2020 Subaru Forester: owner complaints and recalls
Analysis of 593 owner complaints filed with NHTSA and 0 recall campaigns. Updated 2026-07-25.
593
Complaints
0
Recalls
25
Crash reports
7
Fire reports
16
Injuries
45.5
Severity index
Severity index 45.5 - Medium. This weights crashes, fires, injuries and fatalities per 100 complaints; see methodology.
Among the 103 2020 vehicles we track with at least 40 complaints on file, the 2020 Subaru Forester ranks 59 of 103 by severity, where 1 is the worst. Its severity is higher than 43% of its model-year peers. See the full 2020 ranking.
What actually fails
| Component | Complaints | Share of complaints citing it |
|---|---|---|
| VISIBILITY/WIPER | 252 | 42.5% |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 106 | 17.9% |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 99 | 16.7% |
| ENGINE | 74 | 12.5% |
| VISIBILITY | 49 | 8.3% |
| FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 42 | 7.1% |
| POWER TRAIN | 30 | 5.1% |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 24 | 4.0% |
The single most-reported system is VISIBILITY/WIPER, cited in 252 of 593 complaints (42.5%). One complaint can name several systems, so these shares overlap and do not total 100%.
Complaints filed per year
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2019 | 11 |
| 2020 | 124 |
| 2021 | 171 |
| 2022 | 103 |
| 2023 | 83 |
| 2024 | 64 |
| 2025 | 27 |
| 2026 (year to date) | 10 |
Complaint volume is declining, consistent with a defect that was addressed by recall or that affected early builds.
Source. US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration public complaint and recall APIs (api.nhtsa.gov), retrieved 2026-07-25. Complaints are unverified consumer reports; volume is influenced by how many units were sold and how long the vehicle has been on the road. Not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer.