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 (1)
Air bags: sensor, occupant classification
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.
Canadian recalls (2)
Show 2 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.
Owner complaints (592)
Owners filed 592 complaints with NHTSA about the 2017 Subaru Forester (40 crashes, 1 fires, 28 injuries reported). Among 29 model years of this model, it ranks #4 for the most complaints (median 131).
| Most-reported problem | Complaints | |
|---|
| Air bags | 166 | |
| Electrical system | 106 | |
| Visibility/wiper | 104 | |
| Unknown or other | 97 | |
| Engine | 47 | |
| Power train | 46 | |
| Seats | 34 | |
| Vehicle speed control | 33 | |
Crash test ratings
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings for the 2017 Subaru Forester.
| Version | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover |
|---|
| 2017 Subaru Forester SUV AWD | 5★ | 4★ | 5★ | 4★ |
Fuel economy
EPA ratings for each 2017 Subaru Forester version.
| Version | City MPG | Highway MPG | Combined | Yearly fuel cost |
|---|
| Forester AWD 2.0 L Automatic (AV-S8) | 23 | 27 | 25 | $3,300 |
| Forester AWD 2.5 L Automatic (variable gear ratios) | 26 | 32 | 28 | $2,400 |
| Forester AWD 2.5 L Manual 6-spd | 22 | 28 | 24 | $2,800 |
Need this data in your app?
Recalls, complaints, crash ratings and fuel economy as a JSON API. Decode up to 50 VINs per call and get a daily feed of new recalls.
Explore the API →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.