In-car Electronics
CD or DVD players, radio, speakers, GPS, communication system (e.g., OnStar), display screen freezes or goes blank, phone pairing (e.g. Bluetooth), voice control commands, steering wheel controls, portable music device interface (e.g., iPod/MP3 player), backup or other camera/sensors.
What Owners Say
"Able to connect my phone with Bluetooth but unable to reliably connect Android Auto despite numerous attempts at connecting and reconnecting and starting the car and stopping it. It connects about half of the time. Also tried exiting and reopening Android Auto with limited success. Planning to try different USB cable(s). Very frustrating for brand new car!! Also noted that if my son tries to charge his iphone at same time my Android is connected, the iphone somehow hijacks the connection and disconnects Android auto. Also very frustrating for 2 week old car!"
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Maybe it's my older phone (Galaxy Note 5 with Android version 7.0) but it only works about half the time. It always connects via Bluetooth but then about half the time it can't access the data despite the permissions for getting the data all set to Yes. Tried uninstalling the app and then reinstalling the app and it worked for only 2 or 3 times. Work around (time consuming and clunky)is to go into Settings-->Apps--> Application Manager-->Android Auto-->Storage--> Clear Data. Then open Android Auto and give it the permissions to access the data and connect via Bluetooth. I've probably done this about 30 or 40 times in 2 months of ownership. Not very functional!"
William E., CA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"I am unable to consistently use Android Auto as a navigation system. Sometimes it work fine, but then stops displaying my route. It also stops giving voice directions while driving. I wish I had bought the extra cost builtin navigation system."
Anonymous, MN (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"It is difficult to reliably engage Android Auto. Sometimes it works well -- Google Maps navigation and telephone contact -- other times, I cannot seem to pair it with the vehicle."
Anonymous, MA (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"From day 1, it's been one problem after another. After each voice navigation, the radio pops on (dangerous for high-speed city driving when I rely on voice navigation). Even knowledgeable Subaru employees can't figure out an easy way to toggle back & forth between "day" and "night" screen modes. Sometimes voice command feature disappears or is laggy. Difficult to switch between using the car for phone conversations and using the smartphone itself--stays stuck in "car" mode even when I am not the driver would prefer for a conversation to be private on my smartphone. Difficult for both an iphone user and Android user to share the same car (doesn't sync well at all). When starting driving, the car doesn't know which smarthpone within range to pair with, so the car may pair with a phone even inside the house rather than the phone of the driver. BIG problem with the GPS--at times GPS will track the car along the GPS-suggested route toward a destination, even when the car itself has departed from that route (connection has been broken). A lot of the issues are unfortunately difficult to describe. Subaru employees are given different instruction manuals than what consumers receive with the cars. It's impossible to get answers via the instruction manuals (spectacularly disorganized and hard-to-follow). This has been a terrible car for business travel. We have paid off this car and likely will not keep it. The problems are frequent. Sometimes something starts working, but is replaced by a new problem. Software updates always seem to cause new issues."
Anonymous, NY (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Started after jump starting another car"
Anonymous, VA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"It first worked for about a week. since then does not work. This appears to be a problem with all Subarus' according to the Subaru users online network"
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Occasionally interface crashes or cannot be started, audio comes from only certain speakers, or volume controls become unresponsive. Audio problems seem to have been resolved with Feb 2020 update; periodic crashes still occur."
Anonymous, MD (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"does not always connect"
Anonymous, NY (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"It never connects properly. And, have to play with it a lot just to connect once. Other tries were unsuccessful. Have given up trying. Need to change this software or make big improvements."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The issue is inconsistent in many ways and seems to have gotten worse in others. It will sometimes drop all functionality and completely stop playing the audio book/music I'm listening to in the middle of driving and I have to unplug the phone and re-plug it back in to get it to work again. Can happen multiple times per trip and then not happen for a dozen or more trips. Also has lost the ability to respond to text messages with my voice. Has started always saying something like "connection not good enough to send replies". The capabilities between bluetooth and being plugged into the car are also drastic, with very little functionality over bluetooth beyond just listening to whatever the phone is playing or having a phone call. I have read some forums online and there appears to be an issue between Samsung and the Subaru system specifically."
Anonymous, OK (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Same issues as I already addressed."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Standard 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Android Auto won't work, the dealer blames it on my phone. It's so unrelieable, my wife's phone doesn't reliably work either. I spent extra money to get Android Auto in the Touring Forester. I should have bought a Rav4, but I thought Android Auto would be a great feature. I've had the car 18 months and it's never worked. And, from what I can tell, I guess I don't miss it. It's just a complete waste of money."
