"How reliable is the 2008 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 67 NHTSA complaints, the 2008 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 87950 miles. The most common issue is Suspension."

"What are common problems with the 2008 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2008 Subaru Forester is Suspension, accounting for a significant portion of the 67 total complaints filed."

2008 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 67 complaints

Total Complaints

87,950mi

Median Mileage

Suspension

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

47,600 25th Percentile

87,950 Median Mileage

114,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Suspension

Engine

Unknown Or Other

Vehicle Speed Control

Air Bags

Electrical System

Steering

Fuel System, Gasoline

Seats

Power Train

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I PARKED FACING DOWNWARDS ON A STEEP HILL . AFTER ABOUT 1 1/2 HRS. RETURNED TO MY NEW 2008 SUBARU FORESTER LL BEAN WITH LESS THAN 610 MILES AND FELT SOMETHING WRONG WITH THE BRAKE--IT WAS FLAT ON THE FLOOR. THE CAR PICKED UP SPEED (TWO SUCCESSIVE 15% GRADE HILLS); I BRAKED, DOWN SHIFTED AND COULD ..."

"TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2008 SUBARU FORESTER. THE VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE A KEY HOLE ON THE LIFTGATE OR PASSENGER SIDE DOOR. IN THE EVENT OF AN ELECTRICAL SYSTEM FAILURE, THERE IS NO WAY TO OPEN THE TRUNK. THERE HAD BEEN NO FAILURE TO DATE. THE VIN AND POWERTRAIN WERE UNKNOWN. THE CURRENT MILEAGE W..."

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 11 complaints

25th: 111,642 mi Median: 136,000 mi 75th: 140,000 mi

Engine 7 complaints

25th: 100,000 mi Median: 113,000 mi 75th: 114,000 mi

Unknown Or Other 6 complaints

25th: 87,000 mi Median: 111,642 mi 75th: 114,000 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 6 complaints

25th: 14,435 mi Median: 27,093 mi 75th: 45,189 mi

Air Bags 5 complaints

Median: 107,000 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 8 VA: 6 MA: 5 MI: 4 WI: 4 NM: 3 FL: 3 PA: 3 IL: 3 MD: 3

Who Files Complaints?

10.4%

Original Owners

89.6%

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
2006	121	51,000	Vehicle Speed Control	20
2007	89	59,187	Suspension	16
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

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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