Owner-reported complaints naming the electrical system, filed with NHTSA
Data refreshed
Reports naming the electrical system — wiring, battery, charging, control modules, infotainment and electrical accessories. Every record below is an owner-reported complaint about the 2014 Subaru Forester submitted to NHTSA — not a confirmed defect, not a recall and not a manufacturer bulletin. 42 reports on file name it.
Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.
The 25 most recent of 42, in the owner's own words
Odometer Fraud. The contact purchased a 2014 Subaru Forester on March 5, 2026. The contact stated that while attempting to register the vehicle, it was discovered that there was a mileage discrepancy. The vehicle was a private sale. At the time of purchase, the mileage was 77,000. At the time of the registration, it was discovered that the mileage was 166,000.
On 5/15/2024 and 5/21/2024 I had sudden uninteded acceleration. I had a auto shop try to solve the problem by replacing the air fuel ratio sensor and the mass air flow sensor. This seem to fix the issue until 11/27/2025 & 12/7/2025 when the sudden uninteded acceleration returned.
While I was driving to work, with Cruise control set at 65, I hit a deer head on. All airbags deployed and engine ceased and I was able to brake car to a stop on the shoulder of the road. Within minutes, the engine erupted in fire and thankfully I wasn't trapped inside and was able to get out, because by the time I got 4-500 feet from the car, it had been totally engulfed in flames. From the time I hit the deer to the fire starting was less than 10 minutes. Fire truck wasn't even on scene yet and I was still speaking with highway patrol on the phone. If I had been trapped or the vehicle had rolled i wouldn't be here today. It was that quick.
The key keeps getting stuck in the ignition.........
The driver window stopped working approximately November 2022 at about 40,000 miles. I was advised to try a reset procedure, which did not work. If there is flooding or any reason the driver needs to escape the vehicle through the window, they will not be able to. I found TSB 07-152-19R for my mom's car, yet the dealer expects us to pay almost $500 to fix this known problem.
This is one of the emails I sent to Subaru. I had just paid 425 to replace a tail light when the seal failed, the same time the wiper motor went bad 600+ to fix that. This car was in such bad shape they did not even recommend repairing. I had to buy a used car which was a financial hardship. I believe Subaru should reimburse me the cost of the transmission and tail light assembly Gentlemen, I'm writing to you to express my EXTREME regret in buying a Subaru. If I went into all the repair details, it would take forever. My new case number is 2303131700678. I m requesting that this repair be covered and paid for completely by Subaru, as well as the money I paid towards the new transmission be refunded to me. Once you review all the repair records, you will understand my frustration. This whole car is an example of poor engineering and quality control. I held up my end of the deal, I paid off the loan, I maintained the car thru scheduled maintenance at the dealership. Subaru has failed me. Have your team pull all my repair records and read them thoroughly. Note the bad bushings, note the failed back up camera, note how the entire under the hood has failed at only at 120,000 miles. Where is my 200,000 miles that you claim the car should last? Subaru sold a defective car, Subaru knows darn well that this model has transmission and oil issues. I don't care that my systems failed after the 100,000 extended warranty. If you did your job right, you would not have to have extended it. I look forward to my transmission reimbursement and the complete repairs the car requires AT NO COST TO ME. It is your turn to uphold your part of the bargain.
On Friday, 12-3-21 I was in an accident in my local Costco parking lot while backing out of my spot. While backing out of the spot slowly with the wheel turned, my 2014 Subaru Forester had a sudden and extreme acceleration in reverse doing a reverse u-turn into a parked car causing considerable damage to the rear end of both cars. I am certain that I did not to press the gas pedal as this is a busy parking lot and I always back out very slowly just covering the brake. There is some kind of mechanical issue with my car that caused this malfunction. I was evaluated by paramedics and taken to the local emergency room with a significant bump on the back right side of my head. My car is currently available for inspection. I am in the process of reporting this to Subaru of America to see if they can inspect/evaluate the car.
Several warning messages appeared on the dash at the same time: Check engine, Check emissions control system, Hill start assist system needs to be checked. In addition, the pictures of a car climbing a hill and a car with swerving skid marks behind it lit up. (I don't know the official names of these icons.) The engine then either lost power and would not accelerate when I pressed the gas pedal or would rev and accelerate on its own, even when I had the brake depressed. I have taken my car into the dealership 4 times over the past two years for this same issue. I do not have the exact dates of the first two instances, but the last two were on July 7, 2021, and September 17, 2021. Each time the dealer has been able to verify the warning lights and unintended acceleration. They say the problem is with the brake pedal assembly and have replaced it with a new assembly 3 times. They're working on the 4th one right now.
Went through automated car wash. Proceeded to lane for towel drying. Car suddenly unintentionally accelerated. Hit rear passenger side of parked car and also collided with the fence that ultimately stopped my forward motion. The car passed across two side walks and one side street during this event. No pedestrians or cross traffic was present or this would have been catastrophic. There were no previous warning signs of this event. My insurance company was notified and inspected the vehicle. A formal complaint was filed with Subaru of America and we are still waiting for them to inspect the vehicle. They have authorized repair of the vehicle prior to them seeing it.
