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Your vehicleHome›Subaru›Forester› 2018
Subaru · Compact SUV

2018 Subaru Forester

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
3 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26
B
Safety Signal
83 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns 3
Complaints26 crash · 1 fire · 9 injured reported 498
Crash ratingNHTSA overall 5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA 28 mpg
20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2018 Subaru Forester is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 3 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Forester AWD, is EPA-rated at 28 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of B. Owners have filed 498 complaints, most often about the visibility/wiper. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

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

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Forester AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl263228$2,400
Forester AWDGasAWD2.0L 4-cyl turbo232725$3,300
Forester AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl222824$2,800

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 38646, 38647, 38645.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates
ConfigurationSmog ratingEmission standardWhere it can be sold newSmartWay
Forester AWD5–7 / 10California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 70All 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards—
Forester AWD1 / 10Federal Tier 3 Bin 160 / California LEV-II LEVAll 50 states (federal, all altitudes); California and states following California standards—

Certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S.

The smog rating scores tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, 1 (worst) to 10 (best), and is comparable only within a model year. The standard is the federal bin or California tier the configuration was certified to. Both come from the EPA certificate behind the window sticker.

Specifications filed with NHTSA

Source: NHTSA vPIC

Dimensions Exterior

Body styleSport Utility Vehicle [SUV]/Multipurpose Vehicle [MPV]
Doors4
GVWR classClass 1C: 4,001 - 5,000 lb (1,814 - 2,268 kg)

Engine Basics

Cylinders4
Displacement2.5 L

Engine Output

Horsepower170 hp

Fuel Economy

FuelGasoline

Seating

Seat rows2
Seating capacity5 seats

Driver assistance

Standard: Adaptive cruise control, Anti-lock brakes, Automatic emergency braking, Backup camera, Blind-spot monitoring, Electronic stability control, Forward collision warning, Lane departure warning, Lane keeping assist

Filed by the manufacturer with NHTSA under the federal vehicle-identification rule and decoded from the VIN pattern — not a manufacturer press kit, so it describes the configurations we could identify rather than every trim (seen: Base P, Limited, Limited+ES+Navi(HK)+AP, Premium+CWP). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.

Dimensions & weight

Source: Transport Canada
Length181.1 in
Width (body, without mirrors)70.9 in
Height68.5 in
Wheelbase103.9 in
Track, front61.0 in
Track, rear61.0 in
Curb weight3,303–3,635 lb
Weight distribution, front/rear57/43

Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 2 configurations: 4-door SUV 2.0XT, 4-door SUV 2.5I. Where a range is shown, those versions differ. Width is the body without mirrors, which is why it can read narrower than a brochure figure. Before we used it we checked it against the US manufacturer press kits we hold (27 Sep 2026): wheelbase agreed within 1% on every vehicle we could compare, length on 98%, and the curb weight fell inside the manufacturer's range on 96%. Source dataset. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Canada. Licence.

Also on file Beside the 2018 Forester
Other years The 2021 Forester Recalls Subaru recalls
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Factory warranty running out?

The 2018 Subaru Forester is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. What an extended plan does and does not cover is worth reading before a dealer quotes you one.

What to check before you buy →

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

Recalls (3)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Fuel System, Gasoline

WRG-21
175,968 vehicles 95% reported repaired
Problem Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may fail. Risk Fuel pump failure can cause an engine stall while driving, increasing the risk of a crash. Fix Dealers will replace the low-pressure fuel pump, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed September 24, 2021. Subaru and Toyota owners may call customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-21.
Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDFRemedy instructions PDF
NHTSA campaign 21V587000 reported Jul 29, 2021 Subaru of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →
▲high

Air Bags

WUM-98
366,282 vehicles 88% reported repaired built Jan 20, 2015 – Aug 1, 2017
Problem Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Forester vehicles equipped with heated seats. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may loosen. Risk If the connection loosens, the front passenger airbag may deactivate even though the seat is occupied, increasing the risk of injury to the front passenger in the event of a crash. Fix Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and, as necessary, replace the ODS sensor mat harness, free of charge. The recall began February 11, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUM-98.
Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDFRemedy instructions PDF
NHTSA campaign 19V701000 reported Oct 3, 2019 Subaru of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →
○minor

