2018 Subaru Forester problems and recalls

Owners have filed 493 complaints on the 2018 Subaru Forester, and NHTSA has issued 3 recalls. The most cited component is the Visibility/Wiper (135 complaints).

493
Complaints
3
Recalls
26
Crash reports
1
Fire reports
9
Injuries
41.0
Severity index

Severity index 41.0 Low. The index weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints. How it is calculated.

Middle half of all tracked vehiclesThis vehicle: 41.0p25 46p75 80cleanestworst
Severity index against the quartile range for all tracked vehicles.

Ranked 94 of 122 by severity index among 2018 vehicles with at least 40 complaints, highest first. 23% of those vehicles scored lower. Full 2018 ranking.

Components cited in complaints

Visibility/WiperVisibility/Wiper: 135 complaints (27.4%)135 27%Air BagsAir Bags: 96 complaints (19.5%)96 19%Unknown Or OtherUnknown Or Other: 82 complaints (16.6%)82 17%Electrical SystemElectrical System: 70 complaints (14.2%)70 14%EngineEngine: 31 complaints (6.3%)31 6%SeatsSeats: 30 complaints (6.1%)30 6%Vehicle Speed ControlVehicle Speed Control: 30 complaints (6.1%)30 6%SteeringSteering: 24 complaints (4.9%)24 5%
A single complaint can cite more than one component, so shares total over 100%.
ComponentComplaintsShare of complaints citing it
VISIBILITY/WIPER13527.4%
AIR BAGS9619.5%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER8216.6%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM7014.2%
ENGINE316.3%
SEATS306.1%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL306.1%
STEERING244.9%

Complaints filed per year

048962017: 32018: 342019: 692020: 892021: 962022: 712023: 462024: 342025: 292026: 22 (partial year)1718192021962223242526
Complaints by the calendar year they were filed. The hatched bar is the current year to date.
YearComplaints
20173
201834
201969
202089
202196
202271
202346
202434
202529
2026 (year to date)22
Filings in 2023 to 2025 ran 0.4x those in 2020 to 2022 (109 against 256).

Recall campaigns

CampaignReportedComponentSummary
21V58700029/07/2021FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE:DELIVERY:FUEL PUMPSubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail.
19V70100003/10/2019AIR BAGS:SENSOR:OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATIONSubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Forester vehicles equipped with heated seats. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may loosen.
18V45500010/07/2018TIRESSubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. The Certification Label may indicate the incorrect wheel size, tire size, and air pressure. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard

Other Subaru Forester model years

Severity index for every other model year on file. Compare all 15 years side by side.

Source. NHTSA public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-09-05. Complaints are unverified consumer reports. Totals vary with units sold and years on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.