Problems owners report
Complaints filed with NHTSA about the 2016 Subaru Forester, by the system named in each complaint. One complaint can name several.
- Air bags99
- Electrical system93
- Unknown or other69
- Engine60
- Power train51
- Vehicle speed control37
- Service brakes29
- Fuel/propulsion system24
- Seats23
- Visibility/wiper20
NHTSA ODI complaints (public domain) · updated 23 Oct 2026 · 17 injuries and 0 deaths reported
Compared with other years
NHTSA ODI complaints by model year
Fatal crashes in the US
From 2020 to 2023, 49 2016 Forester vehicles were involved in crashes on US public roads in which someone died; 22 people died inside them, and 5 of the vehicles rolled over. This is a count, not a crash rate: it grows with the number of cars on the road.
NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), crash years 2020–2023 (public domain)
New York safety inspections
At its first New York inspection the 2016 Subaru Forester failed the safety check 1.80% of the time — 9% less often than the average 2016 passenger car (1.97%). Median odometer at inspection: 78,502 miles.
NY DMV Vehicle Inspections (vezn-fmmk), initial inspections since Aug 2021 · how we count
Registered new in Europe in 2016
10,664 new Subaru Forester cars were registered in the EU, Norway and Iceland in 2016; the largest markets were Germany (3,247), Sweden (1,260), the United Kingdom (1,191).
- Average mass
- 1,639 kg
- Average power
- 115 kW
- Fuel type recorded
- Diesel 51% · Petrol 48% · LPG 0.7%
European Environment Agency, CO₂ emissions from new passenger cars · averages weighted by registrations; CO₂ is the type-approval value; fuel type as recorded at registration, where many non-plug-in hybrids appear as petrol · re-use permitted with acknowledgement
Engines
The most common engines in 2016 Subaru Forester cars on Dutch roads are the 2.0 petrol (110 kW, 148 hp) and 2.0 petrol (177 kW, 237 hp).
| Engine | Power | Cars |
|---|---|---|
| 2.0 petrol | 110 kW 148 hp | 418 |
| 2.0 petrol | 177 kW 237 hp | 23 |
RDW Open Data (CC0): registered passenger cars and their fuel data · engine size rounded to 0.1 litre, net maximum power · versions with at least 20 cars
In the Netherlands
453 first registered in 2016 are on Dutch roads; 25% arrived later as imports. Median list price when new: €40,790.
Most common APK defects
- Bandenspanning niet op juiste waarde313
- Kentekenplaatverlichting werkt niet (goed) / ontbreekt95
- Slijtage/beschadiging wiellager hoorbaar of voelbaar78
- Ruitenwisserinstallatie geeft onvoldoende zicht78
- Dimlicht onjuist afgesteld69
- Stadslicht werkt niet (goed)49
- Band onvoldoende profiel39
- Draaipunt onafhankelijke wielophanging te veel speling38
Colours
RDW Open Data: registered vehicles and APK defects (CC0) · defect descriptions in the RDW's Dutch wording
In the United Kingdom
1,151 cars built in 2016 were licensed for the road at the end of 2025, and 16 more were declared off the road (SORN).
Department for Transport and DVLA, vehicle licensing statistics (table VEH0124, year of manufacture) · Open Government Licence v3.0
MOT test results in Great Britain
In 2023, 1,208 of these cars first registered in 2016 took their annual MOT test. 79% passed first time; among all cars first registered in 2016 the figure was 79%.
| Failed on | These cars | All cars from 2016 |
|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 11.4% | 4.9% |
| Lamps, reflectors and electrical equipment | 4.6% | 6.1% |
| Tyres | 3.9% | 6.2% |
| Brakes | 3.1% | 4.3% |
| Visibility | 1.7% | 3.5% |
| Noise, emissions and leaks | 1.2% | 1.7% |
DVSA anonymised MOT tests and results, 2023 (Department for Transport) · Open Government Licence v3.0 · first tests only; a fix made at the test station within the hour still counts as a fail
In Finland
533 of these cars first registered in 2016 were in use in Finland on 30 Jun 2026, with an average of 163,000 km on the odometer at their last inspection.
Traficom (Finnish Transport and Communications Agency), open data on vehicles in use · CC BY 4.0
In New Zealand
531 2016 cars are on the New Zealand register; 28% arrived as used imports, 71% were sold new in New Zealand.
