"How reliable is the 2006 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 121 NHTSA complaints, the 2006 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 51000 miles. The most common issue is Vehicle Speed Control."

"What are common problems with the 2006 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2006 Subaru Forester is Vehicle Speed Control, accounting for a significant portion of the 121 total complaints filed."

2006 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 121 complaints

121

Total Complaints

51,000mi

Median Mileage

Vehicle Speed Control

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

17,200 25th Percentile

51,000 Median Mileage

95,100 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Vehicle Speed Control

Suspension

Engine

Steering

Fuel/Propulsion System

Engine And Engine Cooling

Electrical System

Fuel System, Gasoline

Engine

Body

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"FRONT HOOD OPENED TWICE IN MY WIFE CAR WHEN SHE WAS DRIVING. *NM"

"DT: THE CONTACT STATED VEHICLE IS HESITATED AND SURGED. THIS HAPPENED MORE OFTEN WHEN TRAVELING DOWN A MOUNTAIN. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO A CERTIFIED DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS, AND THE PROBLEM WAS DUPLICATED. HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER CONCLUDED THERE WAS ACTUALLY NO PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE...."

"VEHICLE- 2006 SUBARU FORESTER WITH 5-SPEED MANUAL TRANSMISSION. ON COLD STARTS, THE ENGINE RACES UNCONTROLLABLY UP TO 3500 RPM AFTER THE CLUTCH IS RELEASED. THIS CAUSES THE CAR TO ACCELERATE BRISKLY TO 15-20 MPH. THIS HAS OCCURED REPEATEDLY SINCE THE CAR WAS PURCHASED NEW IN LATE SEPTEMBER. *NM"

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.

Vehicle Speed Control 20 complaints

25th: 13,421 mi Median: 36,340 mi 75th: 60,000 mi

Suspension 11 complaints

25th: 103,750 mi Median: 120,907 mi 75th: 141,750 mi

Engine 11 complaints

25th: 44,400 mi Median: 80,000 mi 75th: 95,200 mi

Steering 9 complaints

25th: 51,000 mi Median: 118,814 mi 75th: 130,000 mi

Fuel/Propulsion System 8 complaints

25th: 55,500 mi Median: 70,000 mi 75th: 86,750 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 14 VA: 9 CO: 9 CT: 8 TX: 7 MA: 6 MN: 6 MD: 4 AZ: 4 TN: 4

Who Files Complaints?

24.8%

Original Owners

75.2%

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
2004	268	96,000	Fuel/Propulsion System	19
2005	105	80,000	Suspension	23
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

Frontal

Campaign 07V043000 | 12/02/2007

THE PASSENGER'S FRONT AIR BAG COULD BECOME DISABLED AND MAY NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT. ALSO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT COULD CAUSE A FIRE.

DEALERS WILL INSPECT TO SEE IF THE WIRING HAD BEEN INCORRECTLY ROUTED UNDER THE SEAT BRACKET. IF SO, THE DEALER WILL REPAIR ANY DAMAGED WIRING, REROUTE AND SECURE THE WIRING HARNESS IN THE CORRECT LOCATION, AND RE-CALIBRATE THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM AS NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 9, 2

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

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.

2006 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