Subaru Forester Reliability by Year
Based on 2M+ real complaints filed with the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
8,517 NHTSA complaints (1998–2026).Complaint rate: 69.4 per 1,000 vehicles.
Compare Subaru Forester vs:
Should I buy a Subaru Forester?
Quick answer from 8,517 NHTSA complaints · 1998–2026
Subaru Forester reliability depends heavily on the model year. Several years show complaint spikes well above the model's own average, while others are meaningfully cleaner. The most commonly reported issue across all years is wipers & visibility. Pick the right year and this Forester can be a reasonable used buy; pick the wrong one and you're inheriting known problems.
- 2013 Subaru Forester· 94 complaints
- 2023 Subaru Forester· 100 complaints
- 2022 Subaru Forester· 132 complaints
- 2019 Subaru Forester· 1,082 complaints
- 2015 Subaru Forester· 884 complaints
- 2020 Subaru Forester· 791 complaints
- 2017 Subaru Forester· 775 complaints
Keep scrolling for year-by-year complaint trends, recall campaigns, and component breakdowns — or click any year above for a full report.
Why these years are worse
The most common issues driving the complaint spikes:
- wipers & visibility — 1,054 complaints (0.0% involved a crash)
- engine problems — 803 complaints (7.0% involved a crash)
- airbags — 733 complaints (15.3% involved a crash)
- electrical faults — 729 complaints (3.7% involved a crash)
- unintended acceleration — 490 complaints (45.9% involved a crash)
What Happened to 122,790 Subaru Foresters On the Road
Complaints record what owners reported. These are the outcomes actually recorded against 122,790 Subaru Forester VINs built 1998–2026 — accidents, title brands and odometer flags from our vehicle-history database, not from the NHTSA complaint file.
Do the complaint spikes show up in real accident history?
The Subaru Forester averages 25.1% accident history across all model years. Here is how the years flagged above compare on real records:
- 2019 — 25.9% of 9,358 VINs on record show accident history, in line with the 25.1% model average. Owners complained more, but these cars are not crashing more.
- 2015 — 41.5% of 8,916 VINs on record show accident history, above the 25.1% model average. The complaint spike is backed by real damage records.
- 2020 — 22.0% of 11,526 VINs on record show accident history, in line with the 25.1% model average. Owners complained more, but these cars are not crashing more.
Typical Subaru Forester on record: 1.4 owners on average, 57,381 average miles.
Subaru Forester Generations
Manufacturer redesigns the car every few years (a “generation”). Each generation has different engineering and common issues. Click a generation to see year-by-year breakdown.
| Generation | Years | Complaints | Crashes | US Sold | Volume | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gen 1 | 1998–2002 | 667 | 90 | — | Show years | |||
| Gen 2 | 2003–2008 | 890 | 114 | — | Show years | |||
| Gen 3 | 2009–2013 | 963 | 134 | — | Show years | |||
| Gen 4 | 2014–2018 | 3,498 | 366 | — | Hide years | |||
| 2014 | 575 | 84 | — | View 2014View→ | ||||
| 2015 | 884 | 89 | — | View 2015View→ | ||||
| 2016 | 601 | 77 | — | View 2016View→ | ||||
| 2017 | 775 | 63 | — | View 2017View→ | ||||
| 2018 | 663 | 53 | — | View 2018View→ | ||||
| Gen 5 | 2019–2024 | 2,410 | 160 | — | Show years | |||
| Gen 6 | 2025–present | 88 | 13 | — | Show years |
Which Years to Buy & Avoid
Years auto-clustered by complaint volume relative to this model's median.
Rankings based on raw NHTSA complaint counts. Sales volume data not yet available for this model.
Bottom line: Avoid the 2014–2020 Subaru Forester (473 crash-related complaints). The 2023 models had significantly fewer reported issues. Most common issue across all years: Wipers & Visibility.
Avoid These Years
Average
Better Years
Too New
Need 3+ years on the road for reliable complaint data.
A model's reputation is just the start.
Even within the “good” years, individual cars can have hidden accidents, title issues, or odometer rollbacks. Check the actual VIN before you buy — full history report for $8.99 (vs. Carfax $44.99).