Tires

WTS-78
3,654 vehicles 77% reported repaired built Jul 6, 2017 – Jan 22, 2018
Problem Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. The Certification Label may indicate the incorrect wheel size, tire size, and air pressure. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) number 110, "Tire Selection and Rims." Risk Installing incorrect tires or applying incorrect tire air pressure may increase the risk of a crash. Fix Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will install a corrected label, free of charge. The recall began July 26, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WTS-78.
Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDFRemedy instructions PDF
NHTSA campaign 18V455000 reported Jul 10, 2018 Subaru of America, Inc. the full filing, and every vehicle covered →

These are vehicle campaigns — the ones the automaker filed against this model. NHTSA also records equipment recalls, filed by a parts maker against a component (a tyre, a child seat, an aftermarket part), and those are not listed here or counted above. nhtsa.gov/recalls shows both for a VIN.

NHTSA defect investigations

Air Bags — Occupant Detection System (ODS) Failure closed

The Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) opened PE19-009 to investigate 51 complaints and additional Early Warning Report (EWR) data related to allegations of front passenger seat Occupant Detection System (ODS) malfunctions in model year (MY) 2016 through 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. These vehicles use a capacitive type ODS, which is intended to classify the occupant of the passenger seat as either full-sized, small stature, a child seat or other object. The complaints reported the ODS failed to operate properly, the SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) warning light illuminated, and/or the ODS incorrectly suppressed (turned off) the front passenger air bag when the seat was occupied by a

Opened Aug 6, 2019 · closed Jan 22, 2020 · action PE19009 · the investigation’s page →

Whether any of this applies to one specific Forester

A campaign covers a build range, not a model year, so two identical-looking cars from 2018 can differ. Both of these check a VIN against the manufacturer’s own list, free, in about ten seconds. Subaru publishes its own lookup because federal rule 49 CFR 573.15 requires it to, and to keep it current to within seven days.

NHTSA VIN check →Subaru’s own VIN lookup →

Hear about a recall before the letter does

The manufacturer’s letter is the last step of a recall: it has up to 60 days after filing to mail owners, at the address on the registration. We email you the day NHTSA posts a recall on the 2018 Subaru Forester, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

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Parts & accessories for the 2018 Subaru Forester

Search by fitment on eBay Motors — OEM take-offs, aftermarket, and the trim pieces dealers no longer stock. The listing and the price are the seller's.

Find parts for this Forester →

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
498complaints filed

26 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 9 injuries · 0 deaths reported

25 per 10,000 built · Subaru reported 202,761 Forester built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2017: 3 · 2018: 34 · 2019: 69 · 2020: 89 · 2021: 96 · 2022: 71 · 2023: 46 · 2024: 34 · 2025: 29 · 2026: 27

Most-cited components

Visibility/Wiper 157
Air Bags → 124
Unspecified 84
Electrical System → 71
Engine 32
Vehicle Speed Control 30

In depth: airbag problems → · electrical problems →

In owners' own words

Filed with NHTSA by the people who own these cars, one per problem area. Quoted as written, with anything identifying removed.

Occasionally when I slowly accelerate from a stop, as when I pull into a driving lane from a parking lot a stop sign, the car will move a few feet and then stop. The engine will still be turning approx. 2000 RPM but the car will not move . When I apply the accelerator the RPM does not change and the car still will not move.
Power Train at 9,300 miles Nov 22, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11153216
The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. While driving at an unknown speed, the front passenger air bag indicator illuminated and flashed on and off. The dealer reprogrammed the air bag indicator, but the failure recurred when a passenger occupied the front passenger seat.
Air Bags at 14,000 miles Nov 16, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11151957
The windshield simply cracked under the passenger wiper and quickly spread across the windshield. There was no viable impact and it appeared overnight. This happened in early september and we are still waiting for an OEM replacement from Subaru
Visibility/Wiper at 5,000 miles Nov 2, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11144988
It seems that my car has a poorly designed/not-current-limited USB jack, which fails to prevent a phone charging cable with shorted or shorting-intermittently interval power wires from burning up and possibly causing a fire. The details of my burnt-cable event: on tuesday evening oct. 9, 2018, I got into my car in my garage.
Electrical System at 800 miles Oct 12, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11139907
The speedometer information is very difficult to see in sunny daylight. Numbers are "red". If "polarized" or regular sun lenses are used, (info. (numbers) can not be read. 2019 models, the speedometer is changed, with "white" characters. Finally Subaru got the message.
Electronic Stability Control Aug 26, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11122391
Vehicle was being backed out of the garage to replace the trash can. After backing part way out of the garage when I put the car in gear it shot forward and I was unable to stop the vehicle until it hit the back garage wall. When the vehicle was then put into reverse it shot backwards, also.
Structure at 2,300 miles Aug 15, 2018 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11120029

