2017 Subaru Forester Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 106 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2017 Subaru Forester, 18% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 38,000 miles. The words owners use most often: “remove key” (10% of reports).
- 106electrical system complaints
- 38,000median miles at failure
- 2mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 58%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 11 of 106 complaints (10%)
- Battery drain: mentioned in 10 of 106 complaints (9%)
- Passenger airbag: mentioned in 6 of 106 complaints (6%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 49 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 106 complaints, 2 mention a crash, 1 an injury.
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 2017 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.
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…
There was a recall on this vehicle from 2022, and we did not own this vehicle at that time. Recall passenger side airbag contact under seat can cause fire or electrical issues. I contacted Subaru and they said the recall was satisfied in 2022. If that's the case, the repair piece must have been…
Two incidents happened first battery died, we replaced the battery. Then Battery died again, we replaced the alternator on June 5, 2025. Then on Saturday September 13, 2025; all system lights came on at once on the dashboard then the battery died again. Car locks up and is stalled out. Cannot…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2017 Subaru Foresters have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 106 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2017 Subaru Forester (18% of the 590 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 2017 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 38,000 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2017 Subaru Forester?
The most frequent phrase is “remove key”, in 11 of 106 complaints, followed by “battery drain” (10).
Other 2017 Subaru Forester problems
- Air Bags problems (165)
- Visibility/wiper problems (104)
See all 2017 Subaru Forester problems or electrical system problems across all Forester years.