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2006 Subaru Forester Recalls & Complaints

2

open safety recalls on record

Critical

121 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.94 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical07V043000

Air Bags:Frontal

THE PASSENGER'S FRONT AIR BAG COULD BECOME DISABLED AND MAY NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH raises the risk of INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT.

Remedy & full details

DEALERS WILL INSPECT TO SEE IF THE WIRING HAD BEEN INCORRECTLY ROUTED UNDER THE SEAT BRACKET. IF SO, THE DEALER WILL REPAIR ANY DAMAGED WIRING, REROUTE AND SECURE THE WIRING HARNESS IN THE CORRECT LOCATION, AND RE-CALIBRATE THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM AS NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 9, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.

ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT MAY HAVE BEEN PINCHED DURING PRODUCTION. PINCHING OF THE WIRING HARNESS BETWEEN THE FLOOR CROSSMEMBER AND THE SEAT MOUNTING BRACKET COULD RESULT IN A SHORT CIRCUIT.

Serious11V464000

Suspension:Front:Control Arm:Lower Arm

BROKEN CONTROL ARM CAN RESULT IN THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, raises the risk of A CRASH.

Remedy & full details

SUBARU WILL HANDLE THEIR VEHICLES AND SAAB WILL HANDLE THEIRS. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DEGREE OF CORROSION OF THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS, AND WILL EITHER RUSTPROOF OR REPLACE THEM. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING DECEMBER 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SAAB AT 1-800-955-9007.

SUBARU IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2007 IMPREZA, MODEL YEAR 2003-2008 FORESTER, AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 SAAB 9-2X VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 2000 THROUGH NOVEMBER 26, 2007 ORIGINALLY SOLD, OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN, MASSACHUSETTS, MARYLAND, MICHIGAN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IOWA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, MAINE, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW JERSEY, OHIO, RHODE ISLAND, WEST VIRGINIA AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS MAY BREAK AT THE HANGER BRACKETS DUE TO CORROSION IF THE HANGER BRACKET IS EXPOSED TO SALTY AND HUMID ENVIRONMENTS SUCH AS ROADS CONTAINING SNOW MELTING AGENT.

Complaint volume

121 this model-year 7 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

20Crashes
10Fires
11Injuries
0Deaths

Across 121 complaints. Severity Index 0.94.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Vehicle Speed Control20 · 17%Suspension11 · 9%Engine11 · 9%Steering9 · 7%Fuel/Propulsion System8 · 7%Engine And Engine Cooling7 · 6%Electrical System5 · 4%Fuel System, Gasoline4 · 3%
  1. Vehicle Speed Control — 20 reports
  2. Suspension — 11 reports
  3. Engine — 11 reports
  4. Steering — 9 reports
  5. Fuel/Propulsion System — 8 reports
  6. Engine And Engine Cooling — 7 reports
  7. Electrical System — 5 reports
  8. Fuel System, Gasoline — 4 reports
  9. Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine — 4 reports
  10. Structure:Body — 4 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1998 (1) · 1999 (1) · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 (1) · 2003 (3) · 2004 (2) · 2005 (1) · 2006 · 2007 (1) · 2008 (1) · 2009 (18) · 2010 (17) · 2011 (16) · 2012 (15) · 2013 (12) · 2014 (2) · 2015 (3) · 2016 (3) · 2017 (1) · 2018 (3) · 2019 (3) · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 (1) · 2023 (1) · 2024 (2) · 2025 (3) · 2026 (3)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.

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