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Reported by Subaru itself: 89 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 5 killed, 117 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 44 per 100,000 built. Every Forester model year, by year and system → Dated and by system, they are exhibit F of the defect dossier.

When owners reported it

Reported at 16k

miles, typically

Half the 237 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 6,000 and 30,000 miles. That is when problems get reported, which is not the same as when they start — and not a failure rate, because nobody knows how many of these cars never had a problem at all.

under 10k 81
10k–20k 53
20k–30k 38
30k–40k 29
40k–50k 16
50k–60k 8
60k–70k 4
70k–80k 5
80k–90k 0
90k–100k 1
100k–150k 2
150k + 0

Median mileage by component

ComponentReportsMedian milesVs same age
Visibility/Wiper11420,0000.93×
Air Bags4312,0000.5×
Unspecified3311,200—
Vehicle Speed Control1918,0001.29×
Electrical System1611,7350.52×
Steering1311,2000.77×
Engine1221,0000.42×

Vs same age is this model year’s median for the system divided by the median of every 2018-model-year complaint about the same system, all makes: under 1× means owners of this car reported it at lower mileage. Here, owners reported earlier than same-age vehicles: air bags (0.5×), electrical system (0.52×), engine (0.42×). Which systems go early across the whole fleet: the component study.

Across 2018–2021 model years the Subaru Forester ranks 12 of 79 nameplates in the odometer-at-first-complaint study: owners reported problems at 0.48× the mileage of vehicles the same age (median 8,900 miles against a fleet 23,512).

Odometer readings as filed by owners with NHTSA. Readings under 100 or over 400,000 miles are dropped as data entry rather than history, and a component needs at least 12 readings before a median is shown for it.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★☆★★★★★★★★★☆17%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program.

Service bulletins & campaigns

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications
Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 402
Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-10-05
Kindsas classified by NHTSA 374 service bulletins, 28 others

Most often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Engine, Power Train, Unknown Or Other.

  • 11037943 Other
    2026-10-05 · Electrical System
  • This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.
  • 13-109-26 Service bulletin
    2026-09-18 · Unknown Or Other
  • This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
  • 09-84-22R Service bulletin
    2026-09-16 · Engine
  • This bulletin announces Warranty Extension and design changes made to the front exhaust pipe and covers to address the concerns of some customers regarding an odor or a rattle-type noise/fluttering sound coming from the undercarriage, during acceleration. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
  • 11037930 Other
    2026-09-15 · Unknown Or Other
  • This announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year Subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
  • 15-333-25R Service bulletin
    2026-09-14 · Electrical System
  • This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
  • 15-304-22R Service bulletin
    2026-09-14 · Electrical System
  • This bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
  • 16-156-25R Service bulletin
    2026-08-20 · Power Train
  • This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body. The updated valve body incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
  • 15-308-23R Service bulletin
    2026-08-20 · Electrical System
  • This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.

A service bulletin is the manufacturer telling its dealers how to diagnose or repair a known condition. It is not a recall, not a finding that the vehicle is defective, and the work is not automatically free — though a bulletin is often what a dealer works from when you describe a symptom, so quoting the document number can save a diagnosis. The count is every communication filed; the list shows the most recent, one entry per campaign, because a single campaign is usually filed as several documents on the same day. The summaries are NHTSA's; the full documents come from the manufacturer.

