"How reliable is the 2016 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 601 NHTSA complaints, the 2016 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 39000 miles. The most common issue is Air Bags."

"What are common problems with the 2016 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2016 Subaru Forester is Air Bags, accounting for a significant portion of the 601 total complaints filed."

2016 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 601 complaints

601

Total Complaints

39,000mi

Median Mileage

Air Bags

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

15,000 25th Percentile

39,000 Median Mileage

52,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Air Bags

Electrical System

Unknown Or Other

Engine

Power Train

Vehicle Speed Control

Service Brakes

Fuel/Propulsion System

Visibility/Wiper

Seats

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"2016 SUBARU FORESTER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO VEHICLE REAR HATCH DOES NOT RAISE HIGH ENOUGH ABOVE HIS HEAD TO ALLOW IT TO CLEAR UNDERNEATH IT, TO PRECLUDE CONTACT WITH HIS FOREHEAD. *SMD"

"MODELS W/ MANUAL CLIMITE CONTROL: VERY HARD TO SEE SETTINGS, ESPECIALLY IN DAY TIME, AND IF NEED TO ADJUST WHILE DRIVING SUCH AS TO DE-FOG WINDOWS, MAY RESULT IN DRIVING OFF THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND WRECKING."

"THE CAR WAS BEING DRIVEN IN A RESIDENTIAL AREA. THE DRIVER STOPPED TO MAKE A U-TURN THEN SLOWLY STARTED TO TAKE HER FOOT OFF THE BRAKE WHILE MOVING THE STEERING WHEEL TO THE LEFT WHEN THE CAR SUDDENLY ACCELERATED TO THE RIGHT (OPPOSITE DIRECTION). THE DRIVER LOST CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE AND THE VEHIC..."

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.

Air Bags 90 complaints

25th: 30,000 mi Median: 40,000 mi 75th: 53,275 mi

Electrical System 88 complaints

25th: 22,725 mi Median: 39,794 mi 75th: 48,883 mi

Unknown Or Other 67 complaints

25th: 11,250 mi Median: 39,500 mi 75th: 56,250 mi

Engine 60 complaints

25th: 23,000 mi Median: 42,000 mi 75th: 50,100 mi

Power Train 47 complaints

25th: 10,100 mi Median: 44,500 mi 75th: 69,288 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

CA: 79 NY: 59 FL: 41 TX: 36 VA: 32 PA: 28 NJ: 28 OH: 27 MI: 22 MA: 19

Who Files Complaints?

1.3%

Original Owners

98.7%

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
2014	575	50,000	Suspension	84
2015	883	42,206	Engine	89
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 (3)

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.

Occupant Classification

Campaign 19V701000 | 03/10/2019

If the connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash.

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the ODS sensor mat harness, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUM-98.

Turbo/Supercharger

Campaign 16V162000 | 21/03/2016

An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.

Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the turbocharger air intake duct, and replace it as necessary, free of charge, depending on the lot number found on the duct. The recall began April 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this rec

Airbag Safety

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

Check for open airbag recalls at NHTSA.gov using your VIN
Never ignore the airbag warning light — get it diagnosed immediately
Don't install aftermarket steering wheel covers that block the airbag
Keep the area around airbag deployment zones clear of accessories

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