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2023 Subaru Forester

Gas
Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11
A
Safety Signal
92 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record
RecallsNHTSA campaigns1
Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA73
Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★
Fuel economybest combined, EPA29 mpg
20262025202420232022202120202019201820172016

The 2023 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 73 complaints, most often about the forward collision avoidance. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov
ConfigurationPowertrainDriveEngine / motorCityHwyCombAnnual fuel*
Forester AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl263329$2,150
Forester Wilderness AWDGasAWD2.5L 4-cyl252826$2,400

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 45838, 45839.

Factory warranty running out?

The 2023 Subaru Forester is in the years where transmission, electronics and drivetrain repairs land on the owner. Compare extended-coverage quotes in about two minutes.

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Recalls (1)

Source: NHTSA recall database
▲high

Power Train

WRP-23
4,701 vehicles
ProblemSubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Crosstrek, Impreza, 2023-2024 Forester, and 2023 WRX vehicles. The front driveshaft assemblies' outer race may develop cracks and break.RiskA broken driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power while driving or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake engaged. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.FixDealers will inspect and replace the left and right front driveshafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRP-23.
NHTSA campaign 23V754000reported Nov 9, 2023Subaru of America, Inc.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database
73complaints filed

8 involved a crash · 4 a fire · 5 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2023: 16 · 2024: 28 · 2025: 17 · 2026: 12

Most-cited components

Unspecified20
Forward Collision Avoidance16
Visibility/Wiper11
Air Bags7
Electrical System7
Lane Departure7

What owners describe

“If you have the adaptive cruise control (or regular cruise if you disable adaptive) and accelerate to pass another vehicle, as soon as you take your foot off the gas to coast back down to the cruise setting the car slams on the brakes to bring the vehicle back to the set speed. I have almost been rear ended several tim…”Feb 7, 2024 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report
“I have owned the vehicle less than 6 months. There is now a 6 inch crack in my front windshield for no apparent reason. It just appeared one day last week. I have heard from other Subaru owners that this is a common problem. They suggested I report the issue here.”Feb 6, 2024 · Visibility/Wiper · NHTSA owner report
“The vehicles battery does not hold a charge during short term, (3-5 weeks of storage). I understand that some prior years of Subaru vehicles have this same problem and there is currently a recall for this. I wonder if this battery problem exists in newer Subaru Foresters. When we purchased this vehicle as new we observ…”Jan 26, 2024 · Electrical System · NHTSA owner report

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.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP
ConfigurationOverallFrontalSideRolloverRollover risk
SUV AWD★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★☆17%
SUV AWDnot rated★★★★★★★★★★not rated17%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Other Forester model years

B

2026 Subaru Forester

3 recalls · 19 complaints

D

2025 Subaru Forester

4 recalls · 90 complaints

C

2024 Subaru Forester

2 recalls · 29 complaints

A

2022 Subaru Forester

1 recalls · 97 complaints

A

2021 Subaru Forester

0 recalls · 207 complaints

A

2020 Subaru Forester

0 recalls · 598 complaints

C

2019 Subaru Forester

3 recalls · 833 complaints

C

2018 Subaru Forester

3 recalls · 493 complaints

A

2017 Subaru Forester

1 recalls · 584 complaints

C

2016 Subaru Forester

3 recalls · 411 complaints

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). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

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

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