2019 Subaru Forester Fuse Box Diagram & Amperage

Welcome to another detailed fuse box guide on Repairius. As an ASE-certified master technician, I’ve spent countless hours tracking down electrical gremlins. Whether your radio suddenly cut out, your 12V accessory socket stopped charging your phone, or your headlights won't turn on, checking the fuses is always the first step.

Below is a comprehensive guide to the fuse box locations, diagrams, and amperage ratings for the 2019 Subaru Forester.

Note: Automotive manufacturers often change wiring configurations slightly depending on the trim level (Base, Premium, Sport, Limited, Touring) and installed options. Always verify with the printed legend located on the inside of your fuse box lid before replacing a fuse.

Quick Answer: Fuse Box Locations

The 2019 Subaru Forester has two primary fuse box locations you need to know about:

1. Under-Hood (Engine Compartment) Fuse Box: Located on the driver’s side of the engine bay, near the battery and the air intake duct. This box houses high-current fuses, main system relays, and fuses for heavy-load engine bay components (ABS, headlights, cooling fans).
2. Interior (Instrument Panel) Fuse Box: Located inside the cabin on the driver’s side. It is hidden behind the coin tray/storage cubby on the lower left side of the dashboard. You have to pull the small storage tray out to access the fuses behind it.

There is no dedicated rear cargo/trunk fuse box for standard user-serviceable circuits on this generation of the Forester.

Under-Hood (Engine Compartment) Fuse Box

This fuse box manages the heavy lifting for the powertrain, exterior lighting, and safety systems. To open it, squeeze the tabs on the side of the black plastic cover and lift straight up. The relay block is integrated into this assembly.

Relay Locations Note: The under-hood box also houses the Main EFI Relay, Starter Relay, A/C Clutch Relay, and Cooling Fan Relays. If your fuse is good but the component still won't work, swap the relay with a known good one of the same part number to test it.

Interior (Dash Kick-Panel) Fuse Box

To access the interior fuse box, open the driver’s door, locate the small pull-out coin tray near your left knee, and pull it firmly toward you. The diagram is usually printed on the back of this tray.

How to Test a Fuse

As a mechanic, I always see drivers throwing away perfectly good fuses, or worse, replacing blown fuses with higher-amperage ones (never do this—it can cause an electrical fire!). Here is the proper way to check your fuses:

1. Visual Inspection: Pull the suspected fuse using the small plastic fuse puller (usually stored in the under-hood fuse box lid). Look at the U-shaped wire inside the colored plastic. If the metal wire is broken or scorched black, the fuse is blown.
2. The Test Light Method (Recommended): You don't even need to remove the fuse for this. Turn the ignition to the "ON" position. Clamp the ground wire of your 12V test light to a bare metal bolt under the dash. Touch the metal probe to the two tiny exposed metal test points on the top of the fuse. If the light illuminates on both sides, the fuse is good. If it only lights up on one side, the fuse is blown.
3. Multimeter Check: Set your multimeter to "Continuity" (the setting that beeps). Touch one probe to each side of the fuse. A beep means the fuse is intact. No beep means the circuit is broken.

Common Blown Fuses on the 2019 Subaru Forester

If you own a 2019 Forester, these are the electrical circuits you are most likely to have trouble with:

• 12V Power Outlets (Fuses #1 and #2 - Interior): This is the most common failure. Modern drivers plug in splitters, fast-chargers, and air compressors that draw too much current. If your phone won't charge, check these 15A blue fuses first.
• Radio / Infotainment (Fuse #3 - Interior): The Subaru Starlink infotainment screens can sometimes freeze or glitch. Before assuming the screen is dead, check the 15A radio fuse. Sometimes pulling this fuse for 10 minutes and putting it back will act as a "hard reset" for a frozen radio.
• Headlights (Fuses #11 and #12 - Under-Hood): If a single headlight goes out, it's usually the bulb. If both headlights fail simultaneously, check these fuses and the associated headlight relays under the hood.
• Trailer Wiring (Fuse #31 - Interior): If you tow a small utility trailer and the trailer wiring shorts out (very common with old trailer wiring exposed to the elements), it will pop the dedicated trailer fuse to protect your Subaru's main harness.

Always remember: a fuse blows for a reason. If you replace a fuse and it immediately pops again, stop. You have a short circuit somewhere in the wiring that needs professional diagnosis.

When electrical problems get too complicated to handle in your driveway, don't risk damaging your Forester's expensive ECM modules. Find a trusted shop on Repairius.