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2015 Subaru Forester recalls, complaints and safety ratings

There are 3 US recalls for the 2015 Subaru Forester, and 5 in Canada. Owners filed 616 complaints with NHTSA, most often about engine. Its best NHTSA overall crash rating is 5 stars.

3US recalls
0urgent recalls
616owner complaints
5★overall crash rating

Is your car affected?

Check by VIN to confirm the exact model and see every recall for it.

Recalls are issued for a make, model and model year. Whether the repair has already been done on one specific car is known only to its manufacturer and dealers. Check your vehicle's official status at nhtsa.gov/recalls or with a dealer.

US recalls (3)

Air bags: sensor, occupant classification

2019-10-03 · campaign 19V701000 · 366,282 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

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

Remedy: 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.

Exterior lighting: brake lights, switch

2019-02-28 · campaign 19V149000 · 1,303,530 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

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

Remedy: 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.

Engine and engine cooling: engine, gasoline

2016-03-21 · campaign 16V162000 · 18,187 vehicles

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.

Risk and remedy

Risk: An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: 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.

Canadian recalls (5)

Show 5 Canadian recalls

Label

2024-08-15 · campaign 2024-546

Issue: On certain vehicles, the compliance label may be missing information in French. The words listed on the label for "Tires", "Rims", "Front" and "Rear" appear in English only, when they should be listed as "Tires/Pneus", "Rims/Jantes", "Front/Avant" and "Rear/Arriere". Canadian regulations require this information to be listed on the label in both English and French. Safety Risk: These small errors do not affect vehicle safety. Corrective Actions: This is not a recall. Subaru has corrected the compliance label for all new vehicles.

Airbag

2019-10-04 · campaign 2019-492

Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger occupant detection system (ODS) may malfunction. This could cause the airbag system to turn off the passenger-front airbag even when a passenger is seated. Safety Risk: An airbag that is turned off could increase the risk of injury to a passenger in a crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail and instruct you to take your vehicle to a dealer to inspect the ODS sensor mat harness. It will be replaced if necessary.

Brakes

2019-03-01 · campaign 2019-104

Issue: On certain vehicles, the brake lamp switch could fail. This would cause the brake lamps not to turn on when the brakes are applied. Depending on the model, this could cause an inability to shift from park or to start using the push-button ignition. This may also cause problems with the following: anti-lock brake system (ABS), vehicle dynamics control (VDC), and/or Eyesight system. Safety Risk: If the brake lights do not work, a following driver may not to recognize that a vehicle ahead is braking, increasing the risk of crash. Corrective Actions: The company will notify owners by mail. Owners will be instructed to take their vehicle to a dealer to have the brake lamp switch replaced.

Engine

2016-03-17 · campaign 2016-122

On certain vehicles, a portion of the engine turbocharger air intake duct may crack due to incorrect material being used during production. If the air intake duct were to crack, it could result in the engine developing a rough idle, reduced power and possibly a stall. Engine stalling would result in lost propulsion which, in conjunction with traffic and road conditions, and the driver's reactions, could increase the risk of a crash causing property damage and/or personal injury. Correction: Dealers will inspect the engine turbocharger air intake duct, and replace as necessary.

Accessories

2015-05-15 · campaign 2015-206

On certain vehicles equipped with EyeSight driver assist technology, the French version of the EyeSight Owner’s Manual my contain incorrect translations of certain text. If the vehicle were to be operated as described in the mistranslated French text, it could increase the risk of a crash. Correction: Subaru will send corrected French EyeSight manuals directly to affected vehicle owners and additional corrected manuals will be available to all Dealers.

Owner complaints (616)

Owners filed 616 complaints with NHTSA about the 2015 Subaru Forester (53 crashes, 7 fires, 34 injuries reported). Among 29 model years of this model, it ranks #2 for the most complaints (median 131).

Most-reported problemComplaints
Engine131
Air bags102
Power train95
Electrical system83
Unknown or other73
Vehicle speed control70
Suspension66
Fuel/propulsion system56

Crash test ratings

NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2015 Subaru Forester.

VersionOverallFrontalSideRollover
2015 Subaru Forester SUV AWD5★4★5★4★

Fuel economy

EPA ratings for each 2015 Subaru Forester version.

VersionCity MPGHighway MPGCombinedYearly fuel cost
Forester AWD 2.0 L Automatic (AV-S8)232725$3,300
Forester AWD 2.5 L Manual 6-spd222825$2,700
Forester AWD 2.5 L Automatic (variable gear ratios)243127$2,500
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Sources: NHTSA recalls, complaints and 5-Star Safety Ratings, US EPA fuel economy and Transport Canada's Vehicle Recalls Database (contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada). Recalls updated 2026-10-30.