Subaru 2009 forrester electrical

Asked by Justsomedummy Aug 17, 2019 at 08:36 AM about the 2009 Subaru Forester 2.5 X

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

The left headlight doesn't work, no high or low beams at the
switch on the column. 3 of 5 wiper settings on the column
don't work. The cigarette lighter has no power. I think these
are wire harness issues. Dealership has been less than
honest or helpful. Any ideas where to start? A note: this
was a progressive failure starting with low beams, then
wipers, cigarette lighter, high beams. Been scanned and no
trouble codes.

2 Answers

18,985

I'd recommend grabbing a shop manual from ebay ($5-$10) and finding the wiring schematics and tracing where the grounds are behind the dash and/or engine bay. Have you had any spills / leaks / accidents? Does the battery go dead over night?

3,360

Hmmm...unlikely that BOTH high and low beam bulbs are shot, but of course start there if their failure wasn't simultaneous. Check fuses too, but it's usually the bulbs. The cig lighter is tied to the overhead cabin light. Does the light work? If not, then it's likely the fuse, as they often fail with smokers' cars. As well, if someone swapped a radio or vent control they may have forgotten to plug the cig lighter wire back onto the rear plug. Re the wipers, I'd remove the column plastic covers and remove, clean, and reattach the harness connector on that switch assy. Pretty rare for that column switch to fail, but it's an easy swap. Have fun. Ern TSG/B PS There will NOT be any trouble codes for these things, as they're not in the running nor emissions controls.

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