This data is from the NHTSA — the US gov't agency tasked with vehicle safety. Complaints are spread across multiple & redundant categories, & are not organized by problem.
So how do you find out what problems are occurring? For this NHTSA complaint data, the only way is to read through the comments below. Any duplicates or errors? It's not us.
The weld on the left side of the seat broken causing the seat cushion to be loose. After quick internet searching, this seems to a be a somewhat common occurrence. I weight 170 Lbs and the car has 140K miles. This issue makes it lean far left causing an unsafe seating position and does not allow for adjustment of the seat up and down.
Power adjustment of Driver's seat front left corner does not raise in synch with right side. This causes the seat to be uneven, resulting in an unsafe driving position. Apparently the weld of the adjustment arm breaking is a well known and documented issue based on even a cursory internet search.
The left side of drivers seat collapsed. Upon inspection, the metal tab that was spot welded to the seat frame failed. The metal tab connects the left front of the seat to the power seat motor components and rail. The power seat no longer works and the seat sags noticeably to the front left. This failure occurred during normal driving conditions, and is typically not overloaded (the primary driver weighs approximately 105lbs). The car has low mileage - 65,380 miles at last service in August.
Front left driver seat bracket collapsed. Seat height is unable to be adjusted, requiring the front of the driver seat to only be positioned N the lowest setting. While driving idle speed in a parking lot, there was an audible pop and the seat fell. With attempts to adjust the height, only the right side would move up and down.
Drivers seat weld broken from the frame. Left front corner of the seat resulting in little support. Known problem why has this not been recalled? upon sitting down and resting your left leg the left front seat corner will collapse.
Drivers seat has broken. Seems like it is an improper welding of the frame. Bottom cushion support is no longer even. It also seems that perhaps the integrity and safety of the seat is compromised. I am not the only one that has experienced this. Https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/drivers-seat-collapse.126336/page-4
The seat on my Forester is broken. After looking online I found this to be an extremely common issue of the welds breaking due to insufficient quality or strength. This seems like an issue Subaru should have remedied by now. Car was adult owned and driven by a small female.
Weld broke on power seat; left side. Audible pop was heard when in motion, after having backed out of parking space and driving forward to exit parking lot.
Driver seat front right side collapsed. It's completely unsupported. Welds appear to be broken. Huge safety issue. I first noticed it a couple of weeks ago when I sat on it and it leaned to the right.
Driver's seat front left corner bracket appears to have broken. When power seat is movers to front of seat raised, the left side sags and is unsupported; will not stay in up position when any pressure/weight is applied to seat. Unsure when this occurred, noticed it for first time 2 weeks ago. On-line reviews indicate several hundred othweer Forester owners experiencing identical problem with seat. Don't see any recall notice for this obvious safety issue from Subaru -why not?
About one year ago I had the left side of my drivers seat collapse from bad welds. Now this February 2019 the right side of the same seat collapsed, there seems to be other 2010 Subaru owners with the same problem but just do nothing about it. The collapse happened while driving.
While sitting in my garage with engine running the drivers seat gave way on the left (door) site and dropped several inches. The welding points on the bracket that lifts and lowers the seat have failed. A driver can only sit with both sides even at its lowest setting. This is a safety issue due to drivers' height. Local dealer would not even investigate without charging the labor to diagnose. I have and extended warranty but they have declined to cover the charges to fix or replace.
While seating in the driver seat of the parked car, I heard a noise from the seat base. I went back out of the car to check the seat, and looking underneath, I saw a two-inch piece of metal hanging, attached to a rod at the front of the seat base. The seat cushion was no longer attached to the seat base and moved up when lifted. I went to the dealership to have it checked and they said the seat frame and the rail are broken and the seat base and rails need replacing. The car has less than 50K miles and drivers are under 200lbs. It looks like welds gave out, disconnecting the seat base from the frame.
Bracket on door side of driver's seat is no longer supporting left front corner of seat. Apparently, 2 small spot welds have failed. They can be seen straddling threads of a bolt towards the bottom of the attached photo. I contacted Subaru of America (soa) and they claim they haven't heard of this issue despite the relatively large number of complaints filed with NHTSA for 2010 Foresters. Additionally, no recall has been issued and there was no offer from soa to make a good will repair at no charge to the customer. It would seem this would be considered a safety issue since it directly involves the driver's seat. I first noticed issue while I was driving and couldn't adjust my seat properly.
While in operation, during a left hand turn, the front left corner of the driver seat made an audible 'pop' and collapsed several inches. The seat is an electric adjustable, which does not appear to be effected by the seat base breaking. The seat is able to be lifted and pressed up and down 5 or so inches, and the corner which is broken sags under weight.
The driver's seat bottom frame came unwelded at the front left side of the frame. The part broke when the car was stationary. The driver's left leg is now unsupported and the seat bottom moves freely. Numerous other reports of the same problem have been documented on other websites.
A D V E R T I S E M E N T S
- Dallas, GA, USA