"How reliable is the 2003 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 238 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 85000 miles. The most common issue is Fuel System, Gasoline."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Subaru Forester is Fuel System, Gasoline, accounting for a significant portion of the 238 total complaints filed."

2003 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 238 complaints

238

Total Complaints

85,000mi

Median Mileage

Fuel System, Gasoline

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

49,286 25th Percentile

85,000 Median Mileage

130,403 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Fuel System, Gasoline

Fuel/Propulsion System

Air Bags

Suspension

Vehicle Speed Control

Engine

Body

Engine

Engine And Engine Cooling

Unknown Or Other

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SUBARU REPLACED REGULAR SEATS WITH LEATHER AFTER MARKET SEATS. ALSO, SUBARU STATED THAT SIDE IMPACT AIR BAGS IN REAR MAY NOT DEPLOY PROPERLY. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.*AK"

"THE HILL-HOLDER FEATURE ON THE MANUAL TRANSMISSIO ACTIVATES WHILE BACKING INTO A PARKING SPACE AND UTILIZING THE FOOT BRAKE--AS A RESULT IN ORDER TO RESUME BACKING UP TOO MUCH FORCE ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MUST BE USED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LURCH BACKWARD"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Fuel System, Gasoline 29 complaints

25th: 77,000 mi Median: 100,000 mi 75th: 116,232 mi

Fuel/Propulsion System 26 complaints

25th: 90,525 mi Median: 134,300 mi 75th: 167,572 mi

Air Bags 20 complaints

25th: 35,997 mi Median: 63,450 mi 75th: 92,500 mi

Suspension 19 complaints

25th: 109,500 mi Median: 124,122 mi 75th: 164,000 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 15 complaints

25th: 36,000 mi Median: 55,000 mi 75th: 77,920 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

PA: 33 NY: 29 NJ: 15 CT: 15 MA: 13 IL: 12 CO: 11 MO: 10 MD: 9 CA: 8

Who Files Complaints?

20.6%

Original Owners

79.4%

Second+ Owners

Subaru Forester — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1998	138	98,000	Vehicle Speed Control	9
1999	156	72,000	Automatic Transmission	6
2000	95	80,000	Wheel Bearing	7
2001	169	60,000	Vehicle Speed Control	39
2002	109	93,000	Vehicle Speed Control	29
2004	268	96,000	Fuel/Propulsion System	19
2005	105	80,000	Suspension	23
2006	121	51,000	Vehicle Speed Control	20
2007	89	59,187	Suspension	16
2008	67	87,950	Suspension	8
2009	228	60,000	Air Bags	25
2010	305	60,000	Seats	28
2011	195	54,000	Engine	41
2012	139	42,513	Engine	22
2013	94	47,000	Engine	17
2014	575	50,000	Suspension	84
2015	883	42,206	Engine	89
2016	601	39,000	Air Bags	77
2017	773	30,000	Air Bags	63
2018	660	14,635	Visibility/Wiper	53
2019	1081	8,743	Visibility/Wiper	63
2020	791	6,000	Visibility/Wiper	44
2021	267	8,250	Visibility/Wiper	28
2022	132	2,900	Visibility/Wiper	11
2023	94	9,000	Unknown Or Other	10
2024	34	-	Unknown Or Other	4
2025	82	2,750	Visibility/Wiper	13

Active Recalls (3)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Lower Arm

Campaign 11V464000 | 06/09/2011

A BROKEN CONTROL ARM CAN RESULT IN THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

SUBARU WILL HANDLE THEIR VEHICLES AND SAAB WILL HANDLE THEIRS. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DEGREE OF CORROSION OF THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS, AND WILL EITHER RUSTPROOF OR REPLACE THEM. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING DECEMBER 2011. OWNE

Automatic Transmission

Campaign 02V282000 | 30/10/2002

THE VEHICLE COULD THEN MOVE/ROLL WITHOUT PRIOR WARNING, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION PARKING ROD ASSEMBLY. OWNER NOTIFICATION JANUARY 8, 2003. AN INTERIM OWNER NOTIFICATION WILL BE SENT DURING NOVEMBER 2002. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WI

Buckle Assembly

Campaign 03V047000 | 20/02/2003

IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH, THE FRONT SEAT BELTS COULD UNLATCH, WHICH COULD RESULT IN PERSONAL INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT.

DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE LEFT AND RIGHT FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE/LATCH ASSEMBLIES. OWNER NOTIFICATION BEGAN FEBRUARY 19, 2003. OWNERS WHO TAKE THEIR VEHICLES TO AN AUTHORIZED DEALER ON AN AGREED UPON SERVICE DATE AND DO NOT RECEIVE THE FREE REMEDY WITHIN A REASONABLE TIME SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1

General Vehicle Maintenance

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Follow the manufacturer's maintenance schedule in your owner's manual
Don't ignore warning lights — early diagnosis prevents expensive repairs
Keep records of all maintenance and repairs
Use OEM or equivalent-quality parts for repairs
Address unusual noises, vibrations, or smells promptly

Vehicle Rankings

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Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28