Anonymous, ID (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Sometimes I cannot get it to connect. Occasionally it disconnects during a drive while using GoogleMaps, and it affect my navigation ability. Don't like having to connect via usb port and to not always get it to properly connect."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Initially the phone wouldn’t connect occasionally but several updates have since been dispatched and it has no longer been an issue"
Matthew A., OH (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"If I used my GPS, I couldn't turn on the music. If I turned on the radio, I couldn't see the GPS. Also, touch buttons on the vehicle screen wouldn't work."
Anonymous, AZ (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The phone would lose its connection to the car's system, and thus CarPlay would cease to function. This seems to have been fixed by my dealer installing a firmware update to the car system."
Anonymous, MI (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Nothing more than I already stated in previous answer, except that I've owned a Prius and Volt recently and I prefer either of those with the use of Appleplay intergration, especially CHEVROLET Volt."
Anonymous, NY (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The Car play would not allow me 35% of time to get the GPS to work through car play. No screen view, no audio. It would work on my iPhone but not link with car play. Incredibly frustrating. I am a salesman and rely on GPS everyday over all of New England. I have been forced to carry my 9 year-old Garmin dash mount GPS and use this several times a week. I have brought Car to dealer and they reset it, better, but still not better than 80% working. Becouse of eyesight on car, cant leave old GPS on dash, dealer said would mess up performance of eyesight. Dealer said Car play has been an issue. Very disappointed!!"
Anonymous, MA (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Sporadically, CarPlay wouldn't recognize the phone connection when I plugged it into the USB port of the car. The dealer applied a software update and that has taken care of the issue for the most part."
Anonymous, OH (2019 Subaru Forester Standard 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"25% of the time it doesn't recognize that a phone has been plugged into its USB port. Also, since new, our phones will initially answer the call using the phones microphone and speaker, then the call will cut out for 2-3 seconds as it switches to the cars speaker."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Standard 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Apple CarPlay randomly crashed while I was using it for navigation and music."
Anonymous, IL (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Apple Car Play often crashes, typically while I am using Google Maps, causing me to miss exits and have to pull over to reset multiple times. Siri also does not hear voice commands."
Anonymous, DC (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Software problem with the Harmon-Karden sound system. A software update resolved the problem."
Anonymous, WI (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Radio/BU Camera module failed suddenly for no apparent reason, Dealer determined VIN-specific module to be defective, with replacement requiring special order and 2-week delivery. Module has been successfully replaced."
Jere B., NH (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The backup warning system failed (the beeping warning)"
Anonymous, PA (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The player would stop playing in the middle of the music. Pressing the forward or back button would skip the stopped music and play another."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Unsure 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"If you hit a small bump in the road or make a wide turn the cd player skips and goes back to previous song or beginning of cd. And, loose the song I was playing."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"My CD's don't work! The problem is that you HAVE to subscribe to SIRIUS at at lease $60 a month, after which you will be limited to their 'packages'. I only listen to public radio and am only interested in a reliable GPS system that can guide me in the wilderness, too! It is not easy to wade through the app systems on the car: electronic systems are not very user friendly for older folks, who are not very tech savvy."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Standard 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"When changing the volume of warning beeps, all display functions locked up and nothing could be operated. Turning car off and back on didn't fix. Turning car off, waiting 10 minutes and turning back on did fix it."
James P., VA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The navagation screen locked up, but the dealer was able to fix by reinstalling the (same revision) firmware. That was the only means to reset the problem (most vehicles have a reset method, but this didn't)."
Anonymous, MA (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"This happens on occasion / but eventually it un freezes on its own"
Anonymous, MA (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"screen did not respond to touch...would eventually respond....subaru replaced the unit...still occasionally freezes up"
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Twice, entire dashboard would go crazy with all dashboard symbols flashing along with headlights and taillights. Couldn't turn car off without disconnecting the battery, letting rest and reconnecting."
Anonymous, VA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"When connected via USB after 5 minutes the connection drops.;"
Joseph M., NY (2019 Subaru Forester 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Screen went blank. Had to bring car to dealership to get fixed."
Anonymous, CO (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The screen went blank randomly, several times, and then one time it went blank and never returned back until it was repaired. I was told that it required a software update which surprised me since I had the car only about 6 months."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Standard 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"crazy interface. to turn off the system I have to press and hold the power button for 4-5 seconds. Simply pushing it puts in mute mode. But either way it will sometimes turn itself on the next time I start the car. It also forgets what device I was listening to, e.g. CD or MP3 stick, and generally reverts to the radio. I have done multiple software updates as soon as they become available in the hopes that things would improve, but so far no change."
