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2015 Subaru Forester

Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations

More warning signs than most Forester years

Owner complaints for the 2015 Subaru Forester are substantially higher than the model-year median of 131.

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When problems were reported

Mileage at the reported incident

410 reports with mileage · 203 unknown

NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.

What to inspect

Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.

  • Engine. Review the 131 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Air Bags. Review the 101 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
  • Power Train. Review the 95 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →

NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.

53 crash reports7 fire reports26 injury reports

Suspension complaints

66 reports
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Mileage unknown · Jun 3, 2024
Suspension

Every right hand turn, I hear a light metallic ‘tap’ on the rear, inside fender well…. I’ve been told by an independent auto mechanic, that it’s the ‘rear coil springs’ that are making the noise. There is No Recall for this issue or Rear Struts. I was told by a Subaru Service Manager….. No recall for either.. Has your Organizat…

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Every right hand turn, I hear a light metallic ‘tap’ on the rear, inside fender well…. I’ve been told by an independent auto mechanic, that it’s the ‘rear coil springs’ that are making the noise. There is No Recall for this issue or Rear Struts. I was told by a Subaru Service Manager….. No recall for either.. Has your Organization heard anything, on the contrary? Thank you… (*Just an annoying noise!)

NHTSA ODI #11592257

Mileage unknown · May 1, 2024
SteeringSuspension

The vehicle is a 2015 Subaru Forester. At that time, the car had 47800 miles on it. I started to sense a shaking or vibration on the steering wheel, especially at highway speeds. I took it to a local Subaru dealer and the dealer technician found the lower control arm bushings to be work/torn. I have been driving for over 40…

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The vehicle is a 2015 Subaru Forester. At that time, the car had 47800 miles on it. I started to sense a shaking or vibration on the steering wheel, especially at highway speeds. I took it to a local Subaru dealer and the dealer technician found the lower control arm bushings to be work/torn. I have been driving for over 40 years and have never had to have the bushings replaced in any of my (Toyota) cars, especially at 47800 miles. I bought the car new. I live in the city and do not do any off road driving. I bought the car because of the Eyesight safety system. I didn't realize Subaru's quality was not at the same level as Toyota. According to J.D. Power, "The bushings prevent metal-to-metal contact (friction) hence safeguarding the metal joints." and "Driving around with worn-out bushings can pose a threat to the driver and other road users. Worn-out bushings may also cause damage to the vehicle when its components snap." (website: [XXX] ) I believe it may be a "lemon". I have had to take it to the dealership regarding the transmission problem of hesitation on acceleration. The technician tested it and (of course) found nothing wrong. The service advisor did inform me, over the phone, that the technician experienced the issue during testing. Subaru denied my request for reimbursement of the defective battery. They indicated that I was not eligible for reimbursement because I did not pay the dealership to replace the battery. I had bought an Interstate battery at Costco and replaced it myself. Replacing a car battery is not rocket science. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

NHTSA ODI #11586320

Mileage unknown · Jul 12, 2022
Suspension

Rear suspension is garbage, is rusted and broken and seized to the vehicle. The spring has fallen off the strut. Did not know what the weird noise was, but apparently it is the rear suspension. Cannot use the vehicle until repaired, was not notified of the brake sensor recall, and this part should be recalled as well. I want a r…

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Rear suspension is garbage, is rusted and broken and seized to the vehicle. The spring has fallen off the strut. Did not know what the weird noise was, but apparently it is the rear suspension. Cannot use the vehicle until repaired, was not notified of the brake sensor recall, and this part should be recalled as well. I want a reimbursement for my expenses to repair this faulty suspension

NHTSA ODI #11473626

Mileage unknown · Mar 31, 2022
Suspension

Had to have both rear struts & strut mounts replaced at only 52000 miles.

NHTSA ODI #11459154

61,000 miles · Mar 9, 2022
Suspension

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, she noticed an abnormal noise coming from the passenger’s side wheel while the vehicle was shuddering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with a front lower control arm failure. The vehicle w…

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The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, she noticed an abnormal noise coming from the passenger’s side wheel while the vehicle was shuddering. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer and diagnosed with a front lower control arm failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 61,000.

NHTSA ODI #11455847

40,000 miles · Dec 29, 2021
Suspension

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while pulling out of the driveway, he heard an abnormal grinding sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the driver’s side wheel bearing had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the…

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The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while pulling out of the driveway, he heard an abnormal grinding sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the driver’s side wheel bearing had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reoccurred while driving. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the passenger’s side wheel bearing needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persisted while driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who diagnosed that the rear passenger’s side and rear driver’s side wheel bearings needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the rear wheel bearings were replaced; however, the failure reoccurred. The independent mechanic replaced the wheel bearings for a second time. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The vehicle was repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 40,000.