Complaints by Model Year
NHTSA complaint count per model year
Common Subaru Forester Problems
Most reported component complaints to NHTSA. Bar length = volume; color = crash-involvement rate.
Show full table
| Component | Complaints | Crash % |
|---|---|---|
| Wipers & Visibility | 1,054 | 0.0% |
| Engine Problems | 803 | 7.0% |
| Airbags | 733 | 15.3% |
| Electrical Faults | 729 | 3.7% |
| Unintended Acceleration | 490 | 45.9% |
| Transmission / Drivetrain | 399 | 10.0% |
| Fuel System | 337 | 9.2% |
| Suspension Failures | 323 | 3.7% |
| Brakes | 266 | 28.2% |
| Seat-Related Issues | 230 | 0.9% |
When Each Problem Spiked
Year × component heatmap. Darker cells = more complaints that year. Reveals which model years a specific defect concentrated in — useful for spotting redesign-cycle quality dips.
Year-by-Year Breakdown
NHTSA complaint count per model year — click any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
| Year | Generation | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Details |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Gen 1 | 138 | 9 | 5 | View → |
| 1999 | Gen 1 | 156 | 6 | 1 | View → |
| 2000GOOD | Gen 1 | 95 | 7 | — | View → |
| 2001 | Gen 1 | 169 | 39 | — | View → |
| 2002GOOD | Gen 1 | 109 | 29 | 1 | View → |
| 2003 | Gen 2 | 238 | 28 | — | View → |
| 2004 | Gen 2 | 270 | 19 | 4 | View → |
| 2005GOOD | Gen 2 | 105 | 23 | 1 | View → |
| 2006 | Gen 2 | 121 | 20 | 10 | View → |
| 2007GOOD | Gen 2 | 89 | 16 | 1 | View → |
| 2008GOOD | Gen 2 | 67 | 8 | 6 | View → |
| 2009 | Gen 3 | 228 | 25 | 8 | View → |
| 2010AVOID | Gen 3 | 307 | 29 | 8 | View → |
| 2011 | Gen 3 | 195 | 41 | 7 | View → |
| 2012 | Gen 3 | 139 | 22 | 4 | View → |
| 2013GOOD | Gen 3 | 94 | 17 | 3 | View → |
| 2014AVOID | Gen 4 | 575 | 84 | 6 | View → |
| 2015AVOID | Gen 4 | 884 | 89 | 12 | View → |
| 2016AVOID | Gen 4 | 601 | 77 | 6 | View → |
| 2017AVOID | Gen 4 | 775 | 63 | 1 | View → |
| 2018AVOID | Gen 4 | 663 | 53 | 1 | View → |
| 2019AVOID | Gen 5 | 1,082 | 63 | 26 | View → |
| 2020AVOID | Gen 5 | 791 | 44 | 11 | View → |
| 2021 | Gen 5 | 271 | 28 | 7 | View → |
| 2022 | Gen 5 | 132 | 11 | 10 | View → |
| 2023GOOD | Gen 5 | 100 | 10 | 6 | View → |
| 2024TOO NEW | Gen 5 | 34 | 4 | — | View → |
| 2025TOO NEW | Gen 6 | 88 | 13 | 1 | View → |
Year-by-Year Breakdown
Tap any year for full problems & recalls breakdown.
Data Sources & Methodology
Complaints: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation consumer complaint database (8,517 records for this model). Public domain data, updated monthly.
Sales data: Not yet available for this model. Complaint counts are shown as raw numbers.
On-road outcomes: Accident, title-brand, theft and odometer records for 122,790 Subaru Forester VINs in our vehicle-history database. Independent of the NHTSA complaint file — a complaint is what an owner reported, these are what was recorded against the vehicle. Year-level figures are shown only for model years with at least 200 VINs on record.
Rate calculation: Complaints per 10,000 vehicles sold = (complaint count / US annual sales) x 10,000. This normalizes for sales volume so high-volume models like Civic or Camry aren't unfairly penalized.
Year classifications: AVOID = 1.5x+ the model's median complaint count. GOOD = 0.6x or below. Years less than 3 years old are marked TOO NEW (insufficient data).
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