Anonymous, MN (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"It loses my music regularly and I can't access."
Anonymous, IL (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The phone would periodically lose its connection to the car's system (and thus Carplay would cease to work)."
Anonymous, MI (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Sometimes when playing music over the car's system, the music will just shut off completely and the radio input just comes on. The car is completely unable to detect the phone at all unless I unplug it and plug it back in. This can happen multiple times on some trips and then not happen again for many trips after. It is not related to the phone being in battery saver mode or any other changes in the phone's settings, and appears to be completely at random. This never happens when connected with bluetooth, and only ever happens when plugged into the car itself."
Anonymous, OK (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Does not always connect with cellphone for GPS or won't stay connected."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Standard 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"System often reads USB music files as wrong artist or song. This did not happen with same USB stick on my previous Volkswagen or my current Audi."
Anonymous, NC (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The head unit in the vehicle was replaced twice. The audio amplifier was also replaced with the second head unit replacement. The selling dealer did their best to resolve the issue in a timely manner. Subaru corporate added a year and increased the mileage to 100,000 miles on the extended warranty (6yrs/72,000)milesI purchased with the vehicle. So far, so good with this last replacement. Other than the infotainment problem, I am very satisfied overall with the vehicle."
Anonymous, NY (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"problem occurred Oct. 2019. Vertical stripe on display was continuous. Replaced unit Nov. 2019."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Speaker amplifier under front seat died."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Volume control did not work"
Anonymous, OH (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"All of the radio station presets reset to factory defaults. Only happened once."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The dealer had to replace teh radio head unit in February. The new one smelled so bad that we had to leave our new car sitting in the garage with windows open for 3 days."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Standard 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The more serious problem is that it just stopped working and needed to be restarted from scratch by the dealer. But an annoyance is that it is less reliable than my old Garmin. In New Mexico, during bad weather, it instructed to to go 20 miles out of our way and then we found ourselves at a dead end needing to retrace our drive back to the highway."
Jacob L., TN (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"They had to replace the in dash infotainment system (hardware) which fixed all the problems."
Peter R., CA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Nav and radio all one unit. Replaced by dealer under warrenty."
Anonymous, OH (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Gives poor directions. The navigation in the 2016 Forester was more reliable."
Anonymous, NJ (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Car pairs with phone even if you don't want to be paired. Example: My wife pulls up in the driveway while I am working in the yard. The car pairs with my iPhone, and suddenly I don't have reception."
Anonymous, NY (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Sometimes, even with my phone in the car with me, it would say that I had no phone connectivity or pairing. That seems to have been resolved with the recent software update."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"When I receive a call, the system does not activate the in-car speaker or microphone. I have to manually hack the "transfer" crt screen button repeatedly while my caller waits, thereby distracting me from driving."
Anonymous, NY (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The Subarau display etc system is a PIA...but the tech person at dealership is a whiz."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"My iPhone will loss blue tooth 20% of time for not reason. Subaru Carplay is not ready for primetime."
Anonymous, MA (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Very random. Most of the issues are GPS pairing related. Very frustrating when trying to get somewhere. The phone is brand new too, so it's not an incompatibility issue."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Standard 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Music/podcasts intermittently (since purchase) skip or drop connection while playing. They replaced the head unit, and it still happens. Corporate is now involved, since dealer doesn't respond well."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The connection has been lost a few times and needs resetting."
Anonymous, NC (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Presets keep disappearing"
Barry S., NS (2019 Subaru Forester 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The radio would not remember settings. Manufacturer known defect and dealer installed an software upgrade."
Philip H., WA (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"After saving radio station presets, in another driving session the station presets were all wiped out."
Anonymous, GA (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The first 5 radio station settings settings of a possible 18 channels kept dropping and had to be reset. The rest of the station settings from 6 to 18 were fine. Subaru replaced the entire radio/navigation unit on warrantee. No problems since."
James G., BC (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"frequently clears the channel presets when the car is turned off, then turned on either later in the day or the next day"
Anonymous, OH (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Part of failed module including BU camera display. See previous comments."
Jere B., NH (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The entire radio/info/computer hardware broke. I had to replace the whole unit. Also, The radio system never turns off completely, it simply mutes the volume until the engine is turned off and the car door is opened. Audio also turns on automatically when car is started. I found that my radio was broken when these features drained the battery."
Anonymous, WA (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Believe it or not, it's difficult to turn the radio off. The default is on and the radio can only be muted. It takes just the right touch to get radio muted. Also, the radio seems to spontaneously turn on when I am trying to listen to GPS voice directions, which is distracting. The dealer says others have complained about the radio."
