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2016 Subaru Forester Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Critical

615 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.52 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Critical16V162000

Engine And Engine Cooling:Engine:Gasoline:Turbo/Supercharger

engine stall raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the turbocharger air intake duct, and replace it as necessary, free of charge, depending on the lot number found on the duct. The recall began April 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTA-62.

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 WRX vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 21, 2015, and Forester 2.0XT vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 20, 2015. The turbocharger air intake duct may crack and possibly result in an engine stall.

Serious19V149000

Exterior Lighting:Brake Lights:Switch

Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, raises the risk of crash.

Remedy & full details

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90.

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights from illuminating and also preventing keyless ignition vehicles from starting and CVT/automatic transmissions from being able to be shifted out of Park.

Serious19V701000

Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification

If the connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, raises the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.

Remedy & full details

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.

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Forester vehicles equipped with heated seats. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may loosen.

Complaint volume

615 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

77Crashes
6Fires
37Injuries
0Deaths

Across 615 complaints. Severity Index 0.52.

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

Air Bags95 · 15%Electrical System90 · 15%Unknown Or Other69 · 11%Engine60 · 10%Power Train48 · 8%Vehicle Speed Control36 · 6%Service Brakes29 · 5%Fuel/Propulsion System24 · 4%
  1. Air Bags — 95 reports
  2. Electrical System — 90 reports
  3. Unknown Or Other — 69 reports
  4. Engine — 60 reports
  5. Power Train — 48 reports
  6. Vehicle Speed Control — 36 reports
  7. Service Brakes — 29 reports
  8. Fuel/Propulsion System — 24 reports
  9. Seats — 22 reports
  10. Visibility/Wiper — 20 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 (2) · 2007 (1) · 2008 (1) · 2009 (18) · 2010 (17) · 2011 (16) · 2012 (15) · 2013 (12) · 2014 (2) · 2015 (3) · 2016 · 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.