On our's, it is under the dash on the driver's side. Under the steering wheel. Down low.

 

@Trogie

Here's where it's at in my wife's 2015. I would guess that yours is the same.

Mike

 

Yep, thats exactly where I found the connector. My OBD scanner says its not connected. I felt around and realised that it didnt have wires. Is this even possible?

 

It's the same in the 2018 Forester as the 2015 picture above.

 

Thanks to @Trogie for asking, and to @subatron for the reply and picture.

I had been wondering about this ever since we bought my wife's 2016. With both new Foresters running great I never had need to really dig in and find it, but now I see why I was having difficulty in my modest attempts.

In our two previous cars (2003 Forester and 2005 Impreza) the OBD-II port was recessed into an opening in the molding, not hiding in plain sight like we see now. So that's what I was looking for. It was visually appealing, nicely integrated into the scene. But it was a bad technical approach, since the depressed area totally wrapped the body of the connector on my gauge. The only way to remove the connector was to pull on its cable, which is not a good thing for its own health. Now in the new setup the connector is fully exposed, and easy to grab.

Good move, Subaru!

 

Beware Subarus don't like having something constantly plugged into OBD port, you may get a check engine light with U0073 code.

 

Interesting comment. I have a 2017 Forester and just recently "permanently" plugged in a device that my insurance company offers, which "spies" on my driving characteristics (speed, distance traveled, braking / acceleration style etc.). They give an ongoing 5% premium discount simply to have it installed. After 12 months of data collection, my data gets massaged by some algorithm and it spits out a potential premium reduction on my next renewal that could be up to a maximum of 25%. (The program only offers a possible premium reduction; it can't result in a premium increase).

It's obviously different from the device that the OP describes and it's also not an actual diagnostic device that needs to be plugged in occasionally to service the vehicle.

I'll need to keep an eye out for the potential Check Engine light (/code U0073) you describe. For what it's worth, my device has been installed for a little over 2 months now and no sign of a check engine light.

 

I'm speaking from personal experience so...

OBD HUD, no problem for months, then suddenly keep trigger the code, removed it and never since. Google the code will show other people getting it too with bluetooth OBD dongle.

 

I believe you... but googling a symptom is confirmation bias... you will find the result if it has happened to a single user or even a small group.

That being said, I have never seen on the Facebook groups anyone report this as a major issue as far as having a dongle onboard at all times. I have seen certain software, if not configured, make the ECU angry. I do not know OBD HUD or what that is... I use, as many do, OBD Link LX with Torque Pro... 2 years+ on full time other than when I bring her in to the dealer or when I do my wheel swaps.

 

My PLX WiFi OBDII unit has been installed for about a year and a half with no issues. Same unit in '16 WRX, and no issues.

However, I only occasionally activate it to reaffirm all is well. Since it takes user intervention to make it "work," and only then for short periods of time, the rest of the time it's just 'there,' and invisible to the ECU.

In my EJs I had my AP attached and active 100% of the time, logging data, etc. Obviously, these days it depends on your vehicle... but use and settings with the vehicle's propensities in mind should result in problem-free use of most OBDII devices.

I join in agreement about the preferable location of these later ports... it makes things a lot easier.

 

RE: Constant OBD plug-in.... Not my XT, but my '15 STi had a CobbAP always plugged in for datalogging and telemetry. Never had an issue in 3 years. Only issues I've heard of that may cause something similar are bad APs or cables, and in rare cases, running a bad map. Guess anything can get goofy though. If it plugs in and crunches data, you never know. *shrug*

 

I wonder if a dash cam (Blackvue) using the OBD port may cause a problem.

 

Just my totally uninformed opinion because I don't know anything about dash cams, but I would hesitate to use this helpful diagnostic port for such a "mundane" purpose.

Does the camera you're thinking of use any of the OBDII info, or is just just using it as a power source?

Mike

 

You're probably correct. Was planning on using it for just a power source, I'll find an empty fuse and tap into the block.

 

Thank you thank you. I needed to find the OBD II connector so I can take my 2017 Forrester over for a Vehicle Emissions test. Now I can go to the self-service kiosk instead of the full-service place (where I'm likely to have wait in line and there are fewer hours that they're open).

 

2017 Forrester. I found what I thought was the OBDII the connector. I connected my scanner and it read "not connected".
I took a closer look and realized that there were no wires attached to the connector. Why would subaru place a dummy connector under the dash? I crawled around under the dash looking for another OBDII connector but it wasn't anywhere to be found. Any thoughts?

 

@wool welcome to the forum from Oregon!

The '14 Subaru technical service manual shows this, could be different in your '17?

Bobby...

Also...

For the best forum experience, we recommend completing your "Account Details". The optional information you enter there will display when members click "About" in your forum profile. You can also create a custom "Signature" that will display every time you make a forum post. The optional additional information you provide could mean getting forum member replies, or not.

['07 FSXT Member Journal] ['03 X Member Journal]

 

@wool Welcome!

Bobby's image is correct. Here's a thread where I post a pic of the OBDII port. Yours should be the same.

('14-'18) - 2018 - OBD II Port - Where is the...

If you're properly connected to this port, I think you've got some other problem.

Mike

 

@wool your thread has been merged with this existing thread on the same subject.

Bobby...

['07 FSXT Member Journal] ['03 X Member Journal]

 

The wires on the backside of the connector make a sharp turn behind the metal support bracket, so it may be hard to find them before they go into a loom. I found that some ODB connectors seem to have a poor fit, I had an iDatalink cable that would constantly come loose and throw an ODB not connected error until I replaced it with a different cable.