Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
Limited mileage data: 37 of 207 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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.
Visibility/wiper. Review the 76 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Electrical System. Review the 33 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
Engine. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
16 crash reports5 fire reports5 injury reports
What owners actually said
207 reports
8,000 miles · Dec 30, 2022
Power TrainCrash
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while shifting the vehicle into the drive gear, the vehicle accelerated at high speed without any warning and drove into the wall of her garage causing front damage to the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to turn off. No one was injured. The vehic…
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The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while shifting the vehicle into the drive gear, the vehicle accelerated at high speed without any warning and drove into the wall of her garage causing front damage to the vehicle. The contact stated that the vehicle hesitated to turn off. No one was injured. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 8,000.
NHTSA ODI #11499550
Mileage unknown · Dec 19, 2022
Unknown Or Other
Windshield has cracked twice in last month, in separate areas. I replaced the windshield on 11/9/22 and identified a new crack on 12/18/22.
NHTSA ODI #11498027
10,000 miles · Dec 8, 2022
Power TrainService BrakesCrash
The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while depressing the brake pedal and attempting to park in the driveway, the vehicle excessively independently accelerated in speed. The brake pedal failed to stop the vehicle and the vehicle was shifted into Park in order to come to a stop. The vehicle caused damage to…
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The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while depressing the brake pedal and attempting to park in the driveway, the vehicle excessively independently accelerated in speed. The brake pedal failed to stop the vehicle and the vehicle was shifted into Park in order to come to a stop. The vehicle caused damage to the door and garage. There were no injuries reported. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The dealer was contacted, and they stated they were not aware of any recalls or complaints for the failure. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 10,000.
NHTSA ODI #11496649
Mileage unknown · Dec 5, 2022
StructureVisibility/wiper
In the afternoon when I returned to my vehicle, a large crack (roughly 8 inches) formed on the lower sector of the windshield that appeared to have oriented by the mounting of the passenger wiper arm. I inspected the windshield for damage such as a rock chip and could not find anything to suggest that the integrity was compromis…
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In the afternoon when I returned to my vehicle, a large crack (roughly 8 inches) formed on the lower sector of the windshield that appeared to have oriented by the mounting of the passenger wiper arm. I inspected the windshield for damage such as a rock chip and could not find anything to suggest that the integrity was compromised in any way. Their was no visible damage to the windshield other than the crack that formed. The crack formed while the vehicle was parked in a parking lot
NHTSA ODI #11496173
Mileage unknown · Nov 30, 2022
Unknown Or OtherVisibility
Glass cracked for no reason. According to this article Subaru has been sued related to 2017-2020 Foresters for a similar reason https://www.torquenews.com/1084/new-ruling-subaru-cracked-windshield-lawsuit-now-adds-25m-cars
NHTSA ODI #11495463
Mileage unknown · Nov 23, 2022
Engine
Engine stalled 2x within 8 days at major intersections (both times), therefore blocking a lane in the intersections. Was told 1st time it was a gliche by dealership. Upon researching prior recalls for this make and model, engine stalls have been an issue. Dealership still can’t figure out issue.
