2015 Subaru Forester — Known Issues & Recalls

Getting an SRS Airbag system needs to be checked. Took the 2015 Subaru Forester to Williams Subaru in Lansing MI and they stated the code B1760 for the occupant detection system Mat was determined. The seat has not been wet and nothing spilled on it and was also determined dry by the repair specialist at time of service. They were able to reset sensor and did a test drive. Less than a week later when a passenger was in seat the warning SRS Airbag needs to be checked is back on. They stated if this happens then part cost will be approx $1000 not including service/repair (approx total $1700) They also state this part is on backorder. I have Concern for previous recall completed in 2019 for the passenger seat sensor matt harness. Is this a continuation of a problem that should be recalled with the sensor harness. Service states passenger front cushion frame and assembly needs replaced.

My passenger and rear airbags are not working due to a failure in this part: CUSHION AY OCPANTRH 64139SG002. I have been waiting for the part for around 10 months. My safety is put at risk as my airbags are not working and Subaru has not provided a solution while we are waiting for this part. I have asked for a rental car and they refused. It has been confirmed by multiple dealerships. The vehicle has been inspected by two licensed Subaru dealerships. There is a warning light on my dash and there has been since it failed.

I am reporting a recurring safety defect in my 2015 Subaru Forester (VIN: [XXX] ) that directly relates to Recall WUM-98 / NHTSA Recall 19V-701 (Occupant Detection System wiring harness). Original Recall (2019–2020): The Occupant Detection System (ODS) failed, disabling the passenger airbag. Subaru performed the recall remedy at that time. Reoccurrence (August 2025): The exact same defect reappeared. The SRS airbag warning illuminated and the passenger airbag was disabled while my wife was seated in the passenger seat. Subaru of Lancaster County (PA) initially reported no error, but when I retrieved the car, the warning illuminated immediately. Repair: On August 28, 2025, the dealer replaced the ODS wiring harness at my expense ($440.73). Since then, the issue has not reappeared. Concern: This is the same safety defect already subject to Recall WUM-98. I believe the original recall remedy failed to permanently correct the defect, leaving owners vulnerable to reoccurrence and forcing them to pay out-of-pocket for a known recall-related safety failure. I request NHTSA’s review to determine whether Subaru’s recall remedy is adequate and to ensure owners are not unfairly charged for repeat repairs of the same defect. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

SRS air bag system needs to be checked Alert on

I own a 2015 Subaru Forester that was involved in the NHTSA recall ID 19V-701 - Subaru safety recall WUM-98 in 2020. My VIN is [XXX] and my dealer is Lancaster County Subaru in Lancaster, PA. For about four months in the end of 2019 until February of 2020 we were unable to use the passenger seat due to the air bag problem which was intermittent. This required either my wife or I to ride in the back. We could correct this error on a restart by moving the yellow ODS wire harness under the seat and restarting the car. But our dealer and Subaru of America could not assure us that the air bag would deploy properly if we were in an accident because the system only does a system check when first starting the car, not while driving. Two weeks ago, about [XXX] my airbag issue has returned, again it's intermittent. I opened a case with Subaru of America, Case # [XXX] and they say there is no further recall for this issue. This is the same issue that was resolved by the NHTSA recall ID 19V-70. When it faults an orange SRS image appears on the screen then it shows an orange "i" on the top part of the center screen along with an orange image of the airbag error in the tachometer area and shows the airbag system is off. Once we aren't using the front passenger seat because of the safety concern about air bag not deploying properly if we were in an accident, because the system only does a system check when first starting the car, not while driving. Thank you INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

SRS airbag system not registering that there is a passenger in the passenger seat and therefore the airbag is not turning on.

PASSENGER AIR BAG WARNING LIGHT GOES ON AND OFF EVEN IF THERE IS NO ONE SITTING IN THE SEAT

My vehicle has a capacitive sensor in the passenger seat that determines if someone is sitting in the seat and turns the airbag on or off accordingly. Starting towards the beginning of March, my vehicle stopped detecting if someone was sitting in that seat and permanently disabled the airbags. I took the vehicle in to a Subaru dealer to get this fixed, as I view airbags as necessary to the safety of passengers in the vehicle. As it turns out, there was a previous recall for a part in this airbag system related to a wire harness. However, the dealer replaced this wire harness (at their expense) and it did not re-enable use of the passenger airbags. The dealer believes that the root cause of the issue is with the capacitive seat sensor. Not only was there an extended lead time on replacing this part (originally up to 1-year but luckily came in after a couple of months) but they would not pay for the cost of this part. Since there is no way for me to bypass this sensor to re-enable the airbags on my own, I believe that this part should be covered by Subaru. Furthermore, I don't understand how this part wasn't covered under a recall, either past or future, if it permanently disables a safety system. I was able to find a workaround online that involves installing a capacitor that makes the airbag system think someone is always present but Subaru would not perform this. This would mean that the airbag would go off even if someone is not sitting in the seat, but that seems like a small price to pay for potentially saving someone's life in the case of a potential accident. My case number with Subaru's Customer Advocacy group is Case # 250528-1300198 for any follow-up with them.

Your car has stalled twice on the highway with no warning—once shutting down completely and once losing power while accelerating. Both times it happened when the fuel gauge showed 2 bars remaining, and the car restarted after waiting or a few minutes. The dealer couldn't identify the cause because they couldn't reproduce the problem.

