2022 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

132
Total Complaints
2,900mi
Median Mileage
Visibility/Wiper
Top Issue
11
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

1,197 25th Percentile
2,900 Median Mileage
6,400 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Visibility/Wiper
20
Unknown Or Other
17
Engine
10
Service Brakes
9
Automatic Emergency Braking
9
Electrical System
8
Exterior Lighting
7
Fuel/Propulsion System
7
Vehicle Speed Control
6
Adaptive Cruise Control
5

Severity Assessment

11
Crashes
10
Fires
7
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"This is not a specific incident but a serious safety concern with a new vehicle purchased in January 2022. There are three contributing issues to the concern with the vehicle’s headlights: 1.There are two large shaded dark spots directly in your field of vision.  These are approximately fifteen t..."
"Bought my brand new Forester less a month and i have to replace a windshield already!!! Discovered about 5 inches crack while warming up the car on the snow day. Subaru have a glass action agains them about windshield so easily to crack. Service dept refused to replace my windshield because of a s..."
"Same complaint as NHTSA ID Number: 11454147. I have a serious safety concern with a new vehicle purchased in February 2022. I have there are three issues concerning the vehicle’s headlights: 1.There are two large shaded dark spots directly in your field of vision. These are approximately f..."

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NY: 17 CA: 14 IL: 12 NC: 9 FL: 9 WA: 7 OH: 6 TX: 6 OR: 5 PA: 5

Who Files Complaints?

0.8%
Original Owners
99.2%
Second+ Owners

Subaru Forester — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

YearComplaintsCrashes
19981389
19991566
2000957
200116939
200210929
200323828
200426819
200510523
200612120
20078916
2008678
200922825
201030528
201119541
201213922
20139417
201457584
201588389
201660177
201777363
201866053
2019108163
202079144
202126728
20239410
2024344
20258213

Active Recalls (1)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch
Campaign 23V755000 | 09/11/2023
An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.

Maintain Visibility

Based on the most common issues reported for this vehicle.

  • Replace wiper blades every 6-12 months
  • Keep the washer fluid reservoir full — use winter-rated fluid in cold climates
  • Clean the inside of the windshield quarterly to reduce glare
  • Address windshield chips immediately — they spread with temperature changes

Looking for a replacement?

Based on the data above, here are relevant options.

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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