This bulletin announces the new procedure and Warranty Fail Code for FirstTime air conditioning (A/C) performance concerns possibly resulting from an undetected A/C refrigerant leak.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗2009 Subaru Forester electrical problems
severe 21 complaints filed with NHTSA · avg repair $850 · see electrical across all vehicles →
Failure mileage
Complaints
21
Recalls
0
Avg fix
$850
1crash
3fires
When does it fail?
Of the 21 electrical complaints filed for the 2009 Subaru Forester, here's the actual mileage breakdown — failures cluster heaviest at 25,000-50,000 mi.
0-25k
25-50k
50-75k
75-100k
100-125k
125-150k
150k+
Each bar shows the share of total complaints filed at that mileage range. Peak failure window highlighted. Some owners report problems earlier; some make it well past 150,000 miles symptom-free. Maintenance habits and driving conditions shift the curve as much as mileage alone.
What stands out
No new NHTSA electrical complaint has been filed on this vehicle in over 10 years — the issue may be aging out of the active population.
Is there a fix? Manufacturer service bulletins
The manufacturer has issued service bulletins covering electrical on this vehicle — documented repair instructions, service campaigns, or warranty extensions sent to dealers. A TSB isn't a recall (it's not a free safety remedy), but it's the manufacturer acknowledging the issue and how to fix it.
This bulletin contains information to help when attempting to complete the STARLINK Telematics subscription process, an Error Code 202 and / or 204 may occur preventing the process from completing successfully
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗This Service Information Bulletin was developed to provide interim guidance for 2026 model year vehicles exhibiting DTC B2A20 with gen 4 Telematics.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗This bulletin announces the new procedure and Warranty Fail Code for FirstTime air conditioning (A/C) performance concerns possibly resulting from an undetected A/C refrigerant leak.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗This Subaru service and technical support line newsletter provides information on the next phase of TechShare.
full bulletin at NHTSA ↗Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications. Bring the bulletin number to your dealer or shop.
The failure pattern owners describe
The 2009 Forester electrical system complaints break into several distinct patterns. Most common are intermittent power losses affecting the radio, windshield wipers, and dashboard displays—typically after the vehicle sits briefly in wet weather. Power returns after engine restart. Three owners report this as dangerous during rain when wipers suddenly quit; dealers cannot replicate the issue, and fuses check fine. A second cluster involves engine misfires and loss of power at highway speeds in wet conditions, accompanied by check engine and stability control lights. Multiple owners report this across different units with no recalls issued.
A third and more serious category involves actual electrical fires: one caused by the driver-side seat heater melting through cloth and charring internal padding; another from the trailer hitch wiring harness shorting due to moisture and burning; two others from main wire harnesses igniting either during remote start or spontaneously at very low mileage. A brake light switch malfunction causes ABS, hill assist, and dynamic control lights to flash simultaneously. Owners also report occupant detection system shorts, compass display failures, unexpected engine shut-off while driving, and valet key rejection by the security system. Dealers have inspected many of these problems without finding or fixing anything.
Same Subaru Forester electrical reports on nearby years: 2010
Failure modes owners describe
Seat heater malfunction and fire hazard
Driver-side seat heater burns cloth and melts internal components, creating a burn hole and charred areas beneath the upholstery.
Symptoms owners cite: Uneven heating sensation; Localized burning feeling on seat; Rear heater only working; Visible burn hole in cloth seat; Melted and blackened areas under cloth
Repairs/costs cited: Owner disabled seat heater power after discovery; exact repair not detailed
Misfire and power loss on rainy highway
Engine misfires and loses power at highway speeds in wet conditions, triggered by moisture entering engine electrical systems. Check engine and stability control lights illuminate; issue persists across multiple 2009 Foresters.
When: Highway speeds, rainy weather
Symptoms owners cite: Engine misfire; Loss of engine power; Check engine light; Stability control light; Cruise control light flashing
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: No recall issued despite owner indication that other less critical recalls exist
Intermittent loss of electrical power to multiple circuits
Radio, windshield wipers, dashboard displays, and other electrical components lose power intermittently, especially in wet weather. Power is restored after engine restart. Occurs on multiple units with no diagnostic reproducibility at dealer.
When: Intermittent; typically after brief stops in rainy conditions, can reoccur months apart
Symptoms owners cite: Radio loses power; Windshield wipers non-functional; Dashboard display goes dark; Time/temp/mileage display black; Defroster ceases to function; Electronic mirror control inoperative; Cigar lighter inoperative
Repairs/costs cited: Fuses checked and found intact; no repair completed as failure cannot be replicated at dealer
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Manufacturer notified in at least one case; no documented recall or technical service bulletin
Brake light switch malfunction
Brake light switch fails intermittently, triggering simultaneous illumination of ABS, hill assist, and vehicle dynamic control warning lights at highway speed.
When: Approximately 6 months of intermittent occurrence
Symptoms owners cite: ABS light illuminates; Hill assist light illuminates; Vehicle dynamic control light illuminates; Lights remain on until vehicle restart
Codes mentioned: Subaru brake light switch malfunction
Repairs/costs cited: Brake light switch replaced twice with Subaru OEM parts; switch adjusted twice by dealer but did not stay in proper position
Occupant detection system short circuit
Front passenger seat bottom experiences electrical short in the occupant detection system, causing airbag warning light to illuminate. Vehicle not repaired by dealer.