Diagnostic trouble codes on file

Source: NHTSA manufacturer communications and complaints

Codes documented against this model year in the federal record. A code appearing here does not mean this vehicle will set it — it means the code is part of this nameplate-year's documented history.

CodeWhat it meansMost often filed underWhere it appears
B1760
B1760 on Subaru →		Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Air Bags5 bulletins · 3 owner reports
B2A16
B2A16 on Subaru →		Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Electrical System · Battery →5 bulletins
P0841
P0841 on Subaru →		Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Power Train4 bulletins
B1650Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Air Bags1 bulletin · 2 owner reports
B1761Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Air Bags3 bulletins
B1771Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Air Bags3 bulletins
B1795Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Air Bags3 bulletins
B2A20Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Electrical System · Battery →2 bulletins
P0420
P0420 on Subaru →		The catalytic converter on bank 1 is not cleaning up the exhaust as well as it should.Equipment · Catalytic converter →2 bulletins
P0606
P0606 on Subaru →		An internal processor fault in the engine control module.Electrical System · Battery →2 bulletins
P2610
P2610 on Subaru →		Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.Electrical System · Battery →2 bulletins

Generic codes (the second character is 0 or 2) mean the same thing on every vehicle sold in the United States. Manufacturer-specific codes (1 or 3) mean whatever the automaker assigned, and no honest source can define them for you — which is why the ones here carry the evidence instead of a definition. A code is a link when enough separate federal documents name it across the catalogue to be worth a page of its own; the rest are listed here, where the vehicle is the context that makes them mean something.

Affiliate disclosure: some links on this page are affiliate links. If you request a quote or buy through them we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Nothing on this page changes because of it.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2018 Subaru Forester failed the emissions check on 1.3% of first inspections — lower than the 3.0% for every 2018 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.9% (every 2018 vehicle: 1.9%).

New York inspections 1.3%

failed emissions

13,312 initial inspections of 12,999 vehicles.

MeasureThe 2018 ForesterEvery 2018 vehicleBehind it
Failed the emissions check1.3%3.0%13,288
Failed the safety inspection1.9%1.9%13,312
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit0.09%0.22%13,312
Miles driven a year9,53910,002odometer at inspection
Average odometer78,98982,833odometer at inspection

New York’s emissions test on these model years is an on-board diagnostics check: it fails a car whose check-engine light is on or whose self-tests have not finished. First inspections only, so a car that failed and came back is counted once; private and special plates, not taxis, livery or commercial plates. A rate appears only where at least 200 inspections stand behind it. “Every 2018 vehicle” is every 2018 model-year car, SUV and pickup inspected in the same window, all makes. This is the state’s record of test results, not a reliability score by itself. Source: New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, Vehicle Inspections (data.ny.gov, Open NY terms).

Forester by model year

all years, side by side →
Year Safety Recalls Complaints
2026 C 4 30 Do not drive2025 C 4 98 Park outside2024 B 2 31 29 mpg2023 A 1 74 29 mpg2022 A 1 100 29 mpg2021 A 0 211 29 mpg2020 A 0 603 29 mpg2019 C 3 834 29 mpg2018 this page B 3 498 28 mpg2017 A 1 592 28 mpg2016 C 3 416 27 mpg

Common questions about the 2018 Forester

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2018 Subaru Forester have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 3 recall campaigns for the 2018 Subaru Forester. The most serious on file is 21V587000, covering Fuel System, Gasoline. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2018 Subaru Forester?

NHTSA gave the 2018 Subaru Forester 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 4-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it B (83/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2018 Subaru Forester?

Across the 3 EPA-rated configurations of the 2018 Subaru Forester, the best EPA combined figure is 28 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.

What are the dimensions of the 2018 Subaru Forester?

Transport Canada measured it at 181.1 in long, 70.9 in wide (body, without mirrors), 68.5 in tall, on a 103.9 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,303–3,635 lb depending on configuration. Those are its measurements of the North American versions; every figure is in the table above.

What do owners complain about on the 2018 Subaru Forester?

Owners have filed 498 complaints with NHTSA about the 2018 Subaru Forester, most often about visibility/wiper, air bags, unspecified. Of those, 26 involved a crash, 1 a fire, 9 reported injuries. Complaints are unverified owner reports, so treat the pattern as a signal and the individual report as an anecdote.

