Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
1270–25K
10125–50K
9750–75K
5175–100K
29100–150K
5150K+
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
What owners actually said
613 reports
Mileage unknown · Jul 8, 2022
Engine
Sudden, without any warning, complete engine failure. Luckily I was in the right hand lane while ascending a major mountain pass. We were in the midst of a "atmospheric river" with rain coming from all directions when the engine just stopped. I muscled the car onto a very narrow shoulder and called for help, I knew we were in…
Read full complaint
Sudden, without any warning, complete engine failure. Luckily I was in the right hand lane while ascending a major mountain pass. We were in the midst of a "atmospheric river" with rain coming from all directions when the engine just stopped. I muscled the car onto a very narrow shoulder and called for help, I knew we were in a very dangerous situation as this was the Saturday after Thanksgiving 2021, and the highway was full of cars and semi trucks whizzing past our Forester, we stayed put in the car. The State Patrol eventually appeared behind my Subaru, we conversed, and the officer used his front push bumpers to move my car up the remaining 2.5 miles up the the pass summit and onto a parking lot away from the freeway. Eventually AAA tow truck driver arrived, loaded our Subaru onto the platform carrier, with my wife and me in the cab, he drove 157 miles to our dealership parking lot. When we arrived, he again checked the battery, it was dead. He then proceeded to use an external storage to charge up our battery, and after a short time he successfully started our Subaru. I chose to leave the car at the dealership lot so they could check the systems the next morning. They could find no problem whatsoever with the engine, drive train, fuel system, or electrical system. The told us to report any problem to them, but stated our Forrester was safe to drive. The next day our trusted mechanic confirmed they could find no problem in our car. We have been driving our Forester per normal since this incident happened, the problem has not repeated. In summary no warning lights appeared on our dashboard before the incident; we used our lights to warn other drivers while we waited for help and eventually all lights went off; the problem has not been reproduced by dealer, mechanic, or us. What I believed occurred is: Driving through the "atmospheric river" the volume and intensity of the rain caused an electrical short, that was removed during the tow
NHTSA ODI #11472923
Mileage unknown · Jun 23, 2022
Unknown Or Other
Car does not respond when accelerating/attempting to accelerate. Takes 3-5 seconds to engage when press on gas from stopped/brake position, also very slow to accelerate when changing speeds. Took car in for service and was told not transmission, but still having issue. Dealer stated they couldn't reproduce issue when was in fo…
Read full complaint
Car does not respond when accelerating/attempting to accelerate. Takes 3-5 seconds to engage when press on gas from stopped/brake position, also very slow to accelerate when changing speeds. Took car in for service and was told not transmission, but still having issue. Dealer stated they couldn't reproduce issue when was in for service, but nearly immediately upon driving away, it had same issue. No warming lights, sounds or smells occur when this happens. Nearly got T-boned on road due to slowness to respond. Unknown component causing issue.
NHTSA ODI #11470663
80,000 miles · Jun 6, 2022
Air BagsCrashInjury
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. While the contact's wife was driving at 30 MPH, she crashed into another vehicle causing damage to the front driver's side of the vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact's wife was injured. A police report was filed and the vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The manufacturer was…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. While the contact's wife was driving at 30 MPH, she crashed into another vehicle causing damage to the front driver's side of the vehicle. The air bags failed to deploy. The contact's wife was injured. A police report was filed and the vehicle was towed to a tow yard. The manufacturer was contacted and stated that "there are many types of collision that are not necessary for the deployment of the air bag". The manufacturer used "if the vehicle hits a parked vehicle it would not deploy" as an example. The failure mileage[ was 80,000.
NHTSA ODI #11467842
72,000 miles · May 18, 2022
Vehicle Speed Control
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration causing the driver to immediately depress the brake pedal to abruptly stop the vehicle. After the failure, the vehicle operated as normal. The cause of the failure was not yet deter…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 35 MPH, the vehicle experienced unintended acceleration causing the driver to immediately depress the brake pedal to abruptly stop the vehicle. After the failure, the vehicle operated as normal. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 72,000.
NHTSA ODI #11465161
Mileage unknown · May 13, 2022
Power Train
While attempting to make a left turn the car stalled and lost all power. The car had to be restarted and was able to drive back home. Took the car to dealership who stated it was a battery issue and a plugged air filter. NO check of the transmission was completed. This is the CVT transmission. The battery is 6 months old a…
Read full complaint
While attempting to make a left turn the car stalled and lost all power. The car had to be restarted and was able to drive back home. Took the car to dealership who stated it was a battery issue and a plugged air filter. NO check of the transmission was completed. This is the CVT transmission. The battery is 6 months old and the battery was tested multiple times by other locations and tested good. This stalling making a turn seems to be an ongoing issue with Subaru and the CVT transmission.
