RoadVitals

2025 Subaru Forester

Recalls, owner-reported complaints, investigations and safety data

Data refreshed

Owner complaintsComplaints are reports submitted to NHTSA by owners and drivers. NHTSA does not verify most reports before publishing them, and a complaint does not establish that a defect exists. Volume is influenced by how many of a vehicle were sold, how long it has been on the road, and how much attention an issue has received.
87
+8 complaints in 30 days
Safety recallsA safety recall is issued when a manufacturer or NHTSA determines that a vehicle has a safety-related defect or does not comply with a federal motor vehicle safety standard. Recall repairs are free. Whether a specific vehicle is covered depends on its VIN — a recall listed for a model year does not necessarily apply to every vehicle of that year.
3
Latest Jul 7, 2026
InvestigationsNHTSA opens an investigation to examine whether a safety defect may exist. An open investigation is not a determination that a defect exists, and many investigations close without a recall. Investigations can, however, lead to one.
0
Crash or fire reportedComplaints whose submitter recorded that a crash or a fire occurred. These are the reporter's own answers on the NHTSA form, not verified findings.
13
6 injuries, 1 deaths reported

Overview

Our database contains 87 NHTSA owner-reported complaints for the 2025 Subaru Forester, most frequently naming the visibility, driver assistance and fuel system categories. 3 safety recalls have been issued covering this model year; and 165 manufacturer communications are on file.

Complaints are reports submitted by owners and drivers to NHTSA. They are not verified and do not establish that a defect exists.

What owners report

Complaints grouped by the component NHTSA recorded

Percentages are of component mentions. A single complaint can name more than one component, so these do not sum to the total complaint count.

Safety recalls

3 campaigns cover this model year

Recalls apply to specific vehicles, not to every vehicle of a model year. Check your VIN with NHTSA or your manufacturer's dealer to confirm whether a recall affects your vehicle.

Check a VIN on NHTSA.gov

EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

Jul 7, 2026
541,237 units potentially affected
The defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid, 2025-2026 Forester Hybrid, Forester, and 2019-2026 Ascent vehicles. These vehicles were manufactured with an incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on the certification label. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 110, "Tire selection and rims."
The risk: An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Subaru will mail a new certification label to owners, free of charge. Owners may also choose to have a dealer install the new label, free of charge. Letters informing owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed August 25, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-26.
Subaru of America, Inc.Manufacturer number WRH-26View on NHTSA.gov

CHILD SEAT

Jun 19, 2025
2,938 units potentially affected
The defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles. The child seat anchor bolts may have been improperly tightened, allowing the bolts to come loose.
The risk: A loose child seat anchor bolt increases the risk of injury to a child during a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect the child seat anchor bolts and, if necessary, tighten the bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 15, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-25.
Subaru of America, Inc.Manufacturer number WRC-25View on NHTSA.gov

WHEELS

Jan 23, 2025
20,366 units potentially affected
The defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles equipped with 18" aluminum alloy wheels. The wheels may have been manufactured with an incorrectly specified lug seat surface, which can result in the wheel being improperly attached and cause a loss of vehicle stability.
The risk: A loss of vehicle stability increases the risk of a crash.
The remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the wheels, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 28, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRB-25.
Subaru of America, Inc.Manufacturer number WRB-25View on NHTSA.gov

Recent owner complaints

Reports submitted to NHTSA, shown in the owner's own words

Other / unspecified
Filed Aug 11, 2026

The harness was missing stitching on one side. They're supposed to be two levels to connect the harness for a smaller child. One side had two levels. The other side it only had one. Safety first is sending me a brand new harness.

NHTSA ID
11756347
Incident
Aug 7, 2026
Visibility
Filed Aug 4, 2026

Two occurences of rear hatch window shattering spontaneously while vehicle was parked, powered off. No symptoms, warning lamps, or messages were present. First incident, six months after production/purchase, factory-installed window shattered spontaneously while owner was seated in the car, parked, and engine turned off. Second incident, two months later, OEE replacement window shattered while vehicle was parked, powered off, unattended. Currently having third window installed by dealer and submitting report to Subaru of America.

