I have the Carhartt universal fitted ones and they fit well - maybe a tad bit tight when you first get them but they've formed to my seats nicely since then. I've had them for almost exactly 2 years and they're just getting to the point where I should give them a proper cleaning - pretty much everything wipes off with a napkin or a damp rag.
There's plenty of options that should work well - just make sure whatever you go with has the tear away seams (Carhartt calls them safe-seams). Without those the seat cover could prevent the seat airbags from deploying properly in a crash.
Also note that the matching Carhartt fitted bench seat cover does not fit nicely on the back seat - I returned mine because it was at least 10% too big. I'll be trying out the non-fitted version next because I'm still hoping to have the back seat match the front.
Same thing on my 2019 I had it replaced right before the warranty expired so it's a known issue. If you are a long term Subaru customer reach out to SoA and see if they will still cover it or split the cost
Yup, 2020 Forester Premium here. Same issue. Same seat. Same location. Subaru really cheaped out on this supplier. To not put real leather in Premium and higher models was a really dumb mistake. I keep eyeing the Giant Panda seat covers on Amazon but haven't purchased yet.
Had my 2019 Forester driver seat fixed under warranty for this, then it happened to my passenger seat out of warranty.
I bought some fabric glue and used a toothpick to put glue under the crack, then placed a board with a weight on it over night. You still see the crack, but a year later and it hasnāt gotten any bigger. Not the solution I wanted, but $10 stopped the problem for now.
That seat seems to be ripping on everyone. I had it in for service and they offered to split the cost. I said let me know when youāll cover the whole thing like you should
I recently contacted SoA about this (my driver seat is REALLY bad now) and they highly recommended me take it to a dealership because Iām still under my 100K warranty.
Cloth interiors i usually sew shut with fishing line. It blends in incredibly well and is durable. As so.eone with dogs I've used the truck a lot with good success.
For my 2018 F-150, heated and cooled front, and just leather rear (they couldnāt make their mechanism work on the rear seats) installed and done was about $3,100.
I was extremely happy with the result, and I hope you are, too.
Let us know!
I have a 2019 Forester Sport and mine ripped in the exact same spot after only 2 years. It was covered under the basic warranty. Now it is ripping again in the same spot after 2 years. However, it is not covered under the extended warranty. Subaru really uses a lot of cheap material. I had cars that were over 15 years old and seats were like brand new.
Not a direct answer to the OPs question but I just purchased a 2024 Forester. Does anyone have any recommendations on products to treat the leather to keep this from happening.
My 2016 limited driverās seat is in bad shape. Ripping on the seat pad and thereās metal piece that has pushed through the faux leather. These just arenāt a good seat material. If I get another Subaru after this I guess I will have to spring for the napa leather in the touring.
Seems these seats do that easily and often. There are various diy seat repair kits on the market if you feel inclined. Check YouTube and Amazon. With the stitching it would be a challenge to work around. Can get a new upholstery or a used junkyard one. Sad these seats donāt seem to last
It was was a bad year for seat tears in the 2020 Foresters! The drivers seat started cracking open shortly after driving the vehicle from the Subaru Dealership! I explained and showed the Dealership this problem and the Dealership repaired the seat with no money out of my pocket!
My 2020 sport has the same problem in the same place. My dealership refuses to fix it and says itās not covered under the warranty. Makes me pretty mad.
Surprisingly, my 19 hasnāt had any issue around the seats. But itās also why I try to avoid leather as much as possible when it comes to seats. BMW, Benz, Lexus, and other luxury brands donāt use real leather for this exact reason. I really wish all the other brands followed suit.
If the rest of your seats look good, you could try to find the OEM lower seat cover at a junkyard or even buy it new [online](https://www.subarupartsdeals.com/oem-parts/subaru-seat-cover-64140sj241nk). Alternatively, you could do as others have suggested and buy aftermarket seat covers for all of the seats.
Same problem in my 2020 sport. New off the lot. Also had the frame of the seat crack three times (replaced twice). Not sure how I feel about my first Subaru.
Mine had a similar issue before 1000. The dealership changed it under Subaru āgoodwillā warranty or something like that. The guy who did the job however scratched my door panel, the dealership offered to replace it for free but I didnāt want them to touch my car again
Just sew it up (very cheap option - fabric/leather super glue lol).
And if you use leather softener sometimes it wont happen. Stiff leather and heat dont mix
FWIW: Tears like this in fabric/fiberglass/plastic will continue if not ended. By ended I mean the tear is stopped and has nowhere to go. In plastic/fiberglass, I'd drill a small diameter hole at the very end of the crack. In this case, I'd take a paperclip and unfold it. Heat the end red hot and gently and quickly poke it through the end of the crack using pliers. Cover it with a quality tape and put covers on.
Leather conditioner doesnāt work on polyeurethane or vinyl. The seats on the forester are not leather, the plastic just degrades rather quickly over time, no conditioner stops that.
