2016 Subaru Forester Electrical Problems

Your car suddenly surged forward and jumped into a brick wall while you were stopped with your foot on the brake and your garage door opener in hand — you did not press the gas pedal. This unexpected acceleration caused a crash into the wall. The issue may involve an electrical interaction between the brake system and the garage door opener signal, or a problem with the engine control system.

Vehicle self-accelerated abruptly while parked and crashed into another vehicle causing damage to both vehicles

Concerned driver stopped me and said I had no brake lights , only the lights atop the hatch showed breaking. After returning home I checked all settings on light controls and none made lower break lights work when pedal depressed. This could cause someone not watching top of vehicle crash into my vehicle.

Battery drain due to CAN system. Has caused loss of power to functions of car resulting in vehicle dynamic control and airbags to be turned of in the middle of driving causing the ABS to become unusable in the case of an accident putting everyone in the car at risk of injury or death.

The horn does not respond when pressing the button on the steering wheel. The only works if the steering wheel is turned. This is a hazard as the horn is needed to prevent a collision.

Our Subaru Forester is slow to respond on acceleration and then surges quickly. This problem just started to surface. Our concern is when stepping down on the accelerator the car is very slow to react and then surges forward quickly, creating a serious concern over a potential accident.

While driving on highway using cruise control at 70 MPH my car suddenly stalled …. I was able to get to apron of road , but my steering locked and I had no brakes.. I could put car into neutral but had to “jam” it into park , trying to get it to stop rolling .

In March 2020, I took my 2016 Subaru Forester to the dealership to fix the issues associated with the Subaru Safety Recall WUM-98 / NHTSA Recall 19V-701 (unstable electrical connections causing issues with the occupant detection system in determining the correct status of the right front seat occupant, which would prevent the front passenger-side airbag from deploying in the event of a crash).

My 2016 forester will accelerates with no warning .the very first time it happened I cannot remember exact date , I would guess it was around oct. I bought the car may 2015. To the best of my recollection, I was parking space car and as I put the car in park the car lunged forward , barely missed hitting the fence in front of me.

Tl* the contact owned a 2016 subaru forester. The contact stated that the vehicle had been parked for approximately 5 minutes before the neighbor noticed flames coming from under the hood of the vehicle. Moments later, the vehicle was engulfed in flames.

Tl* the contact owns a 2016 subaru forester. While attempting to park the vehicle, it suddenly accelerated without the accelerator pedal being depressed. As a result, the vehicle crashed into a fence and a pole.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving 60 MPH, the vehicle stalled. The contact stated that she was able to safely drive the vehicle to her residence.

I have replaced the battery 3 times since June 2020. The car battery dies after the car has sat for 8-12 days. We have had to get it jumped, towed and called an on call roadside service to replace.

The Controller Area Network ("CAN") did not enter sleep mode when the car was turned off, resulting in a "parasitic battery drain." I replaced 3 batteries over a period of 24 months of ownership, and just paid $1355 to have the manufacturer-installed computer chip replaced to stop the battery drain and properly shut off the vehicle.

Car’s battery/ electrical system seems to drain car battery excessively. Even with a new battery, car battery dies if car isn’t run at least every 2 or 3 days, meaning I can’t rely on car if I take a trip of any length and leave the car behind. There’s a risk of being stranded.

There was a short in the wiring harness, causing the car to loose power and stall.

The battery drains quickly if the engine is not running and the key remains in the ignition even for a short period of time. From what I can tell even if you shut off the car completely, you cannot leave the key in the ignition or something is still drawing power. You must physically remove the key from the ignition.

The oem battery in this vehicle has failed Multiple times (dozens of times), upon sitting for a few days. Nothing in the vehicle was On, it was just sitting. A couple of times it was towed to the dealership in Bozemanwhere I bought it (Gallatin Motors) for diagnosis and repairs (bad/dead battery).

Car suffered 10 unexplained original battery discharges in years 2-3 of ownership. Upon jump start, auto would start and operate normally for 2-5 months before next discharge. Subaru authorized warranty replacement through dealership with new larger powered battery at end of year 3 of ownership.

I've had this car for 1.5 years and it's already stalled twice times. Both times I was driving on the highway and without any warning my car just started to rapidly decrease speed. Both times, I my gas meter said that I had over 50 miles of gas left in my car.

Tl* the contact owns a 2016 subaru forester. While driving 50 MPH, the vehicle stalled and was able to be restarted after some time. The failure recurred on numerous occasions.

Non-turbo model stalls in traffic without warning. First air conditioner shuts off, along with electrical, then engine stalls. Nothing unusual prior to shutting off.

I have a 2016 Subaru Forester and started 3 weeks ago with a problem when I turn it on all the lights on the dashboard turn on and the car won't star. The mechanic has changed the battery and the problem continues. It's happened three times now that it's suddenly shut off while I'm driving.

The rear backup camera failed. No warning lights appeared. This is a safety issue.

The airbag sensor (ODS) malfunctions for front passenger seat. The "airbag off" warning lights up when the seat is occupied. This was fixed by dealer back in 2020 under recall WUM-98/NHTSA ID 19V-701000.

Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy.

Passenger's seat belt sensor is alarming when no one is in the seat. The passenger side airbag warning light is also coming on and off. I took it to the dealer, and they confirmed that the sensor in the seat pad is bad.

Battery constantly fails after a few days of driving. Even after battery has been replaced with new, the problem continues to occur. Car does not start and it needs to be constantly jump started.

Had recall completed for Subaru Forester (WUM-98) where dealer replaced ODS sensor harness in 2020. At the end of 2021 had the SRS light intermittently come on but would then go off for months( front passenger seat). This kept happening intermittently so I brought it to dealership and had it diagnosed in 2023.

The contact owns a 2016 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the battery had drained and was replaced by an independent mechanic. A few months later, the vehicle received an oil change by a dealer.

The backup camera and reverse taillights stopped functioning soon after I bought this vehicle in 2020. I am the 2nd owner and bought it from Peterson Toyota dealership in Boise, ID. There was no particular incident, I just noticed that the backup camera no longer showed an image when putting the car into reverse.

The horn does not work due to failure of the clock spring. This is a common problem among many Subaru vehicles. Without the use of a horn warning noises cannot be made to alert other drivers of potential hazards.

Electrical system drains battery. Had battery replaced at dealer under lawsuit settlement guidelines.

The battery drains constantly. I’ve had it replaced several times but it continues to die even when I jump it repeatedly.

Multiple occasions of vehicle cranking and not starting, or not cranking at all. Had original battery replaced at 35 months, and had new battery tested on 10/06/2022. The manufacturer mandated test showed the new battery was rated as a Fail, not meeting industry standards for this battery type/configuration.

I pulled into a parking space with a friend and as I turned the wheel to pull in and had the foot on the break, as soon as I let up on the brake the car lurched forward. Luckily, I slammed back on the brake since my foot has just come off it. This was very scary as I came close to ramming into the car parked in front of me.

Parasitic drain after car left parked and locked for ~4 days. This has occurred since I purchased the car new in 2016. I have replaced the battery 4 times but it has not helped the issue.

The battery in my car continually dies. It all started about 2 years ago, we replaced the battery, but I have to charge it frequently. The car never dies while I’m driving it, but sometimes I will come to start my car and it won’t start.

The battery drains quickly compared to my husband's car. I had to get a new battery every other year. Subaru has known issues with the CAN system and it hasn't been addressed.

Per Subaru's TSB 16-112-18R, it appears that my 2016 Subaru Forester XT is experiencing a failing Park-Range switch. Starting around July 26, 2021, I started having issues trying to take the key out while in Park. It started as intermittent but slowly has grown to where I having issues almost everyday now.

The battery drains when the car is turned off without anything electrical being on, possibly a parasitic battery. Have taken the car to dealership multiple time and they said the battery itself was fine.

The battery died on several occasions. I had to purchase a portable jump starter to keep in the vehicle for times that the vehicle would not start. I had the battery replaced by the dealer, but the same issue happened again.

Since my driving has cut down drastically since Nov 2019 right before the pandemic, I have been plagued with my battery draining quite quickly. This happens when the car is not driving regularly, sometimes within a week and a half. I have to put the battery on a tender as well.

In spite of careful maintenance and use I have had at least 7 instances where the battery had died. In 4 of those instances I was able to jump start the car and continue using it. In 3 instances I was unable to jump start it, so I had to remove and replace the battery 3 times since owning it new in late 2016.

Unidentified problem in the electrical system is causing the second battery to drain in my subaru forester. The battery was replaced january 02, 2021 after it went dead on the parking lot but I had to jump start the car three times in one month after that. Subaru certified technician can not identify the issue.

The contact owns a 2016 subaru forester.the contact states that his vehicle is not safe to be on the road ,the contact stated that his lights on his vehicle are not properly working. The vehicle has been to 3 different dealers for repair and the problem is still occurring .the contact stated the engine stops on its own without any notification

When turning off the car, the key will not completely turn counterclockwise but will get stuck at about 2/3 of the way towards off (near the "acc" point). Cannot take the key out. The only way to get it to release is to start the engine again.

While the vehicle is stationary, the key gets stuck in the ignition when attempting to turn the car off. The motor shuts down, but the key will not turn completely to the removal location. I often have to turn the vehicle on and then quickly off in order to get the key to remove from the ignition.

Please recall the 2016 subaru forester for failure of the accelerator at high speeds. Our 21-year-old daughter, a nursing student, took her 2016 forester into grayson subaru in knoxville, tn for a recall service on rear coil springs, oil change and tire rotation. Within an hour of leaving the service department she was driving 70 MPH on the interstate when her "low fuel" warning light came on.

The key will not come out of the ignition when the car is stopped and in "park," intermittently. I need to restart the car, readjust the shifter out and then back into "park," until the vehicle senses that I am actually in "park" and allows me to remove the key.

My car was parked in my garage and had not been started for one day. The battery would not start the car, I had to call for a jump. I waited approximately one hour for someone to come through subaru road side assist.

Unable to remove key from ignition after car is turned off. Requires several attempts of jiggling the transmission shifter to finally free the key. Vehicle is off and not moving when this occurs.

