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2022 Subaru Forester

Gas

Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-10-26

Safety Signal

92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

RecallsNHTSA campaigns 1

Complaints8 crash · 6 fire · 5 injured reported 100

Crash ratingNHTSA overall 5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA 29 mpg

2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2022 Subaru Forester is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Forester AWD, is EPA-rated at 29 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for this model year, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of A. Owners have filed 100 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

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Forester AWD	Gas	AWD	2.5L 4-cyl	26	33	29	$2,300
Forester Wilderness AWD	Gas	AWD	2.5L 4-cyl	25	28	26	$2,600

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 44484, 44485.

Emissions & certification

Source: EPA emission certificates

Configuration	Smog rating	Emission standard	Where it can be sold new	SmartWay
Forester AWD, Forester Wilderness AWD	7 / 10	California LEV-III SULEV30 / Federal Tier 3 Bin 30	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 vPIC

Dimensions 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, 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: Limited, Premium, Sport, Touring). 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.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Power Train

WRQ-23

95,830 vehicles 90% reported repaired built Jul 26, 2021 – Jul 27, 2021

Problem Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail. Risk An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash. Fix Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.

Filed with NHTSAOwner letter PDF Remedy instructions PDF

NHTSA campaign 23V755000 reported Nov 9, 2023 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.

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 2022 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 2022 Subaru Forester, with what to do next. Nothing else, ever — no newsletter, no marketing, one-click unsubscribe in every message.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

100complaints filed

8 involved a crash · 6 a fire · 5 injuries · 0 deaths reported

8.6 per 10,000 built · Subaru reported 116,605 Forester built (its Early Warning production report to NHTSA)

Filed per year: 2022: 37 · 2023: 24 · 2024: 9 · 2025: 13 · 2026: 17

Most-cited components

Visibility/Wiper 24

Forward Collision Avoidance 24

Unspecified 18

Electrical System 11

Engine 11

Service Brakes 11

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.

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at night with the low beam headlights activated, the illumination was extremely poor causing a visibility failure.

Exterior Lighting Oct 26, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11491016

Two things have already failed on this vehicle. The first being the seats/seat belt clips on the driver and passanger seat. The seat in constructed in such a way that no matter what adjustment is made, the driver feels as if they are falling into the steering wheel.

Seats Oct 26, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11491037

At only 3,000 miles front suspension “clunks” at low speeds over speed bumps, potholes, and other uneven surfaces

Suspension Oct 25, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11490907

Windshield spontaneously cracked while stationary on a level paved major thoroughfare. There was no impact on the windshield of any kind. No prior damage. Just sitting at a red light no traffic approaching from any direction and the windshield cracked in the middle sections of the glass, on the right edge

Visibility/Wiper Oct 5, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11488107

My new 2022 Forester Wildness is equipped with an automate "Start and Stop" function which (while driving) shuts the engine off if the sits still too long in traffic or a stop light. While the car has a button to disable this function. You must press the button every time you start the car to disable the auto SS.

Power Train Sep 6, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11483112

I had adaptive cruise control set to the speed limit of 55, I looked down to input directions and then heard the collision warning tone. There was a large box truck sitting at the stop light ahead of me. I slammed on the breaks and swerved into the right-hand turn lane.

Air Bags Aug 31, 2022 NHTSA owner report · ODI 11482220

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: 44 death-or-injury claims on this model year in its quarterly Early Warning reports to NHTSA (49 CFR 579.21): 55 injured, as claimed, not verified — about 38 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 6k

miles, typically

Half the 13 owner reports with an odometer reading on file fall between 2,000 and 23,000 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.

Too few readings for a curve — the 13 on file: 8 under 10k, 1 10k–20k, 2 20k–30k, 1 30k–40k, 1 50k–60k.

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 (4)

Source: NHTSA Standing General Order 2021-01

4reports filed

2 minor · 1 no injury reported · 1 severity unknown

Aug 2024 to May 2025 · 3 with an air bag deployment · 4 towed

What was engaged, and what was hit

System named: v4 (1)

Crash partner: Other 4

Filed by: Subaru of America, Inc.

Incident	System	Struck	Injury alleged	State	Speed	Report
May 2025	Level 2 · v4	Other	unknown	UT	69 mph	1243-10981
Feb 2025	Level 2	Other	minor	CA	70 mph	1243-10019
Aug 2024	Level 2	Other	minor	WA	25 mph	1243-8486
Aug 2024	Level 2	Other	no injury reported	FL	53 mph	1243-8428

From the manufacturer’s own filing

The reporting entity’s narrative as NHTSA published it, with anything identifying removed and nothing added. A narrative is a notice, written before the entity had verified what happened.