NHTSA ID
11754644
Incident
May 15, 2026
EngineFuel system
Filed Aug 3, 2026

Engine is misfiring, causing in ability to accelerate properly and loads multiple error codes. Upon taking it to the dealership for services, we were told that there is a significant amount of carbon built-up inside the engine. The car has only 6,800 miles on it. The dealership stated that it is an issue that Subaru engineering is aware of but has yet to figure a way to resolve it. The dealership informed us that hybrid engines have had severe carbon build-up on the in-take valves that causes misfiring, loss of power, bucking and stumbling of the engine. Apparently this has been reported all over different on-line forums. The dealer informed us that they would need to order a valve cleaning kit as referenced un service bulletin 02-193-24 and the engine would require walnut blasting. The vehicle was dropped off for service on 7/22 the work was completed, but upon restarting the engine more codes fired up and they stated that the Electronic Communication Module failed and it would now require an escalation to the Subaru Engineers called TechLine, "they now say that the ECM now needs replacement, still misfiring and has become a more complicated issue"

NHTSA ID
11754515
Incident
Jul 21, 2026
BrakesDriver assistance
Filed Jul 28, 2026
Crash reported

The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space, the brake pedal was slightly released to move the vehicle forward; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated, failed to respond upon depression of the brake pedal, and crashed into a brick wall. The impact resulted in damages to the front bumper and caused a body panel to detach. No warning light was illuminated before or after the crash. The air bags did not deploy. There was no property damage, no reported injury, and no Police report was filed. The vehicle was driven to the dealer, where Subaru field technicians inspected the Event Data Recorder (EDR) and informed the contact that no data was recorded. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that data was not logged because the vehicle was traveling at a significantly slow speed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that a previously owned 2021 Subaru Forester had experienced the same failure, which also resulted in a crash, and a Police report was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 1,200.

NHTSA ID
11753338
Incident
Apr 3, 2026
Mileage
1,200 mi
Fuel system
Filed Jul 19, 2026

the gas cap O ring recall was repaired previously by Casey Subaru of Newport News, VA. (I live in [XXX], purchased the vehicle in [XXX] at Ourisman Subaru) I filled my gas tank the night before this leak occurred. I noticed the smell of gasoline in my car at approximately 08 AM on the way to work. It was mild No obvious exterior leak. I drove my 25 commute to Williamsburg, Va. Upon leaving work I noticed a strong smell of gasoline inside the vehicle. Inspection of the exterior revealed an obvious gas leak (the fuel door to the gas cap was not opened at this time). the paint was wet and the paint adjacent to the plastic guard on the bumper side had bubbled due to the leak. The outside temperature was nearing 100 with a heat index of 105. I drove the vehicle to the dealership in Newport News (not aware I should have had it towed due to the leak). It has not been driven since. The fuel door was opened and there was an obvious leak as the well in the gas cap space was wet and the odor of gasoline was very strong. I twisted the gas cap and it did not close any farther. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ID
11751343
Incident
Jul 11, 2026
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Jul 18, 2026

I have been having problems with my 2025 Subaru Forester since I purchased it. It has failed multiple times to alert me of people and cars when I am backing up. I have RCTW on my vehicle .Sometimes it alerts me when there is a car or person is coming behind me ,sometimes it doesn't. I have a video dated June 4th 2026. Three times people walked right behind my car when I was backing up. I almost hit them! I decided to video tape it. The back up camera also doesn't always work and did not go off when I was backing into the curb until I hit it without an alarm going off. The lighting alert system was also messed up because the light was on green until I almost hit the curb. This also happened on June 4th and I have a video. I could have hit a small animal or child or damaged my car. I have brought this to the attention of my Subaru Service department and they claim they can not replicate this problem.This is of great concern for me and I have filed a Lemon Law Case as I am too fearful I will hurt someone or myself because of these issues. In addition to this, my headlights are aimed down at the ground and I live on curvy country roads. Hard to see at night. My service department said Subaru of America would have to approve the adjustment. They never got back to me on this issue. The tech specialist told the service department manager that I had electrical problems with my vehicle as she witnessed the HVAC working improperly. My radio, navigations, phone and sound systems also cause distracted driving. The Radio would blast on high volume randomly . The navigation, phone and radio volume would be blasting without being able to turn this down. There is no way to turn off the radio. If you do, the whole navigations screen won't work. My navigation system is not functioning properly and has blacked out . Subaru has seen my vehicle 6 times for these issues . They claim they can't replicate the problem. My car is sitting in the garage. It is too unsafe to drive.

