2016 Subaru Forester Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 93 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2016 Subaru Forester, 22% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 39,795 miles. The words owners use most often: “remove key” (8% of reports).
- 93electrical system complaints
- 39,795median miles at failure
- 4mention a crash
- 0mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 43%of reports with a speed happened at 50+ mph
What owners describe
Phrases that appear unusually often in these complaints compared with complaints about other cars.
- Remove key: mentioned in 7 of 93 complaints (8%)
- Battery drains: mentioned in 5 of 93 complaints (5%)
- Stuck ignition: mentioned in 5 of 93 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 36 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 93 complaints, 4 mention a crash, 1 a fire.
Subaru Forester electrical system complaints by model year
| Model year | Electrical System complaints | Share of that year | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 Forester | 6 | 21% | 6,000 |
| 2025 Forester | 8 | 8% | 100 |
| 2024 Forester | 1 | 3% | — |
| 2023 Forester | 8 | 11% | — |
| 2022 Forester | 10 | 10% | 18,100 |
| 2021 Forester | 33 | 16% | 14,376 |
| 2020 Forester | 103 | 17% | 2,000 |
| 2019 Forester | 134 | 16% | 8,700 |
| 2018 Forester | 71 | 14% | 9,418 |
| 2017 Forester | 106 | 18% | 38,000 |
| 2016 Forester | 93 | 22% | 39,795 |
| 2015 Forester | 82 | 13% | 40,000 |
| 2014 Forester | 42 | 10% | 61,222 |
| 2013 Forester | 3 | 4% | 10,000 |
| 2012 Forester | 10 | 10% | 60,618 |
| 2011 Forester | 11 | 7% | 63,000 |
| 2010 Forester | 13 | 5% | 69,733 |
| 2009 Forester | 22 | 12% | 57,500 |
| 2008 Forester | 5 | 10% | 90,000 |
| 2007 Forester | 5 | 7% | 86,000 |
| 2006 Forester | 7 | 8% | 82,000 |
| 2005 Forester | 3 | 3% | 23,524 |
| 2004 Forester | 4 | 2% | 48,750 |
| 2003 Forester | 4 | 2% | 64,500 |
| 2001 Forester | 2 | 1% | 189,000 |
| 2000 Forester | 1 | 1% | — |
| 1999 Forester | 4 | 3% | 175,000 |
| 1998 Forester | 6 | 6% | 98,000 |
When owners reported it
Related recalls (0)
No safety recall lists electrical system for the 2016 Subaru Forester. A pattern of complaints does not always lead to a recall.
What owners report
Short excerpts of recent complaints, with personal details removed. Full reports are on NHTSA.gov.
Problem: Recall for passenger side airbag malfunction in heated seats for my model year. Manufacturer has said they addressed the recall but they have not. My car and thousands of others are unsafe for passengers to ride in because the airbag system does not work. Warning light is the airbag symbol…
Passenger Occupant Detection System is malfunctioning. It is not registering a passenger in the seat, and in turn not turning the passenger airbag on when the seat is occupied. This puts any passnger who sit in this seat at risk of the airbag not deploying. This issue has been confirmed by the…
I had my foot on the brake, opened the garage door with my garage door opener, and before I took my foot off the brake the car surged, jumped, and smashed into the brick wall next to the garage. I did not put my foot on the gas.
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2016 Subaru Foresters have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 93 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2016 Subaru Forester (22% of the 415 complaints for this model year). Complaint data shows that the problem is reported, not how many of all cars sold are affected.
Was there a recall on the 2016 Subaru Forester electrical system?
No recall currently lists electrical system for this vehicle.
At what mileage do electrical system problems start?
The median reported mileage is 39,795 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2016 Subaru Forester?
The most frequent phrase is “remove key”, in 7 of 93 complaints, followed by “battery drains” (5).
Other 2016 Subaru Forester problems
- Air Bags problems (99)
- Engine problems (60)
- Power Train problems (51)
See all 2016 Subaru Forester problems or electrical system problems across all Forester years.