NHTSA ODI #11464591
120,855 miles · Apr 8, 2022
Visibility
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked outside during a snowstorm; while removing snow from the windshield, she noticed that the windshield was severely cracked. Additionally, the contact stated that the crack originated from the driver's side of the windshield to the passen…
Read full complaint
The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while the vehicle was parked outside during a snowstorm; while removing snow from the windshield, she noticed that the windshield was severely cracked. Additionally, the contact stated that the crack originated from the driver's side of the windshield to the passenger's side. The dealer and the manufacturer were not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 120,855.
NHTSA ODI #11460201
Mileage unknown · Apr 3, 2022
Power Train
Hill start assist system failure. Apply power, but the car would not go very far before the brakes were automatically applied. Pull out into traffic and the car would not go. Dangerous. Warning message that the system hill start assist should be inspected by a Subaru dealer. Drove on deserted city streets for two minutes an…
Read full complaint
Hill start assist system failure. Apply power, but the car would not go very far before the brakes were automatically applied. Pull out into traffic and the car would not go. Dangerous. Warning message that the system hill start assist should be inspected by a Subaru dealer. Drove on deserted city streets for two minutes and then everything was okay except the warning light stayed on until I got home and turned the car off. I have found out how to deactivate the hill start system and I will do that. I have not yet taken the car to the dealer.
NHTSA ODI #11459427
Mileage unknown · Mar 31, 2022
Suspension
Had to have both rear struts & strut mounts replaced at only 52000 miles.
NHTSA ODI #11459154
Mileage unknown · Mar 16, 2022
Wheels
While rotating tires two wheel studs sheared off. The lug nuts are always started by hand, tightened (and removed) without an impact tool, and torqued to spec. Took it to a shop for repair. While removing the wheels two more studs sheared off in the shop. Mechanic stated this is a very common problem with Subarus. Google searche…
Read full complaint
While rotating tires two wheel studs sheared off. The lug nuts are always started by hand, tightened (and removed) without an impact tool, and torqued to spec. Took it to a shop for repair. While removing the wheels two more studs sheared off in the shop. Mechanic stated this is a very common problem with Subarus. Google searches verify this. A popular Subaru community website has a thread with 168 posts discussing this issue among 2014-2018 model year Foresters - https://www.subaruforester.org/threads/2014-problem-with-wheel-studs-merged-thread.769466/ - Judging from online content it seems that, at a minimum, hundreds of Subaru owners are experiencing this problem, perhaps thousands. NHTSA and Subaru should investigate this issue and make it right for the many, many owners experiencing the potentially very dangerous problem. Here are some other existing NHTSA complaints about the same issue: =============================== NHTSA ID Number: 11172455 WHILE COMPLETING A TIRE ROTATION, I PLACED THE SPARE TIRE ON THE HUB AS A PLACEHOLDER WHILE I MOVED ON TO OTHER WHEELS. I HAND TIGHTENED THE LUGNUTS HOLDING THE SPARE ON (NO WRENCH, NO OVER TORQUEING)... ================================= December 28, 2015 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 10816534 Components: WHEELS, SERVICE BRAKES NHTSA ID Number: 10816534 Vehicle Identification Number 1F2SJABC1FH**** I HAVE HAD SEVERAL OCCASIONS WHERE THE WHEEL LUGS HAVE SNAPPED WHILE THE WHEELS WERE REMOVED FOR TIRE REPLACEMENT, ROTATION AND REPLACEMENT OF BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS... =================================== March 9, 2019 NHTSA ID NUMBER: 11185494 Components: WHEELS NHTSA ID Number: 11185494 Vehicle Identification Number JF2SJAAC8HG**** THREE PASSENGER FRONT TIRE STUDS SHEARED, PROPERLY HAND TORQUED PRIOR, TWO LUG NUTS WITH STUDS RETRIEVED IN DRIVEWAY, 20 DEG F. PULLING OUT OF GARAGE LH TURN, 3 MPH. FAILED AND REMAINING TWO STUDS RETAINED WHEN REPLACED. POSSIBLE NIL DUCTILITY TEMP. GOOGLE REVEALED...
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.
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.
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 ↗