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2020 Subaru Forester

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Forester years

Owner complaints for the 2020 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

272 reports with mileage · 328 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 252 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 101 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 79 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

26 crash reports8 fire reports13 injury reports

Electronic Stability Control (esc) complaints

2 reports
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300 miles · Jun 4, 2020
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Unknown Or Other

I LEASED MY 2020 FORESTER END OF MARCH AND MEMORIAL DAY DROVE TO MY SISTER'S HOUSE 20 MILES AWAY. IT RAINED AS SOON AS I LEFT MY HOUSE. WHEN IT WAS RAINING ON ME ALL THE SAFETY FEATURES STOPPED WORKING! LANE ASSIST/ LANE DEPARTURE. ISN'T THAT WHEN YOU NEED IT THE MOST. I COULD BEARLY SEE THE ROAD IN FRONT OF ME AND NO SAFETY FEA…

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I LEASED MY 2020 FORESTER END OF MARCH AND MEMORIAL DAY DROVE TO MY SISTER'S HOUSE 20 MILES AWAY. IT RAINED AS SOON AS I LEFT MY HOUSE. WHEN IT WAS RAINING ON ME ALL THE SAFETY FEATURES STOPPED WORKING! LANE ASSIST/ LANE DEPARTURE. ISN'T THAT WHEN YOU NEED IT THE MOST. I COULD BEARLY SEE THE ROAD IN FRONT OF ME AND NO SAFETY FEATURES WORKING! AS SOON AS IT STOPPED THEY MAGICALLY CAME BACK ON. ALSO WHEN I USE THE CRUISE CONTROL THE LANE ASSIST FEATURE GOES INTO HIGH GEAR. IT PUSHES THE VEHICLE TO THE CENTER LINE EXTREMELY HARD. MORE SO THAN NORMAL. NOT AT ALL PLEASED WITH THIS VEHICLE. I HAD HEARD SO MANY GOOD THINGS ABOUT SUBARU BUT AM NOT EXPERIENCING THEM FIRST HAND. I WILL DEFINITELY NOT BE PURCHASING THIS VEHICLE AT THE END OF MY LEASE AND WILL GET OUT OF THE LEASE IF AT ALL POSSIBLE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11327241

600 miles · Dec 17, 2019
Electronic Stability Control (esc)Service BrakesSteeringCrashInjury

I WAS DRIVING MY 2020 SUBARU FORESTER SPORT IN THE LEFT LANE ALONG AN ON-RAMP TO THE HIGHWAY, WHICH CONSISTS OF A ROAD THAT CURVES TO THE RIGHT. THERE WAS SNOW ON THE GROUND BUT THE ROADS WERE CLEAR AND DRY. SUDDENLY AND IN A MATTER OF A FEW SECONDS, THE CAR BEGAN TO BEEP CONTINUOUSLY WHILE THE STEERING WHEEL VEERED TO THE LEF…

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I WAS DRIVING MY 2020 SUBARU FORESTER SPORT IN THE LEFT LANE ALONG AN ON-RAMP TO THE HIGHWAY, WHICH CONSISTS OF A ROAD THAT CURVES TO THE RIGHT. THERE WAS SNOW ON THE GROUND BUT THE ROADS WERE CLEAR AND DRY. SUDDENLY AND IN A MATTER OF A FEW SECONDS, THE CAR BEGAN TO BEEP CONTINUOUSLY WHILE THE STEERING WHEEL VEERED TO THE LEFT AND LOCKED, AND THE ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM KICKED IN AS I TRIED TO CORRECT THE WHEEL AND BRAKE THE CAR. I WAS SUDDENLY COMPLETELY OUT OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AS THE CAR DROVE ME OFF THE ROAD AND DOWN INTO THE SNOWY MEDIAN, WHERE IT ROLLED AT LEAST ONCE BEFORE LANDING UPRIGHT. I BELIEVE THE ERROR WITH THE CAR MAY HAVE OCCURRED WITH SUBARU'S BRAND-NEW LANE CENTERING TECHNOLOGY, RELEASED WITH THE 2020 EDITION VEHICLES. THE TECHNOLOGY WILL PHYSICALLY DIRECT THE STEERING WHEEL TOWARDS THE CENTER OF THE LANE IF IT DETECTS THE VEHICLE IS GETTING TOO CLOSE TO EITHER LANE LINE. LANE CENTERING IS A FEATURE OF THE SUBARU'S DRIVER ASSIST TECHNOLOGY, CALLED EYESIGHT. I'M UNSURE IF THE MALFUNCTION OCCURRED WITH EYESIGHT OR WITH THE LANE CENTERING FUNCTION SPECIFICALLY.

NHTSA ODI #11289740

Official recalls

0

No recalls in this snapshot.

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