2009 Subaru Forester Seats Problems
- Complaints
- 16about this part
- Share
- 9%of 178 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 69,000miles
- Trend
- FallingComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are at least 25% lower than in the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 16 complaints about the seats of the 2009 Subaru Forester, 9% of the 178 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 69,000 miles.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“Getting into my car I heard a crack and felt the driver's seat start to lean to the left. I have not been able to determine if it is the frame of the seat or just a spring/support for the seat. Any up/down adjustment via the power seat controls has unequal results between the left and right side of the driver's seat.”
NHTSA complaint #10702660, filed 2015-03, 65,700 miles“I was getting in into the drivers seat when the front left corner of the seat collapsed. I inspected the frame and found a broken weld where the motor, that lifts the front of the seat meets the frame, had failed.”
NHTSA complaint #10991883, filed 2017-05, 100,500 miles“The past month or so I noticed that the driver side seat heater didn't seem to feel right on my butt. The seat seemed to almost burn me in one spot. I thought it was odd, but didn't look into it further. Just this past week I noticed that only the back heater was working. While cleaning the car out today I noticed a very small burn hole in the cloth seat. I decided to remove the seat and investigate the issue since the vehicle is no longer under warranty. During my investigation I noticed that it was definitely a burn mark and there was melted/black areas under the cloth. …”
NHTSA complaint #10838864, filed 2016-02, 60,000 miles“While driving on 95 interstate I notice a crack sound and the left side of my driver's seat collapsed, rather dangerous! This is very uncomfortable especially since I have scoliosis. I am sitting at a diagonal position while driving and this is very distracting and uncomfortable. . I do not have the funds to pay to have this fixed and I see many others are having the same problem. I can lift the left side of my seat it is loose and sunken. I took it to the jones junction Subaru dealership in md. To ask if there were any recalls and they said no and they never heard of such a thing. …”
NHTSA complaint #10817214, filed 2015-12, 46,345 miles“I am 195 lbs and began entering the vehicle in my garage and sat down on the drivers seat and heard a sound from the bottom of the left front side of the seat. Felt that the seat was lower than the right side as well. Inspected to find that the front left bracket that supports the bottom of the seat had broken. It appears that two very small welds hold the bracket to the seat and both had broken and are unable to sufficiently support the seat. Attempting to raise and/or lower the seat does not work as well since the left front side cannot function correctly.”
NHTSA complaint #10501038, filed 2013-03, 72,000 milesSeats: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 1 | 1% |
| 2023 | 3 | 4% |
| 2022 | 1 | 1% |
| 2021 | 1 | 0% |
| 2020 | 4 | 1% |
| 2019 | 4 | 0% |
| 2018 | 30 | 6% |
| 2017 | 34 | 6% |
| 2016 | 24 | 6% |
| 2015 | 22 | 4% |
| 2014 | 14 | 3% |
| 2012 | 2 | 2% |
| 2011 | 4 | 3% |
| 2010 | 76 | 29% |
| 2009 | 16 | 9% |
| 2008 | 2 | 4% |
| 2007 | 2 | 3% |
| 2006 | 1 | 1% |
| 2004 | 1 | 0% |
| 2003 | 3 | 2% |
| 2001 | 1 | 1% |
| 2000 | 2 | 3% |
| 1999 | 1 | 1% |
| 1998 | 1 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2009 Subaru Forester
40 complaintsEngine
27 complaintsElectrical system
22 complaintsVehicle speed control
19 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
17 complaintsBrakes
16 complaintsEngine cooling
12 complaintsOther or unknown
11 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
11 complaintsFuel system
10 complaintsSuspension
6 complaintsElectronic stability control
5 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2009 Subaru Forester
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 29, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.
To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology