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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

What owners actually said

600 reports
29,500 miles · Feb 15, 2023
Visibility

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the front windshield cracked without impact. The dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 29,500.

NHTSA ODI #11507444

30,000 miles · Feb 15, 2023
Visibility

The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, she noticed an abnormal crack on the front windshield. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the windshield was not covered; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notif…

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The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that upon entering the vehicle, she noticed an abnormal crack on the front windshield. The dealer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the windshield was not covered; however, the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and the contact was informed that the VIN was not included in a recall. The failure mileage was approximately 30,000.

NHTSA ODI #11507415

Mileage unknown · Feb 15, 2023
Electrical System

Stopped at a stop light for a few minutes and when trying to move forward the car just stopped working. This happened twice.

NHTSA ODI #11507366

Mileage unknown · Feb 11, 2023
Fuel/propulsion System

Much like the 2018 Outback issue I had, my 2020 Forester is having the same issue with fuel indication inaccuracy and mpg increasing when fuel level gets under a quarter of a tank. My local Suburu dealership said this is not an issue for this model. I have reported this to Suburu as well. Previously, Subaru found that the sof…

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Much like the 2018 Outback issue I had, my 2020 Forester is having the same issue with fuel indication inaccuracy and mpg increasing when fuel level gets under a quarter of a tank. My local Suburu dealership said this is not an issue for this model. I have reported this to Suburu as well. Previously, Subaru found that the software that controls the fuel system can cause the fuel gauge to show that there is still fuel left in the tank when there isn’t. More specifically, the low fuel warning light may not actually come on, and the miles to empty display could be inaccurate. The software is causing additional miles to be showing when they are not available. I don't know if this is a similar issue or not, but no one has fixed it. With any vehicle, you need to be able to rely on the fuel gauge. Knowing how full (or empty!) your gas tank is extremely important when driving, particularly if you are driving a long distance. If you do run out of gas, the engine can stall; fortunately, the vehicle can be driven to the side of the road if it stalls when you are in motion. As the issue involves a software bug, it is easily fixed by the dealership.

NHTSA ODI #11506728

Mileage unknown · Feb 8, 2023
EngineLane Departure

Car stalls occasionally while stopped in traffic, at a signal, stop sign, and in heavy street or highway traffic. I have read about this, and it is problematic for this make and model, posing a significant safety hazard.

NHTSA ODI #11506334

Mileage unknown · Feb 2, 2023
Vehicle Speed Control

While merging into a lane, I went to accelerate. I pressed the accelerator pedal to the floor to quickly get up to the speed of traffic. After successfully merging into the lane, I took my foot off of the accelerator pedal and noticed that my vehicle was still accelerating. The floor mat was not interfering with the accelerator …

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While merging into a lane, I went to accelerate. I pressed the accelerator pedal to the floor to quickly get up to the speed of traffic. After successfully merging into the lane, I took my foot off of the accelerator pedal and noticed that my vehicle was still accelerating. The floor mat was not interfering with the accelerator pedal. Thankfully, slamming on my brakes while in the middle of a lane caused the accelerator pedal to come off the floor and my vehicle began to decelerate. This was frightening and an absolute hazard to the well-being of myself and other drivers and pedestrians on the road. Without quick thinking and a lack of traffic ahead of me, I and others would have likely been involved in a life-threatening traffic accident. Whether this is a reoccurring incident or a one-time incident, this is not acceptable for any vehicle sold and allowed to be driven by a manufacturer or dealership.

NHTSA ODI #11505267

Mileage unknown · Jan 26, 2023
Visibility/wiper

Windshield cracked in J shape starting at the center of the bottom. The crack appeared overnight; there was no crack when the car was parked the night before, and the crack was observed when entering the car the next morning. No impacts observed. Approximately 12k miles.

NHTSA ODI #11503848

Mileage unknown · Jan 20, 2023
Visibility/wiper

The headlights produces little to no lighting when driving at night. I almost got into an accident last night because I had extremely low visibility, even with the high beams on.

NHTSA ODI #11502759

Mileage unknown · Jan 17, 2023
Visibility/wiper

Driving car in my town to grocery store. As I was driving, I looked in rearview mirror and noticed the windshield had spontaneously developed a 6 inch crack running straight down from the middle of the top edge, directly over the rearview mirror. The crack was not there when I'd started driving approximately 30 minutes prior. No…

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Driving car in my town to grocery store. As I was driving, I looked in rearview mirror and noticed the windshield had spontaneously developed a 6 inch crack running straight down from the middle of the top edge, directly over the rearview mirror. The crack was not there when I'd started driving approximately 30 minutes prior. No impacts, not using wipers, temperatures have been moderate. There is no glass chip or other indication of impact at the edge of the windshield or on the adjacent edge of the car roof. There is no other visible damage to the windshield. The car is 2 months out of standard warranty. I will be filing an insurance claim.

NHTSA ODI #11502285

Mileage unknown · Jan 3, 2023
Electrical SystemEngine

The Subaru starlink system has no controls around transfer of ownership. I only discovered this after receiving a $150 charge 2 months after I traded in the car to a Subaru dealer. Even after trading in the car I was able to unlock, lock, start the car, and track the cars location. This represents a significant safety risk to th…

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The Subaru starlink system has no controls around transfer of ownership. I only discovered this after receiving a $150 charge 2 months after I traded in the car to a Subaru dealer. Even after trading in the car I was able to unlock, lock, start the car, and track the cars location. This represents a significant safety risk to the consumer and must be addressed immediately.

NHTSA ODI #11499864

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