NHTSA ID
11751331
Incident
Jul 4, 2026
Driver assistanceElectrical
Filed Jul 18, 2026

I have been having problems with my 2025 Subaru Forester since I purchased it. It has failed multiple times to alert me of people and cars when I am backing up. I have RCTW on my vehicle .Sometimes it alerts me when there is a car or person is coming behind me ,sometimes it doesn't. I have a video dated June 4th 2026. Three times people walked right behind my car when I was backing up. I almost hit them! I decided to video tape it. The back up camera also doesn't always work and did not go off when I was backing into the curb until I hit it without an alarm going off. The lighting alert system was also messed up because the light was on green until I almost hit the curb. This also happened on June 4th and I have a video. I could have hit a small animal or child or damaged my car. I have brought this to the attention of my Subaru Service department and they claim they can not replicate this problem.This is of great concern for me and I have filed a Lemon Law Case as I am too fearful I will hurt someone or myself because of these issues. In addition to this, my headlights are aimed down at the ground and I live on curvy country roads. Hard to see at night. My service department said Subaru of America would have to approve the adjustment. They never got back to me on this issue. The tech specialist told the service department manager that I had electrical problems with my vehicle as she witnessed the HVAC working improperly. My radio, navigations, phone and sound systems also cause distracted driving. The Radio would blast on high volume randomly . The navigation, phone and radio volume would be blasting without being able to turn this down. There is no way to turn off the radio. If you do, the whole navigations screen won't work. My navigation system is not functioning properly and has blacked out . Subaru has seen my vehicle 6 times for these issues . They claim they can't replicate the problem. My car is sitting in the garage. It is too unsafe to drive.

NHTSA ID
11751330
Incident
Jul 4, 2026
Filed Jul 17, 2026

Rear hatch glass shattered on April 16th while parked in carport after my wife opened the right rear passenger door, had it replaced by Safelite on April 29th, on July 9th while driving it shattered again, Safelite says that this is a Subaru issue, Subaru says they will not warranty a replacement even if they do the replacement since the car does have a rebuilt title. So we can neither use the car nor sell it in good faith if we're just passing a problem and potential danger on to someone else.

NHTSA ID
11751087
Incident
Apr 16, 2026

Manufacturer communications

A bulletin sent by a manufacturer to its dealers. Not a recall, and repairs are not necessarily free.

SubaruNet Announcement (P

STRUCTURE:BODY

WRH-26 Certification Label Non-Compliance Recall- Parts and SSLP Process Updates.

SubaruNet Announcement (C

This announcement provides WRH-26 recall information for customers.

SubaruNet Announcement (V

This announcement provides WRH-26 recall information for owner contact and a vehicle disclosure form.

SubaruNet Announcement (v

This announcement provides information on WRH-26 affected CPO and Used Vehicle Inventory.

16-159-26

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

This bulletin provides new diagnostic steps for DTC P0851 and P0852 to be used in conjunction with the applicable Service Manual.

04-31-26

This bulletin announces the diagnostic procedure to be performed before the service manual.

Manufacturers file copies of the bulletins they send to dealers with NHTSA. These often describe diagnostic or repair procedures for a known condition. They are not recalls: repairs described in a bulletin are usually only free if the vehicle is still under warranty or the manufacturer has extended coverage.

Compare model years

Complaint and recall counts across every year of this model

Subaru Forester by model year
YearComplaintsRecallsInvestigationsIssue Index
2026143050.5
2025Viewing873062.7
2024282055.0
2023731053.0
2022951050.3
20212070043.8
20205950038.0
20198313049.4
20184913155.8
20175811151.8
20164093159.7
20156133053.6
20144032052.4
20137712058.1
201210515058.3
201114716057.3
201026217054.7
200917818056.0
2008501148.1
2007721147.8
2006882156.3
2005931148.8
20042192152.6
20031893155.0
2002881047.9
20011390043.3
2000750039.0
19991311143.3
19981011044.6
1997000
1996000
1995000

Higher-selling and older vehicles accumulate more reports. Counts are not failure rates and are not directly comparable between vehicles that sold in very different numbers. Older model years have had longer for reports to accumulate.