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2017 Subaru Forester

Gas

Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11

Safety Signal

92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns1

Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA584

Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA28 mpg

2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2017 Subaru Forester is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Forester AWD, is EPA-rated at 28 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 584 complaints, most often about the air bags. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Forester AWD	Gas	AWD	2.5L 4-cyl	26	32	28	$2,250
Forester AWD	Gas	AWD	2.0L 4-cyl turbo	23	27	25	$3,100
Forester AWD	Gas	AWD	2.5L 4-cyl	22	28	24	$2,600

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 37453, 37367, 37949.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Air Bags

WUM-98

366,282 vehicles

ProblemSubaru 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.RiskIf 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.FixSubaru 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.

NHTSA campaign 19V701000reported Oct 3, 2019Subaru of America, Inc.

NHTSA defect investigations

Air Bags — Occupant Detection System (ODS) Failure closed

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-009 to investigate 51 complaints and additional Early Warning Report (EWR) data related to allegations of front passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) malfunctions in model year (MY) 2016 through 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. These vehicles use a capacitive type ODS, which is intended to classify the occupant of the passenger seat as either full-sized, small stature, a child seat or other object. The complaints reported the ODS failed to operate properly, the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) warning light illuminated, and/or the ODS incorrectly suppressed (turned off) the front passenger air bag when the seat was occupied by a

Opened Aug 6, 2019 · closed Jan 22, 2020 · action PE19009

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

584complaints filed

39 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 27 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2016: 7 · 2017: 22 · 2018: 43 · 2019: 128 · 2020: 96 · 2021: 87 · 2022: 54 · 2023: 45 · 2024: 33 · 2025: 41 · 2026: 28

Most-cited components

Air Bags197

Electrical System106

Visibility/Wiper104

Unspecified96

Engine46

Power Train44

What owners describe

“My 2017 Subaru Forester has 52,000 miles driven. Recently the ignition key will NOT turn to start the engine. The transmission was in park and all the doors were fully closed. After 15 minutes trying several times to no avail it did finally turn to the right and the engine started. Also, previously a few times, randoml…”Aug 10, 2021 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

“The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the key remained stuck in the ignition after multiple attempts to shut-off the vehicle. The contact stated that he had to restart the vehicle or move the shift lever back and forth from the park position to release the key from the ignition. The contact t…”Jul 26, 2021 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report

“The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated a day after purchasing the vehicle, he noticed a crack on the windshield of the vehicle while the vehicle was parked in the garage. The contact was unable to determine the cause of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer and manufac…”Jul 22, 2021 · Visibility · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
SUV AWD	★★★★★	★★★★☆	★★★★★	★★★★☆	17%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Other Forester model years

2026 Subaru Forester

3 recalls · 19 complaints

2025 Subaru Forester

4 recalls · 90 complaints

2024 Subaru Forester

2 recalls · 29 complaints

2023 Subaru Forester

1 recalls · 73 complaints

2022 Subaru Forester

1 recalls · 97 complaints

2021 Subaru Forester

0 recalls · 207 complaints

2020 Subaru Forester

0 recalls · 598 complaints

2019 Subaru Forester

3 recalls · 833 complaints

2018 Subaru Forester

3 recalls · 493 complaints

2016 Subaru Forester

3 recalls · 411 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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