2018 Subaru Forester · symptom sheet
Seat belt or seat problems
- 36owner reports
- 14,000median miles
- $1,216median quote
- 1involved a crash
Newest report Aug 18, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
36 of the 495 complaints on this car describe seat belt.
Tick what matches of 36 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
Few of these reports name the part that was replaced.
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the seats covers the 2018 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 2018 model year.
What owners paid
10 of the 36 reports quote a price. Each dot is one quote. The middle half runs $200 to $1,483.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 6,500 and 23,000 miles, from the 14 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 3 service bulletins or notices for the 2018 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
“Passenger front seat. Airbag light is on when someone is sitting in the seat and seatbelt indicator dings when nothing is in the seat.”
Filed Mar 10, 2026
“My airbag warning light comes on intermittently. My mechanic found it is due to a recalled part but my vin number is not listed on the recall even though it meets the criteria. Subaru Safety Recall WUM-98 NHTSA Recall ID 19V 70. The person in the passenger seat's safety is at risk if the airbags don't deploy in the event of a crash.”
Filed Jul 1, 2025
“airbag alert for front passenger seat is lit and disabling the airbag. the seat was empty and dry with nothing in it.”
Filed Feb 13, 2025
“The sensor in the seat has been intermittently working for years and finally quit. It costs close to $2000 to fix and there is no way to switch the air bag to stay on. It seems this is an issue with other 2018 Subaru foresters and for some reason the recall did not apply to my VIN.”
Filed Oct 2, 2024
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 1 of 36 reports involved a crash. 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
- Windshield cracks or distorts 153 reports
- Airbag warning light or recall 97 reports
- Battery dies or the car will not start 44 reports