2017 Subaru Forester Problems and Recalls (583 Complaints)
The most-reported problem on the 2017 Subaru Forester is Airbags (22% of 583 owner reports). There are 1 safety recalls. Check the VIN and inspect Airbags — this is the NHTSA file, not a score.
What problems show up on the 2017 Subaru Forester?
126 of 583 filings named Airbags (22% of the file). That is what owners wrote, not a shop diagnosis of the vehicle in the driveway.
Second is Glass / wipers / cameras (111 reports).
There are 1 official safety recalls on this year. They were filed about Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov — a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific truck.
The 2016 has 410 reports on file; this year has 583. Older years collect more reports just by being on the road longer. If you need a fairer comparison, use the equal-time view.
What to check before you buy a 2017 Subaru Forester
A useful visit to this page takes five minutes. YearTell does not score years and cannot see the vehicle in front of you.
Look up the VIN for open recalls at nhtsa.gov. This year has 1 campaigns on file below.
Airbags. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed.
Glass / wipers / cameras. Check windshield, wipers and any camera or sensor the listing claims is there.
Electrical. Have a shop scan for stored codes and check battery, charging and any warning lights that stay on.
Skim a few owner reports below for Airbags. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Take that list to a mechanic. Do not turn the complaint total into a score.
What owners reported
System named most often:Airbags 126 complaints · 21.6% of the file
Crashes, fires, injuries and deaths in those filings:
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Which systems owners named
Share of owner complaints filed against each vehicle system. These shares are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold.
“Unclassified NHTSA leftover” is not a car part. It is a filing bucket and always sits last.
View component data as a table
System / Component
Complaints
Share of Reports
Safety Reports (Crashes / Fires)
Airbags (AIR BAGS)
126
21.6%
9 crashes · 0 fires
Glass / wipers / cameras (VISIBILITY)
111
19.0%
0 crashes · 0 fires
Electrical (ELECTRICAL SYSTEM)
69
11.8%
1 crashes · 0 fires
Transmission / driveline (POWER TRAIN)
34
5.8%
1 crashes · 0 fires
Engine (ENGINE)
28
4.8%
2 crashes · 0 fires
Cruise / speed control (VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL)
23
4.0%
13 crashes · 0 fires
Steering (STEERING)
15
2.6%
1 crashes · 0 fires
Body / frame (STRUCTURE)
14
2.4%
1 crashes · 0 fires
Wheels (WHEELS)
10
1.7%
0 crashes · 0 fires
Unclassified NHTSA leftover
171
29.3%
10 crashes · 0 fires
NHTSA Consumer Complaints, NHTSA Safety Recalls, and NHTSA Defect Investigations · Snapshot 2026-09-07 · Open source record
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
When reports and recalls showed up
When owners filed reports, and when recall campaigns showed up.
Campaign 19V701000 was reported 738 days after the first earlier complaint mapped to its component.
Official campaigns. Each one says what could go wrong and what the dealer was told to fix.
In short, these campaigns were filed about Airbags.
Recall campaign 19V701000
Airbags
Report date
Component:
Airbags (AIR BAGS)
Consequence:
If the connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.
Remedy:
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the ODS sensor mat harness, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUM-98.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
What owners actually wrote
Short excerpts from the public NHTSA file. Look for the same symptom repeating.
Data: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation · snapshot 2026-09-07
I was leaving home and driving in the neighborhood when I noticed that it was a crack on my windshield and there was no damaged or debris at the time. I didn’t hear anything nor there any trees or cars that will kick up rocks or bad weather It was strange to have happened and I thought it had to be a defective windshield. I looked to see if there were a recall and it was but not for the year but it was advised to submit a complaint with NHTSA. I had a windshield inspect from Safelite and the windshield company that I used to replace the windshield and calibrate it. I spent a total of $620 in repairs
The airbag warning light for the front passenger seat has been intermittently lighting. Both when the passenger seat is occupied and vacant. The light sometimes indicates the passenger airbag is off when there is a passenger in the seat. I took the car to the Subaru dealer where I purchased the vehicle.. Per the dealership service report: “SCANNED CODES AND FOUND CODE B1760 STORED IN BODY CONTROL MODULE REGARDING THE PASSENGER FRONT SEAT BOTTOM. RECOMMEND REPLACEMENT DUE TO A FAULTY OCCUPANT DETECTION SENSOR.” This car was recalled several years ago regarding the passenger seat airbag sensor issue. The car was serviced per the recall. This car has not been in an accident. The car has approximately 70,000 miles which were driven primarily by me. The front passenger seat was occupied less than 25 percent of the time. There was never anything spilled on the seat. The seat was not used to transport anything other than a passenger. The dealer service department now wants $1566.79 to fix this issue. I contend that recall did not fix the issue correctly and I should not be charged for a faulty part or design that was not properly remedied the first time. The dealer will not resolve the issue and has referred me to corporate Subaru. I have contacted Subaru and am awaiting a response. Case # 260818-1700931. This is a safety issue that Subaru needs to address immediately.
The airbag sensor in the passenger front seat has malfunctioned and it is indicating that the passenger airbag will not deploy. This is after the recall that was completed on the ODS from service campaign 19V701000.
Airbag sensor does not work. It is not activated when someone sits in the passenger seat. This was recalled in other Subaru Foresters but for some reason our specific vin number is not eligible for repair.
My 2017 Subaru Forester is experiencing the exact component failure and severe safety hazard outlined in NHTSA Recall 19V-701 (Subaru Campaign WUM-98R). The front passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) is failing continuously, which illuminates the "Passenger Airbag Off" indicator and completely deactivates the front passenger airbag safety restraint system even when an adult is securely seated. Because my specific VIN was omitted from the recall population list, my local Subaru dealership refused to perform the recall repair, stating no active campaign exists for my vehicle. As a result, I have driven this vehicle for over a year with a completely disabled, non-functioning passenger airbag system. Upon researching the technical service bulletins for WUM-98R, my vehicle perfectly matches all manufacturing, model year, and component criteria for the defective occupant detection wiring harness. The omission of my VIN from this safety campaign is an error that has left a severe, life-threatening manufacturing defect unaddressed. I am filing this complaint to urge the NHTSA to investigate VIN exclusions for this campaign and force an expansion of Recall 19V-701 to protect impacted consumers.
Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems on the 2017 Subaru Forester?
Owners named Airbags most often — 126 of 583 reports (22%). That is the NHTSA file, not a diagnosis of every vehicle.
Are there recalls for the 2017 Subaru Forester?
NHTSA lists 1 safety recall campaigns. They were filed about Airbags. Check the VIN at nhtsa.gov; a campaign on this page can still be open on a specific vehicle.
What should I inspect before buying a 2017 Subaru Forester?
Look up the VIN for open recalls. Confirm the airbag light behaves normally and that open airbag recalls are closed. Then skim owner filings for the same symptom and take that list to a mechanic.
Does a high complaint count mean I should skip this year?
No. Counts are reports people chose to file and they are not adjusted for sales volume. YearTell does not publish scores or a list of years to skip. Inspect the vehicle.
Complaint counts reflect self-selected reports and are not normalised for production sales volume. We publish no reliability scores, superlatives, or vehicle rankings.
Methodology & Data Integrity
Source: NHTSA ODI / recalls, snapshot 2026-09-07. YearTell is not a government agency.