2010 Subaru Forester Interior & seats Problems

The bracket on the front right side of the drivers seat (if you're looking at the seat from the sunroof) that connects the seat (where you sit) to the seat frame (which moves the seat forward and back) has separated from the seat frame. The two tack welds have failed so the seat can move freely up and down on the right side of the seat. This issue seems to particularly affect the 2010 model year Subaru Forester as documented by the forum thread: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11551717

Incident

Oct 21, 2023

Left front of drivers seat collapsed while driving 60mph on freeway. This caused a surprise that could have resulted in an accident. This has been reported numerous times as can be referenced here: [XXX] and appears it will be an expensive replacement at my cost for a known issue. This should be considered a major safety issue and deserving of a recall. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID

11540254

Incident

Aug 23, 2023

My 2010 Subaru Forester's driver seat does not raise up on with the power buttons. I can hear the motor but the front of the seat will not move. Last week, the right side was not moving and now both sides are not. I can physically move the front half of the seat up and down. I can see that the welds on the front arms are off of the frame of the seat rails. If I was in a collision, the whole seat might come off if it is not secured and my safety would be compromised. I called Subaru of America and received a case number. I also plan on taking the car into dealer for an inspection. No warning lights appeared. When I move the seats with the buttons, I sometimes hear a grinding noise. This collapsing seat issue with 2010 Foresters has been found on internet sites. The car was not involved in an accident and I am the primary driver and weigh under 160 lbs.

NHTSA ID

11519886

Incident

Apr 26, 2023

The weld on the left side of the seat broken causing the seat cushion to be loose. After quick internet searching, this seems to a be a somewhat common occurrence. I weight 170 Lbs and the car has 140K miles. This issue makes it lean far left causing an unsafe seating position and does not allow for adjustment of the seat up and down.

NHTSA ID

11509812

Incident

Mar 1, 2022

Power adjustment of Driver's seat front left corner does not raise in synch with right side. This causes the seat to be uneven, resulting in an unsafe driving position. Apparently the weld of the adjustment arm breaking is a well known and documented issue based on even a cursory internet search.

NHTSA ID

11473187

Incident

Jun 1, 2022

The left side of drivers seat collapsed. Upon inspection, the metal tab that was spot welded to the seat frame failed. The metal tab connects the left front of the seat to the power seat motor components and rail. The power seat no longer works and the seat sags noticeably to the front left. This failure occurred during normal driving conditions, and is typically not overloaded (the primary driver weighs approximately 105lbs). The car has low mileage - 65,380 miles at last service in August.

NHTSA ID

11445634

Incident

Dec 29, 2021

FRONT LEFT DRIVER SEAT BRACKET COLLAPSED. SEAT HEIGHT IS UNABLE TO BE ADJUSTED, REQUIRING THE FRONT OF THE DRIVER SEAT TO ONLY BE POSITIONED N THE LOWEST SETTING. WHILE DRIVING IDLE SPEED IN A PARKING LOT, THERE WAS AN AUDIBLE POP AND THE SEAT FELL. WITH ATTEMPTS TO ADJUST THE HEIGHT, ONLY THE RIGHT SIDE WOULD MOVE UP AND DOWN.

NHTSA ID

11413877

Incident

Jan 30, 2021

Mileage

116,000 mi

BOTH HEAD GASKETS ARE LEAKING. 110,000 MILES DRIVER ELECTRIC SEAT NO LONGER GOES UP/DOWN IN HEIGHT

NHTSA ID

11402587

Incident

Aug 1, 2020

Mileage

110,000 mi

DRIVERS SEAT WELD BROKEN FROM THE FRAME. LEFT FRONT CORNER OF THE SEAT RESULTING IN LITTLE SUPPORT. KNOWN PROBLEM WHY HAS THIS NOT BEEN RECALLED? UPON SITTING DOWN AND RESTING YOUR LEFT LEG THE LEFT FRONT SEAT CORNER WILL COLLAPSE.

NHTSA ID

11340084

Incident

Jun 5, 2020

Mileage

125,000 mi

DRIVERS SEAT HAS BROKEN. SEEMS LIKE IT IS AN IMPROPER WELDING OF THE FRAME. BOTTOM CUSHION SUPPORT IS NO LONGER EVEN. IT ALSO SEEMS THAT PERHAPS THE INTEGRITY AND SAFETY OF THE SEAT IS COMPROMISED. I AM NOT THE ONLY ONE THAT HAS EXPERIENCED THIS. HTTPS://WWW.SUBARUFORESTER.ORG/THREADS/DRIVERS-SEAT-COLLAPSE.126336/PAGE-4

NHTSA ID

11322487

Incident

Apr 1, 2018

THE SEAT ON MY FORESTER IS BROKEN. AFTER LOOKING ONLINE I FOUND THIS TO BE AN EXTREMELY COMMON ISSUE OF THE WELDS BREAKING DUE TO INSUFFICIENT QUALITY OR STRENGTH. THIS SEEMS LIKE AN ISSUE SUBARU SHOULD HAVE REMEDIED BY NOW. CAR WAS ADULT OWNED AND DRIVEN BY A SMALL FEMALE.

