Subaru Forester

4,372 complaints across 12 scored model years and 32 recall campaigns.

Which years to avoid

Ownership label · Subaru Forester Full report

Grade 2010–2021

2019 vs model median 2.7×

Model median3× median

Lights & Visibility 399

Electrical 98

Engine 63

Avoid

2019 · 2020

Best

2012 · 2013

Year by year

Severity-weighted complaints filed in each model year’s first 60 months on the road, so every year is measured over an identical window.

Severity-weighted complaint volume and grade by model year for the Subaru Forester
Year	vs median	Reports	Grade
2010	0.35×	93	B
2011	0.41×	70	B
2012	0.25×	59	B
2013	0.16×	35	B
2014	0.85×	198	B
2015	1.67×	428	D
2016	1.13×	298	C
2017	1.58×	496	C
2018	1.49×	457	C
2019	2.67×	872	F
2020	2.21×	713	D
2021	0.87×	246	B
2022 P	0.48×	137	A
2023 P	0.38×	111	A
2024 P	0.14×	38	A
2025 P	0.48×	121	B

P — provisional. These years have not completed 60 months on the road, so their totals are incomplete and they are excluded from the verdict.

What it costs to run

EPA figures for the most recent model year on record.

EPA fuel economy and drivetrain
Combined MPG	32
City / Highway	30.5 / 33.5
Engine	2.5L, 4 cyl
Drive	All-Wheel Drive
Annual fuel cost	$1,925

Recalls

32 campaigns on record.

Recall campaigns, largest first
Campaign	Component	Model years	Units affected
19V149000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING:BRAKE LIGHTS:SWITCH	2014–2016	1,303,530
12V602000	EXTERIOR LIGHTING	2010–2012	633,842
26V436000	EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS	2025	541,237
14V311000	SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC:FOUNDATION COMPONENTS:HOSES, LINES/PIPING, AND FITTINGS	2010–2013	461,338
19V009000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010–2013	452,630
21V263000	SUSPENSION:REAR	2019	408,271
19V701000	AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION	2015–2018	366,282
19V008000	AIR BAGS:FRONTAL:PASSENGER SIDE:INFLATOR MODULE	2010–2013	330,120

+ 24 further campaigns

Others in Compact SUVs

Same body and size class. Each grade describes that model against its own history — these are not ranked against each other.

Other models in the same segment
Model	Years to avoid	Grade
Acura RDX	20192020	C
Audi Q5	20182021	C
Audi SQ5	none flagged	C
BMW X3	20132019	C
Buick Envision	2017	C
Cadillac SRX	2013	C
Cadillac XT5	2017	C
Chevrolet Blazer	none flagged	C

How this was calculated

Every model year is scored over an identical window: complaints filed with NHTSA during the first 60 months after that model year went on sale. Without this, older cars look worse purely because they have had longer to accumulate reports.

Limitations. Complaints are unverified reports submitted voluntarily by owners; they are allegations, not findings, and reporting rates vary between models. Model years with fewer than 60 months on the road are marked provisional and excluded from verdicts. Cross-model comparison is withheld pending production-volume data.

Full methodology · Sources · Data vintage August 9, 2026

Working 2019 Forester

Complaints in window: 872
Severity-weighted: 1,145
Model median (weighted): 428
vs model median: 2.67×
Recall campaigns (weighted): 3
Open investigations: 0

Score 25.6 F