2017 Subaru Forester

Typical pattern

7% of complaints about the 2017 Subaru Forester came in the first year, which is unremarkable for a 2017 vehicle — around the middle of the 203 model-years on record. The median complaint arrives at 3.9 yr in service. The most-reported system is air bags (197 complaints), typically at 3.1 yr or about 26,000 miles.

Complaints: 800
Median age at failure: 3.9 yr
Median mileage: 30,000 n=441
Crash / fire / tow: 9.8% of reports
Safety recalls: 1

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

System

0y2y4y6y8y10y12y14y

Air bags

197 reports · 26,000 mi

3.1 yr

7.1%

Electrical system

105 reports · 38,000 mi

4.6 yr

2.9%

Visibility / wipers

104 reports · 31,000 mi

3.3 yr

Other

96 reports · 30,000 mi

3.8 yr

7.3%

Engine

47 reports · 17,650 mi

3.8 yr

8.5%

Power train

44 reports · 33,400 mi

3.8 yr

9.1%

Seats

33 reports · 28,000 mi

5.8 yr

Speed control

33 reports · 29,000 mi

3.1 yr

57.6%

Steering

25 reports · 23,825 mi

4.7 yr

Structure

16 reports · 20,000 mi

5.5 yr

31.2%

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

19V701000 2019-10-03

Air bags:sensor:occupant classification

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.

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.

In owners’ own words

Other 1,400 mi 0 mo in service

DRIVER SIDE VENTS ARE BLOWING WARM AIR WHEN AIR CONDITIONER IS TURNED ON. ONLY 1400 MILES ON SINCE I BOUGHT A BRAND NEW LAST MONTH 8/6/16.

Other mileage not reported 1 mo in service

CVT TRANSMISSION FLUID WAS NOT FILLED WITH THE SPECIFIC AMOUNT FROM THE FACTORY. THIS IS THE SECOND ISSUE WITH THIS BRAND NEW CAR. FIRST THEY DIDN'T FILL ENOUGH FREON FOR AC SO IT STARTED BLOWING OFF HOT AIR AT 1400MILES A MONTH AFTER I BOUGHT. AND AT TWO MONTHS NOT ENOUGH TRANSMISSION FLUID. I'M WORRIED WHAT ELSE THEY DID NOT PUT ENOUGH OR IS THEI QUALITY CHECKING GOOD ENOUGH TO PUT THE CARS LIKE MINE ON THE MARKET

Other mileage not reported 0 mo in service

SINCE PURCHASE THE" RADIO/COMPUTER" HANDS-FREE PHONE COMMUNICATION SYSTEM HAS NOT WORKED. HANDS-FREE PHONE COMMUNICATION IS NOT POSSIBLE. YOU CAN CALL FROM THE CAR BUT THE PERSON ON THE OTHER END CANNOT HEAR WHAT IS SAID. IT WAS CHECKED AND IT IS NOT THE MICROPHONE THAT IS THE PROBLEM. THE ENTIRE SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. REPLACEMENT SYSTEM IS NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FROM THE MANUFACTURER.

Electrical system 1,200 mi 1 mo in service

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2017 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE CONTROL MODULE SCREEN REFLECTED LIGHT ONTO HER FACE WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT'S VISION WAS IMPAIRED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 1,200.

Other Forester model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.