2016 SUBARU FORESTER Complaints

Vehicle reported an SRS Passenger problem intermittently, as displayed on the dashboard, the car's information system, and a diagnostic trouble code (the car's aftermarket radio is connected to the OBD-II connector and can pull codes). The problem would appear, and then disappear upon subsequent startup cycle, over the course of a two-week road trip. In total, the problem occurred three times over the course of 3,750 miles. Our mechanic verified the issue with a scan tool, and determined that this was a fault in the sensor mesh in the seat that failed to reliably detect the presence of someone seated in the passenger seat. To correct this problem, we had to replace the passenger seat of the car (the seat alone cost $1,100; labor was approximately $400). Since the repair, we have not seen the problem recur.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH, there was an abnormally loud sound coming from the rear wheels of the vehicle. No warning light was illuminated. A dealer was contacted. The vehicle was taken to a dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the hub bearing needed to be replaced. The rear driver’s and passenger’s side hub bearings were replaced twice. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 110,000.

Airbag light is now consistently lit, Has come on & off for some time. when it first happened, I went straight to the dealership & a technician placed a device under the dashboard on the driver's side & switched off the light. No mention of a recall was discussed. Because the light is on most of the time of late, I researched & discovered a recall WUM98. On further investigating I discovered that the dealership had logged the recall as COMPLETE this is not the case as the passenger seat was never checked & repairs never done. I have contacted Subaru Corporate Customer Advocacy & their email response was: "I am sorry to hear about your airbag concern for your 2016 Forester. Currently there are no open recalls or warranty extensions for this concern. I would recommend having your local Subaru retailer address your concerns. I will follow up with you on Wednesday, August 19." This is not good enough I need Corporate to contact the dealership to fix this problem at no cost to me. This is a major safety issue! I have tried to call back but get an answering machine

When I drove the car, All most all light on the dashboard are on onthe road, and when I stop and tried to go, the car is somewhat not controled. I immidieatly went to dealership and dignosed P2764 CVT balve problem. And they add wheel bearing is problem. Subaru noticed these problems but my 88,278 mile 2016 forester has all the lights on and it was very scared and it took 4400 dollars for fixing.

2016 Subaru Forester – Replacement of Air-conditioning Condenser – July 2026 A/C was demonstrating signs of failure in early July. While researching for issues with the 2016 A/C failing, it was uncovered that the compressor on the vehicle would be subject to a replacement upon failure (Subaru Service Information Number 10-84-16). The vehicle was equipped with a compressor that reflected a recalled part number, but per Subaru the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN) was not included in the recall, The vehicle was brought in for service on July 2026. It was determined that the compressor was fine, that the issue was with the condenser. The vehicle was left for repair. More research was done on 2016 Subaru Forester Condenser issues. Two issues were found, one spelled out in Subaru Service Bulletin Number 15-222-18, dated 05/10/18, the other was spelled out in Subaru Service Program Bulletin Number WRB-21R, dated 02/17/21, revised on 04/30/21. The old Condenser was requested, there was an intention to review the part number (P/N). There was a concern that since the Compressor did not match the Subaru build report, perhaps the condenser was among the recalled group (WRB-21R). The old condenser was returned. Unfortunately, the label on the original condenser was no longer present. However, it was observed that the condenser on the vehicle was one of the original condensers identified in 15-222-18, identifying the condenser as being reengineered to correct an issue concerning leakage of the refrigerant. That was the issue with the condenser on this vehicle.Subaru was notified of this issue (Case Number 260724-1500361). Subaru reported that they could not act on the issue. The NHTSA is being contacted so to be notified about this issue, to determine if this is an issue that is currently a subject under investigation, or at the very least , to lodge a complaint as to why there was not a recall issued when it was determined that the part was prone to failure,

SRS airbag error warning appears randomly when driving. It turns off passenger side airbags with a passenger in the seat and makes it unsafe to drive. Narrowing it down to the wiring harness seems to be an issue with a loose connection in the airbag seat sensor. Unplugging and re-plugging plus restarting the car seems to fix it at least temporarily. Others have posted about this issue online as well. No liquid has been spilled on the seat (some dealerships have accused others of this and causing the issue themselves).

Problem: Recall for passenger side airbag malfunction in heated seats for my model year. Manufacturer has said they addressed the recall but they have not. My car and thousands of others are unsafe for passengers to ride in because the airbag system does not work. Warning light is the airbag symbol and message that alerts driver that SRS system is not working. Manufacturer and dealers want to charge $200 to look problem over and then tell you its off warranty. My car has 96000 miles and this has been a problem since they “did the recall”. Subaru tells owners that passenger should ride in back seat. How does that work with two car seats. Subaru needs to take responsibility for their engineering design and fix this safety defect. These cars are death traps.

The driver's side air bags, and seatbelt restraint system deployed while the vehicle was stopped without a collision occurring. The doors had not been opened. This occurred February 10, 2026, and the vehicle was taken to the local Subaru dealership for troubleshooting. The local dealership did not find and fault and reported this to Subaru. Subaru sent a technician and reported that a gouge was present in the door jamb and that this caused the fault which reset. There was no object in the door at the time to cause a problem. This seems unlikely to me as a collision fault should have remained active according to professionals I have spoken with. The safety issue paramount to this event is as follows: If the air bags had deployed while the vehicle was in motion on a highway the sudden and unexpected deployment could have an accident. If a deployment occurs and causes a fatal accident or even an accident with severe injuries, the root cause of the event might not have been diagnosed as in the subsequent crash the air bags would be expected to have deployed. Accidents such as this may have been incorrectly diagnosed and an improper cause attributed. I do not know how widespread this issue may be when it comes to other manufacturers. I do know that common technology and designs are used throughout the automotive industry. The gouge specified looks like it could have been made by a seatbelt that got caught in the door. This would have occurred some months prior to the event. Seatbelts do get caught in doors raising concerns that this is a more widespread issue than is publicly known. I say this because the Subaru technician did not spend much time at the local dealership and left without reporting any findings to the dealership I have been told,

My horn stopped working. The shop said it’s the clock spring and it’s about 1k to fix. Ive been researching this issue and it seems this is a major problem for numerous years of vehicle. I’m really upset with Subaru as first I had to deal with the radio not working (dealer said it’s a major issue they have seen numerous times) Subaru did help with the costs of repairs however neither of these issues has been owner caused nor wear and tear as the part to fix the horn can’t be reached.

Passenger Occupant Detection System is malfunctioning. It is not registering a passenger in the seat, and in turn not turning the passenger airbag on when the seat is occupied. This puts any passnger who sit in this seat at risk of the airbag not deploying. This issue has been confirmed by the dealer. There was a recall for the Passenger ODS harness (WUM-98R) that the harness was replaced. Since this has been completed they state the Occupant Detection System is a seperate issue that requires seat base to be replaced in order for the system to register an occupant and have the air bags turn on when occupied.