Illustration8 days ago I replaced the battery on this car as the lights/radio would come on but it would not start. Today the car is totally dead. It will have to be towed to the dealer whenever the towing companies can get around to it. I believe this one of the vehicles like those in the class action lawsuit.
2019 Subaru Forester
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
More warning signs than most Forester years
Owner complaints for the 2019 Subaru Forester are substantially higher than the model-year median of 131.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Forester years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
4010–25K
4525–50K
1350–75K
475–100K
5100–150K
0150K+
468 reports with mileage · 365 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.
- Visibility/wiper. Review the 370 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Electrical System. Review the 134 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine. Review the 106 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
37 crash reports11 fire reports16 injury reports
What owners actually said
833 reportsWindshield Glass Break even small debris
My front windshield just cracked, no rock hit it, just cracked
Check engine light came on and code was for the TCV. The dealership said it would be $1500 to repair and was not under warranty…even though my car is a 2019 Subaru Forester with just 17,000 miles. The Subaru forums on Facebook show that numerous other people are also having this problem.
Battery is repeatedly drained while parked, even with taking care to close all doors and turn off interior lights. This has happened 6-7 times in the last 6 weeks. The dealer tells us the car is fine.
Yesterday, when we got into the car (2019 Subaru Forester) we noticed a large crack in the windshield. It started near the edge where the glass meets the frame, and went down and curved towards the driver side. If it were a straight line, it would be at least 10 inches. We had not had any rock strikes while driving and the win…
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Yesterday, when we got into the car (2019 Subaru Forester) we noticed a large crack in the windshield. It started near the edge where the glass meets the frame, and went down and curved towards the driver side. If it were a straight line, it would be at least 10 inches. We had not had any rock strikes while driving and the windshield showed no signs of cracks the day before. The car has a little more than 12k miles so still very new.
Yesterday as I was driving home, I heard a “pop” noise & I looked at my front windshield I saw a 6” crack in the lower section of my windshield underneath the left wiper blade. I have approximately 22,000 miles on the vehicle. I got it brand new on 7/3/2019.
3 chips in the windshield very quickly and had them repaired. This windshield is a rock magnet and easily chipped. Only had 1 windshield cracked and less than 3 dings repaired with all my other vehicles in over 40 years of driving. Also, just driving down the road the windshield cracked right at eye level all the way across the …
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3 chips in the windshield very quickly and had them repaired. This windshield is a rock magnet and easily chipped. Only had 1 windshield cracked and less than 3 dings repaired with all my other vehicles in over 40 years of driving. Also, just driving down the road the windshield cracked right at eye level all the way across the drivers side. Now while driving, have to have seat raised all the way to be above the crack so road view is not distorted or impaired by the crack. Have not replaced it yet because of expense to do so for insurance, Eye Sight reprogramming, researching what brand windshield to replace it with that is not so susceptible to dings / cracking, why this vehicle has more issues than any others I have had and whether purchasing / installing a rock deflector would help. Something to note, that as of this post there are 514 complaints total for this vehicle posted with two thirds of them having to do with visibility (windshield) issues (313 + 25). Not to mention the other Subaru vehicles with the same issue around this time period. Something is not right with these windshields!
Driving on the highway, and a small pebble hit my window and cracked it. This is the second time in the three years it's been driven (~34,000 miles). The windows seem to be weak as compared to other cars. The repair is expensive because of the eyesight system.
12/6 - 3:30pm. My dashboard warning lights all came on as I turned right into my driveway, the car stalled so I turned it off. Next day 12/7 - 9:00 am all the warning lights came on when I turned the key. I called Subaru and described all the lights and was told it was safe to drive. I made an appointment for the next morning…
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12/6 - 3:30pm. My dashboard warning lights all came on as I turned right into my driveway, the car stalled so I turned it off. Next day 12/7 - 9:00 am all the warning lights came on when I turned the key. I called Subaru and described all the lights and was told it was safe to drive. I made an appointment for the next morning. At 12:00pm the Lights on dash went out and stayed off, but then they all came back on again at 4:05 pm. A minute later I took a right turn onto a side street and the car stopped suddenly and stalled in the middle of the road. I tried to start it back up 3 times. The Engine would turn on and then shut down again. After 2 hours we turned the car on and drove it 2 car lengths off to the side of the road and kept it idling to get warm, but it overheated after a while and we had to shut it off. We stayed there until 8:30pm (3.5 hours later) waiting for Subaru Roadside Assistance, but ended up walking home because they never came. Apparently they arrived sometime after 11:00pm and towed the car to Subaru dealer.
Official recalls
321V263000 · Suspension:rear
Apr 15, 2021
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Subaru Crosstrek, 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid, and 2019 Forester vehicles. The rear stabilizer bracket bolts may loosen and detach.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Missing bolts may allow the rear stabilizer bracket to shift, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will retorque and replace any missing bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-21.
19V856000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:exhaust System:emission Control:crankcase (pcv)
Dec 2, 2019
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Crosstrek, Forester, and Ascent vehicles. The aluminum Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve can separate, allowing the separated components to enter the engine, resulting in a loss of power while driving.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: An unexpected loss of power while driving can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the PCV valve, free of charge. If the PCV valve has separated and the components cannot be found, the short block engine will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began January 31, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUW-08.
19V065000 · Steering:electric Power Assist System
Feb 6, 2019
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Forester and Crosstrek vehicles. A connector inside the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) unit may short circuit resulting in a loss of electric power steering assistance.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: Loss of power steering assist would require higher steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: None of the affected vehicles have been sold yet. Subaru has notified dealers and they will inspect the steering gearbox, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUC-88.
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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.