According to the customer's statements, the subject vehicle was traveling on [redacted] at 11PM on Sunday, 8/[redacted]/2024 at a speed of 25 MPH with Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) and Lane Centering (LCF) engaged. The customer alleged that the vehicle steered toward a barrier. The vehicle struck the barrier, left the roadway into a ditch and rolled over.

Subaru of America, Inc. report 1243-8486 Aug 2024 NHTSA SGO filing

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 communications

Communicationsfiled with NHTSA 313

Most recentmanufacturer date 2026-10-05

Kindsas classified by NHTSA 285 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.
11037942 Other
2026-09-28 · Power Train
This announcement provides information on an enhancement of the TechShare CVT diagnostic assitance application.
13-109-26 Service bulletin
2026-09-18 · Unknown Or Other
This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
18-244-26 Service bulletin
2026-09-18 · Electrical System
"This Bulletin announces additional troubleshooting steps for the following DTCs: DTC C1956: RH Actuator Circuit DTC C1957: LH Actuator Circuit"
11037930 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.
15-322-25R Service bulletin
2026-09-14 · 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 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.

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.

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 →	8 bulletins
B2255 B2255 on Subaru →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	4 bulletins
P2404 P2404 on Subaru →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Equipment	4 bulletins
B28C7 B28C7 on Subaru →	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Equipment	3 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.	Engine · Oxygen sensor →	2 bulletins
P0138 P0138 on Subaru →	Downstream bank 1 oxygen sensor reading stuck high.	Engine · 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.	Equipment · Catalytic converter →	2 bulletins
P0851	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	2 bulletins
P0852	Manufacturer-defined — the meaning is set by the automaker, not the standard.	Electrical System · Battery →	2 bulletins
P2096 P2096 on Subaru →	After the catalyst, the mixture on bank 1 is reading lean.	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.

At the New York inspection station

Source: New York State DMV

New York inspections 0.54%

failed emissions

8,386 initial inspections of 8,221 vehicles.

Measure	The 2022 Forester	Every 2022 vehicle	Behind it
Failed the emissions check	0.54%	1.7%	8,365
Failed the safety inspection	1.3%	1.4%	8,386
Air-bag warning lamp stayed lit	0.12%	0.18%	8,386
Miles driven a year	9,726	10,455	odometer at inspection
Average odometer	41,429	44,815	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 2022 vehicle” is every 2022 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 drive 2025 C 4 98 Park outside 2024 B 2 31 29 mpg 2023 A 1 74 29 mpg 2022 this page A 1 100 29 mpg 2021 A 0 211 29 mpg 2020 A 0 603 29 mpg 2019 C 3 834 29 mpg 2018 B 3 498 28 mpg 2017 A 1 592 28 mpg 2016 C 3 416 27 mpg

Common questions about the 2022 Forester

Source: EPA, NHTSA and manufacturer press kits

Does the 2022 Subaru Forester have any recalls?

NHTSA has posted 1 recall campaign for the 2022 Subaru Forester. The most serious on file is 23V755000, covering Power Train. Check your own VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a recall applies to specific build ranges, not every car.

How safe is the 2022 Subaru Forester?

NHTSA gave the 2022 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 (92/100) on its recall record, which is a different question from crash protection.

What is the fuel economy of the 2022 Subaru Forester?

Across the 2 EPA-rated configurations of the 2022 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 2022 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 2022 Subaru Forester?

Owners have filed 100 complaints with NHTSA about the 2022 Subaru Forester, most often about visibility/wiper, forward collision avoidance, unspecified. Of those, 8 involved a crash, 6 a fire, 5 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 2022 Subaru Forester?

The EPA smog rating for the 2022 Subaru Forester is 7 out of 10. 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 30 — which the table above lists per configuration.

Are there service bulletins for the 2022 Subaru Forester?

The manufacturer has filed 313 service bulletins and related communications with NHTSA for the 2022 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 2022 Subaru Forester do at state inspection?

In New York’s inspection lanes over the 12 months to Oct 10, 2026, the 2022 Subaru Forester failed the emissions check on 0.54% of first inspections — lower than the 1.7% for every 2022 model-year vehicle inspected; and the safety inspection on 1.3% (every 2022 vehicle: 1.4%). 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	2 configurations	EPA certification records	Every configuration the EPA certified for sale, with its own test figures.
Emission certificates	2 configurations	EPA emission certificates	Smog rating, standard and the sales area that decides where the car can be sold new.
Recalls	1	NHTSA recall campaigns	A complete federal register: every campaign covering this model year, with severity and advisory flags.
Owner complaints	100	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	313	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	4	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.

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