"How reliable is the 2004 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 268 NHTSA complaints, the 2004 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 96000 miles. The most common issue is Fuel/Propulsion System."

"What are common problems with the 2004 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2004 Subaru Forester is Fuel/Propulsion System, accounting for a significant portion of the 268 total complaints filed."

2004 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 268 complaints

268

Total Complaints

96,000mi

Median Mileage

Fuel/Propulsion System

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

60,375 25th Percentile

96,000 Median Mileage

129,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Fuel/Propulsion System

Fuel System, Gasoline

Engine

Suspension

Air Bags

Vehicle Speed Control

Power Train

Unknown Or Other

Engine And Engine Cooling

Engine

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION MADE NOISE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT HE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO RETURN THE VEHICLE AND RECEIVE A REFUND FOR THE PURCHASE PRICE. *NM THE SUBARU DEALER OFFERED THE CONSUMER $1500.00 TO 2,000..."

"THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION MADE NOISE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT HE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO RETURN THE VEHICLE AND RECEIVE A REFUND FOR THE PURCHASE PRICE. *NM THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE ENGINE IS MAKING A HIGH PITC..."

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/Propulsion System 62 complaints

25th: 95,500 mi Median: 120,000 mi 75th: 145,500 mi

Fuel System, Gasoline 58 complaints

25th: 62,375 mi Median: 94,900 mi 75th: 121,500 mi

Engine 23 complaints

25th: 78,000 mi Median: 110,000 mi 75th: 120,000 mi

Suspension 19 complaints

25th: 116,300 mi Median: 145,000 mi 75th: 168,864 mi

Air Bags 19 complaints

25th: 50,000 mi Median: 68,000 mi 75th: 82,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NY: 28 CO: 27 CA: 20 PA: 19 VA: 13 MA: 13 WA: 12 NJ: 11 IL: 10 OH: 9

Who Files Complaints?

7.8%

Original Owners

92.2%

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
2003	238	85,000	Fuel System, Gasoline	28
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 (2)

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

Engine And Engine Cooling

Campaign 04V473000 | 01/10/2004

IF LEAKING OIL CONTACTS COMPONENTS OPERATING AT HIGH TEMPERATURES, A FIRE COULD RESULT IN THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.

DEALERS WILL INSPECT AND RETIGHTEN THE OIL-FLOW CONTROL VALVE COVER BOLTS. THE RECALL BEGAN ON OCTOBER 8, 2004. OWNERS SHOULD CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.

Protect Your Fuel System

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Use the octane rating specified in your owner's manual
Don't let the tank run below 1/4 full — the fuel pump uses fuel for cooling
Replace the fuel filter at manufacturer intervals
If the car sits for weeks, use a fuel stabilizer
Address hesitation or rough idle early — fuel injector issues worsen quickly

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