"How reliable is the 2023 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 94 NHTSA complaints, the 2023 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 9000 miles. The most common issue is Unknown Or Other."

"What are common problems with the 2023 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2023 Subaru Forester is Unknown Or Other, accounting for a significant portion of the 94 total complaints filed."

2023 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 94 complaints

Total Complaints

9,000mi

Median Mileage

Unknown Or Other

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

2,624 25th Percentile

9,000 Median Mileage

11,426 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Unknown Or Other

Visibility/Wiper

Automatic Emergency Braking

Air Bags

Electrical System

Exterior Lighting

Engine

Service Brakes

Power Train

Vehicle Speed Control

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, and drove over a concrete curb and uphill toward a building. The contact quickly made a right turn, however, the fender and driver's side o..."

"Door garnish panel (Part Number 91112SJ570) came loose within about 2 weeks of delivery of the new vehicle. The date of the incident is uncertain as the missing part was discovered after the event. The missing part is not available as it was not clear when or where the part fell off the vehicle. T..."

"I purchased a new Subaru Forester on February 3, 2023 from Cross Creek Subaru in Fayetteville NC. I noticed that the passenger air bag was off at times with my wife in the passenger seat. I made an appointment to have this fixed, The air bag was always on for her in my F150, Honda CRV and all ..."

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: 12 NC: 8 CA: 8 PA: 8 TX: 7 WA: 6 MD: 4 OH: 4 MT: 3 FL: 3

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
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
2024	34	-	Unknown Or Other	4
2025	82	2,750	Visibility/Wiper	13

Active Recalls (1)

Federal safety recalls issued for this vehicle.

Driveshaft

Campaign 23V754000 | 09/11/2023

A broken driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power while driving or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake engaged. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.

Dealers will inspect and replace the left and right front driveshafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRP-23.

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

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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