Subaru Forester Complaints

513 consumer complaints on file.

#11673017July 12, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Windshield cracks with the slightest rock hit making the windshield unsafe to continue use. Had two replacements in first six months
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673013July 12, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
Brake Rotor and Pad issues at 20K, 30k, 40k, and 66k- eventually replace OEM parts with aftermarket Duragold parts. Rotors had severe damage at every 10k interval with gauged Metal on rotor
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11673010July 12, 2025
SUSPENSION
Front suspension lower control arm Bushings left and right side failed
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11672501July 10, 2025
STEERING, LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING, LANE DEPARTURE: ASSIST
While driving on I-17 Southbound near mile marker 311 at approximately 75 mph, I experienced a sudden and dangerous malfunction of the Lane Keep Assist (Auto-Steer) system in a 2021 Subaru Forester. The feature was active at the time and unexpectedly veered the vehicle sharply toward the concrete wall on the left shoulder of the highway. I attempted to regain control, but due to the abrupt nature of the malfunction, I overcorrected and collided with the wall on the rear driver side. There were no vehicles in the immediate vicinity, or this could have resulted in a multi-vehicle collision at high speed. I hit my head during the impact but did not require emergency medical services at the scene. Road conditions were dry and clear, with no visible debris or extreme weather factors. There were no warning lights or error messages from the vehicle prior to or during the incident. The Auto-Steer system did not disengage on its own before veering off course. This was the first time driving this particular vehicle, which was a company car, and I immediately reported the incident to my employer. The damage was reported and the vehicle is seemingly available for inspection. At the time of this report, the issue has not yet been formally diagnosed by a dealer or service technician. The failure of this driver-assist feature significantly endangered my safety and potentially the safety of others had there been nearby traffic. I am filing this report so the issue can be investigated, and similar malfunctions prevented in the future.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11672390July 10, 2025
AIR BAGS
See attached document for complaint.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11671997July 8, 2025
VISIBILITY:REARVIEW MIRRORS/DEVICES
Driver side mirror and rearview mirror vibrate, visibility affected - especially at night with vibrating headlights. Confirmed by dealer. Rearview mirror replaced and continues with same vibration issue (actually a little more vibration). Driver side mirror continues to be on back order. No warning lights or such - driver notices issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11671639July 7, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I had been driving for 30 minutes from Mokena towards Rosemont. I was on [XXX] near rosemont when the rear passenger-side window spontaneously shattered without warning. There was a loud pop, and tempered glass collapsed inward into the rear cargo area and passenger footwell. Some of the glass traveling quite far. I did not hear or see any object strike the vehicle, and there is no visible damage or point of impact on the exterior or interior trim. I have also not been able to locate any evidence of an object. All glass remained inside the vehicle, which I have read is consistent with spontaneous failure rather than impact. Safety Concerns: The sudden breakage was extremely loud and could easily startle or distract a driver to cause an accident or injure the driver with glass. I was alone, but this could pose a serious injury risk if a child or passenger had been seated in the back. The volume and distribution of shattered tempered glass throughout the car will require extensive cleanup. While I suppose it could have been object, this appears consistent with a known safety risk involving nickel sulfide inclusion or internal glass stress in tempered automotive windows. Action Taken: I have documented the incident with extensive photographs. I am in contact with Subaru, but they are looking into prices for us to fix that window. I am submitting this report to ensure visibility and support further investigation into whether this issue is occurring in other 2023 Foresters or related Subaru models. If it was an object, then should that be noted as well given it was on a highway. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11670232June 30, 2025
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
In driving our 2023 Subaru Forester at 45mph at 10:00 am in the morning, with NO cars in front of us, in back of us, or on either side of us- suddenly the brakes locked up! Had there been anyone behind us, there could have been a dangerous collision. We have owned this car for 2 years, done all maintenance on it, and have NEVER had this happen before. We feel unsafe driving it now. We pulled the car over, got out to look under the car, thinking maybe we hit something in the road...but there was nothing...no warning....we contacted Subaru corporate, was given a Case number, but are still waiting to hear from them.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11669728June 27, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE
The Auto-Stop/Start feature frequently fails to properly restart the car, often causing the car to stall during the restarting process, leaving me effectively disabled on a busy road. The battery has already been replaced once.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11668431June 22, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
On 6/10/2025 noticed a small crack on the left side drivers windshield when getting ready to go to work. Nothing hit it that I know of, it just appeared one afternoon. Since then the crack has been growing and blocking drivers view. This is 2024 Subaru Forester. There is a won lawsuit for Subaru windshields doing similar thing on 2019-2022 models.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11668132June 20, 2025
SERVICE BRAKES
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed, however the vehicle failed to stop. The vehicle crashed into a nearby residential garage. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was towed to the local tow yard. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. The contact's wife was the only occupant in the vehicle. The contact's wife was taken to the local hospital in a personal vehicle. The contact's wife sustained injuries to her pelvic area and right shoulder rotator cuff. A police report was filed. The contact stated that the damage to the residential garage had not yet been determined by the insurance company. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure, and a case was filed. In addition, the contact stated awaiting inspection of the vehicle. The contact was advised to contact the NHTSA Hotline and report the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 2,800.
Crash:
Yes
Fire:
No
Injuries:
1
Deaths:
0
#11667900June 19, 2025
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I commute with my car and recently it started to speed up all by itself. I removed my floor covers thinking the gas pedal might be stuck on it but that wasnt the problem. While accelerating from a stopped position, it revs up and accelerates rapidly all by itself. Tapping the break pedal to deactivate accidendal cruise control doesnt work. I have to slam the break just to stop it from accelerating on its own. This is the fourth time it's happened. I have my personal mechanic change the oil every 3k miles and follows the factory recommendations on all other manufacturers recommendations. Very scary to drive because it happens at random.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11666692June 13, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