NHTSA ODI #11494718
Mileage unknown · Nov 16, 2022
Wheels
This is our 3rd Subaru Forester from Corpus Christi Tx dealer HICKs. During the past six months we have had the stem valves in the tires replaced 4 times.I said to the Manager that there appears to be a systemic issue , the run may be defective and requested that these tires be replaced Total mileage 6700 Dealer had three shots …
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This is our 3rd Subaru Forester from Corpus Christi Tx dealer HICKs. During the past six months we have had the stem valves in the tires replaced 4 times.I said to the Manager that there appears to be a systemic issue , the run may be defective and requested that these tires be replaced Total mileage 6700 Dealer had three shots at fixing the problem plus the 4th shot today as the pressure signal was on. The request was denied Please investigate and help
NHTSA ODI #11493845
Mileage unknown · Nov 4, 2022
Unknown Or OtherCrash
I purchased a 2021 Subaru Forester with approximately 9000 miles on the odometer. Purchase was made on October 18, 2022, then on October 19, 2022 I experienced unintended acceleration on my way home that day with the car. The car just seemed to have a mind of its own and just "took off" at high speed and quickly it returned to n…
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I purchased a 2021 Subaru Forester with approximately 9000 miles on the odometer. Purchase was made on October 18, 2022, then on October 19, 2022 I experienced unintended acceleration on my way home that day with the car. The car just seemed to have a mind of its own and just "took off" at high speed and quickly it returned to normal. I simply thought I did something wrong and kept driving the car. Then on November 2, 2022 while in my driveway, the unintended acceleration happened again and this time the car hit a building on our property and both the building and the car suffered severe damage.
NHTSA ODI #11492325
Mileage unknown · Oct 12, 2022
Electrical System
When I bought my car I was assured that it was impossible to lock the keys inside the car. Typically I put my dog in a special car harness and buckle him into the middle of the back seat. He's 77 lbs. and tall. It's a bit of a project to get him all set. I'm leaning over and all my stuff is hanging off of me so I drop my purse o…
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When I bought my car I was assured that it was impossible to lock the keys inside the car. Typically I put my dog in a special car harness and buckle him into the middle of the back seat. He's 77 lbs. and tall. It's a bit of a project to get him all set. I'm leaning over and all my stuff is hanging off of me so I drop my purse onto the floor of the back seat and put the car keys on the console between the two front seats so I can more comfortably deal with him. I do this from the right side of the car as the child car seat is on the left side. Once he's buckled in I close the door and walk around to the driver's side and get in. On Oct. 7th I had taken him to a park to play. The temps were in the 80s and my car was parked in the sun. He's a Bernedoodle and does not handle heat very well. I buckled him in as usual from the right side and also put the keys on the console as usual. Then I closed the door. CLICK! Uh-oh! All the doors automatically locked! With the car in the sun and the outside temps in the 80s I can only guess that the inside temp had to be well over 100. I almost panicked. I thought of calling the police, but here in Portland they are slow to respond if they even respond at all. I banged on all the windows and thought of finding a rock to break one open. Then I remembered that I hadn't tried the back lift up door as it's an SUV. Thankfully it opened. But I had to crawl in over all my stuff in the back, over my tall, 77 lb. dog, and stretch out to reach my keys on the console in the front. Then I had to back out. This was not easy; I'm in my 70s. I shouldn't have to do that! So [XXX] was okay in the end. What if it had been my two year old granddaughter? What if the back didn't open like the side doors didn't? It shouldn't be that way. I called Subaru and they said they never heard of that happening. They said there was a lock setting but I couldn't find it. They said the fob battery could be low but there was no warning. I'm bringing the car in. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFO
NHTSA ODI #11489004
Mileage unknown · Oct 2, 2022
Visibility/wiper
Spontaneous cracks across windshield obscuring vision. Vehicle was parked overnight in my garage. No windshield cracks, stone damage etc. upon parking but the next morning there were diffuse cracks across windshield. This is similar to cracks in Subaru vehicles outlined in 2020 class action lawsuit filed against Subaru for spont…
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Spontaneous cracks across windshield obscuring vision. Vehicle was parked overnight in my garage. No windshield cracks, stone damage etc. upon parking but the next morning there were diffuse cracks across windshield. This is similar to cracks in Subaru vehicles outlined in 2020 class action lawsuit filed against Subaru for spontaneous windshield cracks in 2017-2020 Subaru vehicles, especially the Forester. No recall has been issued. Car is being presented to Subaru dealer where purchased in Napa, Ca. this week. The diffuse nature of the cracks and its affect on vision is a safety issue.
NHTSA ODI #11487545
Official recalls
0
No recalls in this snapshot.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