On 3 different occasions the car randomly accelerated at a high speed without stepping on the gas pedal. The first time was in a parking lot. The second time was on a busy road while traveling at 35 mph. The car accelerated to about 60 mph, fortunately once applying the brakes the vehicle slowed down to gain control. The third time it happened was recently on [XXX] while slowly backing down [XXX]. The car accelerated backwards at a very high speed narrowly missing a fence in the neighbors yard. These incidents have happened with large time frame gaps in between the occurrences. After the third incident I took the car to a dealer Planet Subaru in Hanover MA. After keeping the car for a few days, the dealer called and said that they could not find anything wrong with the car and there was nothing that they could do for me. This issue is obviously very serious, if the car surges forward randomly while someone is crossing in a crosswalk it could be potentially fatal. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

I bought a used 2015 subaru forester with 117,000 miles from an auto shop/used car dealer in March of 2024. In September of 2025, 11,000 miles of driving later, a bunch of lights came on my dash. Check engine, traction control, ABS, at oil temp, and incline assist. I took it to Autozone to get the codes read and the part it suggested was the transmission oil pressure sensor. I then took it to a trusted mechanic who said they weren’t able to get the lights to turn back on and told me to come back when the lights reappeared. In December of 2025, the lights came on and they were on long enough to take it back to the mechanic. The mechanic told me that it looked to be the transmission valve body and recommended a local transmission shop. I took it there and the mechanic told me there was a speed sensor that was failing and the transmission and valve body would need to be replaced. He said that they don’t sell the speed sensor anywhere and it is impossible to obtain. I got quoted 9,100 to fix my car (I originally paid around 8,500 for it). I was told it would not be worth my time or money to fix the transmission. The transmission guy told me that Subaru cvt transmissions are horrendous and to take this is a lesson to never buy a Subaru. I heeded to this advice and traded her in for $2000 towards a 2010 rav4. Additional info: It had a rebuilt title and had been in an accident before I got it. Lived its entire life between kentucky and tennessee. I replaced the engine oil and filter every 4,000-6,000 miles. Tire treads were very mismatched for the time I had it (almost two years) which I was told by a subaru dealership can damage the transmission. Back tires had significantly lower tread than front. I had front left lower control arm, rear spring coils, brake switch lamp, and one of the battery terminals replaced during the time I had it. My TPMS light was always on. My front right headlight went out frequently. My brake light assembly also broke and wasn’t worth fixing

REPORT OF FAILED RECALL REMEDY (RECALL 19V-149 / WUE-90) My 2015 Subaru Forester experienced a total recurrence of the defect addressed in 2019. The vehicle became trapped in 'Park' intermittently on several occasions before remaining immobilized. During one incident, the manual shift-lock override failed to function. While the brake lights functioned during these incidents, the failure to shift is a documented symptom of a failing brake light switch. I had the switch replaced by a technician who initially suggested a full shifter assembly replacement. However, replacing ONLY the brake light switch immediately and permanently resolved the issue. This confirms the recall-related part was the point of failure. Subaru of America was notified but declined to acknowledge this as a failure of the safety remedy. I am also reporting intermittent 'ghost' activations of the right turn signal stalk.

Passenger airbag sensor intermittently works and turns off when passenger is in the seat. Dashboard light for airbag is constantly on and passenger airbag is constantly off. Issues with seat sensor going off when no one is sitting in the passenger seat. Abs system error message. All identical to recall symptoms.

Airbag light intermittently turns on to indicate that airbag may not deploy even if there is someone in the passenger seat. This is a known safety issue with a recall in 2019 but for some reason is affecting a much larger set of vehicles than in the recall, including mine.

The ignition key kept getting stuck in the ignition. Subaru acknowledged a defect in the shifter plate and parking range switch. They replaced it on 8/30/25 under service bulletin 16-12-18R but the dealer charged me $584.94 and Subaru North America refused to reimburse, stating that they had extended the warranty period to 2022, and therefore I was not covered for repair. However, they acknowledged that the original parts had failed for certain customers and that they had better parts available IF the original parts failed before the extended warranty period lapsed in 2022. They should have issued a recall and replaced the original parts. I was unable to remove the keys and could not secure and lock my car. I was also concerned that the steering wheel would lock up while driving.

The rear door hinges do not open fully and it is easy to hit your head. I hit my head unloading groceries, and my boyfriend did as well. It is dangerous.

Sounds like the differential in the transmission is making a horrendous noise

The wheel hub bolt stud and nut freeze/lock up. They break apart when the technician attempts to remove to perform tire rotation. It is a common problem with the Subaru Forester. I have had to replace 2, so far. Dealer charges $200+ for replacing it. Subaru has not stepped up to take responsibility for the defect.

Often when I attempt to accelerate after stopping at a stop sign, the car hesitates, sometimes lunges ahead and then sometimes practically dying before accelerating normally. There have been times when It simply feels like a fuel pump problem and I know that Toyotas with this same Denso fuel pump have had documented problems similar to mine.

Airbag/seatbelt system failure August, 2024. Passenger Occupant Detection System (ODS) failure. Detection system fails to correctly detect passenger in the seat. Sometimes it thinks there is no passenger, when there is one (will fail to deploy airbag in a crash); sometimes it thinks there is a passenger when there is none (requires seat belt to be buckled with no one in the seat). Recall (19V-701 -- ODS harness replacement) repairs were done to this vehicle Feb. 2020. New solution is different than for the 19V-701 recall. For this issue, dealer recommends replacement of seat frame bottom (seat sensor). The seat sensor is failing. Repairs can not be made because replacement seat sensors are NOT AVAILABLE. Backordered. Subaru USA estimates July, 2025 first availability. This means critical safety issue for passengers in this vehicle will exist for nearly a year--even if parts become available in July.