2017 Subaru Forester problems and recalls

Owners have filed 590 complaints on the 2017 Subaru Forester, and NHTSA has issued 1 recall. The most cited component is the Air Bags (165 complaints).

590
Complaints
1
Recalls
40
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
28
Injuries
65.4
Severity index

Severity index 65.4 Medium. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 65.4p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 59 of 138 by severity index among 2017 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 57% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2017 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

Air BagsAir Bags: 165 complaints (28.0%)165 28%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 106 complaints (18.0%)106 18%Visibility/WiperVisibility/Wiper: 104 complaints (17.6%)104 18%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 97 complaints (16.4%)97 16%EngineEngine: 47 complaints (8.0%)47 8%Power TrainPower Train: 46 complaints (7.8%)46 8%SeatsSeats: 33 complaints (5.6%)33 6%Vehicle Speed ControlVehicle Speed Control: 33 complaints (5.6%)33 6%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
AIR BAGS16528.0%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM10618.0%
VISIBILITY/WIPER10417.6%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER9716.4%
ENGINE478.0%
POWER TRAIN467.8%
SEATS335.6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL335.6%

Complaints filed per year

0651302016: 72017: 222018: 432019: 1282020: 962021: 872022: 542023: 452024: 322025: 412026: 35 (partial year)1617181912820212223242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20167
201722
201843
2019128
202096
202187
202254
202345
202432
202541
2026 (year to date)35
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 0.5x those in 2020 to 2022 (118 against 237).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
19V70100003/10/2019AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATIONSubaru 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.

Other Subaru Forester model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 15 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-10-21. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.