Installing WRX Seats in a 2014–2018 Subaru Forester
Introduction
Here's how I installed WRX seats into my 2015 Subaru Forester XT, and yes, it's as simple as everyone hopes it is. You don’t need brackets, you don’t need to cut anything, and no, the airbag light didn’t come on.
Photo Credit: Me 2015 Subaru Forester XT.
Seat Compatibility
You need seats from a 2015 and up WRX or STI. I picked up a set of base model WRX seats that had heat, which worked perfectly since my Forester XT originally came with heated seats too. Plug and play for both the airbag and heater wiring. Everything clicked in. No splicing, no soldering. Just match the plugs and you're good.
Your WRX seatbelt receivers wont work with the Forester Seatbelts, you’ll have to swap them over from your Forester seats. It's one bolt. I think it was 17mm. Take it off, bolt it onto the new seat, done. That lets you plug right back into the factory harness.
Wiring and Connectors
Underneath the seat, you've got three plugs; one for the airbag, one for heat, one for the seatbelt. They all connect directly to the Forester harness with no adapters needed, at least on mine. Your results may vary if you're working with premium seats or something non-factory. Subaru's can be like legos sometimes and its great!
Fitment and Rails
These WRX seats came with their original seat rails. The passenger side bolted in with no issue. Driver side fit too, but there was a catch. The WRX rails made the seat sit super low. Like knees in the air, steering wheel at eye level low. Some people like that. I didn’t.
To fix that, I swapped over a base model Forester 2.5i non-power seat rail onto the WRX seat. Bought the bottom half of that 2.5i seat off ebay and that brought it back up to a normal ride height. If you’re using powered WRX seats, that adds another layer to it, but the idea is the same; get rails that match your Forester layout and in theory it should work.
Cost and Summary
I paid around $320 for the seats off Facebook Marketplace, plus a tank of gas to drive to New Jersey to pick them up. That’s it. No custom brackets, no modding the floor, no electronics mess. Just bolt it in and drive. Unfortunately, the rear WRX seats will not work with the Forester's. The bottom seat cushions will work however, the upper seat portion will not work with the Forester's brackets and such. I tried; it doesn't line up.
You can go all out and buy Recaros or the Launch Edition WRX seats if that’s your style. Or you can do what I did and pick up a clean, basic set and still come out way ahead in comfort and looks. Either way, if the seats are from a 2015 and up WRX, they're going in with minimal work.
Final Thoughts
There’s not a whole lot to this swap, and honestly, that’s the best part. It’s one of those rare mods that feels like it was meant to be. Everything lined up, nothing fought me, and it completely changed the feel of the interior. Highly recommend this one if you’re trying to clean up your Forester without going full custom. This is the way the XT should have come from Subaru. Someway of differing the XT from the rest of the line up. So, sometimes you just gotta take things into your own hands. Hope this helped!
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