I purchased my 2025 Subaru Forrester from Ciocca Subaru in Flemington, New Jersey in October, 2024. In March, 2025, a rock hit my windshield and cracked it. I spoke with both Ciocca and Open Road Subaru about it and they informed me there is a back order on the windshield that could take 2 months and that I should file an insurance claim. I filed the isurance claim and was assigned to get a windshield from safelite, but safelite doesnt have any windshields for this vehicle either. Neither do any New Jersey dealers. I then contacted the manufacturer in March, but was told these matters were handled by the dealerships, and thus left with no remedy. I have since called again yesterday, but other than assigning me a new customer service rep named Brendan, Subaru has done nothing else. And now it's been over two months and I am stuck with a beautiful new vehicle that has a significantly cracked, ugly and unsafe windshield. I need a windshield replacement immediately or a new vehicle or a refund and forgiveness of any loan incurred in the purchase of this vehicle. If i had known this windshield would crack easily and that no replacements were available, i would not have purchased the vehicle.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11666612June 12, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My vehicle is equipped with automatic start/stop system. In early 2024, I began having issues with sluggish restart during the start/stop cycle. I took it into the dealer at that time, who stated it required a software update and charged the battery. The issue persisted. It was more serious, as it was not just sluggish on the restart, but the restart would fail and stall the car. This happened in heavy traffic, which was very scary and unsafe. I took the vehicle back into the dealer in late 2024 for the same issue. They did another software update and charged the battery again. They recommended that we purchase a new battery. One month later, we purchased an upgraded AGM battery, as it was recommended for auto start/stop systems. The issue continued to persist. First, with sluggish restart. Later, the auto start/stop system failed again in heavy traffic. We took the vehicle in again, and again the dealer stated it was the battery. They recommended we purchase a new battery. It was explained the battery was 6 months old, and the issue has never been fixed. Further, it was pointed out that the car could be restarted manually with the push button ignition, after a start/stop system failure. That led us to believe it was not a battery failure, but a deeper system failure. The dealer continues to assert it is the battery, even though it happened with a factory battery and a new, upgraded, battery. Neither of the batteries have failed testing, and report as "good" on the diagnosis forms. We believe there is a system issue, that is causing issues with the auto start/stop system, and is not being identified by the dealer. It is a safety issue, as it has happened in heavy traffic several times. We have attached diagnostic reports from March 2024 and June 2025, but cannot find the October 2024 diagnostic report.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11666169June 10, 2025
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Air leak puncture on my left front tire driver side
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11665933June 9, 2025
SUSPENSION, POWER TRAIN, WHEELS
I purchased a brand new 2025 Subaru Forester Wilderness and immediately noticed a persistent vibration in the steering wheel, seat, and footwell area. The vibration is present at all times — while driving at various speeds and even while idling. It is very distracting and uncomfortable. This ongoing vibration creates a constant sensation of movement that affects my comfort and ability to stay fully focused on the road. I have arthritis in both hands, and the steering wheel vibration causes physical discomfort, pain, and fatigue, especially on longer drives. I previously owned a 2024 Subaru [same model], which did not have this issue. I have also spoken with other owners of the 2025 model who are not experiencing this problem, so I do not believe this is typical for the vehicle. Subaru of America sent an engineer to inspect the vehicle, but the evaluation was limited to measuring vibration levels. He did not place the vehicle on a lift or inspect any physical components, such as the suspension, wheels, or drivetrain. Despite this limited assessment, he concluded the vibration was “normal.” I respectfully disagree with this conclusion, as the vibration significantly affects the drivability, comfort, and confidence I feel while operating the vehicle. I am reporting this issue because I believe it may indicate a defect that deserves further investigation.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11664035May 30, 2025
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
Both headlights have a shadow of the light bulb at the top center of both headlights causing a distraction/confusion under certain conditions at night. I have never had a shadow show up in my line of sight in all the many vehicles I have owned in the past from my headlights. I previously owned a 2019 Subaru Forester and there was no shadow appear from the headlights beam of light. I talked to the local Subaru dealer, where I purchased the 2025 Forester, and they told me it is working as designed. .
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663239May 27, 2025
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Without any prior issue of having the engine turnover from being parked for more than 20 hours, the car would not start. It’s like the battery completely died overnight. I was able to unlock it but the car would not start, and therefore was unable to go into neutral because I didn’t have a long enough screwdriver with me to manually override into neutral. So it had to be jumped partially to be towed (had it towed for more than just the battery because it’s under warranty). The interesting part is that my car has a factory issued battery, and my car was the third Subaru made after 2020 that had to be towed due to the same issue, in the same day. Maybe the batteries are defective? Regardless, since everything relies on power now, having a provided device to allow for manual override would prevent folks from being stranded. I tried using my key AND the screwdriver that comes with the spare tire. Both were to short.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11663231May 27, 2025
ENGINE, ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER
The automatic shutoff that occurs when the vehicle stops to prevent idling, disengaged two separate times in the span of 4 days. Both incidents occurred at very busy intersections and failed to restart both times. When attempting to restart the car, lights came up on the dash, along with beeping, and failed to restart the car after the light had turned green. To restart, the car had to be completely turned off for about 60 seconds and then could be restarted. To avoid having to experience this issue again, or worse - get into an accident - I took it to the shop where they could not recreate the issue.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0
#11662985May 25, 2025
VISIBILITY/WIPER
Driver side door rear view mirror vibrates at highway speeds (55mph and above) rendering it unusable due to distortion. This is especially dangerous at nighttime with headlights. Dealership is aware, has heard of it from multiple customers, but states no fix available from Subaru of America.
Crash:
No
Fire:
No
Injuries:
0
Deaths:
0

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