2017 Subaru Forester Subaru Forester 2017

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2017 Subaru Forester repairs by problem area

Engine (21%)

Transmission and Drivetrain (10%)

Brakes and Traction Control (10%)

Suspension and Steering (5%)

Electrical and Air Conditioning (42%)

Paint, Rust, Leaks, Rattles, and Trim (10%)

Other (1%)

Chart based on 73 repairs.
See TSBs and recalls for the 2017 Subaru Forester.

2017 Subaru Forester repair cost distribution

$2500+ (0%)

$1000 - $2499 (0%)

$500 - $999 (8%)

$100 - $499 (17%)

< $100 (75%)

Worried about potential repair costs? An extended warranty can provide peace of mind.

Chart based on 48 repair trips. The repair cost chart excludes repairs made under warranty, do-it-yourself repairs, and repair trips that include maintenance.

2017 Subaru Forester

Engine not specified

Subaru Forester in Pennsylvania, United States
Jan 2019 - Jan 2023
Jun 2019

25000 mi
Air conditioning condenser Bushing 

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2017 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

turbocharged 250hp 2.0L H4 8-speed shiftable CVT AWD

Subaru Forester in Colorado, United States
Jul 2016 - Jan 2022
Jun 2017

7000 mi
Transmission pan leaking. Dealer made adjustment under warranty. 
Subaru Forester in California, United States
Aug 2016 - Mar 2018
Feb 2018

12020 mi
Keyfob quit working, Battery was found to be okay, had to replace keyfob and reprogram to vehicle. Car makes popping noise in middle during driving (usually in deceleration, but not hard braking). Noise seems to come from left rear door. Dealer has been unable to reproduce. 
Subaru Forester in New York, United States
Jul 2016 - Oct 2020
Dec 2017

22000 mi
Power lift gate making squeaking noise. Dealer claimed to lubricate it. Lift gate still makes noise and needs to be corrected yet again on the next service visit. Driver seat belt buckle squeaking noise. Dealer could not reproduce. Buckle still makes noise and needs to be corrected on the next service visit. Holding buckle stops the noise. Found reports online of others with same problem. 
Aug 2020

59900 mi
Injectors were fouled. $2000+ repair not covered under warranty but Subaru covered the cost as it is a common problem on the Forester XT due to direct injection system design flaws plus I also had a large amount of problems with this vehicle. I had problem fixed and sold vehicle just short of 60,000 miles. 
Subaru Forester in British Columbia, Canada
Oct 2016 - Dec 2021
Aug 2018

6200 mi
Misfire on #1 cylinder when started. Computer was fed an update and problem fixed 
Subaru Forester in Massachusetts, United States
Oct 2020 - Mar 2022
May 2021

39000 mi

US $150
CVT failed. Replaced under Subaru 100k CVT extended coverage. 
Subaru Forester in Missouri, United States
Jun 2017 - Jun 2022
Jun 2018

14000 mi
Trim under the passenger window replaced 
Subaru Forester in Oregon, United States
Jul 2016 - Nov 2020
Dec 2016

3000 mi
Heavy soot deposits on exhaust pipe tips. 
Mar 2017

4000 mi
S# transmission mode kept engine revs well below torque peak, which made no sense given S# mode is "performance mode". 
Jun 2017

5500 mi
engine runs roughly on mild inclines. excessive soot on tailpipes. Technician did basic ECU check, claimed there was no problem but that there was pending ECU reprogramming, not currently available. 
Sep 2017

7000 mi
engine runs roughly under light acceleration up hills. Technician added program update for proper high temperature operation, also corrected overfilled oil level (too much oil can raise havoc with valve timing adjusters). Repair did not correct rough engine performance up hills. 
Dec 2017

8000 mi

US $73
Engine continues to stumble when vehicle is traveling up long hills. Service tech has seen problem before but had no new programming or other assistance from Subaru to attempt adjustments or actual repair. 
Jun 2018

12000 mi
rear hatch control no longer working as expected (hatch no longer opens automatically when hatch button pressed). Technician claimed hatch was working properly. No parts replaced. 
Sep 2018

14000 mi

US $60
Engine stumbles/runs rough when vehicle is climbing moderate hills. technician applied carbon cleaner to valve system (direct injection engine) but found no problem. Problem has been occurring repeatedly and was present in '14 XT forester with same engine. Technician is now contacting factory field support for more info. 
Subaru Forester in South Carolina, United States
Sep 2016 - Aug 2022
Aug 2022

45000 mi

US $160
During windshield replacement the eyesight went bad and cost $2500. The majority was covered by insurance, but unbelievable expense and difficulties getting it done. 
Subaru Forester in Colorado, United States
Mar 2017 - Jun 2018
Apr 2018

26000 mi
Leak was noticed from transmission pan during normal oil change maintenance. Persisted between changes so they scheduled a time and replaced the gasket under warranty 
Jun 2018

