2016 Subaru Forester Engine Problems
- Complaints
- 60about this part
- Share
- 14%of 416 total for the year
- Median mileage
- 42,000miles
- Trend
- StableComplaints filed in the last 3 full calendar years are within 25% of the 3 years before.
NHTSA recorded 60 complaints about the engine of the 2016 Subaru Forester, 14% of the 416 complaints for this model year. Where a mileage was given, the median is 42,000 miles. 4 of these say a crash was involved and 2 a fire, according to the filers.
Example complaints
Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.
“I have an issue where the engine will flutter in idle and will almost skip as if it's not getting any gas. The flutter causes the car to shake, it has even caused the car to stall. When it stalled I had started the car, put it in drive, tapped the gas and the engine cut out and shut off. I brought the issue to the dealership, and they claimed nothing was wrong and they couldnt find any problems.”
NHTSA complaint #11150304, filed 2018-11, 29,000 miles“I've had this car for 1.5 years and it's already stalled twice times. Both times I was driving on the highway and without any warning my car just started to rapidly decrease speed. Both times, I my gas meter said that I had over 50 miles of gas left in my car. Its absolutely terrifying because when the car shuts off, I have about two minute to get to the shoulder before it's completely dead.”
NHTSA complaint #11048323, filed 2017-11, 30,000 miles“Three times over the past 2 weeks, my vehicle has stalled at highway speeds. All three times the incident occurred when I was traveling with 1/4 or less of gas (but these incidents did not occur due to having run out of gas). All three times I was attempting to accelerate or drive uphill. The vehicle stalled all times at around 65-75 MPH of speed, causing me great concern when I had to quickly pull over on heavily traveled highways such as ct route 84 and vt route 91. …”
NHTSA complaint #10885629, filed 2016-07, 23,000 miles“Running in my 2016 Subaru Forester at 70 MPH on crowded interstate highway in texas and all power was lost. No warning, no warning lights, nothing...just lost all power and shot off while driving. . Car rolled to a stop and then I had it towed. Restarted after a while and drove fine. Saw a lot of comments online for a current Subaru recall that has exactly the same symptoms, but for the 2019 year Forester. Subaru recall item: wuw-08 and also notes as recall #: 19v856000 - engine and engine cooling:exhaust system:emission control:crankcase (pcv). …”
NHTSA complaint #11317777, filed 2020-03, 44,500 miles“On five different occurrences while the cruise control was on and we were driving at around 70 miles an hour on an interstate, our car would electronically put itself in neutral, the automatic gear shifter would physically remain in drive, the RPM's would go up to about 5500 rpms, because the car was slowing down and the cruise control was on. We would pull over to the side of the interstate and the engine will shut off after about 30 seconds. Three of the five times, the car would start after sitting for about 15 minutes. …”
NHTSA complaint #11129380, filed 2018-09, 52,000 milesRelated service bulletins
- 11034269Jun 30, 2026This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel injectors and internal engine components…
- 11033065May 13, 2026This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel injectors and internal engine components…
- 11033051May 1, 2026This bulletin announces the diagnostic procedures to be used when DTCs B1571(REFERENCE CODE INCOMPATIBILITY IMMOBILIZER CM TO ECM) and B1572(IMM CIRCUIT EXCEPT ANTENNA CIRCUIT)…
- 11027982Jan 12, 2026This Bulletin provides the diagnostic procedure for the STARLINK® Remote Engine Start (RES).
- 11027090Dec 12, 2025This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel injectors and internal engine components…
- 11027083Dec 8, 2025This Service Information Bulletin provides the Service Manual Correction to the diagnostic procedure for DTC B2A16 (Immobilizer Key Collation Diagnosis).
- 11023536Sep 30, 2025In the interest of customer satisfaction Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is extending the New Car Limited Warranty coverage in the models listed. The extension will address…
- 11022313Aug 14, 2025This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel injectors and internal engine components…
- 11022305Aug 11, 2025Subaru Service Technical Support Newsletter special edition.
- 11018914May 29, 2025This bulletin provides updated parts information and a service procedure to follow for removing accumulated carbon deposits from fuel injectors and internal engine components…
Engine: other model years
| Year | Complaints | Share of year |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | 3% |
| 2025 | 4 | 4% |
| 2024 | 1 | 3% |
| 2023 | 5 | 7% |
| 2022 | 11 | 11% |
| 2021 | 34 | 16% |
| 2020 | 81 | 13% |
| 2019 | 106 | 13% |
| 2018 | 32 | 6% |
| 2017 | 47 | 8% |
| 2016 | 60 | 14% |
| 2015 | 131 | 21% |
| 2014 | 69 | 17% |
| 2013 | 27 | 35% |
| 2012 | 27 | 25% |
| 2011 | 60 | 41% |
| 2010 | 34 | 13% |
| 2009 | 27 | 15% |
| 2008 | 7 | 14% |
| 2007 | 9 | 12% |
| 2006 | 11 | 13% |
| 2005 | 3 | 3% |
| 2004 | 23 | 11% |
| 2003 | 12 | 6% |
| 2002 | 1 | 1% |
| 2001 | 2 | 1% |
| 1999 | 3 | 2% |
| 1998 | 1 | 1% |
Other parts of the 2016 Subaru Forester
100 complaintsElectrical system
93 complaintsOther or unknown
70 complaintsTransmission and drivetrain
51 complaintsVehicle speed control
37 complaintsBrakes
29 complaintsFuel system
24 complaintsSeats
24 complaintsVisibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
23 complaintsSteering
19 complaintsWheels
17 complaintsSuspension
14 complaints
← All problems reported for the 2016 Subaru Forester
About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 27, 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