2017 Subaru Forester · symptom sheet
Seat belt or seat problems
- 39owner reports
- 28,000median miles
- $1,800median quote
- 1involved a crash
Newest report Aug 19, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
39 of the 587 complaints on this car describe seat belt.
Tick what matches of 39 reports
Seat belt on other Forester years
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.
What got replaced
Owners who name the part that was replaced mention the seat frame or track (3 reports).
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the seats covers the 2017 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
NHTSA investigations into the seats on the Forester
Seat belt anchorage separation. Closed mar 26, 1999.
None of these investigations covers the 2017 model year.
What owners paid
12 of the 39 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $1,600 to $2,000.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 19,123 and 50,000 miles, from the 19 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 3 service bulletins or notices for the 2017 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.
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.
This Service Information Bulletin provides a revised troubleshooting procedure and tips to follow when diagnosing a DTC B1650- ?Occupant Classification System Malfunction?.
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
“The passenger airbag sensor often, but not always, malfunctions in my 2017 Subaru Forrester. Often it says PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF when there is a passanger. Occording to KBB Kelly Blue Book there IS a current RECALL in place for 2017 Subaru Forresters for EXACTLY this issue, including for my car - but when i typed in my liscnese plate in the NHTSA website, no unrepaired recalls showed up for my car.”
Filed Aug 20, 2025
“Issue with passenger air bag. Issue was caught and detected by dealership as ods sensor error. Further research revealed recall in vehicles of the same year, make, and model as vehicle in question for that part. Dealership and corporate offices deny relation of problems with recall, claim no such recall exists for the vehicle.”
Filed Jun 23, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 1 of 39 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
Other problems on this car
- Airbag warning light or recall 164 reports
- Windshield cracks or distorts 114 reports
- Battery dies or the car will not start 46 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 25 reports