2021 Subaru Forester
The 2021 Subaru Forester is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV. The most efficient version, the Forester AWD, is EPA-rated at 29 mpg combined. NHTSA lists no recall campaigns for this model year so far (Safety Signal A). Owners have filed 211 complaints, most often about the visibility/wiper. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.
Specs & fuel economy
Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov| Configuration | Powertrain | Drive | Engine / motor | City | Hwy | Comb | Annual fuel* |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forester AWD | Gas | AWD | 2.5L 4-cyl | 26 | 33 | 29 | $2,300 |
*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 42792.
Emissions & certification
Source: EPA emission certificates| Configuration | Smog rating | Emission standard | Where it can be sold new | SmartWay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forester AWD | 6–7 / 10 | Federal Tier 3 Bin 50 / California LEV-III SULEV30 | All 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 vPICDimensions Exterior
| Body style | Sport Utility Vehicle [SUV]/Multipurpose Vehicle [MPV] |
| GVWR class | Class 1C: 4,001 - 5,000 lb (1,814 - 2,268 kg) |
Engine Basics
| Cylinders | 4 |
| Displacement | 2.5 L |
Engine Output
| Horsepower | 182 hp |
Fuel Economy
| Fuel | Gasoline |
Seating
| Seat rows | 2 |
| Seating capacity | 5 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, Rear cross-traffic alert
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, Limited, Premium, Sport). Figures for the trim you are looking at may differ.
Dimensions & weight
Source: Transport Canada| Length | 182.3 in |
| Width (body, without mirrors) | 71.7 in |
| Height | 68.1 in |
| Wheelbase | 105.1 in |
| Track, front | 61.8 in |
| Track, rear | 61.8 in |
| Curb weight | 3,459–3,549 lb |
| Weight distribution, front/rear | 58/42 |
Measured by Transport Canada for its Canadian Vehicle Specifications database, which covers the North American versions of each model — here 2 configurations: 2.5I / Convenience / Touring 4-door SUV, Sport / Limited / Premier 4-door SUV. 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.
Factory warranty running out?
The 2021 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 (0)
Source: NHTSA recall databaseNo NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2021 Subaru Forester. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them.
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.
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 2021 Subaru Forester, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.
Parts & accessories for the 2021 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 database16 involved a crash · 5 a fire · 9 injuries · 0 deaths reported
12 per 10,000 built · Subaru reported 176,275 Forester built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)
Filed per year: 2021: 58 · 2022: 49 · 2023: 26 · 2024: 24 · 2025: 37 · 2026: 17
Most-cited components
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.
Cracked windshield while car was parked and nothing hit it. There is a separation in the glass that is not normally seen when caused by debris
On march 2, 2021 I needed to get to an appointment and my car wouldn't start, nor would my fob work to even open the doors. After calling for assistance they jumped the battery. Then I brought it to Subaru where they did a complete diagnostics test and found that the battery was defective. I had bought the car nov.
While pulling into a parking spot my Forester lunged forward even though I did not have my foot on the gas pedal. Also, when pulling away from a traffic light, the vehicle sometimes feels as though it wants to accelerate even though I AM not pressing the gas pedal too hard
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 mph, the contact noticed that the front windshield was cracking from the bottom of the passenger’s side going upward. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where they informed the contact that the issue was due to an object striking the windshield.
The windshield was hit by a small stone on highway and show a minor chip mark a while ago. Nothing else happened and the chip mark remain as it happened on my other vehicles. I parked in my indoor garage as usual on the July 4 weekend. When I pull out the vehicle to work on Tuesday.
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: 50 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 2 killed, 56 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 28 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
miles, typically
Half the 37 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 3,000 and 22,000 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.
Median mileage by component
| Component | Reports | Median miles | Vs same age |
|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility/Wiper | 21 | 4,650 | 0.31× |
Vs same age is this model year’s median for the system divided by the median of every 2021-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: visibility/wiper (0.31×). 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| Configuration | Overall | Frontal | Side | Rollover | Rollover risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SUV AWD | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ | ★★★★☆ | 17% |
NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.
