2021 Subaru Forester Electrical System Problems
NHTSA lists 34 Electrical System complaints for the 2021 Subaru Forester, 16% of its 207 total complaints for the year. The median mileage at failure was 14,376 miles, and no related recall is on file, though one crash and one fire were reported.
- Electrical System complaints
- 34
- 16% of 207
- Crashes reported
- 1
- Fires reported
- 1
- Injuries reported
- 1
- Median mileage
- 14,376 mi
- Related recalls
- 0
Typical electrical symptoms owners report
- Owners report the battery going completely dead overnight or after short trips, sometimes just weeks after purchase, requiring roadside jump-starts.
- Some describe repeated parasitic battery drain even with nothing left running in the vehicle, happening multiple times within the first year.
- Several owners say rodents chewed through wiring harnesses, which they attribute to soy- or oat-based wire coating, requiring wiring replacement more than once.
- One owner reported the vehicle shutting off while driving, with the steering locking up and brakes failing to respond, leading to a crash.
- One report describes a low humming from the speakers along with unintended deceleration and a fire discovered shortly after parking.
- A separate complaint describes the auto start-stop feature sporadically failing to restart the engine at stops.
When 2021 Subaru Forester electrical complaints were filed
First complaint Feb 7, 2021, latest Jul 7, 2026.
Electrical System recalls for the 2021 Subaru Forester
No safety recalls on record for this model year.
Electrical System complaints by Forester model year
Raw complaint counts per model year; newer years have had less time to accumulate complaints.
Frequently asked questions
- How common are electrical problems in the 2021 Subaru Forester?
- NHTSA shows 34 Electrical System complaints for the 2021 Forester, which is 16% of all 207 complaints filed for that model year.
- Is there a recall for 2021 Subaru Forester electrical issues?
- No related recall is listed in the NHTSA data provided for this problem area on the 2021 Forester.
- At what mileage do electrical problems typically show up?
- The median mileage at failure among reported electrical complaints for the 2021 Forester is 14,376 miles.
- What kind of electrical failures do owners describe most?
- Owners most often describe dead or drained batteries requiring jump-starts, along with several reports of rodents damaging wiring harnesses.
- Were there any serious incidents linked to electrical complaints?
- Among the sample complaints, NHTSA data shows one crash, one fire, and one injury reported in connection with this problem area for the 2021 Forester.