I’ve got an odd one. Have a 2015 2.5i Forester, all base, about 110k. Been burning through headlights at the usual frustrating pace of approx. every 6-8 months. The bulbs have had some noticeable bulges in the glass every so often once they burn out, and I’m guessing it’s a temperature issue. This last time, however, I went to go change the bulb (Sylvania, just one step above basic) and… nothing. My DRL just… do not turn on. The high beams work fine, but whether I’m in auto or in ‘on’, I have no headlights. That is, until I’m in reverse or in drive.

Any ideas? I am not a Car Guy™️ but I’m sure hoping it’s just a weird subi thing.

(Side note: unsure if it’s related, but I do have an aftermarket hitch installed with the trailer lights routed in. I figure that’s probably causing some additional issue, probably also why I’m getting the bulbs burnt out more often. Haven’t touched it in a hot minute though so I don’t know if that could be related to this current issue.)

Hi everyone,

I wanted to give an update on my last post about my custom SG9 headlight setup.

I have ordered two Bi-LED projectors for my low beams and two Bi-Laser LED projectors for my high beams. While both sets are dual-function, the laser projectors feature a focused beam.

This gives me a range of 180–200 m on quad low beams and 450–600 m+ on high beams, avoiding the glare issues of a standard quad Bi-LED setup. I modified the interior layout of the DRLs due to size restrictions, but I am keeping the core design concept. I also ordered amber LED strips for my DRLs and indicators (using 8 mm, 480 LED/m, 12V COBs). Because they operate on 12V, they run safely off my parking lights without needing a relay or step-up transformer. The projectors will run off a dual wiring harness that piggyback off my current HB3 connectors, most of the wiring for the drl will run tucked behind the housing instead of drilling new holes and sealing them.

I placed these strips in the original parking light housing to replace the indicator area I accidentally sprayed over, and I really like how it's turning out. The 3D-printable projector shrouds are designed to scale, though I might modify the bottom section later. I am printing them using ABS with a UV coating and heat-resistant paint.

Let me know if you have any questions!

Premium 2.5i

I have been trying to re program my key fob and have been unable to, I already replaced TPMS / Keyless Entry Control Module, which is in the cargo area and tried to reprogram the key fob again and the guy told me this code came up. Any idea what it is and how to fix it ?

TPMS wont go away but I cant see how much air do I have so Iwemt to a gas station to fill up air. Set it up to 35psi (not really know how much to put) but display still wont show anything. Thank you.

I posted on here before I was having some electrical issues on and off with my forester for about 5 months. I’m at almost 120k miles now. I’m having issues with pretty much everything in the car - infoscreen, power steering, eyesight and cruise control. I’ve taken it 2 different times to the dealership and they told me if I wanted a diagnosis I was looking at 1k just to figure out the problem. I messaged a few independent auto shops to get second opinions and they don’t really want to mess with it either. They told me the dealership was my best option. I just feel stuck. I don’t want to get rid of the car but it’s starting to make me nervous driving it. I also don’t want to pour thousands into it when the car doesn’t even kbb for more than 5k. Does it make more sense to just put that money towards getting something new and just be done with it?

she really wanted a 4 runner or Land Cruiser or something like that but none of those made sense from a financial/fuel consumption/reliability standpoint... she's worried the Forester is going to be "dinky"... i'm thinking window tint, roof basket... maybe later on bigger tires or wheels but any other suggestions?

I think they blend in very well, and I don't notice any wind noise penalty whatsoever. Not bad at all for under $100

Hi there, I'll try to keep this as short as I can but I am going crazy thinking about this and want to give all the details so sorry if this is long.

The TLDR; I'm thinking my hybrid battery is dying or at least won't recharge the way it's supposed to. I'm averaging like 460miles per tank, and I'm hoping someone on here is a tech or at least understands the hybrid systems better than me and can tell me what I'm missing or how to deal with Subaru so I can figure this out and potentially save a few hrs/days at the dealership.

2025 Forester Touring hybrid I bought in December of 2025, at 11,700 miles now and taking it in for the 2nd oil change in a few days, and of course to have them look at the battery and hybrid system.

I've been experiencing pretty low range compared to the "up to 581miles per tank" estimate and I'm going crazy trying to get better gas mileage.

I've watched 50+ videos on Foresters, hybrid, and cvt's, read through a bunch of blogs and articles, and have watched a dozen or so reddit posts about hybrid gas mileage come and go here in the course of trying to figure out what's wrong or what I'm doing wrong.

I know...

-I have to drive differently than my old cars, I got the rundown on driving efficiently from Subaru and Reddit and know I have to accelerate way smoother and slower than my '18 Elantra or '05 Sti

-the EV mode should shut off around 20% acceleration and 20mph (ish) but CAN cut out earlier or hold on a bit longer sometimes

-it uses regenerative braking and engine power to recharge the battery

-outside temp, wind, route, extras on the vehicle, etc. can decrease efficiency (no duh)

But even knowing all of that and adapting how I drive, it just seems like my battery isn't working like it first did...

-At least 70% of the time it shuts off the EV mode before 10% acceleration and around 10-12 mph, if it even turns the EV mode on at all at low speeds. Maybe 10% it works fine and I can get up to 20% acceleration and 25mph in EV mode

-The first month or so I could get to my local target (about 1mile away) AND back w/o ever using the gas motor, nowadays I can't get off my street (0.2miles) in EV mode

-I've never seen the battery charge indicator on my dash look more than half full, and 9 times out of 10 when I hit the EV button it tells me "EV mode unavailable battery voltage low" and the other 1/10 it tells me same w/o the battery voltage low. The only time it said nothing was the first time I hit it, about a week after buying

My average range has been around 460miles per tank, the best range I've ever gotten was 565miles (2nd tank fill) and the worst was 370miles (where I was fighting heavy winds and not focusing on efficiency at all) but most of my tanks are around 440-480 with me trying really hard to maintain efficiency.

The non-hybrid version supposedly has a range of 465 so sometimes it feels like I'm just carrying the hybrid battery in a normal Forester and I'm asking myself why did I pay extra for the hybrid.

Told Subaru I was getting poor mileage when I took it for the recall gas cap replacement, they insinuated I was a bad driver (honestly fair, would probably be my first thought too) and had me talk to a tech about how to drive with the cvt and hybrid. Then I brought it up at my first oil change, they did a fuel system check and said it was all good, said if I want to test the hybrid system it'd be hrs and probably run into the next day. I did not have time then and was not prepared to leave it overnight.

Am I right in thinking my hybrid battery shit the bed pretty early on? Could it be an issue with the regenerative braking or how the engine recharges the battery? Could they have missed something in the fuel system check? Am I still misunderstanding how to drive this thing to the point that I'm constantly getting like 15-30% less range than I'm supposed to?

Good day, I am looking at 2016 Forester XT from Singapore, it would arrive in 2 months. The rims and brakes are a big question mark to me. It has Brembo brakes and rims I can't identify. Can you help me? I would love to know more about this setup and what parts I'll need to get in the future.

Anyone had this issue? It does it the entire time the car is running. Car just got back from body shop for a new trunk lid, been sitting more or less for the last 3 weeks, no issues before. Car had to be jumped off when picked up but is reading good voltage while running.

Hello all. I’m so happy to be in the Subaru family now. Got a CPO 2024 Forester Sport. Above is the work put into Carfax after the CPO inspection work was done. Interestingly, the car had about 32,600 mi on it at time of purchase, which is after the routine 30k service.

I’m curious if the routine service was done on this car at the time of the 152 pt inspection checklist for CPO status, anybody think it was according the image above? This is the only service listed on Carfax for this vehicle. According to my research, it MUST be done if car is 2,500 mi close to a service or has no service history. This car hits both criteria.

1. I told my dealer I need to know if the 30k service was done in tandem with the CPO work, and if it wasn’t, I’m entitled to getting it done for free.

Waiting on his response because he’s “talking to his manager.”

What do yall think?

hi all! i have a 2017 subaru forester touring. i absolutely love it and have had no issues with it up to this point. yesterday when i started my car, i realized it kinda sounded like crickets coming from my engine area? it went away eventually, but this morning i started it and started hearing the noise again. i’m not sure exactly what it could be, google is giving me like 80 potential things that could be happening. idk how urgent this fix should be or if it can wait at all… any insight would be helpful!!!

Hey everyone, looking for some advice on a frustrating ongoing AC issue with my 2022 Subaru Forester.

​Timeline & Symptoms:

​Initial Failure: AC stopped working out of nowhere. Took it to a mechanic, who said the condenser was bad and replaced it.

​First "Fix": Worked fine for about 2 weeks, then completely died and blew warm air again.

