"How reliable is the 2014 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 575 NHTSA complaints, the 2014 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 50000 miles. The most common issue is Suspension."

"What are common problems with the 2014 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2014 Subaru Forester is Suspension, accounting for a significant portion of the 575 total complaints filed."

2014 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 575 complaints

575

Total Complaints

50,000mi

Median Mileage

Suspension

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

24,000 25th Percentile

50,000 Median Mileage

78,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Suspension

Engine

Air Bags

Unknown Or Other

Power Train

Vehicle Speed Control

Electrical System

Service Brakes

Body

Fuel/Propulsion System

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2014 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 40 MPH, THE WARNING LIGHTS ILLUMINATED AS THE VEHICLE STALLED. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO A LOCAL DEALER FOR INSPECTION BUT HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED OR DIAGNOSED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE ISSUE. THE FAILURE..."

"AFTER I PURCHASED MY VEHICLE, I NOTICED A HESITATION BETWEEN 20 - 40 MPH. THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR FOR THE FORESTER'S TO HAVE A CVT ENGINE SO I THOUGHT IT NEEDED BROKEN IN. I ALSO WENT THROUGH 3 CYCLES OF FILLING UP MY GAS TANK FROM 3 DIFFERENT GAS STATIONS AND THE HESITATION CONTINUED. THE FIRST T..."

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 93 complaints

25th: 42,409 mi Median: 55,782 mi 75th: 72,085 mi

Engine 69 complaints

25th: 8,500 mi Median: 36,643 mi 75th: 77,500 mi

Air Bags 55 complaints

25th: 42,000 mi Median: 72,500 mi 75th: 101,500 mi

Unknown Or Other 44 complaints

25th: 35,000 mi Median: 48,000 mi 75th: 79,000 mi

Power Train 41 complaints

25th: 11,126 mi Median: 64,611 mi 75th: 82,250 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NY: 76 CA: 69 WA: 33 MA: 32 NJ: 29 PA: 29 OH: 25 VA: 23 IL: 22 FL: 19

Who Files Complaints?

0.9%

Original Owners

99.1%

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
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
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.

Switch

Campaign 19V149000 | 28/02/2019

Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90.

Equipment

Campaign 13V159000 | 24/04/2013

Curling of the driver side floor mat could distract the driver and/or interfere with proper operation of one or a combination of, the vehicle's clutch, brake, and accelerator pedals. Brake or accelerator pedal interference may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the veh

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace each of the vehicle's four (4) carpeted floor mats with new ones. These services will be performed free of charge. Subaru issued an interim notification during April 2013. Notification that the remedy is now available was mailed to owners on Jun

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.

2014 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