Not necessarily. Too much leather conditioner softens leather and makes it more suspectable to tears. Also, you can see that these tears started at the stitch marks which makes me think their stitching process is flawed. There are several factors that could cause leather to rip at stitches that leather conditioner wouldn't have prevented.
Leather Seats require regular cleaning and conditioning to keep them supple. Otherwise, you'll get cracked seats. I have a 22 year old Lexus with leather seats that still look great but a lot of manufacturers use lower quality leather. I think Subaru is one of those.
I have a 2.0 XT Touring that does have leather and the passenger seat is cracked. It was my dad's car and he didn't take very good care of it. I'm going to replace the cushion eventually.
That may be true, but the OP posted a picture of a Forester Sport seat. The vinyl bolsters are notorious for cracking and no detailing product will prevent that.
Unfortunately this seems to be the norm. šI would def use the seat covers.
Any brand recommendations?
I have the Carhartt universal fitted ones and they fit well - maybe a tad bit tight when you first get them but they've formed to my seats nicely since then. I've had them for almost exactly 2 years and they're just getting to the point where I should give them a proper cleaning - pretty much everything wipes off with a napkin or a damp rag. There's plenty of options that should work well - just make sure whatever you go with has the tear away seams (Carhartt calls them safe-seams). Without those the seat cover could prevent the seat airbags from deploying properly in a crash. Also note that the matching Carhartt fitted bench seat cover does not fit nicely on the back seat - I returned mine because it was at least 10% too big. I'll be trying out the non-fitted version next because I'm still hoping to have the back seat match the front.
Honestly? I got mine off Amazon. I have a love for horror movies so I got Pennywise car seat covers. Had them for a few years and so far so good.
I see and thanks. Did you consider the original ones too from Subaru? Are they worth it?
I did not. Do not like how they look. They ruin the sport look for me. I heard some recommend the company Wet Okole.
My 2019 is doing the same thing
Same for my 2019 š
Same thing on my 2019 I had it replaced right before the warranty expired so it's a known issue. If you are a long term Subaru customer reach out to SoA and see if they will still cover it or split the cost
Yup, 2020 Forester Premium here. Same issue. Same seat. Same location. Subaru really cheaped out on this supplier. To not put real leather in Premium and higher models was a really dumb mistake. I keep eyeing the Giant Panda seat covers on Amazon but haven't purchased yet.
Had my 2019 Forester driver seat fixed under warranty for this, then it happened to my passenger seat out of warranty. I bought some fabric glue and used a toothpick to put glue under the crack, then placed a board with a weight on it over night. You still see the crack, but a year later and it hasnāt gotten any bigger. Not the solution I wanted, but $10 stopped the problem for now.
How long is the seat covered under warranty? I have a 2019 with this issue on the driver seat and only 50k miles.
I canāt remember the kmās, but my warranty ended at 3 years.
Same thing happened to mine in the same spot. Subaru should cover this, gonna ask them soon.
That seat seems to be ripping on everyone. I had it in for service and they offered to split the cost. I said let me know when youāll cover the whole thing like you should
it hasnāt happened to me on my 2018
Good , hope it stays that way for you
Do you use any vinyl protectant on yours?
Why fix it when Iām sure youāll get the same cheap seats
that was my thought and it was over $900 to fix it
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
mine was a little bit more, but they wouldn't cover it under warranty
This is happening to my 21 forester, absolutely love Subaru but this is a sore point on this subject, everyone seems to be dealing with this..
I recently contacted SoA about this (my driver seat is REALLY bad now) and they highly recommended me take it to a dealership because Iām still under my 100K warranty.
That pic looks like it was taken in my Forester.
Welcome to the club
I have a '19 and I've had to have my replaced twice already. 1st time was easy (was under 36K) miles. 2nd one, I had to fight with SOA/dealer a bit.
Happened with my 21 premium. just had the bottom seat cover replaced by the dealer under warranty.
Cloth interiors i usually sew shut with fishing line. It blends in incredibly well and is durable. As so.eone with dogs I've used the truck a lot with good success.
2020 sport with 30k and same thing is happening
Mine is a 21...has these cracks starting from the first 10k miles.
This happened in the same spot on my 2021 Premium Forester
Many such cases.
Dealer replaced the seat cover on my ā19 at 88k miles, no charge. They are awesome.
Katzkins. I put some in my truck (HEATED AND COOLED, YEAH BUDDY!), and their leather wears like iron. Itās good stuff.
Im getting Kaztkins put in my 2024 sport on Weds. Im extremely excited
For my 2018 F-150, heated and cooled front, and just leather rear (they couldnāt make their mechanism work on the rear seats) installed and done was about $3,100. I was extremely happy with the result, and I hope you are, too. Let us know!
I have a 2019 Forester Sport and mine ripped in the exact same spot after only 2 years. It was covered under the basic warranty. Now it is ripping again in the same spot after 2 years. However, it is not covered under the extended warranty. Subaru really uses a lot of cheap material. I had cars that were over 15 years old and seats were like brand new.
