NHTSA has received 97 owner complaints about the 2025 Subaru Forester, or 54.3 per year on the road — more complaints than typical (complaint index 1.35, where 1.00 is the average of all tracked vehicles). Among the 86 model-year 2025 vehicles we track, it ranks #57 of 86 by complaints per year (#1 = fewest). Against other Subaru models its rate is 49% higher; against other Compact SUVs it is 10% 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 2024-09-02 and 2026-10-08. Median delay from incident to filing: 14 days.
97Complaints
54.3Complaints per year on the road
1.35Complaint index vs. all tracked vehicles
3Recalls
11.3%Share involving a crash or fire
60Last 12 months
Analysis
The previous model year (2024) drew 10.8 complaints per year, fewer than this one. The following model year (2026) drew 11.0 per year, fewer than this one.
The most common problem area is Body & structure (21.6% of complaints), followed by Unspecified or other (15.5%) and Fuel system (14.4%). Body & structure complaints are 2.4 times as common here as across all tracked vehicles. 11 reports (11.3%) describe a crash or fire; owners mention 6 injuries and 1 death.
Half of the reported incidents happened within 11 months of the model year's start; the busiest period was the first year (56% of incidents). In the last 12 months 60 new complaints were filed, versus 34 in the 12 months before — up 76%.
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space, the brake pedal was slightly released to move the vehicle forward; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated, failed to respond upon depression of the…
Brakes · 2026-07-28 · ODI 11753338 · Crash
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving into a parking space and applying the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration, surged forward and drove over a parking bump before crashing into the…
Other · 2026-07-06 · ODI 11748437 · Crash
On October 7, 2026 at approximately 7:40 PM, the EyeSight system inexplicably stopped working with a warning light notification.
Driver-assist systems · 2026-10-08 · ODI 11769828
I never ride in the back seat and very infrequently have back seat passengers. However, every time I do they all complain about how difficult it is to "buckle up", I never thought much about it until I started visiting my grandkids and would have to buckle…
Airbags & seat belts · 2026-10-05 · ODI 11769050
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while her husband was driving on a road trip at interstate speed with the contact and her daughter inside the vehicle, the vehicle started shaking violently from side to side.
Engine · 2026-09-28 · ODI 11767533
Excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA, trimmed for length. The ODI number is NHTSA's record identifier.
Summary: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid, 2025-2026 Forester Hybrid, Forester, and 2019-2026 Ascent vehicles. These vehicles were manufactured with an incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on the certification label. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 110, "Tire selection and rims."
Risk: An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will mail a new certification label to owners, free of charge. Owners may also choose to have a dealer install the new label, free of charge. Letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed August 27, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-26.
Summary: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles. The child seat anchor bolts may have been improperly tightened, allowing the bolts to come loose.
Risk: A loose child seat anchor bolt increases the risk of injury to a child during a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect the child seat anchor bolts and, if necessary, tighten the bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 15, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-25.
Summary: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles equipped with 18" aluminum alloy wheels. The wheels may have been manufactured with an incorrectly specified lug seat surface, which can result in the wheel being improperly attached and cause a loss of vehicle stability.
Risk: A loss of vehicle stability increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the wheels, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 28, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRB-25.
