Your vehicle report
2004 Subaru Forester
The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.
Your vehicle at a glance
Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.
- Owner complaints
- 219
- Received Sep 2004 to Mar 2024
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline108 complaints · 49% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Airbag warning light stays on13 complaints · 5.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Frame rusts and corrodes through12 complaints · 5.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #11V464000Subaru is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 impreza, model year 2003-2008 forester, and model year 2005-2006 saab 9-2X vehicles manufactured from september 5, 2000 through november 26, 2007 originally sold, or currently registered in, massachusetts, maryland, michigan, new hampshire, new york, pennsylvania, vermont, wisconsin, connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, maine, minnesota, missouri, new jersey, ohio, rhode island, west virginia and the district of columbia. The front lower control arms may break at the hanger brackets due to corrosion if the hanger bracket is exposed to salty and humid environments such as roads containing snow melting agent.
- Recall #04V473000On certain passenger and sport utility vehicles, the cover bolts for the engine oil control valve may not be sufficiently tightened, allowing oil to leak from around the cover gasket.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
No problems currently meet BrakeNews’s flagging criteria. This is not a safety rating.
How flags are identifiedComplaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 13 crashes, 4 fires, 8 people injured, 0 deaths.
Explore by system
Where do owners report problems?
Choose an area on the car or a system below to explore the reported problems.
Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.
Showing all 9 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
- Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline
- Unintended acceleration despite braking
- Head gasket leaks coolant into engine
1 more problem
Brakes
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Electrical & lights
Airbags, belts & seats
Steering, suspension & tires
Body, doors & glass
Driver assistance
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Other
No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.
Complaint history
When NHTSA received these reports. Changes in reporting alone do not establish a change in failure rates.
Show as a table
| Year | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 2004 | 5 |
| 2005 | 9 |
| 2006 | 2 |
| 2007 | 6 |
| 2008 | 5 |
| 2009 | 9 |
| 2010 | 24 |
| 2011 | 21 |
| 2012 | 11 |
| 2013 | 17 |
| 2014 | 40 |
| 2015 | 16 |
| 2016 | 16 |
| 2017 | 9 |
| 2018 | 14 |
| 2019 | 4 |
| 2020 | 3 |
| 2021 | 4 |
| 2022 | 2 |
| 2023 | 1 |
| 2024 | 1 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 0 |
| Total | 219 |
Problems owners report
Listed groups have at least 3 complaints. The page includes the 20 largest groups plus any additional flagged groups; some complaints are not assigned to a group.
| Problem | Complaints | Share | Share ratio | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 108 | 49% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 13 | 5.9% | – | |
| Frame rusts and corrodes through | 12 | 5.5% | – | NHTSA recall #11V464000 |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 11 | 5.0% | – | |
| Head gasket leaks coolant into engine | 9 | 4.1% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Wheel bearings fail prematurely | 4 | 1.8% | – | |
| Plastic intake manifold cracks and leaks coolant | 3 | 1.4% | – |
AI groups complaints by meaning; the groups are approximate. Share ratio compares the problem’s share of this vehicle’s complaints with its share on other vehicles over the last 24 months (shown from 3 recent complaints). A 2× ratio means twice the complaint share, not twice the failure risk. Flags mark unusual shares or recent surges after an AI review of the complaint content. “First signal” does not mean the pattern has persisted continuously.How recall estimates are calculated.
Recalls
NHTSA recall #11V464000September 6, 2011318,215 vehicles affected
suspension: front: control arm: lower arm
Subaru is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 impreza, model year 2003-2008 Forester, and model year 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles manufactured from september 5, 2000 through november 26, 2007 originally sold, or currently registered in, massachusetts, maryland, michigan, new hampshire, new york, pennsylvania, vermont, wisconsin, connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, maine, minnesota, missouri, new jersey, ohio, rhode island, west virginia and the district of columbia. The front lower control arms may break at the hanger brackets due to corrosion if the hanger bracket is exposed to salty and humid environments such as roads containing snow melting agent.
A broken control arm Can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Subaru will handle their vehicles and Saab will handle theirs. Dealers will inspect the degree of corrosion of the front lower control arms, and will either rustproof or replace them. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during december 2011. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Owners may contact Saab at 1-800-955-9007.
NHTSA recall #04V473000October 1, 200426 vehicles affected
engine and engine cooling
On certain passenger and sport utility vehicles, the cover bolts for the engine oil control valve may not be sufficiently tightened, allowing oil to leak from around the cover gasket.
If leaking oil contacts components operating at high temperatures, a fire could result in the engine compartment.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and retighten the oil-flow control valve cover bolts. The recall began on october 8, 2004. Owners should contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783.
Other model years
About this data
NHTSA complaints and recalls through October 2026. Complaints are counted once each, however many components they name. Original complaints are on NHTSA's page for the 2004 Subaru Forester.
Problem groups are formed by AI and may be approximate. BrakeNews flags unusual complaint patterns; they are not official defect findings. Investigation reports are written and checked by AI, with no human review. Owner reports do not establish that a defect exists.
Read the methodology and track record · Check current recalls by VIN