Not a direct answer to the OPs question but I just purchased a 2024 Forester. Does anyone have any recommendations on products to treat the leather to keep this from happening.
My 2016 limited driverās seat is in bad shape. Ripping on the seat pad and thereās metal piece that has pushed through the faux leather. These just arenāt a good seat material. If I get another Subaru after this I guess I will have to spring for the napa leather in the touring.
Same. 2019 at 126,000
2017 XT has it worse than that. not a fan.
Same problem on drivers seat on my 2020.
The same tear happened at the same spot.. 2019 Forester
Seems these seats do that easily and often. There are various diy seat repair kits on the market if you feel inclined. Check YouTube and Amazon. With the stitching it would be a challenge to work around. Can get a new upholstery or a used junkyard one. Sad these seats donāt seem to last
It was was a bad year for seat tears in the 2020 Foresters! The drivers seat started cracking open shortly after driving the vehicle from the Subaru Dealership! I explained and showed the Dealership this problem and the Dealership repaired the seat with no money out of my pocket!
Unfortunately that's what you get with fake leather. Commone issue on a lot of makes/models with the trend of moving away from real leather.
Wet Okole make excellent seat covers. Had them in my ford for over 15 years. Wetokole.com no affiliations
Same here 2019 65k miles. Mines pretty bad
Yep 2019 seats doing same thing, even center console has strange wear from my arm resting on it
My center console has like an air bubble under the top layer where elbow rests on it. I noticed it very early on, like after 20k miles.
My 2020 sport has the same problem in the same place. My dealership refuses to fix it and says itās not covered under the warranty. Makes me pretty mad.
Happened do me too on my 21
Surprisingly, my 19 hasnāt had any issue around the seats. But itās also why I try to avoid leather as much as possible when it comes to seats. BMW, Benz, Lexus, and other luxury brands donāt use real leather for this exact reason. I really wish all the other brands followed suit.
I think you have the leather issue exactly backwards. Those luxury brands do use real leather and Subaru does not
If the rest of your seats look good, you could try to find the OEM lower seat cover at a junkyard or even buy it new [online](https://www.subarupartsdeals.com/oem-parts/subaru-seat-cover-64140sj241nk). Alternatively, you could do as others have suggested and buy aftermarket seat covers for all of the seats.
Same problem in my 2020 sport. New off the lot. Also had the frame of the seat crack three times (replaced twice). Not sure how I feel about my first Subaru.
I have a 2021 same thing
Ahh just like my 03 forester.. somethings don't change.
Get it repaired before it gets worst. Use seat covers afterwards
Mine had a similar issue before 1000. The dealership changed it under Subaru āgoodwillā warranty or something like that. The guy who did the job however scratched my door panel, the dealership offered to replace it for free but I didnāt want them to touch my car again
Which cover do you guys recommend that looks decent on these chairs and is durable?
Tape is good
Worked for me!
My seat is doing the same. Damnā¦
Itās because you didnāt top off oil regularly. Sorry for your loss.
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Those are not leather. Itās vinyl.
I want to make my own new seat covers. I need to go to pick n pull and pull the covers for patterns
Just sew it up (very cheap option - fabric/leather super glue lol). And if you use leather softener sometimes it wont happen. Stiff leather and heat dont mix
Itās not leather. Thatās vinyl. There are no pores for leather conditioner to enter and soften.
FWIW: Tears like this in fabric/fiberglass/plastic will continue if not ended. By ended I mean the tear is stopped and has nowhere to go. In plastic/fiberglass, I'd drill a small diameter hole at the very end of the crack. In this case, I'd take a paperclip and unfold it. Heat the end red hot and gently and quickly poke it through the end of the crack using pliers. Cover it with a quality tape and put covers on.
Thatās why you had to use leather conditioner
Leather conditioner doesnāt work on polyeurethane or vinyl. The seats on the forester are not leather, the plastic just degrades rather quickly over time, no conditioner stops that.
Not necessarily. Too much leather conditioner softens leather and makes it more suspectable to tears. Also, you can see that these tears started at the stitch marks which makes me think their stitching process is flawed. There are several factors that could cause leather to rip at stitches that leather conditioner wouldn't have prevented.
Leather Seats require regular cleaning and conditioning to keep them supple. Otherwise, you'll get cracked seats. I have a 22 year old Lexus with leather seats that still look great but a lot of manufacturers use lower quality leather. I think Subaru is one of those.
The Forester Sport seats aren't leather.
I have a 2.0 XT Touring that does have leather and the passenger seat is cracked. It was my dad's car and he didn't take very good care of it. I'm going to replace the cushion eventually.
That may be true, but the OP posted a picture of a Forester Sport seat. The vinyl bolsters are notorious for cracking and no detailing product will prevent that.
Sad.
Even if you clean and condition it regularly they still fail early
What product would you recommend?
Chemical Guys VRP.