Driver-assist crash reports (5)
Source: NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-013 minor · 2 severity unknown
Oct 2021 to Aug 2026 · 3 with an air bag deployment · 5 towed
What was engaged, and what was hit
System named: not named in the filings
Crash partner: Animal 1 · Other 1 · Passenger Car 1 · Unknown 1
Filed by: Subaru of America, Inc.
| Incident | System | Struck | Injury alleged | State | Speed | Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aug 2026 | Level 2 | Other | unknown | AL | 74 mph | 1243-16408 |
| Mar 2023 | Level 2 | Unknown | minor | MO | 60 mph | 1243-5173 |
| Oct 2022 | Level 2 | Van | unknown | CA | 73 mph | 1243-4002 |
| Oct 2021 | Level 2 | Passenger Car | minor | CA | 70 mph | 1243-1392 |
| Oct 2021 | Level 2 | Animal | minor | CA | 70 mph | 1243-1582 |
A report under the General Order is a notice the manufacturer or operator must file within days of hearing of a crash in which a Level 2 driver-assist or automated-driving system was engaged within 30 seconds of impact. It is filed before anything is verified, and entities with telematics hear of far more crashes than entities that rely on complaints, so counts say as much about the reporting as about the car and are not comparable across makes. Nothing is normalised by fleet size. Every report on file, by make and year → · NHTSA’s page and files
Service bulletins & campaigns
Source: NHTSA manufacturer communicationsMost often about: Electrical System, Equipment, Engine, Power Train, Unknown Or Other.
- 11037943 Other2026-10-05 · Electrical System
- This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.
- 11037942 Other2026-09-28 · Power Train
- This announcement provides information on an enhancement of the TechShare CVT diagnostic assitance application.
- 13-109-26 Service bulletin2026-09-18 · Unknown Or Other
- This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
- 18-244-26 Service bulletin2026-09-18 · Electrical System
- "This Bulletin announces additional troubleshooting steps for the following DTCs: DTC C1956: RH Actuator Circuit DTC C1957: LH Actuator Circuit"
- 11037930 Other2026-09-15 · 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 bulletin2026-09-14 · 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.
- 15-322-25R Service bulletin2026-09-14 · Unknown Or Other
- In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is extending the New Car Limited Warranty coverage for the CP1 & Gen 3.1 Head Unit used in the listed models and model years to (8) eight years / 150,000 miles to cover certain qualifying repairs to the infotainment audio system. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
- 15-304-22R Service bulletin2026-09-14 · 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.
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 complaintsCodes 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.
| Code | What it means | Most often filed under | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|---|
| B2A16 B2A16 on Subaru → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 9 bulletins |
| B2255 B2255 on Subaru → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Equipment | 4 bulletins |
| P2404 P2404 on Subaru → | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 4 bulletins |
| P0087 P0087 on Subaru → | Fuel rail pressure is below what the system commanded. | Fuel/Propulsion System · Fuel pump → | 3 bulletins |
| B2A20 | Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard. | Electrical System · Battery → | 2 bulletins |
| P0137 P0137 on Subaru → | Downstream bank 1 oxygen sensor reading stuck low. | Electrical System · Oxygen sensor → | 2 bulletins |
| P0138 P0138 on Subaru → | Downstream bank 1 oxygen sensor reading stuck high. | Electrical System · Oxygen sensor → | 2 bulletins |
| P0420 P0420 on Subaru → | The catalytic converter on bank 1 is not cleaning up the exhaust as well as it should. | Engine · Catalytic converter → | 2 bulletins |
| P2096 P2096 on Subaru → | After the catalyst, the mixture on bank 1 is reading lean. | Engine | 2 bulletins |
| P2097 P2097 on Subaru → | After the catalyst, the mixture on bank 1 is reading rich. | Engine | 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 DMVIn New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2021 Subaru Forester failed the emissions check on 1.2% of first inspections — lower than the 1.9% for every 2021 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.4% (every 2021 vehicle: 1.5%).
