IllustrationVEHICLE WAS PARKED ON THE STREET OVERNIGHT WITH NO DAMAGE TO THE WINDSHIELD. NEXT MORNING THERE WAS A CRACK FROM THE EDGE OF THE PASSENGER SIDE TO ABOUT A QUARTER OF THE LENGTH OF THE WINDSHIELD. THERE IS NO IMPACT MARKING ON THE WINDSHIELD.
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.
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
2400–25K
2325–50K
750–75K
275–100K
0100–150K
0150K+
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 reportsWINDSHIELD ROCK CHIP. WHILE DRIVING EASTBOUND ON I-90 OUTSIDE OF SEATTLE A ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND IMMEDIATELY CRACKED IT. THIS IS THE THIRD INCIDENT OF ROCK CHIPS TO THE WINDSHIELD. I HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD TWO CHIPS WITHIN A MONTH OF EACH ONE. I MADE AN INSURANCE CLAIM AFTER THE SECOND CHIP BECAUSE THE WINDSHIELD SPLIT. THIS W…
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WINDSHIELD ROCK CHIP. WHILE DRIVING EASTBOUND ON I-90 OUTSIDE OF SEATTLE A ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND IMMEDIATELY CRACKED IT. THIS IS THE THIRD INCIDENT OF ROCK CHIPS TO THE WINDSHIELD. I HAD PREVIOUSLY HAD TWO CHIPS WITHIN A MONTH OF EACH ONE. I MADE AN INSURANCE CLAIM AFTER THE SECOND CHIP BECAUSE THE WINDSHIELD SPLIT. THIS WAS IN MARCH 2020. THE WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED AND IS NOW CHIPPED ALREADY/ AGAIN. A COMPLAINT WILL ALSO BE FILED WITH SUBARU AS THIS IS THE THIRD TIME THE WINDSHIELD HAS CHIPPED BETWEEN TWO DIFFERENT WINDSHIELDS. THIS VEHICLE IS NOT EVEN A YEAR OLD YET.
WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED 2 TIMES.
DRIVING THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY FROM A RELATIVES HOUSE, GOING APPROX 65 AND WAS HIT BY SOMETHING SMALL, COULD NOT VERIFY WHAT IT WAS, BUT PRESUME IT WAS A ROCK. UPON IMPACT, IT SOUNDED LIKE A GUNSHOT, WHICH SCARED EVERYONE IN THE CAR. THE DAMAGE TOOK ITS TOLL ON THE WINDSHIELD WHERE IT LEFT A HUGE BASEBALL SIZE BREAK AND A SMAL…
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DRIVING THE CAR ON THE HIGHWAY FROM A RELATIVES HOUSE, GOING APPROX 65 AND WAS HIT BY SOMETHING SMALL, COULD NOT VERIFY WHAT IT WAS, BUT PRESUME IT WAS A ROCK. UPON IMPACT, IT SOUNDED LIKE A GUNSHOT, WHICH SCARED EVERYONE IN THE CAR. THE DAMAGE TOOK ITS TOLL ON THE WINDSHIELD WHERE IT LEFT A HUGE BASEBALL SIZE BREAK AND A SMALLER BREAK ABOVE IT. THIS IS THE 4TH TIME THIS WINDSHIELD HAS BEEN DAMAGED AND I PURCHASED NEW IN OCTOBER 2019. IT JUST TURNED 6000 MILES AS I JUST HAD THE 6K SERVICE DONE ON IT RECENTLY.
ANOTHER CHIP IN THE WINDSHIELD. THIS IS THE THIRD CHIP IN A MONTH PERIOD, LESS THAN 4000 MILES ON A BRAND NEW CAR. HAD TO HAVE THE CHIP AND LINE/RUN FIXED BY A CERTIFIED REPAIR PERSON WHO EVEN QUESTIONED WHY HE HAD FIXED THE VEHICLE NOW 3 TIMES! I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET TO THE GROCERY STORE, WHICH IS LESS THAN 5 MILES A…
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ANOTHER CHIP IN THE WINDSHIELD. THIS IS THE THIRD CHIP IN A MONTH PERIOD, LESS THAN 4000 MILES ON A BRAND NEW CAR. HAD TO HAVE THE CHIP AND LINE/RUN FIXED BY A CERTIFIED REPAIR PERSON WHO EVEN QUESTIONED WHY HE HAD FIXED THE VEHICLE NOW 3 TIMES! I WAS DRIVING DOWN THE STREET TO THE GROCERY STORE, WHICH IS LESS THAN 5 MILES AWAY ROUND TRIP AND THE CHIP HAPPENED. NOTHING HIT THE WINDSHIELD, NO ROCKS, NOTHING.
LARGE CHIP IN WINDSHIELD CAUSED BY NOTHING. THIS IS THE SECOND CHIP IN A 2 WEEK PERIOD THAT IS NOW CAUSING THE WINDSHIELD TO BECOME QUESTIONABLE. I CAME OUT TO THE CAR IN THE MORNING WHICH WAS GARAGED TO FIND A LARGE CHIP. THE CAR WAS NOT BEING DRIVEN, BUT WAS PARKED IN A GARAGE.
ABNORMAL CHIP IN WINDSHIELD CAUSING A CRACK STARTING TO SPREAD. NOTHING HIT THE WINDSHIELD THAT I RECALL. THE VEHICLE WAS ONLY 2 MONTHS OLD WHEN THIS HAPPENED. THE WINDSHIELD WAS REPAIRED WITH DRILL/EPOXY FROM A CERTIFIED REPAIR PERSON THE VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN ON A SIDE STREET FROM HOME.
DRIVING ON A SURFACE STREET AT A CONSTANT SPEED OF ~45 MPH, A SMALL PEBBLE FLEW INTO THE WINDSHIELD AND CREATED A CRACK WHICH FURTHER EXPANDED AS A HAIRLINE CRACK WHICH IMPAIRS VISION THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD AND CAN POTENTIALLY CAUSE PROBLEMS WITH THE EYESIGHT SAFETY FEATURES. AT THIS SPEED, THIS INCIDENT SHOULD NOT CAUSE A CRACK…
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DRIVING ON A SURFACE STREET AT A CONSTANT SPEED OF ~45 MPH, A SMALL PEBBLE FLEW INTO THE WINDSHIELD AND CREATED A CRACK WHICH FURTHER EXPANDED AS A HAIRLINE CRACK WHICH IMPAIRS VISION THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD AND CAN POTENTIALLY CAUSE PROBLEMS WITH THE EYESIGHT SAFETY FEATURES. AT THIS SPEED, THIS INCIDENT SHOULD NOT CAUSE A CRACK.
NIGHT DRIVING DARK LINE ACROSS ENTIRE WINDSHIELD CANNOT SEE ROAD AHEAD OF YOU UNLESS DUCKING YOUR HEAD LOOKING OUT SIDEWAYS. *TR
WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY AFTER ONLY 10 DAYS AFTER THE PURCHASE,THE SMALLEST ROCK YOU CAN SEE WITH YOUR EYES HIT ON THE LEFT DOWN DRIVER CORNER AND THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED AT THE SAME PLACE WITH VERY UNRECOGNIZABLE CRACK.AFTER JUST 5 MINUTES THE CRACK WENT ALL THE WAY TO HALF OF THE WINDSHIELD.
Official recalls
0No 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
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.