How clean is the 2018 Subaru Forester?

The EPA smog rating for the 2018 Subaru Forester runs 1 to 7 out of 10 across its configurations. That score covers tailpipe pollutants other than greenhouse gases, and it only compares vehicles within the same model year. It is certified for all fifty states, so it can be registered new anywhere in the U.S. Its configurations were certified to different standards — California LEV-II LEV, California LEV-III SULEV30, Federal Tier 3 Bin 160, Federal Tier 3 Bin 70 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2018 Subaru Forester?

The manufacturer has filed 402 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2018 Subaru Forester, most often covering electrical system, equipment, engine. The most recent is dated 2026-10-05. A bulletin is not a recall: it is the repair procedure a manufacturer sends its dealers for a condition it knows about, and the work is not automatically paid for. It is still worth knowing — if the symptom matches, quoting the bulletin number at the service desk can save a diagnosis. The document numbers and summaries are listed above.

How does the 2018 Subaru Forester do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2018 Subaru Forester failed the emissions check on 1.3% of first inspections — lower than the 3.0% for every 2018 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.9% (every 2018 vehicle: 1.9%). The figures are New York State DMV’s own inspection records, first inspections only, and the table above sets each one against every vehicle of the same model year.

What we hold, and what an empty row means

Paid vehicle-history reports will not tell you the difference between “nothing happened to this car” and “we never received that record” — both of the big two say as much in their own help pages. Most of what is on this page comes from complete federal registers, so we can tell you which is which, row by row.

DataHeldSourceWhat it covers — or what empty means
Fuel economy & configurations3 configurationsEPA certification recordsEvery configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates3 configurationsEPA emission certificatesSmog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls3NHTSA recall campaignsA complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints498NHTSA complaint databaseAlso complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold.
Crash ratings1 testedNHTSA NCAPOnly the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them.
Service bulletins402NHTSA manufacturer communicationsEverything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall.
Investigations1NHTSA Office of Defects InvestigationOpen and closed defect investigations, with the agency's own narrative.
Driver-assist crash reportsnoneNHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01No report has been filed. Only entities named in the order report, and only crashes they hear of — so this is also what an unequipped car, or a manufacturer without telematics, looks like.
Specifications filed with NHTSA9 fieldsNHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patternsWhat the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder.
Measured dimensions7 fieldsTransport Canada, Canadian Vehicle SpecificationsLength, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions.
Trims, pricing & equipmentnoneManufacturer press kitWe have not transcribed a press kit for this model year yet. This is our gap, not the manufacturer's — the one row here where an empty cell means we are behind.

Rebuilt nightly; this page was generated 2026-10-26. Every figure above is traceable to the source named beside it, and the JSON for this page carries the same values with their identifiers.

Where to go next

pages beside this one
Other years The 2021 Forester The Forester model year with the cleanest record on file — grade A, 0 recalls.Recalls Every Subaru recall on file All campaigns filed against Subaru vehicles, newest first, with the manufacturer's own number.Recall Watch Watch this Forester by VIN Give it the VIN and you hear the night a campaign is filed — from $29 a month for a lot, free for ten.

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). The most serious recall counts in full and each further one counts 85% of the one before, because a vehicle sold in millions is recalled more often than a rare one without being more dangerous — and because a flat subtraction bottomed the scale out, scoring a vehicle with 22 recalls within a point of one with six. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Read it as what it counts: recall campaigns on the federal record, weighted by severity. The damping reduces the sales bias by roughly 40% but does not remove it: like our complaint counts, this is not normalized by how many were sold, so a best-seller still scores somewhat worse than an obscure model with the same real risk. NHTSA crash ratings, do-not-drive and park-outside advisories, and the crash, fire, injury and death counts in owner complaints are reported separately on every page and never blended into the letter — a vehicle can hold five stars and a poor letter at once, and where that happens we say so rather than leave you to notice. Because the scale subtracts from a clean sheet, a model year too new to have been recalled, complained about or bulletined scores full marks on an empty record; we label those grades provisional rather than present them as earned.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed nightly.

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