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2014 Subaru Forester

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Forester years

Owner complaints for the 2014 Subaru Forester are substantially higher than the model-year median of 131.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

298 reports with mileage · 105 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Suspension. Review the 94 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 69 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 57 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

48 crash reports3 fire reports18 injury reports

Structure complaints

27 reports
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Mileage unknown · Sep 25, 2025
Structure

Liftgate arm (or support) broke while the liftgate was in the raised position, and the liftgate came crashing down to the closed position, while my sister-in-law was very close by. I believe a serious injury could have resulted if someone had been under the liftgate at the time. We also own a 2016 Forester, and I now expect to…

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Liftgate arm (or support) broke while the liftgate was in the raised position, and the liftgate came crashing down to the closed position, while my sister-in-law was very close by. I believe a serious injury could have resulted if someone had been under the liftgate at the time. We also own a 2016 Forester, and I now expect to replace the liftgate supports as a matter of safety and peace of mind. From what I see, checking the liftgate supports is not on the maintenance schedule. I assume other SUVs are also subject to this issue.

NHTSA ODI #11689673

Mileage unknown · Mar 27, 2025
Air BagsElectrical SystemStructureCrashFire

While I was driving to work, with Cruise control set at 65, I hit a deer head on. All airbags deployed and engine ceased and I was able to brake car to a stop on the shoulder of the road. Within minutes, the engine erupted in fire and thankfully I wasn't trapped inside and was able to get out, because by the time I got 4-500 fee…

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While I was driving to work, with Cruise control set at 65, I hit a deer head on. All airbags deployed and engine ceased and I was able to brake car to a stop on the shoulder of the road. Within minutes, the engine erupted in fire and thankfully I wasn't trapped inside and was able to get out, because by the time I got 4-500 feet from the car, it had been totally engulfed in flames. From the time I hit the deer to the fire starting was less than 10 minutes. Fire truck wasn't even on scene yet and I was still speaking with highway patrol on the phone. If I had been trapped or the vehicle had rolled i wouldn't be here today. It was that quick.

NHTSA ODI #11651125

54,600 miles · Sep 29, 2023
Structure

The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed up an incline, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the…

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The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at an undisclosed speed up an incline, the contact heard an abnormal sound coming from the rear of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, who was unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. After investigating the failure, the contact related it to TSB: 12-204-16R. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was 54,600.

NHTSA ODI #11547414

100,000 miles · Sep 29, 2023
Structure

The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while parked in the driveway, the contact noticed that rain had leaked through the hatchback which caused mold to form on the rear passenger’s side roof. The interior lights became inoperable. After the vehicle was started, the contact became aware of smoke coming …

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The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while parked in the driveway, the contact noticed that rain had leaked through the hatchback which caused mold to form on the rear passenger’s side roof. The interior lights became inoperable. After the vehicle was started, the contact became aware of smoke coming out of the driver’s side mirror. No warning light was illuminated. The vehicle had not been diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 100,000.

NHTSA ODI #11547403

18,000 miles · Sep 16, 2022
StructureCrash

The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle’s hood had suddenly opened impairing the contact’s vision. The contact ended up swerving the vehicle and crashing into a nearby tree. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle had not been towed. There were no injuries…

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The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 20 mph, the vehicle’s hood had suddenly opened impairing the contact’s vision. The contact ended up swerving the vehicle and crashing into a nearby tree. The air bags did not deploy. The vehicle had not been towed. There were no injuries and no medical attention needed. A police report was filed. The vehicle had been taken to a certified mechanic who diagnosed that the vehicle’s hood latch and the hood strap had failed and needed to be replaced. The vehicle had not been repaired for the failure. The vehicle’s shift release lever had failed causing the shifting of gears failing and the contact was unable to remove the key. The contact took the vehicle back to the certified mechanic who repaired the vehicle however the failure persisted. The lever within the transmission stick had detached. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failures. The approximate failure mileage was 18,000.