Anonymous, NY (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"I have never been able to set the FM radio stations. It will take and hold the SXM stations but will not hold FM. The dealership is unable to correct this annoying issue."
Anonymous, MT (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Will not save selected radio stations, very irritating"
Michael I., GA (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Could not set it in cold weather. Setting it is Unpredictable - sometimes does not set a channel. Turns on arbitrarily when I start car. It is annoying that it controls me, and I cannot control the radio. Also, there is NO WAY for me to see the clock, which is hidden in a black tunnel feature. The dashboard should have a simple clock instead of all the junk that I do not understand. Why would I want to be distracted thinking about all those things all the time? Also, the safety features (AV..?) says off and then switches to on. Unpredictable. I hate the bright light of the Tech stuff that is distracting and yet I cannot see the TIME. The black tunnel shows the outside temperature - but I want to know the inside temperature. Is the car too hot for my dog or a child? That is what I want to know. I hate the dashboards. Stuff is scattered all over - on the left, the right, above eye level and below eye level. The engineers are not helping me find a needed feature at a glance and I do not have time to search while I'm driving. Too much to remember. So unhelpful."
Anonymous, CO (2019 Subaru Forester Standard 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The station presets were deleted each time the vehicle was shut down. This was random then failed hard. They were able to install new software which corrected the problem."
Anonymous, BC (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Three random times in the past year the radio has stopped responding to the control buttons and touch screen. It goes back to normal a few hours or a day with no particular intervention."
Anonymous, ND (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"All sound failed and it was diagnosed to be the high-end amplifier which Suburu said had problems, apparently due to firmware problems in the amp. This part was replaced under warranty."
Anonymous, MA (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"I set the station memories and after a few days the memories reset to hold - no memory - so I have to reset them all again. Patrick Subaru does not know how to fix this"
Anonymous, MA (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Radio station presets keep disappearing. Dealer unable to correct long term"
Anonymous, WV (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The radio lost all station presets for no apparent reason. Dealer installed a software/firmware update and the problem has not recurred."
Anonymous, TX (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The radio and Starlink died immediately after jump starting another vehicle..."
Anonymous, VA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Shortly after purchase. Radio began loosing station presets. After resetting them they would disappear again after a day or so. Dealer performed a software update which solved the problem. Imagine, needing a "software update" for damn radio buttons!!!"
Anonymous, ME (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Radio/entertainment system totally freezes No radio, cd,phone or screen. Has occurred 5 times randomly. Each time the problem lasted 15-40 minutes, then "magically" came back on. Each time the dealer performed a software update as the fix. Subaru won't replace system until they actually find a problem with. System always working by the time we get to the dealer. We were advised to take a video of problem if it happens again"
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"they had to replace the radio"
Anonymous, OR (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Radio would not hold its presets"
Anonymous, OH (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Radio comes on every time the car is started, also poor sound quality. also in car electronics and safe features are a nightmare"
Anonymous, AZ (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Two issues with radio 1) volume control erratic,not smooth when turning (jumps higher or lower quickly) 2) When switching from listening from phone (Appleplay) to "radio" the radio cuts out after 30 seconds...apparently, it's trying to go back to Applepay. Dealer replaced radio. Volume control is better, but Appleplay to radio switching is still an issue! Will report continuing issue to dealer."
Anonymous, NY (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The radio stop function whenever the screen went blank. All aspects of this system stop functioning when screen went blank."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Standard 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"After 25000 miles, the radio deletes all preset stations within 3 days of setting them"
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Standard 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The radio turns on every time the car is restarted, even though it had been turned off."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Standard 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Would not maintain preset stations. Continiously"
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Shortly after purchase I began receiving messages on my screen saying I needed to update the software, then later it would say the update failed. The dealer fixed the issue. Also, twice the rear gate stopped functioning. The dealer has fixed it both times. My only concern now is that perhaps one of the computers needs replacement, but I won't be told this until it's out of warranty. If this happens again before the warranty expires, I'll insist that they do more than just re-program it. Even warranty repairs are an issue with me, because I live about 80 miles from the dealership. However, the warranty service has been excellent."
Forrest H., FL (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"I was supposed to be able to update new software on my own. I couldn't get the car to update for the two recent updates. I had to drive to the dealership and let them do it."
Anonymous, AZ (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The car paired via Bluetooth with my home system but would not complete the software update. I tried at least a half dozen times."
Anonymous, ND (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"They said I could update the map, but it just would not do it."
