2018 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

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.

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.

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

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.