2021 Subaru Forester problems, complaints & recalls
NHTSA has received 210 owner complaints about the 2021 Subaru Forester, or 36.3 per year on the road — a typical number of complaints (complaint index 0.90, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 85 model-year 2021 vehicles we track, it ranks #58 of 85 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Subaru models its rate is about the same; against other Compact SUVs it is 40% lower.
Counts are normalized by time on the road, not by sales volume: a popular model generates more reports than a rare one, and complaints are not verified individually. How we count
Complaints filed between 2021-01-21 and 2026-10-11. Median delay from incident to filing: 3 days.
Analysis
The previous model year (2020) drew 88.5 complaints per year, more than this one. The following model year (2022) drew 20.5 per year, fewer than this one. In its first two years on the road the 2021 model collected 107 complaints, 75% higher than the average vehicle of the same model year.
The most common problem area is Body & structure (41.4% of complaints), followed by Engine (15.7%) and Electrical (12.4%). Body & structure complaints are 4.5 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 19 reports (9.0%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 9 injuries and 0 deaths.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 23 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the first year (31% of incidents). In the last 12 months 22 new complaints were filed, versus 33 in the 12 months before — down 33%.
NHTSA lists no safety recalls for this model year.
Complaint index
- vs. all tracked vehicles0.9
- vs. other Subaru models1.0
- vs. other 2021 models0.94
- vs. other Compact SUVs0.6
- Complaints in first 2 years on the road · vs. same-year average (107)1.75
- #58 of 85 · 2021Rankings ›
1.00 means the same rate as the comparison group. 2.00 means twice as many complaints per year on the road.
What owners complain about
vs. all vehicles: 1.00 = All-vehicle average
Problem areas: Body & structure · Electrical · Unspecified or other · Engine · Airbags & seat belts · Transmission / powertrain · Driver-assist systems · Brakes · Fuel system · Wheels, tires & suspension
When complaints were filed
- Crashes reported: 16
- Fires reported: 5
- Injuries: 9
- Deaths: 0
Vehicle age at incident
Median age at incident: 23 months
What owners report
Driver side rear window spontaneously failed while driving on the highway. Passenger experienced cuts due to glass fragments
While driving this car on April 4, 2026 at around 6PM, I experienced the distinct smell of gasoline. I had driven for about 5 minutes on our way to a local restaurant that is approximately an 8 minute drive from our residence.
The transmission very suddenly (perfectly fine one day, bad the next) developed a severe transmission slip. Like getting rear ended feeling transmission slip. Dealership quotes the CVT control valve body.
On two separate occasions, less than one year apart after Subaru Service replaced my battery with a “larger” battery without my knowledge my vehicle suffered sudden, catastrophic electrical failure while moving in active highway traffic, causing an immediate…
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while trying to roll up vehicle windows from driver sits and passenger sit they would roll up to 3/4th all the way up and they would roll back down after.
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Segment peers · 2021 · Compact SUVs
| Models | Complaints | Complaints per year on the road | Complaint index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 Kia Sportage | 54 | 9.3 | 0.23 |
| 2021 Hyundai Tucson | 80 | 13.8 | 0.34 |
| 2021 Jeep Compass | 81 | 14.0 | 0.35 |
| 2021 Chevrolet Equinox | 99 | 17.1 | 0.42 |
| 2021 Volkswagen Tiguan | 142 | 24.5 | 0.61 |
| 2021 Mazda CX-5 | 148 | 25.6 | 0.63 |
| 2021 Jeep Cherokee | 173 | 29.9 | 0.74 |
| 2021 Subaru Forester | 210 | 36.3 | 0.9 |
| 2021 Nissan Rogue | 325 | 56.2 | 1.39 |
| 2021 Ford Escape | 379 | 65.5 | 1.62 |
| 2021 Honda CR-V | 439 | 75.8 | 1.88 |
| 2021 Toyota RAV4 | 508 | 87.8 | 2.18 |
Safety recalls (0)
No recalls on record for this model year.
Investigations
No NHTSA investigation covers the tracked model years.