Anonymous, IL (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Software updates did not occur automatically and I had to take car in twice to have updates done."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Software updates have caused problems with iPhone contacts and CD player track information."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Two times now the rear hatch has failed to open. The only fix seems to be disconnecting the negative battery cable and touching it to the positive battery cable. This solves the problem (temporarily) but also resets all of the other owner selection parameters to default and requires 30 minutes of owner input to get it back to desired settings. Subaru admits there is a problem but has yet to provide a software fix."
Lary H., OR (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"XM radio went out and presets would not save to memory, software update fixed the problem"
Daniel S., NY (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Very minor issue--the radio comes on when the car starts even though it was not on when I parked. The dealer explained that this is a bug which will be taken care of by the next software update, but 8 months after I purchased the car, that still hasn't happened."
Jacob L., TN (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Tailgate wouldn’t open on many occasions"
Anonymous, CT (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Before my first software update, I had issues with the Sirius XM radio presets, sometimes the phone pairing with my android phone, and one of my display settings disappeared. I still haven't resolved that issue. It used to display my MPG and miles to go on a tank of gas. All but the last one were fixed with the last software update."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Subaru has sent out a notice for 2 software updates. To do them at home, you need a good WIFI connection, better than most driveways have (the car has to running for; that lets the garage out). Yo can get it done at the dealers, but it is time consuming. We still haven't done #2."
Anonymous, OH (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Back hatch would not open with remote or hatch Release button or Button in car. The only way was to hold the hatch release button for 20 seconds then it would open. Software update fixed the problem"
Anonymous, PA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The vehicle did not have the newest software upgrade at the time of purchase and the dealership had a problem getting the must current update but eventually succeeded in doing the upgrade."
Anonymous, NV (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Randomly, the rear hatch release, which has NO PHYSICAL OVERRIDE INSIDE OR OUT, fails to open the hatch. The only reliable fix is to disconnect the battery, reconnect it and restart the car. In a serious accident requiring a passenger to escape the car from the rear, there is no method of opening the rear hatch! A software upgrade fixed the electronic opening problem."
Anonymous, NY (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Radio lost all the Stations programmation several times. At my 12 months maintenance visit, dealer decided to reprogram the radio. 5 days are now past and it still working fine."
Anonymous, QC (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Needed software update due to intermittent phone connectivity problems. Was updated under recall with no problems"
Anonymous, CT (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Not able to update myself, 1st dealer update dropped iPhone contacts, 2nd dealer update fix dropped CD track and radio information. Covid-19 prevents return to dealer."
Anonymous, (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Front speakers occasionally cut out and volume control stops working. Dealer unable to fix."
Steve P., NJ (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Rear speakers stopped working several months after purchasing the vehicle."
Anonymous, MO (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The amp system box had to be replaced with another manufactures product"
Anonymous, PA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"I had an issue with the speakers in the rear turning off when using the entertainment system. This was resolved by restarting the car."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The info button stopped responding. it is supposed to change the screen on top of the dash but that screen only changes based on other things like drive mode or eyesight status. It only worked for about two months before having an issue. All other buttons on the steering wheel have continued operating as expected."
William M., KY (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"The speed limit sign was wrong, e.g., would show 84MPH in a 40 MPH zone. Reset car to fix, which fixed speed limit sign but steering wheel radio channel changer hasn't worked since."
James P., VA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Cruise controls are difficult to maintain desired speed. It also requires you to use 5mph increments instead of 1 mph. Also rear hatch door has locked itself and was unable to open on more than one occasion. Dealer finally replaced computer."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"the windshield wiper speed can't be set at a level that will keep the wind shied clear in a moderately heavy rainfall or when a another car passing or approaching splashes water onto the windshield"
Anonymous, NJ (2019 Subaru Forester Premium 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Because I can't reliably connect my Android auto app my voice commands frequently result in no help at all which forces me to stop the car and keep trying to connect or just use my phone without the car."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Touring 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"Volume not working properly when using voice commands. Cannot hear siri voice"
Anonymous, IL (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)"voice recognition is a joke. Ask a question or give direction and response is obviously wrong"
Anonymous, NC (2019 Subaru Forester Limited 2.5-L 4 Cyl)
"There's been an error in Android Auto where the volume control on controls the Google Maps function of Android Auto. If a music app is selected (e.g. Spotify) and you try to adjust the volume, no change is made. The system displays the Maps volume and the music app volume is turned very low, but cannot be controlled. It seems to be a known function within the Android Auto forums, but no fix has been issued as of yet. The current fix is to turn off the car completely (and let the system fully turn off as well) to reset Android Auto. As I have only had the car a few days, I cannot account for the frequency of the problem. So far, it has only occurred once."
Anonymous, CA (2019 Subaru Forester Sport 2.5-L 4 Cyl)