carmax. Soon after purchase the car hesitated a few times when I was turning. I was turning in front of oncoming traffic and it scared the ___ out of me. So I returned the car to CarMax and bought a similar replacement which is the VIN reported to you in this report. After a couple of months, this car is now doing the same thing , generally when turning but sometimes when merging into traffic. I press the gas, the car moves a bit, then it just dies - there's nothing there, simply no response. It does not turn off, it is just powerless. Then a few seconds later it gets gas and we squeal to safety. However I am just dead in the water, usually in front of oncoming traffic, until it decides to move. Pumping the gas does not help. I took the first Subaru to CarMax for a check up but they found nothing wrong so I just returned it. I am taking the second one in in January. Because the problem is intermittent, it is hard to diagnose but there's definitely a terrifying problem. I thought I was going to die when I had that first one and now this one is developing the same problem. There are a few posts on Google about the same problem. Is there a recall? Have others reported the same problem? I would appreciate any feedback you might be able to provide.

New battery that is only 14 months since installation (at subaru dealer) and 5,000 miles on the car is flat. I did not use my car for about 1 1/2 weeks in the garage and it is totally flat. This is not normal and my friend with an outback has similar problems so I think my issue is not unique.

The airbag SHOULD automatically turn on and off when someone is in the passenger seat. Most of the time when there is a passenger in the seat the airbag won't turn on, so we're driving around with no airbag in the passengers seat This sounds like the issue with NHTSA 19V701 but we are not covered in that vin range. This vehicle was also equipped with heated seats.

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the front passenger’s side seat was extremely hot. Additionally, air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact also stated that the taillights were inoperable. While his wife was driving at an undetermined speed, the vehicle inadvertently lost power steering functionality. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where the taillight bulbs were replaced; however, the failure persisted. The manufacturer was not contacted. The approximate failure mileage was 90,400.

The passenger sensor light is on and Subaru says I need to replace the seat. There was a recall for certain vehicles but my Vin was not part of the recall - however, if the issue persists why isn't the recall expanded? Do we really want drivers like me to have to replace seats because Subaru is not living up to the standards - due to their faulty wiring? Please expand the recall.

The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who reset the fault light; however, the failure persisted. The contact was aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer confirmed that the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000.

My dashboard for the past several months has intermittently indicated that there is an issue with my front passenger airbag. I just discovered there was a recall for this issue for cars manufactured with heated seats the same year as my vehicle but my vehicle is not part of the recall. This recall may need to be expanded.

Unanticipated Windshield Crack: While attempting to replace the right wiper blade, I lost handling it, with the old blade still in place. No obvious damage was noticed at the time. I took the car to the local Subaru dealership to successfully replace the wiper blades. Returning home I noticed the beginning of the crack. In disgust, I didn’t return to that shop, but waited until the next oil change to have the original dealership examine. No responsibility was assessed but an estimate of $1,333 was offered for replacement and recalibration of EyeSight. I don’t have windshield replacement coverage. I’m looking for other replacement options. The damaged windshield is available for professional inspection at this time.

Just had my battery replaced and it’s already dead.

I have had a airbag light on for the passenger side of the car for a long time. Subaru said it is from water damage. I do not recall water damage - I didn't drive through a flood. I understand there is a recall on 2015-2018 Subaru Foresters with and has heated seats but even though my car falls within those parameters my VIN shows up as not being recalled. Something seems fishy!

Air bag sensor in passenger seat doesn't recognize when someone is in it therefore keeping it from activating in the event of an accident. There was a recall (Subaru # WUM98R, NHTSA campaign # 19V701) for that problem for 2015-2018 model years which mine is and with heated seats which it also has. Subaru told me there is no open recall based on the VIN and won't repair without being paid for. There are many reports of the exact same thing across both the internet and NHTSA's own site. It's quite obvious there is a problem with more vehicles than being admitted to by Subaru. The repair for a potential death causing issue shouldn't be the burden of the consumer.

We have discovered that our 2019 Forester has a parasitic battery drain of almost 1 amp when the car is off and the hatchback is open. This resulted in full battery drain several times until we did several tests to determine the root cause of the problem (Subaru was of no help). This led to replacement of the OEM battery at about 52,000 miles.

Car battery died within 4 months of purchasing, had to purchase a replacement