failed emissions
12,626 initial inspections of 12,397 vehicles.
| Measure | The 2021 Forester | Every 2021 vehicle | Behind it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Failed the emissions check | 1.2% | 1.9% | 12,596 |
| Failed the safety inspection | 1.4% | 1.5% | 12,626 |
| Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit | 0.17% | 0.19% | 12,626 |
| Miles driven a year | 9,727 | 10,343 | odometer at inspection |
| Average odometer | 51,452 | 54,681 | odometer 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 2021 vehicle” is every 2021 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 →Common questions about the 2021 Forester
Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kitsDoes the 2021 Subaru Forester have any recalls?
No NHTSA recall campaigns are on file for the 2021 Subaru Forester. New campaigns appear here within a week of NHTSA posting them, and a clean sheet on a recent model year often just means the vehicle is new.
How safe is the 2021 Subaru Forester?
NHTSA gave the 2021 Subaru Forester 5 stars overall in its New Car Assessment Program tests — 5-star frontal crash, 5-star side crash, 4-star rollover. WhichTrim also grades it A (100/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.
What is the fuel economy of the 2021 Subaru Forester?
For the 2021 Subaru Forester, the best EPA combined figure is 29 mpg. Figures are the EPA's own, per configuration, and every one is listed above.
What are the dimensions of the 2021 Subaru Forester?
Transport Canada measured it at 182.3 in long, 71.7 in wide (body, without mirrors), 68.1 in tall, on a 105.1 in wheelbase. Curb weight: 3,459–3,549 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 2021 Subaru Forester?
Owners have filed 211 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 Subaru Forester, most often about visibility/wiper, unspecified, electrical system. Of those, 16 involved a crash, 5 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 2021 Subaru Forester?
The EPA smog rating for the 2021 Subaru Forester runs 6 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-III SULEV30, Federal Tier 3 Bin 50 — which the table above lists per configuration.
Are there service bulletins for the 2021 Subaru Forester?
The manufacturer has filed 362 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2021 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 2021 Subaru Forester do at state inspection?
In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2021 Subaru Forester failed the emissions check on 1.2% of first inspections — lower than the 1.9% for every 2021 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.4% (every 2021 vehicle: 1.5%). 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.
| Data | Held | Source | What it covers — or what empty means |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel economy & configurations | 1 configurations | EPA certification records | Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures. |
| Emission certificates | 1 configurations | EPA emission certificates | Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new. |
| Recalls | none | NHTSA recall campaigns | No campaign has been filed. Because the register is complete, an empty row here means there is nothing to find — not that we are missing it. |
| Owner complaints | 211 | NHTSA complaint database | Also complete, but unverified: these are reports owners filed, not findings. Counts scale with how many were sold. |
| Crash ratings | 1 tested | NHTSA NCAP | Only the configurations NHTSA chose to crash-test, which is never all of them. |
| Service bulletins | 362 | NHTSA manufacturer communications | Everything the manufacturer told its dealers about a defect or malfunction, short of a recall. |
| Investigations | none | NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation | No defect investigation has been opened. |
| Driver-assist crash reports | 5 | NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01 | Crashes the manufacturer or operator reported with a Level 2 or automated-driving system engaged. Notices, filed before verification; not comparable across makes. |
| Specifications filed with NHTSA | 8 fields | NHTSA vPIC, decoded from VIN patterns | What the manufacturer filed under the federal VIN rule — a configuration, not the full trim ladder. |
| Measured dimensions | 7 fields | Transport Canada, Canadian Vehicle Specifications | Length, width, height, wheelbase, track and curb weight, measured on the North American versions. |
| Trims, pricing & equipment | none | Manufacturer press kit | We 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.
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.