Subaru Forester: which model years to avoid
Complaint and recall totals for every Subaru Forester model year we track, ranked by severity.
| Model year | Complaints | Recalls | Crashes | Fires | Severity | Most-reported system |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 105 | 15 | 15 | 5 | 154.3 High | ENGINE |
| 2013 | 77 | 12 | 13 | 2 | 197.4 High | ENGINE |
| 2014 | 403 | 2 | 48 | 3 | 107.7 High | SUSPENSION |
| 2015 | 613 | 3 | 53 | 7 | 85.8 Medium | ENGINE |
| 2016 | 405 | 3 | 39 | 3 | 74.6 Medium | AIR BAGS |
| 2017 | 579 | 1 | 39 | 1 | 65.3 Medium | AIR BAGS |
| 2018 | 489 | 3 | 26 | 1 | 37.2 Medium | VISIBILITY/WIPER |
| 2019 | 831 | 3 | 35 | 11 | 48.9 Medium | VISIBILITY/WIPER |
| 2020 | 593 | 0 | 25 | 7 | 45.5 Medium | VISIBILITY/WIPER |
| 2021 | 207 | 0 | 16 | 5 | 76.3 Medium | VISIBILITY/WIPER |
| 2022 | 94 | 1 | 8 | 6 | 114.9 High | VISIBILITY/WIPER |
| 2023 | 71 | 1 | 8 | 4 | 135.2 High | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
| 2024 | 28 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 71.4 Medium | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
| 2025 | 83 | 3 | 10 | 2 | 168.7 High | UNKNOWN OR OTHER |
Across 14 model years, the 2013 Subaru Forester carries the highest severity index (197.4, driven by engine), while the 2018 is the cleanest at 37.2.
Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs. Complaint counts are not normalised by units sold; a high-volume seller will attract more filings than a rare trim.