Airbag sensor for front passenger seat is defective. Srs warning light remains on most of the time that the car is running. Lights indicate airbag is off even with passenger in seat.

Tl* the contact owns a 2016 subaru forester. The contact stated that a red warning indicator icon flashed intermittently inside the vehicle. The contact drove to subaru of rochester (4840 maine ave se, rochester, minnesota 55904, (507) 285-4777) and was informed that the occupant detection system sensor failed.

Intermittent ignition issue will not always release key when auto is turned off. The position of the steering wheel seems to affect it.does not allow rotation to the release key position.sometimes I have to turn auto back on, back out, and pull in with wheels and steering wheel in perfect straight alignment, which seems to allow me to turn key to release key position.

We've had the car from new lease the battery has died at least 4 times. After the 2nd time, we took it to the dealer to be checked. They said battery and charger were fine.

My vehicle alarm system came on unexpectedly toward the end of a day-long drive, with the engine light, hill assist, eyesight, and other dash warning lights all illuminated. The problem disabled the eyesight system, which is a safety issue in clear weather when a driver expects it to work.

Water is entering the interior of the car from underneath the dashboard near the glove compartment. The carpet is starting to smell of mildew. I am afraid of the reaction with the electrical components and water.

Battery drain issue, 3rd battery in since purchase

Alternator failed about a year old 2017. Next year battery failed.

Battery dead from constantly parasitic drawing in less a week. Brand new Interstate AGM MTX-35 battery. Had to take out the battery nad charged in room because living in an old apartment building which does not have outlet to connect the charger.

The brake light bulbs keep burning out. As much as 1 per year the last four years.

Was Backing up and car started excelling and the throttle stuck hitting 2 cars It was out of control I got it in drive and it took off forward running full throttle up over the pavers around a tree and ran up on the side of a BMW which was sitting on the side of The hostess paved driveway coming down the side of the car My car was on 2 wheels .

Car will kill a new battery in less then 7 days.

Battery drains quickly and car dies, even after replacing with a brand new battery.

I have had to replace the car's battery three times in under 3 years. The most recent battery lasted for under a year. I am attaching paperwork from last year.

At least a couple of times a week, the key gets stuck in the ignition. I can turn the car off, but I can't remove the key. If I start the car back up and shift it into Drive, and then slam it back into Park, after several tries, I can remove the key.

Battery seems to drain for no reason very frequently.

Battery drain requiring multiple jump starts and battery replacement

Key often will not rotate to the lock position so the key may be removed after vehicle iis stopped. The transmission is set for park and the parking brake is also set at the time. This happens regularly now and has been for over a month.

The key will not come out of the ignition after car has been driven and car is parked. The first time was saturday,august 1. Since then, it has been happening about once every other day for five days.

After parked the 2016 subaru forester, the key was stuck and could not be pulled out of the key cylinder. It happened every other days.

Ignition key will not disengage after the vehicle is parked and the engine turned off; vehicle has a CVT transmission.

Unable to remove the key from the ignition switch when the vehicle is in park and the car is stationary. Per tsp 16 112 18r the cause is contamination of the park-range switch internal components. We own 2 identical cars purchased the same day.

Unable to remove the key from the ignition switch when the vehicle is in park. Per tsp 16 112 18r the cause is contamination of the park-range switch internal components. We own 2 identical cars purchased the same day.

The airbag sensor in the front passenger seat randomly goes off when there's a passenger in the car or not. The seat belt alarm for the passenger side goes off without a passenger in the car. Airbag sensor says "off" with a passenger in the car.

The rear hatch door has opened three times without my doing anything to open it.. Each time I have found the door up after the car had been parked overnight in my carport. I live alone and no one else has access to the electronic controls.

Tl* the contact owns a 2016 subaru forester. While driving approximately 70 MPH, the vehicle's power seized. There were no warning indicators illuminated.

My 2016 subaru lost all power 160 miles from my home on interstate 40 in lexington north carolina.....I was sold this starlink enhanced roadside assistace when I purchased the car.....well this system failed miserably and I was almost struck by a tractor trailer....I was stuck on a bridge with no shoulder and explained to both operators on starlink after my first 4 attempts to reach emergency services failed after hitting the "sos" button above my head....finally it came on....the operator had no clue where my location was.....subaru touts this service as "starlink will know your exact coordinates" well that could not be anything farther from the truth...."can you tell me what mile marker you are at"...no I said....."any llandmarks you can see" he said......"um no I said...I am in the middle of nowhere"....you have to give me more information than this" he had the nerve to say....."I said for what reason did I pay $150 for a service that gave me a very dangerous false sense of security.....attached you will find subarus marketing material and false advertisements on the safety and effectiveness of the system....I am having tractor trailers passing me at over 70 miles an hour literally 4 feet from me....I had to get out of my car and seek protection in 30 degree weather behind a metal barrier on the bridge.....I was told my tow truck would take 2 hours to get to me......some how an hour later I was able to get the car to start and move it to a safer place just off the next exit.....some one will die from the lack of this system delivering on its bold promises....is it going to be after I send this letter and it is ignored?