2019 Subaru Forester Electrical System Problems
Owners have filed 134 complaints with NHTSA about electrical system problems on the 2019 Subaru Forester, 16% of all complaints for this model year. Half of the reports with a mileage happened before 8,700 miles. The words owners use most often: “control valve” (8% of reports).
- 134electrical system complaints
- 8,700median miles at failure
- 7mention a crash
- 1mention an injury
- 0related recalls
- 44%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.
- Control valve: mentioned in 11 of 134 complaints (8%)
- Auto start: mentioned in 10 of 134 complaints (7%)
- Rear gate: mentioned in 7 of 134 complaints (5%)
At what mileage do electrical system problems happen?
Based on 41 complaints that reported the odometer reading.
How serious are the reports?
Of 134 complaints, 7 mention a crash, 7 a fire, 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 2019 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.
We have replaced the battery twice and likely will need a third battery soon. I have learned that there is a known issue with the DCM trying to connect using 3G. This is causing a parasitic drain on the battery. The vehicle will fail to start. This has occurred many times over the last few years…
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, with several unknown warning lights intermittently illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was…
The electrical system fails, and the battery is not charging sufficiently. When the auto start/stop engages, the car does not restart in traffic. Requested a battery test at the dealership in May 2025; was told it could not be done that day because it would require leaving the dealer service shop…
Frequently asked questions
Do all 2019 Subaru Foresters have electrical system problems?
No. NHTSA has 134 owner complaints about electrical system for the 2019 Subaru Forester (16% of the 834 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 2019 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 8,700 miles: half of the reports with a mileage came before that.
What do owners say about electrical system problems on the 2019 Subaru Forester?
The most frequent phrase is “control valve”, in 11 of 134 complaints, followed by “auto start” (10).
Other 2019 Subaru Forester problems
- Visibility/wiper problems (370)
- Engine problems (106)
See all 2019 Subaru Forester problems or electrical system problems across all Forester years.