NZ Transport Agency Waka Kotahi, Motor Vehicle Register (March 2026) · CC BY 4.0
Crash-test ratings
NHTSA 5-star results for 1 variant; 1 of 1 rated variants score five stars overall. Rollover risk is the estimated chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
| Variant | Overall | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|
| 2016 Subaru Forester SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | 16.9 % |
- Electronic stability control
- Standard
- Forward collision warning
- Optional
- Lane departure warning
- Optional
- Best overall rating
- 5 / 5
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (5-Star Safety Ratings), api.nhtsa.gov · US federal work, public domain
Fuel consumption
Official Canadian test results for 3 variants: combined 8.7–9.6 L/100 km (about 25–27 mpg US), CO₂ 204–227 g/km.
| Variant | City | Highway | Combined |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forester AWD · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Regular gasoline | 9.6 | 7.5 | 8.7 |
| Forester AWD · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Premium gasoline | 10.2 | 8.5 | 9.4 |
| Forester AWD · Sport utility vehicle: Small · Regular gasoline | 10.6 | 8.4 | 9.6 |
Litres per 100 km. Natural Resources Canada, Fuel consumption ratings (open.canada.ca) · Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls in Canada
4 Transport Canada recalls for the 2016 Subaru Forester.
| 2024546 15 Aug 2024 | Label 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" a… |
| 2019492 4 Oct 2019 | Airbag Issue: On certain vehicles, the passenger occupant detection system (ODS) may malfunction. This could cause the airbag system to turn off the passenger-front a… |
| 2019104 1 Mar 2019 | Brakes 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 mo… |
| 2016122 17 Mar 2016 | Engine 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 du… |
Transport Canada Vehicle Recalls Database · Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada
Recalls
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.
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.
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.
Whether a recall was fixed on a particular car is known only to the manufacturer: check the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
NHTSA recalls · summaries in NHTSA's own words
Service bulletins
What Subaru told its dealers about the 2016 Subaru Forester: known faults, fixes and updates.
| Bulletin | Summary |
|---|---|
| 11010925 | This annocement is to inform dealers to the Gen 3.1 Head Unit OTA will be available via Wi-Fi. The update will take place in multiple batches with the first beginneing November 15th and the last being Decemeber 3rd. This update is for approximatelt 714,000 VINs. |
| 11010922 | This bulletin announces repair procedures to be used when diagnosing dark current draw (parasitic draw) on vehicles equipped with Gen 1 Data Control Modules. |
| 11009701 | This bulletin details an important regulation issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which impacts the way some vehicles with accessories are sold. This regulation applies to any automobile retailer installing accessories on a vehicle prior to its first sale. |
| 11009685 | This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models. |
| 11008283 | This Service Information Bulletin announces the preferred practices to be used when handling vehicles equipped with Gen2 Telematics which are enrolled in the Subaru STARLINK Security Plus Service featuring Stolen Vehicle Recovery Plus with Immobilizer. |
| 11008282 | This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models. |
| 11008281 | This Service Information Bulletin announces the diagnostic procedures to be followed when diagnosing engine oil leakage on FA and FB type engines. |
| 11008280 | This Service Information bulletin is being released as guidance for proper testing and charging of vehicle batteries. |
| 11008279 | This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. |
| 11008276 | The CP1.5 RCs OTA is available for all mid and high grade CP1.5 head units. |
| 11008267 | This bulletin announces availability of the NEW genuine Subaru engine oil filter. |
| 11008262 | This bulletin announces the procedures required to reprogram the DCM (Data Communication Module) in Gen1 Subaru vehicles in response to the 3G network sunsetting. |
| 11008259 | This bulletin outlines the judgment criteria to be used when inspecting front transverse link bushings to reduce unnecessary bushing replacement. |
| 11006935 | This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure for 2025MY vehicles. |
| 11006934 | The purpose of this bulletin is to provide replacement key and immobilizer information along with an overview of the Subaru Lock Information web-site. |
| 11006932 | This Service Information Bulletin announces important diagnostic information to utilize when the Data Communication Module (DCM) is being tested as a dark current/standby current source. |
| 11006931 | This Bulletin provides additional diagnostics to follow when addressing a Telematics-related DTC B2A16. |
| 11005624 | This annoucement provides parts personnel information about remanufactured transmissions that will no longer be available. |
| 11005617 | This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel injectors and internal engine components (e.g. intake valves and / or manifold, and combustion chambers). |
| 11005615 | This announcement provides information for retailers to install the latest infotainment system software for Denso CP 1.5. |
| 11005614 | This bulletin announces important diagnostic information to utilize when testing the Data Communication Module (DCM) as a dark current/standby current source. All models equipped with Telematics except Solterra. |
| 11005609 | This announcement provides information on Takata Recall Escalated Towing Program. |
| 11005608 | This thermo control valve video contains information on the replacement of thermo control valve. |
| 11005599 | This Bulletin provides SOA paint codes to help eliminate possible confusion for 2025 MY vehicles. |
| 11005595 | This bulletin contains additional information for recommended materials listed in the Service Manuals for individual models. |
NHTSA manufacturer communications (public domain)
NHTSA investigations
Occupant Detection System (ODS) Failure
NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation