Which radio is in your Subaru Forester?
Subaru fitted different radios over the years. Find your Forester’s years below, but go by the serial: radios are often swapped, and the free check reads it for you.
How to find your Subaru Forester radio serial number
The serial isn’t shown on the screen: it is printed on a label on the radio itself. The serial tells us exactly which code your radio needs.
On the label
- Take the radio out.
- Find the barcode label (use the bottom one if there are two).
- Type in its last 4 numbers.
Take a photo of the label rather than copying it by hand: it’s easy to mix up 0 and O, or 1 and I.
Most radios slide out with a pair of radio removal keys (a few pounds from any car parts shop). Push them into the slots on the front until they click, then ease the radio forward. Some have screws to undo first.
Tips for your Subaru Forester
- Look for Clarion on the label — that’s the one we can do from the barcode.
- The radio comes out on release keys; photograph the whole label.
- Imports often have no code, so check the radio actually asks for one first.
What your serial looks like
-
4471Clarion (barcode)Last 4 numbers of the barcode Instant
Can’t find it or can’t read it? Send us a photo of the label: £9.99, with a full refund if we can’t find your code.
How to enter your Subaru Forester radio code
Once you have your code, key it in like this. The example below shows the button presses. Your order page shows the same steps next to your code.
Clarion (barcode)
- Buttons 1 to 4 set each number. Clarion codes only use the numbers 1 to 6.
If your Subaru Forester radio says LOCKED, WAIT or SAFE
Each wrong code makes the radio wait longer before the next try, and some radios lock for good after too many. Don’t guess: get the right code first, then follow the steps for your radio.
What LOCKED, WAIT and SAFE mean, and how long to wait →
Why we use your radio’s serial, not your number plate
A radio code belongs to the radio, not the car. A dealer usually looks it up from the Subaru Forester’s number plate or VIN (the 17-character number in your logbook), which only works if the car still has the radio it left the factory with. Radios are often swapped under warranty, upgraded, or changed by a previous owner.
The serial number is printed on the radio itself, so the code we give you matches the radio in front of you. It is also how we can check it for free before you pay. Main dealers often charge £30–£130, and you usually have to book the car in.
Subaru Forester radio code questions
Which Forester radios can you unlock?
The Clarion-built Subaru radios, from the barcode on the label.
Mine says Panasonic.
Those aren’t ones we can do. Type the serial into the free check and it will tell you for nothing.
Where is the label?
On the top or side of the radio once it is out.
How much is a Subaru Forester radio code?
£9.99 per code. The free check comes first, so you only pay once we know we can do it, and you get your money back if the code doesn’t work.
How long does it take?
Most Subaru Forester codes appear on screen the moment you’ve paid, and we email you a copy. If yours has to be looked up by our team, we email it within 2 hours and tell you before you pay.
What if the code doesn’t work?
Check the serial first: 0 and O, or 1 and I, are easy to mix up. Still stuck? Tell us from your order page and we’ll put it right or refund you in full.
Another Subaru?
See every Subaru radio we can unlock on our Subaru radio code page, or pick a model: Impreza, Legacy.
Updated September 2026