NHTSA ID

11321344

Incident

Apr 20, 2018

Mileage

80,000 mi

WELD BROKE ON POWER SEAT; LEFT SIDE. AUDIBLE POP WAS HEARD WHEN IN MOTION, AFTER HAVING BACKED OUT OF PARKING SPACE AND DRIVING FORWARD TO EXIT PARKING LOT.

NHTSA ID

11309634

Incident

Feb 4, 2020

Mileage

142,625 mi

DRIVER SEAT FRONT RIGHT SIDE COLLAPSED. IT'S COMPLETELY UNSUPPORTED. WELDS APPEAR TO BE BROKEN. HUGE SAFETY ISSUE. I FIRST NOTICED IT A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO WHEN I SAT ON IT AND IT LEANED TO THE RIGHT.

NHTSA ID

11299627

Incident

Jan 2, 2020

Mileage

72,000 mi

DRIVER'S SEAT FRONT LEFT CORNER BRACKET APPEARS TO HAVE BROKEN. WHEN POWER SEAT IS MOVERS TO FRONT OF SEAT RAISED, THE LEFT SIDE SAGS AND IS UNSUPPORTED; WILL NOT STAY IN UP POSITION WHEN ANY PRESSURE/WEIGHT IS APPLIED TO SEAT. UNSURE WHEN THIS OCCURRED, NOTICED IT FOR FIRST TIME 2 WEEKS AGO. ON-LINE REVIEWS INDICATE SEVERAL HUNDRED OTHWEER FORESTER OWNERS EXPERIENCING IDENTICAL PROBLEM WITH SEAT. DON'T SEE ANY RECALL NOTICE FOR THIS OBVIOUS SAFETY ISSUE FROM SUBARU -WHY NOT?

NHTSA ID

11256677

Incident

Aug 19, 2019

Mileage

110,000 mi

FRONT PASSENGER SEAT -- THE BOTTOM SEAT CUSHION SUPPORT COLLAPSED. THE SEAT IS NOW FLAT.

NHTSA ID

11209986

Incident

May 3, 2014

Mileage

50,000 mi

DRIVER'S SEAT COLLAPSED ON THE FRONT PART WHILE I WAS DRIVING. LUMBAR ADJUSTMENT ALSO FAILED.

NHTSA ID

11176083

Incident

Nov 1, 2018

Mileage

102,000 mi

ABOUT ONE YEAR AGO I HAD THE LEFT SIDE OF MY DRIVERS SEAT COLLAPSE FROM BAD WELDS. NOW THIS FEBRUARY 2019 THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE SAME SEAT COLLAPSED ,THERE SEEMS TO BE OTHER 2010 SUBARU OWNERS WITH THE SAME PROBLEM BUT JUST DO NOTHING ABOUT IT. THE COLLAPSE HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING.

NHTSA ID

11176007

Incident

Feb 1, 2019

Mileage

51,220 mi

WHILE SITTING IN MY GARAGE WITH ENGINE RUNNING THE DRIVERS SEAT GAVE WAY ON THE LEFT (DOOR) SITE AND DROPPED SEVERAL INCHES. THE WELDING POINTS ON THE BRACKET THAT LIFTS AND LOWERS THE SEAT HAVE FAILED. A DRIVER CAN ONLY SIT WITH BOTH SIDES EVEN AT ITS LOWEST SETTING. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE DUE TO DRIVERS' HEIGHT. LOCAL DEALER WOULD NOT EVEN INVESTIGATE WITHOUT CHARGING THE LABOR TO DIAGNOSE. I HAVE AND EXTENDED WARRANTY BUT THEY HAVE DECLINED TO COVER THE CHARGES TO FIX OR REPLACE.

NHTSA ID

11173922

Incident

Sep 12, 2018

Mileage

128,650 mi

THE DRIVER'S SEAT COLLAPSES ON THE LEFT SIDE WHEN DRIVER GETS IN. BASED ON INTERNET SEACHES THIS IS A KNOWN ISSUE WITH SUBARU FORESTER SEATS.