NHTSA ODI #11445461

Mileage unknown · Aug 13, 2020
Suspension

2015 SUBARU FORESTER. CONSUMER WRITES IN REGARDS TO REAR COIL SPRING SAFETY RECALL. *LD THE CONSUMER STATED THE NHTSA WEBSITE STATES THE VEHICLE DOES NOT HAVE ANY OPEN RECALLS, SPECIFICALLY COIL SPRING. MEANWHILE, THE SUBARU WEBSITE DOES. THE CONSUMER STATED SUBARU WEBSITE IS ACCURATE. *JS

NHTSA ODI #11349401

106,000 miles · Jun 23, 2020
Suspension

THE REAR COIL SPRINGS HAVE BOTH BROKEN. THIS WAS DISCOVERED WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED BUT APPEARS TO HAVE BEEN BROKEN FOR A LONG TIME DUE TO RUST ON BROKEN ENDS. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11330366

65,485 miles · Jun 22, 2020
Suspension

VEHICLE IN GARAGE, WITNESSED LOAD EXPLOSION. UPON INVESTIGATION FOUND LEFT REAR OF VEHICLE SAGGING WITH PIECE OF COIL SPRING BELOW VEHICLE. THIS IS PART OF A RECALL THAT IS NOT CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE BASED ON THE LETTER SENT TO US BY SUBARU WHICH QUOTES "PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO THE REAR COIL SPRING DOES NOT…

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VEHICLE IN GARAGE, WITNESSED LOAD EXPLOSION. UPON INVESTIGATION FOUND LEFT REAR OF VEHICLE SAGGING WITH PIECE OF COIL SPRING BELOW VEHICLE. THIS IS PART OF A RECALL THAT IS NOT CONSIDERED A SAFETY ISSUE BASED ON THE LETTER SENT TO US BY SUBARU WHICH QUOTES "PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS POTENTIAL DAMAGE TO THE REAR COIL SPRING DOES NOT AFFECT THE SAFE OPERATION OF YOUR VEHICLE". THIS CLEARLY WOULD HAVE IMPACTED THE ABILITY TO CONTROL THE VEHICLE IN THE EVENT IT OCCURRED WHILE DRIVING, AND CERTAINLY COULD HAVE RESULTED IN FATAL CRASH AT HIGHWAY SPEED. THEREFORE IT SHOULD BE CLASSIFIED AS AN IMMEDIATE SAFETY ISSUE. *TR

NHTSA ODI #11330114

40,567 miles · May 31, 2020
Suspension

THE LEFT REAR COIL/STRUT BROKE. IT APPEARS TO BE RUST ISSUE. THERE ARE ABOUT 40000 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE. NO HEAVY LOADS. RELATIVELY GOOD ROAD CONDITIONS. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A CITY STREET AT ABOUT 25 MPH. I HEARD AND FELT A LOUD SNAP. I STOPPED. THE CAR WAS SAGGING ON LEFT REAR. THE FENDER WAS NEARLY TOUCHIN…

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THE LEFT REAR COIL/STRUT BROKE. IT APPEARS TO BE RUST ISSUE. THERE ARE ABOUT 40000 MILES ON THIS VEHICLE. NO HEAVY LOADS. RELATIVELY GOOD ROAD CONDITIONS. THIS HAPPENED WHILE DRIVING STRAIGHT ON A CITY STREET AT ABOUT 25 MPH. I HEARD AND FELT A LOUD SNAP. I STOPPED. THE CAR WAS SAGGING ON LEFT REAR. THE FENDER WAS NEARLY TOUCHING THE TIRE.

NHTSA ODI #11326676

Official recalls

3

19V701000 · Air Bags:sensor:occupant Classification

Oct 3, 2019

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.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: 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.

Remedy: 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.

19V149000 · Exterior Lighting:brake Lights:switch

Feb 28, 2019

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights from illuminating and also preventing keyless ignition vehicles from starting and CVT/automatic transmissions from being able to be shifted out of Park.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90.

16V162000 · Engine And Engine Cooling:engine:gasoline:turbo/supercharger

Mar 21, 2016

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2015-2016 WRX vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 21, 2015, and Forester 2.0XT vehicles manufactured April 10, 2015, to October 20, 2015. The turbocharger air intake duct may crack and possibly result in an engine stall.

Consequence & remedy

Consequence: An engine stall increases the risk of a crash.

Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the turbocharger air intake duct, and replace it as necessary, free of charge, depending on the lot number found on the duct. The recall began April 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WTA-62.

Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗

NHTSA investigations

0

No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.

Go deeper into Subaru Forester problems