When: At approximately 49,000 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Airbag light illuminates occasionally while driving at 25 mph
Codes mentioned: Front passenger side seat bottom short in ODS
Repairs/costs cited: Not repaired
Engine stalling and stability control failures
Vehicle shakes severely during driving or acceleration, stability control light illuminates, and engine loses power or stalls. Occurs multiple times; dealer inspection found no fault.
When: While driving at various speeds including 65 mph on interstate
Symptoms owners cite: Severe engine shaking during acceleration; Stability control light on; Check engine light on; Cruise control light on; Loss of engine power while at highway speeds; Engine stalls
Repairs/costs cited: Dealer inspection twice found nothing wrong
Trailer hitch wiring harness fire
Electrical cable connecting vehicle to trailer hitch wiring harness melts, smokes, and burns due to moisture and condensation causing short circuit. Wires burn and connector melts; risk of vehicle fire.
When: While parked; discovered with side lights mysteriously on when car was off
Symptoms owners cite: Side lights on when vehicle is off; Burned plastic smell; Wiring harness smoking and burning; Melted wires
Repairs/costs cited: Harness disconnected by owner to stop power drain; harness was melted and burnt
Complete electrical harness fire during remote start
Wire harness burns and melts within seconds of remote start activation, destroying electrical components including seat belt harness, airbag wiring, and other systems. Vehicle caught fire.
When: During remote start operation
Symptoms owners cite: Wire harness burns immediately; Plastic parts melt; Vehicle catches fire; Engine will not restart
Repairs/costs cited: Electrical wire harness going to seat belts, air bags, and other components burned out
Underbody wire harness fire at low mileage
Fire erupts from driver-side panel below trunk cover in vehicle with less than 3,500 miles. Wire harness burns completely.
When: Less than 3,500 miles
Symptoms owners cite: Fire eruption from driver-side panel below trunk; Wire harness burnt
Repairs/costs cited: Vehicle appears to be total loss per insurance assessment
Compass display failure in rear-view mirror
Compass direction display integrated into rear-view mirror ceases to function. Occurs on multiple units.
Symptoms owners cite: Compass display dark; No direction display
Unexpected engine shut-off while driving
Engine turns off unexpectedly while vehicle is in motion, including mid-drive on residential street after initial start.
When: Minutes after starting on residential street
Symptoms owners cite: Engine shuts off unexpectedly while driving
Recalls/TSBs owners mention: Owner references recall NHTSA Campaign 19V297000
Security system ignition key rejection
Vehicle ignition does not recognize valet key; security light illuminates and key will not turn, preventing engine start.
Symptoms owners cite: Ignition does not recognize valet key; Security light on dash; Key will not turn; Vehicle will not start
Synthesized from 21 NHTSA owner complaints — unverified consumer allegations, summarized for patterns. The verbatim filings appear below.
What owners are reporting 5 most recent
On 12/19/2015 after starting the vehicle the radio, cigar lighter, temperature/time, and electronic mirror control would not operate. The vehicle was driven on a secondary street. After shutting the vehicle off and on the aforementioned items began to function again. Fuses were checked and all fuses seem to be in tact. The inability to control the external mirrors are a safety concern.
Ignition doesn't recognize valet key, "security" light on dash comes on, key won't turn and car won't start. *tr
I have a Subaru 2009 that I bought last yeay with around 25000 miles under an extended warranty . VIN [xxx] . And this as happened te times so far . While driving or just starting of the car shakes very hard , and the stability control light comes on the check engine ad cruise control and as the car tries to shift the whole car shakes . Then as you are driving down the highway it loses power…
I was going around a cup-de-sac to stop to a have my passenger exit the car to her house, I heard engine rev and push forward into her hollow tile wall, garden and down the other side of her property and stop on the wall before I thought of turning the engine off. *tr
Tl* the contact owns a 2009 Subaru forester. The contact stated that various electrical systems, such as some warning indicators, wipers, and the defroster, ceased to function. The failures occurred without warning and would correct themselves once the vehicle was manually restarted. The failures occurred on five occasions. Autonation Subaru in spokane valley, wa could not replicate the failure.…
Had electrical trouble with your 2009 Subaru Forester?
File a complaint with NHTSA → It's free, official, and how every report above got here — owner filings are the federal safety record this page is built on.
Common questions
How serious is the electrical problem on the 2009 Subaru Forester?
It's a meaningful issue. 21 complaints have been filed and the failure mode causes operational problems for owners. Repairs average $850.
At what mileage does the electrical typically fail?
Across the 19 complaints that reported odometer mileage, most electrical failures cluster between 41,312 and 98,613 miles, with the median around 60,000. A quarter of owners report trouble before 41,312; a quarter make it past 98,613. Maintenance history matters more than the odometer alone — this is the reported failure window, not a guarantee.
What does it cost to fix?
Independent shops typically charge around $850 for electrical repairs on this vehicle. Dealer pricing tends to run 20-40% higher. The exact figure depends on the specific failure mode, parts availability, and your local labor rates. If you're outside factory warranty, an extended service contract often covers this category.
Are there any recalls related to electrical?
No active recalls currently cover electrical issues on this vehicle. The complaints filed represent owner-reported failures that haven't risen to the level of a manufacturer-issued recall — but they're still worth knowing about before you buy or budget for repairs.
Related
Complaint and recall data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
public records database. Verify the raw federal record at
nhtsa.gov/vehicle/2009/Subaru/Forester.
Severity ratings are derived from reported crashes, fires, injuries, and fatalities. Repair cost estimates are
independent-shop national averages and may differ in your area. Some links on this page are affiliate links.