"How reliable is the 2005 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 105 NHTSA complaints, the 2005 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 80000 miles. The most common issue is Suspension."

"What are common problems with the 2005 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2005 Subaru Forester is Suspension, accounting for a significant portion of the 105 total complaints filed."

2005 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 105 complaints

105

Total Complaints

80,000mi

Median Mileage

Suspension

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

41,600 25th Percentile

80,000 Median Mileage

135,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Suspension

Vehicle Speed Control

Fuel/Propulsion System

Fuel System, Gasoline

Air Bags

Service Brakes

Body

Engine And Engine Cooling

Power Train

Engine

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"FIRST COLD DAY, PUT ON WIPER DE-ICER. PEBBLE HIT WINDSHIELD AT DE-ICER LEVEL AND WINDSHIELD CRACKED (1,800 MILES ON CAR). *JB"

"MY 2005 SUBARU FORESTER SUDDENLY ACCELERATED ON ITS OWN WHILE MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE. I HAD TO PUSH REALLY HARD ON THE BRAKES TO AVOID SURGING AHEAD INTO TRAFFIC.*AK"

"MY 2005 SUBARU FORESTER SUDDENLY ACCELERATED AS I APPROACHED A STOPLIGHT. THE CAR WAS IN NEUTRAL, THE CLUTCH WAS NOT ENGAGED AND MY FOOT WAS ON THE BRAKE. THE ACCELERATION SUBSIDED AFTER I PLACED THE CAR IN FIRST GEAR AND SLIGHTLY PRESSED ON THE GAS PEDAL MOVING THE CAR FORWARD ABOUT A FOOT. THIS SU..."

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.

Suspension 18 complaints

25th: 80,000 mi Median: 129,028 mi 75th: 150,180 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 16 complaints

25th: 21,750 mi Median: 84,000 mi 75th: 152,500 mi

Fuel/Propulsion System 14 complaints

25th: 83,950 mi Median: 145,500 mi 75th: 173,500 mi

Fuel System, Gasoline 7 complaints

25th: 49,488 mi Median: 56,680 mi 75th: 85,715 mi

Air Bags 4 complaints

Median: 68,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NY: 14 CO: 8 PA: 7 CA: 7 OH: 6 NJ: 6 NH: 5 MI: 5 WI: 5 WA: 4

Who Files Complaints?

20%

Original Owners

80%

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
2004	268	96,000	Fuel/Propulsion System	19
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 (1)

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

Extend Your Suspension Life

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Avoid potholes and speed bumps at high speed
Replace shocks/struts every 50,000-75,000 miles even if they seem fine
Get alignment checked if the car pulls or tires wear unevenly
Don't overload the vehicle beyond its rated capacity
Address clunking or bouncing immediately — worn suspension damages other components

Vehicle Rankings

Most complained Worst transmissions Worst engines Worst brakes Most crashes Compare vehicles

Looking for a replacement?

Based on the data above, here are relevant options.

2005 Subaru Forester parts on Amazon

→

Affiliate link

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