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2015 Subaru Forester

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Forester years

Owner complaints for the 2015 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

410 reports with mileage · 203 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.

  • Engine. Review the 131 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 101 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 95 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

53 crash reports7 fire reports26 injury reports

Tires complaints

5 reports
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Mileage unknown · Feb 6, 2023
Tires

Purchased 4 tires for my AWD Subaru from Costco. The driver side rear tire kept losing air a few days after installing them. Pumped air in it a few times at home. Took the car back to Costco. They found a leak that they repaired. Brand new tires leaking was my problem with Michelin 225/55R18 Primacy tour A/S.

NHTSA ODI #11505728

Mileage unknown · Jul 11, 2022
Tires

2015 SUBARU FORESTER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARD TO DEFECTIVE FIRESTONE TIRES. THE CONSUMER STATE THE TREAD SEPARATED FROM THE TIRE AND NEEDED TO BE REPLACED.

NHTSA ODI #11473368

Mileage unknown · Nov 21, 2021
Tires

Tire developed a bubble in the sidewall about 1.5" in diameter and 3/4" high. Tire removed from service and replaced as a safety issue. I have the tire in my storage. Car is a Subaru Forester used light duty and on paved roads. Approximately 75% to 80% of tread remaining. TPMS operational, so tire was not run low on air. When t…

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Tire developed a bubble in the sidewall about 1.5" in diameter and 3/4" high. Tire removed from service and replaced as a safety issue. I have the tire in my storage. Car is a Subaru Forester used light duty and on paved roads. Approximately 75% to 80% of tread remaining. TPMS operational, so tire was not run low on air. When tire pressure removed (to replace tire), bubble disappeared. Vehicle has 70,000 miles. Vendor declined to reimburse.

NHTSA ODI #11441208

38,690 miles · Dec 25, 2020
Tires

DRIVING ON ACCESS ROAD AT ABOUT 25 MPH. LOUD NOISE FOLLOWED BY FLOPPING NOISE. PULLED OFF THE ROAD WITHIN ABOUT 200 YARDS. DRIVERS SIDE REAR TIRE WAS COMPLETELY FLAT. PUT ON SPARE TIRE. CURSORY EXAMINATION SHOWED LARGE TEAR THROUGH THE SIDEWALL ON THE INTERIOR SIDE. PHOTOS ARE AVAILABLE. TIRES HAVE 15,320 MILES ON THEM.

NHTSA ODI #11384933

4,350 miles · Feb 12, 2015
TiresWheels

TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR INDICATED LOW PRESSURE. RIGHT REAR TIRE NEEDED AIR. TIRE CONTINUED TO SLOWLY LEAK AND THE PRESSURE MONITOR TRIPPED AGAIN DAYS LATER. MENTIONED PROBLEM TO DEALERSHIP DURING SERVICE. DEALERSHIP FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH THE TIRE AND PROPERLY INFLATED ALL WHEELS. A FEW DAYS LATER THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS LOW (TIRE PR…

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TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR INDICATED LOW PRESSURE. RIGHT REAR TIRE NEEDED AIR. TIRE CONTINUED TO SLOWLY LEAK AND THE PRESSURE MONITOR TRIPPED AGAIN DAYS LATER. MENTIONED PROBLEM TO DEALERSHIP DURING SERVICE. DEALERSHIP FOUND NO PROBLEM WITH THE TIRE AND PROPERLY INFLATED ALL WHEELS. A FEW DAYS LATER THE TIRE PRESSURE WAS LOW (TIRE PRESSURE MONITOR TRIPPED AGAIN). BRINGING VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALER FOR POSSIBLE REPLACEMENT OF TIRE. PROBABLY A PROBLEM ISOLATED TO MY SPECIFIC CAR, BUT LOGGING THE INCIDENT IN CASE THERE ARE MORE TIRES OUT THERE WITH SIMILAR PROBLEMS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #10682865

Official recalls

3

19V701000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Oct 3, 2019

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Forester vehicles equipped with heated seats. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may loosen.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: If the connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the ODS sensor mat harness, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUM-98.

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.

16V162000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/supercharger

Mar 21, 2016

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 WRX vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 21, 2015, and Forester 2.0XT vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 20, 2015. The turbocharger air intake duct may crack and possibly result in an engine stall.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the turbocharger air intake duct, and replace it as necessary, free of charge, depending on the lot number found on the duct. The recall began April 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTA-62.

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