I found that the horn did not work while I was driving. Later I found this to be an intermittent problem, which I looked up on line. Someone described turning the wheel to the extreme right or left made the horn work again. I tested this in my car; with the steering wheel straight the horn did not work, then when turned to the extreme in either direction, or using the panic button on the key fob the horn worked. Since I do not use the horn very often, I found out about this problem during a dangerous situation in which I both pressed on the brakes to avoid collision and used my horn to alert the other driver. I reproduced the problem myself, but it is possible that when I take it to the dealer it may not manifest because it is intermittent. The component has not been inspected by anyone, there were no warning lights or indicators of a potential malfunction. The problem first appeared last week. I will get the vehicle repaired and can make the component available for inspection upon request.
THE IGNITION CYCLINDER WILL NOT RELEASE VEHICLE KEY. UPON TURNING OFF VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE KEY FROM IGNITION THE KEY WILL NOT TURN PAST ON TO THE OFF POSITION. IT CAN TAKE SEVERAL TRIES OF CYCLING ON AND OFF BEFORE THE KEY CAN BE REMOVED. ISSUE IS INTERMITTENT, MOVING SHIFTER FROM PARK TO DRIVE AND BACK EVENTUALLY ALLOWS KEY TO BE REMOVED.
THE HORN WOULD INTERMITTENTLY WORK THEN CEASED TO WORK AT ALL. IF YOU TURNED THE STEERING WHEEL THE HORN WOULD WORK BUT NOT WORK IF THE STEERING WHEEL WAS STATIONARY. THIS SYMPTOM MEANT IT WAS A HIGH PROBABILITY THE CLOCK SPRING/ ROLL CONNECTOR WAS BAD.
MY BACKUP CAMERA ONLY WORKS PERIODICALLY. WHEN I PUT THE CAR IN REVERSE THE DASHBOARD SCREEN SOMETIMES JUST SHOWS A BLACK SCREEN WITH THE DISTANCE LINES DISPLAYED. OTHER TIMES IT WORKS FINE. DOESNT SEEM TO BE A PATTERN. MANY PEOPLE SEEM TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEM IN POSTED MESSAGE BOARDS AND IT SEEMS LIKE CERTAIN OTHER SUBARUS WERE RECALLED FOR THIS ISSUE.
MY 2014 SUBARU FORESTER HAS RECENTLY STARTED HAVING WARNINGS ABOUT SRS. PASSENGER SEAT SENSOR OCCASIONALLY DOES NOT RECOGNIZE A PASSENGER IS SEATED AND THEREFORE THE AIRBAG IS 'OFF' EVEN IF SEAT IS OCCUPIED. BOTH FRONT SEATS ARE HEATED AND IT LOOKS LIKE THIS IS THE SAME ISSUE THAT LEAD TO A RECALL FOR 2015 SUBARU FORESTERS. PLEASE EXTEND THE RECALL TO INCLUDE 2014 MODELS. VERY UNSAFE AND COSTLY ($900-$1,200 ACCORDING TO OTHER COMPLAINTS) TO REPAIR THIS SENSOR IN ORDER TO HAVE THE PASSENGER AIRBAG OPERATIONAL. PASSENGER SEATBELT WARNING ALSO OCCASIONALLY COMES ON EVEN IF THERE IS NO ONE SITTING IN SEAT.
THE HORN STOPPED WORKING.
I HAVE 2014 SUBARU FORESTER XT AND PAST COUPLE OF MONTHS THE KEY HAS BEEN GETTING STUCK IN THE IGNITION ON A REGULAR BASIS. I HAVE TO PLAY AROUND TURNING THE CAR BACK ON, PUTTING IT IN DRIVE AND THEN BACK TO PARK, SOMETIMES IT WORKS AND SOMETIMES IT DOESN'T. SOMETIMES I HAVE TO MOVE THE CAR IN REVERSE OR DRIVE FORWARD A FEW INCHES AND QUICKLY PUT IT IN PARK AND IT RELEASES THE KEY. IT TAKES A WHILE FOR THE KEY TO COME OUT AFTER TRYING DIFFERENT THINGS AND/OR ALL OF THEM.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO FLOW SUBARU (485 SILAS CREEK PKWY, WINSTON-SALEM, NC 27127), FOR AN INOPERABLE AIR CONDITION SYSTEM. IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE COMPRESSOR FAILED AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 130,000. THE VIN WAS UNAVAILABLE.