31000 mi

US $7
Leak coming from oil pan identified shortly after oil change. Discovered washer had been bent during reinstallation. Changed part and replaced oil (again). No leaks since 
Subaru Forester in Texas, United States
Aug 2016 - Feb 2022
Jan 2022

72000 mi
Unknown battery drain. Replaced battery. Successful. 
Feb 2022

72000 mi
Condenser recall 
Subaru Forester in Illinois, United States
Sep 2016 - Sep 2018
Sep 2018

8000 mi
Window would not go down on driverside 

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2017 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

turbocharged 237hp 2.0L H4 8-speed shiftable CVT AWD

Subaru Forester in Trinidad and Tobago
Mar 2017 - Feb 2022
Jul 2017

868 mi

$1
Rattle in passenger sun visor extension. Fixed by removing extension from visor and adding felt strip to tighten up space when retracted. 
Mar 2018

4960 mi
Engine felt a bit lethargic under 2500 rpm, and the power would suddenly kick in and surge forward around 2700 rpm. This made the acceleration and downshifting very jerky when the engine was between 2000-3000 rpm. After reading some info the 'net, I decided to tighten the hose clamps on the intercooler inlet, outlet, and turbo bypass valve. After doing this, the engine is smooth in acceleration again, like new. Update: problem returned a month later. 
Jun 2018

6820 mi

$25
Replaced factory Tridon brand hose clamps for Turbo intercooler, throttle body and turbo bypass valve with aftermarket Breeze brand liner hose clamps. Car drives like new again and no more uneven acceleration. 
Feb 2020

19315 mi
Brake power booster vacuum bleeds off when car sits for several hours or overnight. Brake pedal very firm to depress prior to starting engine. Dealer claims that it is normal, but this was not normal for the first 30,000 kms of ownership or normal for my other cars. No repair done. 
Jul 2020

21824 mi
Tighten and retorque intercooler and turbo bypass valve clamps to 4nm. Right intercooler clamp found loose. Dealer has returned car after service with loose clamps more than once. Annoying ticking tapping sound in both left and right B-pillars especially when chassis twists when driving over uneven bumps or road. Suspected spot weld splatter friction noise. Sprayed WD40 lubricant at top of B-pillars between sheet metal seams. Rattle gone. 

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2017 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD

Subaru Forester in Rhode Island, United States
Jul 2017 - Jan 2022
Sep 2018

6000 mi
The AC stopped cooling and the dealership checked it and said that the AC condenser needed to be replaced, repair took 2 hours and this included washing the vehicle before it was returned. This is a problem with faulty AC Condensers on 2017 model Subaru Foresters. 
Subaru Forester in New York, United States
Jun 2017 - Jan 2022
Jul 2018

22100 mi
sideview mirrors did not heat to remove frost as part of winter package 
Subaru Forester in Florida, United States
Mar 2017 - Jul 2022
Jul 2022

83000 mi

US $97
replace right rear wheel bearing 
Subaru Forester in New Hampshire, United States
Jun 2017 - May 2022
May 2022

49000 mi

US $300
I did new front brake rotors & pads (DIY) before giving to my daughter in May ($300). 
Subaru Forester in New York, United States
Jun 2021 - Jul 2022
Jul 2022

36000 mi

US $621
Replaced rear rotors. 
Subaru Forester in Pennsylvania, United States
Jun 2021 - Jun 2022
Jun 2022

50000 mi

US $800
Replace both rear wheel bearings 
Subaru Forester in California, United States
Oct 2016 - Jun 2022
Nov 2021

37000 mi
WUM98 - "Forester Passenger-side Front Airbag ODS" Type: Recall Service Campaign: WUM98 | NHTSA Campaign: 19V-701000 
Subaru Forester in New Hampshire, United States
May 2017 - Jun 2022
Nov 2021

64000 mi

US $800
replaced brakes 
Jun 2022

72000 mi

US $25
Headlight replaced 
Subaru Forester in Ohio, United States
Mar 2017 - Jun 2022
Aug 2019

8500 mi
Replaced O Rings on compressor. Replaced O Rings on compressor. Lll 
Jun 2020

9600 mi
Occupancy sensor for front passenger seat replaced 
Subaru Forester in Ohio, United States
Dec 2020 - Jun 2022
Apr 2022

25000 mi

US $100
All sorts of electrical problems related to battery going dead. All were re-settable after replacing the battery. 
Subaru Forester in Wisconsin, United States
Dec 2016 - Sep 2020
Jun 2018

17500 mi
Passenger Window wouldn't go all the way down - was told it was a computer programming error that was fixed 
Subaru Forester in British Columbia, Canada
Feb 2017 - Jun 2022
Apr 2018

13640 mi
Hydraulics on rear gate lift still squeaking 
May 2022

48980 mi

C $800
brakes below reasonable safety margin 
Subaru Forester in Vermont, United States
Jan 2017 - Jun 2022
Mar 2017