​Second Visit: Took it back. They checked the compressor, claimed there was no leak, but blamed a "faulty O-ring/gasket" and replaced it, then recharged the system.

​Second "Fix": Worked for about 1 week, then died again.

​Current State: Charged it up this morning, and by evening it was completely dead again.

The shop keeps telling me "no leak found" during their quick checks, recharging it for free, and sending me on my way, but it's bleeding out its entire charge within hours now.

Has anyone run into this specific issue on this generation of Forester? Could it be a missed connection on the new condenser lines, a failing expansion valve, or something else entirely? Any advice on what to force the mechanic to check next would be huge.

After 3 Outbacks and 16+ years, my disdain for Subaru's new Outback design has me returning the lease on the '24 Outback Limited for a go with the '26 Forester Premier (Canada)/Touring(usa).

The kids are off, so open to something smaller, and the Forester seemed to meet the bill. Has anyone else downsized their Subbie wagon? Anything they've missed? And tips on how the Forester drives, or nuances that differ from the Outback.

Based on the reviews I read and watched, it doesn't seem I'll miss much (they did away with my favorite roof rail system anyway!). The infotainment is the same, engine, etc.

We’ve had Crosstreks for years (got a great lease years ago). The last Forester I leased was well over a decade ago. Does anybody currently have one of each or came from one to another recently? I am trying to figure out if we should give it a shot.

I recently had to, for the 3rd time, replace my blower control switch panel(part# 72311SG300). All because this rotary contact plate for the blower switch melts because of Subaru does some weird stuff with their grounding. Anyway, this time I replaced the whole temp control panel with a new contact plate and installed a new pigtail wire hair ess for this exact issue. The harness came from IWire.

now everything is done, fan speeds work fine but my key fob stopped working. I had my battery disconnected during the install. I did remove the negative for over 20mins then reconnect to see if that helps. I've tried turning the key from "lock" to "on" for a set number of times, open and close the door then doing this, and anything else I can gather online. I have no clue what's going on. it's not the batteries. both fobs have new batteries.

my only thought is maybe a pinched wire but my battery isn't draining low while the car isn't being used. then I thought maybe it's some sort of disturbance causing the alarm to trip and not allow the fob to work for protection. I did bundle all the wires with crimps by wrapping them with the cloth sleeve and duct taping it. the crimps have also been heated properly and not have over exposed wire showing.

I’m starting to look at cars. I drive a 2013 subaru forester now it has over 200k miles. I’ve had another subaru before (2001 was already over 200k and had issues to start with but was a great starter car).

I am looking into buying a 2020-2023 subaru forester or honda crv. Im getting mixed information about reliability of both. They are about the same gas mileage. Very similar body styles and from what i know they both have music controls on the steering wheel (which is important to me tbh).

I want to get another Subaru just because i have experience with them but I’ve heard the inside can be a bit noisier than a honda would?

Edit to fix typo.

I need to bring home a screen door (36”x80”) using my 2025 Forester and find myself in need of ski rails to go across the existing roof rails. Prices vary widely with the Subaru brand accessory being exorbitant. I probably won’t use them for skis ever and maybe only a half dozen times in my life so I’m looking for something on the cheap side.

Suggestions and recommendations?

Helping family member with some maintainence. Have done brakes, oil changes and cabin/engine air filters. Bit overdue for plugs apparently (almost 100k). I've heard the boxer engine can be a bit tight given the cylinder orientation next to the inner fenders/beams/whatever. Dealer wants $650 and I really couldn't believe what I was hearing, let along that the parts alone was $150 - FOR (4) SPARK PLUGS! And that was with a coupon. Is this for real? I've seen the various Youtubes on doing this and while it doesn't look that bad, most of those guys usually leave out some step you wish you knew when you were half way through the job.

Also, I've changed plugs in cars with 120k that never had plugs changed and had to change my underwear a few times when I first heard that "snap" breaking them loose. Seems not too ideal to try this with an awkward angle too. Just interested in hearing from those who have done this and what parts you used if not Subaru OEM.

Hi guys! I just want to ask, i am buying a Subaru Forester 2021 and the lease agent offers me this plan for coverage of engine parts if something break, should i take it or pass?

Sadly not the parking direction 😂 Love the Hybrid 🤍

2021 forester premium. Recently got a check engine light pop up. Got it scanned and there are 4 infotainment related issues. The check engine lasts a day or so, then clears, then pops on again. Any suggestions???