Subaru Forester

Subaru Forester representative vehicle image
Representative editorial illustration of the Subaru Forester; family image, not a trim- or year-specific photograph.

Subaru Sedan 1998–2026

Verify with official recall databases, service records, a mechanic inspection, and local market data before relying on this summary.

At a glance

Vehicle coverage snapshot

This snapshot uses the current page hierarchy, year-range meta, and vehicle taxonomy only.

Page roleModel Hub
Make
Subaru
Model
Subaru Forester
Year range
1998–2026
Generation
1998–2002 · 1st Generation; 2003–2008 · 2nd Generation; 2009–2013 · 3rd Generation; 2014–2018 · 4th Generation; 2019–2025 · 5th Generation
Vehicle taxonomy
Forester

Model-year and generation details come from structured catalogue data; confirm the exact vehicle from its VIN.

Vehicle coverage

Check another year or model

Change the selection or jump to a specific coverage window.

Coverage path

Choose a make, model, and supported year from the structured US/Canada vehicle database.

Model coverage

Coverage dashboard

Coverage at a glance

1year ranges 1fault pages 0OBD/symptom links

Known checks by year range

Buyer path

  1. Start with the model hub
  2. Use OBD and symptom pages for current issues
  3. Verify recalls by VIN and inspect service records.

Coverage status

2 related public pages are available for this model.

What is on the record for the Subaru Forester

Owner complaints for this model most often concern:

  • Visibility (glass, wipers, mirrors)2,506 (14.4%)Official recall records for this system: 1, covering model years 2026.
  • Engine1,950 (11.2%)Official recall records for this system: 7, covering model years 2004–2024.
  • Air bags (restraint system)1,820 (10.5%)Official recall records for this system: 22, covering model years 2006–2018.

Where a mileage was given (7,360 reports), it averaged 48,527 miles.

These are counts of records held, not a failure rate: no vehicles-in-service figure exists in this data, so no reliability score can be derived from it.

Explore Subaru Forester problems by model year

Key takeaways

  • This model hub is not a final reliability verdict.

CarFaultIQ holds structured coverage for the Subaru Forester spanning 5 generations, 1998–2025, built on engines from 2 to 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder configurations on regular gasoline and premium gasoline, with hybrid variants. No generation of the Forester currently has a dedicated coverage page yet.

The Subaru Forester is in the CarFaultIQ vehicle directory, but model-specific fault records for it have not been published yet.

This page is a coverage placeholder, not a diagnostic guide. It is deliberately excluded from search indexing until verified model-specific content exists. Nothing on this page should be read as a fault claim about this vehicle.

What you can use right now:

Evidence-backed model intelligence

Subaru Forester diagnostic overview

Structured coverage spans 1998-2026. Use the exact model year and symptoms when narrowing a fault.

Vehicle coverage

  • Powertrain evidence: Premium Gasoline and Regular Gasoline
  • Electrification: Hybrid
  • Drivetrain coverage: 4WD/AWD and AWD

Start with the evidence you have

A symptom and an OBD code are separate evidence channels. Use either one; do not assume a stored code proves a particular repair.

Official evidence for this model

Coverage below spans the explicitly mapped model years. Records do not apply to every model year or configuration.

US safety recalls

44 distinct official identifiers · US

Campaigns matched to recorded model years. Only an official VIN check can confirm whether an individual vehicle is affected.

  • 26V436000 — model years 2025, 2026

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid, 2025-2026 Forester Hybrid, Forester, and 2019-2026 Ascent vehicles. These vehicles were manufactured with an incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on the certification label. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements…

  • 26V346000 — model years 2026

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Forester and Forester Hybrid vehicles. The sliding glass panel of the power moonroof assembly may have been improperly bonded to the sliding frame, allowing the glass panel to detach from the vehicle.

  • 25V889000 — model years 2026

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Forester vehicles. These vehicles may have been manufactured with an incorrect and/or incorrectly oriented rear hatch support bracket which can detach without prior warning.

Official NHTSA source

Manufacturer communications / TSBs

1,726 distinct official identifiers · US

Manufacturer service communications are not safety recalls and do not prove that every vehicle has the described condition.

  • 11035660 — model years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024

    This bulletin announces the design change made to the high-pressure fuel pump developed to prevent DTC P0087 (Fuel Rail/System Pressure – Too Low Bank 1). (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)

  • 11035661 — model years 2025, 2026

    WRH-26 Certification Label Non-Compliance Recall- Parts and SSLP Process Updates.

  • 11035654 — model years 2019, 2020, 2021

    This bulletin announces design changes made to the fuel injector in response to the DTCs listed. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)

Official NHTSA source

US defect investigations

3 distinct official identifiers · US

An investigation records a regulator review of a suspected defect. It is not automatically a finding or a recall.

  • PE19009 — model years 2016, 2017, 2018

    The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-009 to investigate 51 complaints and additional Early Warning Report (EWR) data related to allegations of front passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) malfunctions in model year (MY) 2016 through 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. These vehicles use a…

  • PE11011 — model years 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008

    On September 6, 2011, Fuji Heavy Industries USA, Inc, on behalf of Subaru of America, Inc notified the Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) it would be conducting a safety recall of certain model year (MY) 2002 through 2007 Subaru Impreza, MY 2003 through 2008 Subaru…

  • PE99020 — model years 1999

    ODI HAS ONE COMPLAINT ALLEGING THE PASSENGER'S SIDE SAFETY BELT ANCHORAGE, LOCATED BETWEEN THE SEAT AND CENTER CONSOLE, BECAME DETACHED WHILE DRIVING.IN ADDITION, THE OWNER INSPECTED THE DRIVER'S SIDE SAFETY BELT ANCHORAGE AND FOUND THAT THE BOLT WAS PARTIALLY BACKED-OUT.THE COMPLAINT VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH…

Official NHTSA source

Canadian recalls

32 distinct official identifiers · CA

Canadian-market records remain separate from US campaigns. Confirm applicability with Transport Canada and the manufacturer.

  • 2026329 — model years 2025, 2026

    Issue: On certain vehicles, the compliance label lists an incorrect gross axle weight rating (GAWR). This could lead you to overload the vehicle, which could cause poor handling or a tire failure. Note: For the Forester model, this recall affects both gas and hybrid models.…

  • 2026077 — model years 2025, 2026

    Issue: On certain vehicles, the fuel filler cap gasket may not seal properly to the housing. As a result, fuel could leak from the fuel filler neck. Note: This recall only affects certain hybrid model vehicles. Safety Risk: A fuel leak can create the risk…

  • 2025344 — model years 2025

    Issue: On certain vehicles, the bolts that secure the universal anchorage system (UAS) for installing a child car seat may not have been tightened properly. As a result, the bolt(s) could loosen, and the anchor(s) could separate in a crash. Note: This recall only affects…

Official Transport Canada source

US owner complaint reports

6,461 distinct reports · US

Distinct ODI complaint identifiers, deduplicated across component and product rows. Reports are allegations, not confirmed defects, failure rates or reliability scores.

  • VISIBILITY/WIPER: 1,059 reports
  • ENGINE: 816 reports
  • UNKNOWN OR OTHER: 813 reports

A report can name several components. Do not add component totals together.

Official NHTSA source

Evidence is served from a locally stored official-source snapshot. No external API is called to render this page. These records do not replace inspection or diagnosis. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada.

Known common problems

CarFaultIQ currently documents one Fault for the Forester — Subaru Forester: Seat Belt Force-Limiter Malfunction — applicable to 2009–2013. The record for the Forester is scoped to those years only, and no official recall campaign or complaint-category aggregate is currently linked to this model in CarFaultIQ's records.

Problems by year range

Used-car checks

No structured used-car checks are verified on this model hub yet.

Recall/safety notes

No hand-written safety notes have been added to this hub. Official recall, bulletin and investigation records held for this vehicle are listed under documented evidence on this page — the absence of a note here does not mean no records exist. Always confirm by VIN.

This reflects the Forester records held today rather than the condition of any individual car, so a VIN recall check and a qualified inspection are worthwhile regardless of model year.

Keep going

Next best action for this model

All Forester coverage →