Subaru Forester problems by year
8,292 complaints across 23 model years, 1998–2025. 2019 draws the most at 1,084; 2005 the fewest at 105.
Read this first
Complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold as much as how reliable they were. A popular model year will always look worse than a rare one. Compare the dominant failure system between years rather than the raw totals.
Every model year
| Year | Complaints | Top reported system | Crashes | Fires | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 138 | Power train (20.3%) | 9 | 5 | 1 |
| 1999 | 156 | Power train (22.4%) | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 2001 | 169 | Vehicle speed control (17.8%) | 39 | 0 | 3 |
| 2002 | 109 | Vehicle speed control (21.1%) | 29 | 1 | 0 |
| 2003 | 238 | Fuel system, gasoline (13.0%) | 28 | 0 | 4 |
| 2004 | 270 | Fuel/propulsion system (23.3%) | 19 | 4 | 0 |
| 2005 | 105 | Suspension (20.0%) | 23 | 1 | 0 |
| 2006 | 121 | Vehicle speed control (16.5%) | 20 | 10 | 0 |
| 2009 | 228 | Air bags (17.5%) | 25 | 8 | 1 |
| 2010 | 307 | Seats (24.8%) | 29 | 8 | 0 |
| 2011 | 195 | Engine (30.8%) | 41 | 7 | 0 |
| 2012 | 140 | Engine (19.3%) | 22 | 5 | 0 |
| 2014 | 576 | Suspension (16.5%) | 84 | 6 | 0 |
| 2015 | 897 | Engine (14.6%) | 92 | 12 | 0 |
| 2016 | 616 | Air bags (18.2%) | 77 | 6 | 0 |
| 2017 | 796 | Air bags (24.7%) | 63 | 1 | 0 |
| 2018 | 678 | Visibility/wiper (19.9%) | 53 | 1 | 0 |
| 2019 | 1,084most | Visibility/wiper (34.1%) | 63 | 26 | 1 |
| 2020 | 807 | Visibility/wiper (31.2%) | 46 | 13 | 0 |
| 2021 | 285 | Visibility/wiper (26.7%) | 28 | 10 | 0 |
| 2022 | 140 | Forward collision avoidance (15.7%) | 11 | 10 | 0 |
| 2023 | 111 | Forward collision avoidance (14.4%) | 11 | 7 | 0 |
| 2025 | 126 | Forward collision avoidance (11.9%) | 18 | 2 | 1 |