400 mi
dealer installed remote start was not functional at time of delivery, took it back the following week and they discovered someone had cut a wire when reassembling the dash at the time of install, repaired the wire, and system is now functional 
May 2017

3000 mi
navigation head unit was locking up randomly, dealer replaced head unit under warranty 
Subaru Forester in Colorado, United States
Sep 2016 - Jun 2022
Mar 2017

6000 mi
Integrated electronics unit was not activating windshield wiper de-icers. Replaced BIU. Had to take car back because fog lights quit working. Technician was not aware he needed to explicitly enable the feature in the new BIU's configuration. 
Subaru Forester in Maine, United States
Mar 2017 - Jun 2018
Aug 2017

7000 mi
Passenger side front door guard trim peeling away. Replaced under warranty. 
Nov 2017

11000 mi

US $120
After sitting four days, the car had no power whatsoever. AAA tested it and zero voltage was seen. No lights were left on. The OEM battery was replaced by AAA with a higher CCA battery. 
Dec 2017

11000 mi
This car costing 35K, has the worst heat in cold weather out of 7 Subarus I have owned, very disappointed. Also the CVT when it is cold out causes the engine to stay at high revolutions for a long time, resulting in a huge MPG loss. 
Subaru Forester in Newfoundland / Lab., Canada
Oct 2016 - Jan 2022
Nov 2016 Shudder in car a certain speeds. Dealer checked fluid level in trans.Level was good. 
Nov 2017

12400 mi

C $150
CVT transmission was re-programmed. Happy to report the shudder I experienced has completely gone from the car. Issue resolved after EXACTLY ONE year. 
May 2018

16120 mi

C $150
brakes, lights etc 
Subaru Forester in California, United States
Jun 2016 - Jun 2018
Jan 2017

7800 mi
Factory initiated TSB effort to confirm CVT filled with fluid to proper level. 0.5L added according to repair report. 
Subaru Forester in Ontario, Canada
Jun 2016 - Jun 2022
Dec 2016

6820 mi
"Enter" key for middle console is dimmer on one side of the key. Internal LED so nothing I could fix. 
Sep 2017

16740 mi
AC compressor leaked, no cold air blowing. Took 3 weeks to get a new compressor in. Under warranty. 
Subaru Forester in Michigan, United States
Aug 2016 - Jun 2018
Sep 2016 Rear O2 sensor tripped, turning on check engine light. A software update seems to have eradicated the problem. 
May 2018

9000 mi
Passenger air bag sensor replaced. 
Subaru Forester in Pennsylvania, United States
Jul 2016 - Jun 2022
Jun 2018

14000 mi
AC was blowing hot air. Condenser replaced under warranty. 
Subaru Forester in California, United States
Jul 2016 - Jun 2018
Dec 2017

42000 mi
A/C condenser leak 
Subaru Forester in New Jersey, United States
Jul 2016 - Jul 2022
Oct 2017

9000 mi
Reprogram ECM for engine hesitation and jerking. 
Apr 2018

13000 mi
Leak in AC condenser 
Apr 2022

54000 mi

US $79
Replaced rear brake pads 
Subaru Forester in Alberta, Canada
Apr 2017 - Apr 2018
Apr 2018

19 mi

C $290
Rock got caught in heat shield. 1 hr labor to repair. 
Subaru Forester in Illinois, United States
Feb 2018 - Jul 2018
Mar 2018

25200 mi
Blue tooth was virtually disfunctional. Could hardly hear other party and other party couldn't hear driver. Dealer said they "downloaded an upgrade" for the system. It helped very slightly, but it is still not acceptable. 
Subaru Forester in Peru
Dec 2016 - Jun 2022
Nov 2017

5580 mi
Air conditioner stop working. It was checked and repair under guarantee. 
Subaru Forester in Illinois, United States
Feb 2017 - Jun 2022
Jan 2018

15000 mi
pax seat airbag sensor needed replacement 
Subaru Forester in Oklahoma, United States
Jun 2016 - Jun 2018
Dec 2017

36000 mi
battery was leaking acid!!! 

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2017 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 6-speed manual AWD

Subaru Forester in New Jersey, United States
Mar 2017 - Jul 2017
Jun 2017

5303 mi
Vehicle is consuming oil. Oil level low by 34 oz. Started oil consumption test with new oil/filter change. 

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2016.5 Subaru Forester 4dr SUV

170-horsepower 2.5L H4 CVT AWD

Subaru Forester in New South Wales, Australia
Aug 2016 - Jun 2022
Dec 2016

2480 mi
Incorrect panel fit due to overtightening during assembly. 

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See TrueDelta's information for all Subaru models.

2017 Subaru Forester Repair Histories

See our lemon odds and nada odds page to see vehicles with no repairs or vehicles with more than three repairs. To see how frequently 2017 Subaru Forester problems occur, check out our car reliability stats.