10.0
really awful- Crashes / Fires:
- 0 / 1
- Injuries / Deaths:
- 0 / 0
- Average Mileage:
- 71,135 miles
About These NHTSA Complaints:
The NHTSA is the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints can be spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem. See the Back button — blue bar at the very top of the page — to explore more.
« Read the previous 20 complaints
Left side of driver's seat froze, and the tilt would not adjust--this is the part of the seat that the driver sits on, not the back of the seat. Right side of seat tilt adjustment continued working normally. I had the left motor in the seat adjustment replaced after 7 months of great discomfort (including a major nerve pinch and a couple of herniated disks). The car is maybe driven 10,000 miles annually, and the main driver is 180 lbs. After only 2 years of ownership, this was a very expensive fix, but safer than leaving it as is.
- Seattle, WA, USA
Drivers seat frame collapse, right front part of lower frame. Dealer identified failure of 2 welds. Will attempt to reweld.
- Clarksburg, MD, USA
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the recall repair from NHTSA campaign id number 12V099000 (seat belts) did not correct the failure. The contact stated that the support boxes attached to the seatbelts continued to pop out from the back seats. An authorized dealer was notified several times and provided no remedy. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 26,689.
- Freeport, IL, USA
The driver seat left side collapsed, the seat is inclined. Not easy to drive this way I am 190 lbs.
- Northville, MI, USA
The left front side of the drivers seat dips down and does not support any weight anymore. It seems like some part of the support broke or fell off. It is always the same no matter what position the seat is in. It has become very uncomfortable to sit in now.
- Nesconset, NY, USA
Front driver seat, which is a heated seat, has been extremely hot the past couple days when turned on. So hot that you cannot have the switch on high and sit on the seat. On January 15, 2014, while my wife was driving to work she noticed the heat from the seat, which she had on, was extremely hot. She turned off the heat, the seat cooled off. She reported the problem to me, I checked the seat and found a small burn hole through the seats upholstery. My wives long down coat she was wearing also had a burn hole in it.
- Wrenshall, MN, USA
I was driving around a slight bend when suddenly I felt and heard a crack or snap in the lower front left portion of my driver's seat. The front left portion of the seat felt soft, as if it had partially collapsed, and when I later got out of the vehicle, I could feel it sagging and shifting (unlike the right side of the seat). According to the dealer, it was due to the failure of a bracket or bolt and they will have to replace the front seat frame. I have seen many reports of similar incidents in 2010 Foresters on the internet and on this safety complaint log.
- Pittsburgh, PA, USA
The left side of the seat near the front (under the thigh) made a noise. The seat adjustment only works under the right leg. Getting out of the car, raising the seat adjustment and putting pressure on it shows that right side remains supported and left side is completely unsupported, the driver is either tilted, or seated at the lowest possible adjustment. Posture and safe driving position are compromised, I am seeking to get the seat fixed. There have been other mentions of this problem in Subaru owners online forums.
- St-Laurent, Quebec, Canada, ME, USA
Sat in driver's seat, started ignition, and as car started to accelerate, the left side of the seat (under the thigh) audibly popped. The seat adjustment now clearly only works under the right leg. Getting out of the car, raising the seat adjustment and putting pressure on it shows that right side remains supported and left side completely sags, leaving the driver either tilted, or seated at the lowest possible adjustment. Posture and safe driving position are definitely compromised, and I am seeking to get the seat fixed. There have been other mentions of this problem in Subaru owners online forums.
- Seattle, WA, USA
Driving when welds holding up the drivers seat failed. There were no potholes or bumps, though I-5 near seattle has pavement juncture unevenness, though none where the collapse happened.
- Tacoma, WA, USA
The drivers seat causes pain in my back, hip, ankle and foot on numerous occasions my right leg has gone numb or cramped up and I have to pull over so that I can walk off the cramps and numbness. My husband avoids driving the Subaru because of the pain he experiences. Even folks in their 20's that have driven my Subaru experience pain in some part of their lower body.
- Logan, IA, USA
The contact owns a 2010 Subaru forrester. The contact stated that the front driver's seat caused pain to anyone that drove the vehicle. The vehicle was not taken to have the failure diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 5,000. Updated 03/05/12
- La Crosse, WI, USA
- Millersville, MD, USA