NHTSA ODI #11484832

Mileage unknown · Aug 22, 2021
Structure

Tailgate problem - car was in stopped position. I was unloading groceries so opened the tailgate. The tailgate opened and paused in it's highest position for a second and then slammed abruptly with intense speed. The speed of the closure is enough to injure someone or cause death. This is a very serious issue. Others seem to ha…

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Tailgate problem - car was in stopped position. I was unloading groceries so opened the tailgate. The tailgate opened and paused in it's highest position for a second and then slammed abruptly with intense speed. The speed of the closure is enough to injure someone or cause death. This is a very serious issue. Others seem to have have reported this for 2014/2015 Forester as well https://www.carproblemzoo.com/subaru/forester/2014/tailgate-problems.php

NHTSA ODI #11430029

88,500 miles · Jul 30, 2021
Structure

The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. While attempting to open the liftgate, the contact stated that the left strut on the liftgate fractured which caused the liftgate to independently close. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that strut bolt was corroded which led to the liftgate failure. The contact notified the loc…

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The contact owns a 2014 Subaru Forester. While attempting to open the liftgate, the contact stated that the left strut on the liftgate fractured which caused the liftgate to independently close. Upon investigation, the contact discovered that strut bolt was corroded which led to the liftgate failure. The contact notified the local dealer of the failure and the contact was instructed to take the vehicle into the dealer to be inspected. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 88,500.

NHTSA ODI #11427126

Mileage unknown · May 31, 2021
Structure

My drivers side door seal has repeatedly come loose from the door. This usually happens in very hot or cold conditions. I struggle with it on an irregular basis. Recently my passenger's side door is doing the same thing and is more resistant to being put back into place.

NHTSA ODI #11419080

75,000 miles · Oct 27, 2020
EngineStructureSuspension

OIL IS CONSTANTLY HAVING TO BE CHECKED BECAUSE THIS VEHICLE GOES THROUGH LOTS OF OIL. I'VE PUT A NEWER ENGINE IN THE CAR DUE TO THE FIRST ONE DOING THIS. ALSO THE FRONT RIGHT CV JOINT IS ABOUT TO NEED REPLACEMENT AND IS LOUD. BOTH OF THESE ISSUES HAVE HAPPENED AS SOON AS I BOUGHT THE CAR APRIL 2020.ALSO, CRUISE CONTROL WORKS ON …

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OIL IS CONSTANTLY HAVING TO BE CHECKED BECAUSE THIS VEHICLE GOES THROUGH LOTS OF OIL. I'VE PUT A NEWER ENGINE IN THE CAR DUE TO THE FIRST ONE DOING THIS. ALSO THE FRONT RIGHT CV JOINT IS ABOUT TO NEED REPLACEMENT AND IS LOUD. BOTH OF THESE ISSUES HAVE HAPPENED AS SOON AS I BOUGHT THE CAR APRIL 2020.ALSO, CRUISE CONTROL WORKS ON AND OFF LITERALLY BACK WINDOWS WON'T COME DOWN, HORN WON'T HONK AND BLUETOOTH IS HORRIBLE.

NHTSA ODI #11366615

34,069 miles · Sep 21, 2020
Service BrakesStructureWheelsCrash

MY CAR HAD AN UNEXPECTED ACCELERATION WHEN APPLIED THE BREAK TO PARK ON THE PARKING LOT. AS A RESULT VEHICLE WENT AND COLLIDED INTO A RESTAURANT, DAMAGING THE RESTAURANT GLASS WALL AND FRONT BUMPER, PASSENGER FRONT WHEEL/TIRE OF THE VEHICLE.

NHTSA ODI #11360320

Official recalls

2

19V149000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Feb 28, 2019

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights from illuminating and also preventing keyless ignition vehicles from starting and CVT/automatic transmissions from being able to be shifted out of Park.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90.

13V159000 · Equipment

Apr 24, 2013

Subaru is recalling certain model year 2014 Forester vehicles manufactured from January 2013 through March 2013. The backing for the carpeted floor mats was not manufactured to specification. As a result, the floor mats may curl when exposed to heat.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Curling of the driver side floor mat could distract the driver and/or interfere with proper operation of one or a combination of, the vehicle's clutch, brake, and accelerator pedals. Brake or accelerator pedal interference may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace each of the vehicle's four (4) carpeted floor mats with new ones. These services will be performed free of charge. Subaru issued an interim notification during April 2013. Notification that the remedy is now available was mailed to owners on June 5, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQH-44.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Subaru Forester problems