THE IGNITION CYCLINDER WILL NOT RELEASE VEHICLE KEY. UPON TURNING OFF VEHICLE AND ATTEMPTING TO REMOVE KEY FROM IGNITION THE KEY WILL NOT TURN PAST ON TO THE OFF POSITION. IT CAN TAKE UP TO 30 TRIES OF CYCLING KEY TO REMOVE KEY. MOVING THE SHIFTER AND STARTING THE CAR SEEM TO HAVE ANY EFFECT ON THIS ISSUE.
TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU FORESTER. WHEN THE CONTACT PARKED THE VEHICLE AND RELEASED THE BRAKE PEDAL, THE REAR BRAKE LIGHTS REMAINED ILLUMINATED. THERE WERE NO WARNING INDICATORS ILLUMINATED. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT TAKEN TO A DEALER OR AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC FOR DIAGNOSTIC TESTING. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 68,000.
DRIVING 65 MPH ON HIGHWAY. CAR SUDDENLY NO LONGER RESPONSIVE TO ACCELERATOR AND SPEED DROPS. RECOVERED IN A FEW SECONDS. DEALER EXAMINED AND STATES IT WAS DUE TO DEFECTIVE CONDITION IN BRAKE LIGHT SWITCH THAT WAS INSTALLED 6 MONTHS EARLIER DUE TO RECALL. DEALER STATES CAR WENT INTO "LIMP" MODE. SWITCH CONDITION RESOLVED WITHOUT REPLACEMENT ACCORDING TO DEALER.
JANUARY 2019. THE ISSUE STARTED AS CEL CAME ON. ROUGH IDLE, SURGE OF POWER AND THEN CAM TIMING BECAME ISSUE. WAS AT A STOP SIGN IDLING WHEN SURGE OCCURRED LURCHING VEHICLE FORWARD. TOOK TO DEALER WAITED WEEKS FOR A TECHNICAL REPRESENTATIVE TO GIVE ADVICE TO DEALERSHIP. TOOK TO OTHER DEALER TO CONFIRM. THEY REPLACED TIMING CHAIN., CAM PHASERS AND OTHER REQUIRED. DIDNT SOLVE ISSUE. NEXT STEP WAS INTERNAL OIL FILTERS THAT SUPPLY AVSC TIMING. NO FIX. REPLACED ECM AS FINAL STEP IN SUBARU MATRIX. RAN FOR 3 WEEKS AND SEVERAL THOUSAND DOLLARS. AGAIN CEL, ROUGH IDLE, CAM ISSUES. SUBARU POINTS TO DEALER. DEALER POINTS TO SUBARU. AND I HAVE A INOPERABLE VEHICLE. I REPLACED ALL REQUIRED PARTS AND HAVE ONGOING ISSUE. SOA HAS BEEN INVOLVED BUT NOT RESOLUTION. IT HAS BEEN 8 MONTHS OF DISAPPOINTMENT. GREAT CAR BUT THIS IS TOO MUCH TO CONTINUE TO DEAL WITH. THE XT HAS BEEN KNOWN TO HAVE ISSUES, RECALL ON POSSIBLE CYCLINDER CRACKING AND ISSUES RELATING TO ENGINE PERFORMANCE.
2014 SUBARU FORESTER. THE SRS AIRBAG LIGHT HAS COME ON. I TOOK THE VEHICLE TO THE LOCAL SUBARU DEALERSHIP AND THEY CLAIM THE CAUSE IS A SENSOR WITHIN THE PASSENGER SEAT BEING BROKEN. THIS IS A SAFETY CONCERN AND SHOULD BE REVIEWED.
TAKATA RECALL: THE IGNITION SWITCH WILL NOT RELEASE THE KEY WHEN I TURN OFF THE MOTOR AND PUSH IT IN TO RELEASE THE KEY. THIS HAPPENS WHEN I PARK THE CAR, HAVE TURNED OFF THE MOTOR AND PREPARE TO EXIT THE VEHICLE.
REPEATED ISSUE WITH HEADLIGHTS FAILING AFTER VERY SHORTY PERIOD OF TIME FROM INSTALLATION. REPLACED HEADLIGHTS 3 TIMES IN THE PAST 11 MONTHS (HAVE REPLACED AT LEAST 1 ADDITIONAL TIME SINCE MAY 2017). BULBS INSTALLED CORRECTLY WITHOUT MAKING CONTACT WITH ANY PART OF BULB EXCEPT PLASTIC END WITH BULB GREASE APPLIED TO REAR CONNECTOR.
WHEN TRYING TO CLOSE SUNROOF, NORMALLY THE ROOF WINDOW WOULD SLIDE BACK AND A SET OF PIN WILL PUSH THE REAR SIDE OF THE WINDOW UP TO SEAL THE GAP BETWEEN THE WINDOW AND ROOFTOP. HOWEVER THE DEVICE IS DEFECTIVE AND THE WINDOW WILL NOT GO BACK TO ITS SUPPOSED LOCATION. WATER MAY LEAK IN TO WIRING AND CAUSE FURTHER DAMAGE.
Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers.
Categories with enough reports to have a page of their own
Data on this page last refreshed .