2016 Subaru Forester · symptom sheet

Seat belt or seat problems

27owner reports
40,000median miles
$1,244median quote
1involved a crash

Newest report Aug 29, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026

27 of the 414 complaints on this car describe seat belt.

No recall on this systemas of Oct 2, 2026

1 crashin 27 reports

1 person hurtin these reports

Tick what matches of 27 reports

the belt locks or will not extend

a seat moves or rocks

there is a recall

Seat belt on other Forester years

201525 reports 201627 reports 201739 reports 201836 reports

Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2014, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026.

What this problem usually is

This group covers the belt and the seat it's bolted to: buckles that won't latch or won't let go, belts that lock up and won't pull out, and seats that shift or rock in their tracks. It's a wide bucket, with over 9,000 complaints across the vehicles on this site, and a quarter of them mention a recall.

Read the full explainer · Which cars report it most

What got replaced

Few of these reports name the part that was replaced.

Recalls and investigations

No recall on the seats covers the 2016 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.

NHTSA investigations into the seats on the Forester

PE99-020opened Mar 5, 1999

Seat Belts · model years 1999

Seat belt anchorage separation. Closed mar 26, 1999.

None of these investigations covers the 2016 model year.

What owners paid

9 of the 27 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $1,100 to $1,500.

$1,100$1,244$1,500

$0k$2k$4k$6k$8k

When it happens

The middle half of failures fell between 19,118 and 75,021 miles, from the 8 reports that gave a mileage.

Is this a known problem?

The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 3 service bulletins or notices for the 2016 Subaru Forester that deal with this problem. Newest first.

Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.

Service bulletin12-203-16RMay 18, 2022
This bulletin provides a procedure to address customer concerns of a squeaking sound originating from where the front seat belt buckle assembly attaches to the seat frame.
Service bulletin07-108-16RAug 22, 2018
This Service Information Bulletin provides a revised troubleshooting procedure and tips to follow when diagnosing a DTC B1650- ?Occupant Classification System Malfunction?.
Service bulletin07-108-16ROct 12, 2017
This Service Information bulletin provides a procedure for diagnosis of Occupant Detection System (ODS) DTC B1760- Sensor Mat Abnormal and/or B1650- Occupant Classification System Malfunction.

What owners wrote

“Sensor on passenger side airbag stays off at times when there is a passenger in the seat. The notification on the dash and above the GPS screen notifies the driver that the airbag is off. This was a previous issue and pertains to a recall that was completed. This has not resolved since the recall has been completed and the problem still continues only 3 years after being "fixed".”
Filed Jul 25, 2025

Should you keep driving it?

This page can't tell you that. 1 of 27 reports involved a crash and 1 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.

File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.

Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found