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Subaru Forester

Every model year 2016–2026: recalls, owner complaints, NHTSA crash ratings and EPA efficiency side by side, each value traced to the file it came from.

11 Model years 2016–2026

22 Recalls NHTSA campaigns, all years

3,487 Complaints owner reports, all years

C Newest grade 2026 Safety Signal

2021 Best on record cleanest filed year

The 2026 Forester →Which years to avoid Compare it

Subaru Forester — photograph via Wikimedia Commons — Subaru Forester · Photo: Mr.choppers · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Active NHTSA advisory on 2 model years of the Forester — park outside or do not drive. The year rows below carry it.

Every Subaru Forester model year

Source: NHTSA · EPA · one row per year

Year	Powertrains	Safety	Recalls	Complaints	Crash	Best efficiency
2026	Hybrid Gas	C	4	30	★★★★★	35 mpg
2025	Hybrid Gas	C	4	98	★★★★★	35 mpg	Park outside
2024	Gas	B	2	31	★★★★★	29 mpg
2023	Gas	A	1	74	★★★★★	29 mpg
2022	Gas	A	1	100	★★★★★	29 mpg
2021	Gas	A	0	211	★★★★★	29 mpg
2020	Gas	A	0	603	★★★★★	29 mpg
2019	Gas	C	3	834	★★★★★	29 mpg
2018	Gas	B	3	498	★★★★★	28 mpg
2017	Gas	A	1	592	★★★★★	28 mpg
2016	Gas	C	3	416	★★★★★	27 mpg

Which model year the record favours

Source: recalls and complaints per year on the road

Years to avoid, with the reasons →Best on the record 2021

On the filed record so far, the 2021 is the cleanest Forester year we hold, and the 2019 the one to check hardest.

Both figures are divided by the number of years the car has been on sale, because otherwise the oldest year on the page loses every time simply for having been around longer. The current model year and any year under three on the road are left out: their records are not finished.

Year	Safety Signal	Recalls /yr	Complaints /yr
2021	A	0	42
2020	A	0	100
2017	A	0.1	66
2022	A	0.2	25
2016	C	0.3	42
2023	A	0.3	25
2018	B	0.4	62
2019	C	0.4	119

Which Subaru Forester years reported which system early

Source: NHTSA complaints, odometer at report

Earliest on the record: 2021 visibility/wiper complaints at 0.31× the mileage of same-age vehicles (median 4,650 miles). Latest: 2020 vehicle speed control at 4.33× (26,000 miles).

Year	Visibility/Wiper	Air Bags	Electrical System	Vehicle Speed Control	Engine	Power Train
2021	0.31×	—	—	—	—	—
2020	0.86×	—	0.32×	4.33×	—	—
2019	0.81×	—	0.63×	1.36×	0.71×	—
2018	0.93×	0.5×	0.52×	1.29×	0.42×	—
2017	1.13×	0.77×	1.09×	1.35×	0.34×	0.88×
2016	1.06×	0.95×	0.88×	0.67×	0.68×	0.87×

Each cell is that model year’s median odometer when owners reported the system, divided by the median for the same system across every make’s complaints on the same model year. under 0.67× reported early; 1.5× or more late; a dash means too few readings. When problems get reported, not how often — complaint counts are in the table above. Across the whole fleet: which systems go first.

What owners filed about the Subaru Forester, by system

Source: NHTSA complaints, recalls, investigations and manufacturer communicationsEvery system, every year →

The systems the federal record is deep on for this nameplate: the complaints per model year, the mileage owners reported them at, and every recall, investigation and manufacturer bulletin filed under the heading — each one linked, none a failure rate.

electrical problems 576 complaints, every model year airbag problems 452 complaints, every model year engine problems 386 complaints, every model year transmission and drivetrain problems 185 complaints, every model year

What changed year to year

Source: computed from the filed record

2025: added hybrid; best combined mpg 29 → 35; 2 → 4 EPA configurations
2022: 1 → 2 EPA configurations
2019: best combined mpg 28 → 29; 3 → 1 EPA configurations
2017: best combined mpg 27 → 28

Compare

All Forester head-to-heads →Which is better for you? →

Head-to-head	Verdict
2026 Forester vs Toyota RAV4 · Compact SUV	RAV4 +9.6
2026 Forester vs Tesla Model Y · Compact SUV	Model Y +2.6

In the studies

Source: computed from the same record, method on each page

Odometer at first complaint · rank 12 of 79 0.48× the mileage of same-age vehicles Subaru Forester owners reported problems to NHTSA at a median 8,900 miles across 2018–2021 (fleet 23,512), earlier than vehicles of the same model year. 996 readings.Same trim, next model year · 2025 → 2026 0.0% at the median across 9 matched trims The manufacturer’s announced MSRP for the 2026 Subaru Forester against the same trim in 2025; the fleet moved +1.8% on 394 matched trims. Base trim $29,995 → $29,995. MSRP excludes destination; not a transaction price.

Common questions about the Subaru Forester

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Which Subaru Forester year is the best used buy?

On the recall record, the 2021 Forester comes out top of the years before the current one: Safety Signal grade A (100/100), 0 recalls and 211 owner complaints on file. That ranks paperwork, not condition — a specific car's history and service record still decide it.

What Subaru Forester years should I avoid?

2025, 2026 have the weakest recall records in this range — one carries an active park-outside or do-not-drive advisory. The year pages list every campaign, its severity and whether a repair exists yet. Every Forester model year ranked, with the reasons.

How many recalls does the Subaru Forester have?

Across model years 2016–2026, NHTSA has posted 22 recall campaigns for the Subaru Forester. They are counted per model year in the table above, because a campaign almost never covers the whole run — it covers a build range.