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2021 Subaru Forester

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

Similar to other model years

Owner complaints for the 2021 Subaru Forester do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 131.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

Limited mileage data: 37 of 207 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.

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 76 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Electrical System. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Engine. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

16 crash reports5 fire reports5 injury reports

What owners actually said

207 reports
Mileage unknown · Aug 15, 2021
Electrical System

The batteries drained overnight 3 times within 7 months after the purchase of the new vehicle. Battery was jumped each time by Subaru Roadside Assistant. The dealer checked the battery and it was fine. It is the electrical (CAN) problem that drained the battery.

NHTSA ODI #11429155

Mileage unknown · Aug 13, 2021
Visibility/wiper

Windshield cracked without impact. This is on a new forester, less than 1000 miles.

NHTSA ODI #11429050

Mileage unknown · Aug 7, 2021
Visibility/wiper

The windshield cracked in the center while driving in a heavy rain storm. The temperature dropped from about 86 degrees to 73 degrees during the storm. I was operating my A/C at the time. The dealer inspected the windshield and found no external indication of damage. The repair was performed by the dealer under the new car warra…

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The windshield cracked in the center while driving in a heavy rain storm. The temperature dropped from about 86 degrees to 73 degrees during the storm. I was operating my A/C at the time. The dealer inspected the windshield and found no external indication of damage. The repair was performed by the dealer under the new car warranty. Subaru America customer service was contacted and coordinated with the dealer for repair after inspection. Repair was listed as windshield install for stress crack.

NHTSA ODI #11428188

6,000 miles · Aug 5, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while his wife was driving 65 mph, she heard a ticking sound coming from the front windshield and noticed a small rock had struck the front windshield. The driver drove to the destination however, later in the day the driver returned to the vehicle and noticed a large c…

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The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while his wife was driving 65 mph, she heard a ticking sound coming from the front windshield and noticed a small rock had struck the front windshield. The driver drove to the destination however, later in the day the driver returned to the vehicle and noticed a large crack had formed in the middle of the windshield. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.

NHTSA ODI #11427849

Mileage unknown · Aug 2, 2021
Visibility/wiper

windshield cracked only 3 months on road 2600 miles. long crack in middle of windshield distracts vision. yes it was estimated for repair of 1425.00. history of incidences are very high with cracked windshields since subaru change to acoustic glass. windshield seem more prone to crack damage than other vehicles.

NHTSA ODI #11427532

Mileage unknown · Jul 27, 2021
Visibility/wiper

March 2021: Windshield - cracked from a small stone on roadway (Rt 1). Crack is from top edge of windshield down and past the middle. Needed to be replaced. Paint chip needed to be repaired. Had to pay deductible of $500. Replaced with new OEM windshield. July 2021 weekend on highway(Turnpike). Stone caused a star shaped crack. …

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March 2021: Windshield - cracked from a small stone on roadway (Rt 1). Crack is from top edge of windshield down and past the middle. Needed to be replaced. Paint chip needed to be repaired. Had to pay deductible of $500. Replaced with new OEM windshield. July 2021 weekend on highway(Turnpike). Stone caused a star shaped crack. Two days later the small damage radiated into 3 cracks covering more than half the windshield. Paying another $500 for replacement. Damage of two new OEM windshields in less than 5 months on a brand new car causes fear of driving freely in case the next pebble might come through. Police can ticket for driving with a cracked windshield. Loss of time and effort to replace. Causes anxiety driving even after the windshield is replaced since it is so prone to damage and costs $500 each time. Weakness in Subaru windshields known since 2015. I would expect such problems would have been resolved six years later. Have not experienced such a problem in 30 years of driving various model cars. Benefits of buying a new car is mostly lost both in expenses and peace of mind. Verified by insurance representatives.

NHTSA ODI #11426716

Mileage unknown · Jul 25, 2021
Electrical System

I parked in the parking lot yesterday afternoon. But when I try to start my car this morning, the battery dead!I just bought this new Subaru three months with 5000 miles. Very disappointed.

NHTSA ODI #11426384

Mileage unknown · Jul 22, 2021
Visibility/wiper

Bought the Vehicle new. 2000 miles later I walk into my garage and notice a 6 inch crack at the top of my windshield. Completely out of nowhere. Neither my wife or I ever heard any impact that would have caused it. Immediately took it to dealership and had service rep inspect it. He seemed understanding and said he would try an…

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Bought the Vehicle new. 2000 miles later I walk into my garage and notice a 6 inch crack at the top of my windshield. Completely out of nowhere. Neither my wife or I ever heard any impact that would have caused it. Immediately took it to dealership and had service rep inspect it. He seemed understanding and said he would try and get the go-ahead to replace from Subaru of America. Nothing for months. I finally followed up and now nothing again. I am at 7000 miles now and am driving with a 3 ft long C shaped crack because I am not paying for this absurdity. $30,000 and now I am to spend over $1000 more within 2 months of driving. The dealership has the original pictures from when it had just occurred.

NHTSA ODI #11426038

Mileage unknown · Jul 19, 2021
Visibility/wiper

Cracked windshield while car was parked and nothing hit it. There is a separation in the glass that is not normally seen when caused by debris

NHTSA ODI #11425575

5,200 miles · Jul 12, 2021
Visibility

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 mph, the contact noticed that the front windshield was cracking from the bottom of the passenger’s side going upward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they informed the contact that the issue was due to an object striking the wind…

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The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 mph, the contact noticed that the front windshield was cracking from the bottom of the passenger’s side going upward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they informed the contact that the issue was due to an object striking the windshield. The vehicle was repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,200.

NHTSA ODI #11424346

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