2015 Subaru Forester Steering Problems
- Complaints
- 19about this part
- Share
- 3%of 615 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 39,500miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 19 complaints about the steering of the 2015 Subaru Forester, 3% of the 615 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 39,500 miles. 4 of these say a crash was involved, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“What has been happening is I will be driving down the road (does not matter how fast I am going) and all of a sudden all the lights come on and I lose acceleration and control of vehicle. Each time it has been towed to Subaru they cannot recreate the problem so it cannot be fixed. This last time I was on a very busy road going about 55 MPH and all of a sudden again my check engine lights etc came on and I lost acceleration and power. I quickly checked my rearview mirror to make sure no one was too close behind me. …”
NHTSA complaint #10874333, filed 2016-06, 38,000 miles“7 months old, 20,000 miles. Driving 65.6 MPH, in light rain with cruise control on. 1st time driving in bad weather, noticed wind or flat tires causing sometimes side shaking. Stopped to check tires. Noticed no wind nor low tires pressure. Continued on. Had used cruise control on and off, and turning on and off the traction switch to find a pattern for the iradic driving. Could not id a cause. Continued driving. Car took a sudden jerk to the left, knew we were going to crash and could not turn steering wheel. 'crash' . We slid 40 feet down the center divide. …”
NHTSA complaint #10839979, filed 2016-03, 20,000 miles“Started the car in the driveway and no power steering, dropped off at the local dealer. Several days later was informed of full failure of power steering. The power steering assist module and power steering rack system shorted out/failed. Car had 41000 miles”
NHTSA complaint #11218105, filed 2019-06, 41,000 miles“Received a warning light saying to check power steering. Nothing to check on electric power steering. Light went off by switching ignition off and back on. Internet search found failures while driving on the eps system, so I took car in for diagnosis. A code had been stored that lead to a diagnosis of bad eps gearbox. Repair necessitated replacement of entire steering rack. Not an isolated incident. Problem needs to be addressed for obvious safety reasons - loss of steering!”
NHTSA complaint #11398042, filed 2021-02, 45,000 miles“At 38k excessive vibration and noise at highway speeds was noticed. Dealer replaced both of the front lower control arm bushings. At 42k the front right wheel bearing went bad and was replaced. Probably caused by the bad control arm bushings. At 44k the control arm bushings were bad again. This caused a severe loss of control of the car in slick conditions. This time the dealer replaced both of the control arm assemblies. This is a real problem with this vehicle. Time for a recall.”
NHTSA complaint #11291430, filed 2019-12, 38,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11032035Apr 20, 2026This Bulletin provides the diagnostic procedures to be followed when addressing customer concerns of steering wheel/vehicle body vibration when driving at highway speeds when…
- 10199960Jul 27, 2021As part of Subaruâs dedication to customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is announcingan extension to the Basic New Car Limited Warranty for the Electronic Power…
- 10199957Jul 26, 2021As part of Subaru of Americaâs dedication to customer satisfaction, this letter is to inform you of an extension to the Basic New Car Limited Warranty for your vehicleâs…
- 10199956Jul 26, 2021As part of Subaruâs dedication to customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is announcing an extension to the Basic New Car Limited Warranty for the Electronic Power…
Steering: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 2 | 2% |
| 2024 | 1 | 3% |
| 2023 | 1 | 1% |
| 2022 | 2 | 2% |
| 2021 | 3 | 1% |
| 2020 | 11 | 2% |
| 2019 | 14 | 2% |
| 2018 | 25 | 5% |
| 2017 | 25 | 4% |
| 2016 | 19 | 5% |
| 2015 | 19 | 3% |
| 2014 | 16 | 4% |
| 2012 | 1 | 1% |
| 2011 | 1 | 1% |
| 2010 | 5 | 2% |
| 2009 | 3 | 2% |
| 2008 | 4 | 8% |
| 2007 | 3 | 4% |
| 2006 | 9 | 10% |
| 2005 | 2 | 2% |
| 2004 | 1 | 0% |
| 2003 | 4 | 2% |
| 2002 | 1 | 1% |
| 2001 | 2 | 1% |
| 2000 | 1 | 1% |
| 1999 | 3 | 2% |
| 1998 | 3 | 3% |
Other parts of the 2015 Subaru Forester
131 complaintsAir bags
102 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
95 complaintsElectrical system
82 complaintsOther or unknown
74 complaintsVehicle speed control
70 complaintsSuspension
66 complaintsFuel system
57 complaintsBrakes
36 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
28 complaintsSeats
22 complaintsBody and structure
20 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2015 Subaru Forester
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 28, 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