NHTSA ID

11156732

Incident

Jun 6, 2016

Mileage

75,000 mi

WHILE SEATING IN THE DRIVER SEAT OF THE PARKED CAR, I HEARD A NOISE FROM THE SEAT BASE. I WENT BACK OUT OF THE CAR TO CHECK THE SEAT, AND LOOKING UNDERNEATH, I SAW A TWO-INCH PIECE OF METAL HANGING, ATTACHED TO A ROD AT THE FRONT OF THE SEAT BASE. THE SEAT CUSHION WAS NO LONGER ATTACHED TO THE SEAT BASE AND MOVED UP WHEN LIFTED. I WENT TO THE DEALERSHIP TO HAVE IT CHECKED AND THEY SAID THE SEAT FRAME AND THE RAIL ARE BROKEN AND THE SEAT BASE AND RAILS NEED REPLACING. THE CAR HAS LESS THAN 50K MILES AND DRIVERS ARE UNDER 200LBS. IT LOOKS LIKE WELDS GAVE OUT, DISCONNECTING THE SEAT BASE FROM THE FRAME.

NHTSA ID

11155861

Incident

Nov 29, 2018

Mileage

49,000 mi

BRACKET ON DOOR SIDE OF DRIVER'S SEAT IS NO LONGER SUPPORTING LEFT FRONT CORNER OF SEAT. APPARENTLY, 2 SMALL SPOT WELDS HAVE FAILED. THEY CAN BE SEEN STRADDLING THREADS OF A BOLT TOWARDS THE BOTTOM OF THE ATTACHED PHOTO. I CONTACTED SUBARU OF AMERICA (SOA) AND THEY CLAIM THEY HAVEN'T HEARD OF THIS ISSUE DESPITE THE RELATIVELY LARGE NUMBER OF COMPLAINTS FILED WITH NHTSA FOR 2010 FORESTERS. ADDITIONALLY, NO RECALL HAS BEEN ISSUED AND THERE WAS NO OFFER FROM SOA TO MAKE A GOOD WILL REPAIR AT NO CHARGE TO THE CUSTOMER. IT WOULD SEEM THIS WOULD BE CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE SINCE IT DIRECTLY INVOLVES THE DRIVER'S SEAT. I FIRST NOTICED ISSUE WHILE I WAS DRIVING AND COULDN'T ADJUST MY SEAT PROPERLY.

NHTSA ID

11123315

Incident

Aug 17, 2018

Mileage

90,500 mi

WHILE IN OPERATION, DURING A LEFT HAND TURN, THE FRONT LEFT CORNER OF THE DRIVER SEAT MADE AN AUDIBLE 'POP' AND COLLAPSED SEVERAL INCHES. THE SEAT IS AN ELECTRIC ADJUSTABLE, WHICH DOES NOT APPEAR TO BE EFFECTED BY THE SEAT BASE BREAKING. THE SEAT IS ABLE TO BE LIFTED AND PRESSED UP AND DOWN 5 OR SO INCHES, AND THE CORNER WHICH IS BROKEN SAGS UNDER WEIGHT.

NHTSA ID

11121897

Incident

Aug 21, 2018

Mileage

89,800 mi

THE DRIVER'S SEAT BOTTOM FRAME CAME UNWELDED AT THE FRONT LEFT SIDE OF THE FRAME. THE PART BROKE WHEN THE CAR WAS STATIONARY. THE DRIVER'S LEFT LEG IS NOW UNSUPPORTED AND THE SEAT BOTTOM MOVES FREELY. NUMEROUS OTHER REPORTS OF THE SAME PROBLEM HAVE BEEN DOCUMENTED ON OTHER WEBSITES.

NHTSA ID

11118996

Incident

Aug 10, 2018

Mileage

121,000 mi

FRONT LEFT SEAT HAS FALLEN AND FROM RESEARCH HERE AND ON INTERNET, IT APPEARS WELD HAS BROKEN ON SEAT. VEHICLE ONLY HAS 80K MILES. THIS IS A SAFETY ISSUE AND REPAIRS SHOULD BE COVERED ON RECALL. WE WERE DRIVING ON CITY STREETS AND LEFT FRONT SEAT JUST FELL.

NHTSA ID

11098848

Incident

Apr 23, 2018

Mileage

80,000 mi

FRONT DRIVERS SEAT COLLAPSE ON RIGHT SIDE OF SEAT TOWARDS THE PASSENGER SIDE. ITS VERY UNCOMFORTABLE TO DRIVE THE CAR. I LOOKED IN DER SEAT AND APPEARS A BRACKET HOLDING THE SEAT HAS BROKEN , VERY UNSAFE, SUBARU NEEDS TO RECALL THIS CAR FOR REPAIRS. CAR HAS ABOUT 46,000 THOUSAND MILES.

NHTSA ID

11090780

Incident

Feb 14, 2018

Mileage

46,000 mi