What breaks most · 1998 to 2026 model years
Subaru Forester problems by year
Owners have filed 6,461 safety complaints with NHTSA about the Subaru Forester across model years 1998 to 2026. Three years stand out: 2019 for wipers and visibility complaints, 2015 for engine complaints and 2020 for wipers and visibility complaints. The quietest years are 2024, 2008 and 2007.
- Years to check closely: 2019, 2015, 2020
- Fewest complaints: 2024, 2008, 2007
- Complaints on file
- 64611998 to 2026, all trims
- Worst year
- 2019832 complaints
- Crashes reported
- 547101 fires · 303 injuries · 9 deaths
- Typical failure mileage
- 38kMedian where owners gave mileage
- Recall campaigns
- 116Across the years shown
Complaints by model year
Raw filings with NHTSA, not adjusted for how many were sold.
| Model year | Complaints | Crashes | Recalls | Most-reported component |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 101 | 7 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (23) | |
| 131 | 5 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (32) | |
| 75 | 7 | 0 | Powertrain and transmission (21) | |
| 139 | 31 | 0 | Speed control and throttle (29) | |
| 88 | 21 | 1 | Speed control and throttle (23) | |
| 189 | 17 | 3 | Fuel system (31) | |
| 219 | 13 | 2 | Fuel system (63) | |
| 93 | 15 | 1 | Suspension (21) | |
| 88 | 12 | 2 | Speed control and throttle (20) | |
| 72 | 11 | 1 | Powertrain and transmission (11) | |
| 50 | 5 | 1 | Suspension (11) | |
| 178 | 19 | 18 | Air bags (40) | |
| 262 | 21 | 17 | Seats (76) | |
| 147 | 21 | 16 | Engine (60) | |
| 105 | 15 | 15 | Engine (27) | |
| 77 | 13 | 12 | Engine (26) | |
| 403 | 48 | 2 | Suspension (94) | |
| 613 | 53 | 3 | Engine (131) | |
| 411 | 39 | 3 | Air bags (98) | |
| 584 | 39 | 1 | Air bags (164) | |
| 493 | 26 | 3 | Wipers and visibility (135) | |
| 832 | 36 | 3 | Wipers and visibility (370) | |
| 597 | 26 | 0 | Wipers and visibility (252) | |
| 207 | 16 | 0 | Wipers and visibility (76) | |
| 97 | 8 | 1 | Wipers and visibility (20) | |
| 73 | 8 | 1 | Unknown or other (20) | |
| 29 | 4 | 2 | Unknown or other (9) | |
| 90 | 11 | 3 | Unknown or other (18) | |
| 18 | 0 | 3 | Electrical system (4) |
What fails on the 2019 Subaru Forester
| Component | Share of complaints | Filings | Crashes | Parts for this job |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wipers and visibilityWiper motors and blades | 44% |
370 | 0 | Shop all wipers and visibility parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Unknown or other | 17% |
144 | 4 | — |
| Electrical systemAlternators, starters and ignition | 16% |
134 | 7 | Shop electrical system parts for the 2019 Subaru Forester |
| EngineEngine gaskets and seals | 13% |
106 | 7 | Shop engine parts for the 2019 Subaru Forester |
| Forward collision systemRadar and camera sensors | 5% |
43 | 3 | Shop forward collision system parts for the 2019 Subaru Forester |
| VisibilityMirrors and glass | 5% |
38 | 0 | Shop visibility parts for the 2019 Subaru Forester |
| Powertrain and transmissionTransmission parts | 5% |
38 | 5 | Shop all powertrain and transmission parts, not filtered to this vehicle |
| Speed control and throttleThrottle and pedal sensors | 3% |
27 | 6 | Shop speed control and throttle parts for the 2019 Subaru Forester |
One complaint can name more than one component, so shares add to more than 100%. "Unknown or other" is NHTSA's uncategorized bucket and is shown but never ranked.
In owners' words
Complaint narratives as filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length.
-
Windshield spontaneously cracked without any known impact or damage. Vehicle was not in motion at time. Sitting at stoplight heard a ping and then noticed crack across bottom of windshield affecting visibility. No other vehicles were near enough or in motion that debris could have been at fault.
-
Driving in merging four lane traffic 70mph when forward motion stopped due to power loss. Almost wrecked getting to shoulder of road. Stranded in 90+ heat. Vehicle would not crank.
-
The head unit suddenly stopped working. It unfortunately isn’t covered Under warranty. The screen consistently turns on and off.
How to read this page
Every figure comes from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's public complaint database, which holds every safety-related defect complaint filed by owners since 1995. We refresh it monthly and count each complaint once per component it names. Data through September 6, 2026.
NHTSA only accepts safety-related complaints. Rattles, paint, infotainment bugs and other annoyances are under-reported here, so this page is a map of what fails in ways owners consider dangerous, not a full reliability score.
Counts are raw. Use the year-over-year shape and the component mix, not the absolute numbers. Where a component maps to parts we stock, the row links to that category filtered to the year you are viewing. Air bag and seat belt complaints link to the recall checker instead, because those repairs are almost always covered.
Common questions
Which Subaru Forester years have the most problems?
By NHTSA complaint volume, 2019, 2015, 2020 carry the most filings on the Subaru Forester. The 2019 alone has 832 complaints, led by wipers and visibility.
What is the most common Subaru Forester problem?
On the 2019 model year, the most-reported component is wipers and visibility with 370 complaints. The table above lists the top components for every year.
At what mileage do Subaru Forester problems start?
The median mileage at failure across all Subaru Forester complaints that include mileage is about 38,000 miles. Older model years skew higher; the per-year figure is in the "at a glance" card.
Are these complaints verified?
No. NHTSA publishes complaints as submitted and does not investigate individual filings. Patterns across hundreds of complaints are meaningful; a single one is not.