Your vehicle report
2015 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
- 616
- Received May 2014 to Oct 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Unintended acceleration despite braking61 complaints · 9.9% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Coil springs break and puncture tires47 complaints · 7.6% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off40 complaints · 6.5% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #19V701000Subaru 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.
- Recall #19V149000Subaru 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.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
- Airbag warning light stays onFirst signal: Aug 2021
Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 53 crashes, 7 fires, 34 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 20 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
- Unintended acceleration despite braking
- Engine suddenly shuts off while driving
- Engine burns excessive oil between changes
7 more problems
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 |
|---|---|
| 2014 | 7 |
| 2015 | 47 |
| 2016 | 45 |
| 2017 | 42 |
| 2018 | 53 |
| 2019 | 131 |
| 2020 | 81 |
| 2021 | 57 |
| 2022 | 49 |
| 2023 | 46 |
| 2024 | 22 |
| 2025 | 20 |
| 2026 (to Oct 2026) | 16 |
| Total | 616 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 61 | 9.9% | – | |
| Coil springs break and puncture tires | 47 | 7.6% | – | |
| Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off | 40 | 6.5% | 47× | NHTSA recall #19V701000 |
| Engine suddenly shuts off while driving | 26 | 4.2% | – | |
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 23 | 3.7% | – | |
| Engine burns excessive oil between changes | 22 | 3.6% | – | |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 20 | 3.3% | – | |
| Vehicle suddenly loses engine power at speed | 20 | 3.3% | – | |
| Airbag warning light stays on | 19 | 3.1% | 22.2× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Aug 2021 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 0.7% |
| Battery drains and dies when parked | 16 | 2.6% | – | |
| Wheel bearings fail prematurely | 12 | 1.9% | – | |
| Horn fails with airbag warning light | 11 | 1.8% | – | |
| Transmission fails or loses power while driving | 10 | 1.6% | – | |
| Fuel gauge reads erratically or incorrectly | 9 | 1.5% | – | |
| CVT transmission fails or loses power | 8 | 1.3% | – | |
| Rear door latch fails to open or close | 7 | 1.1% | – | |
| Check engine light comes on repeatedly | 7 | 1.1% | – | |
| Electronic throttle body fails and cuts power | 7 | 1.1% | – | |
| Engine stalls and loses power while driving | 6 | 1.0% | – | |
| Vehicle catches fire from wiring | 6 | 1.0% | – |
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 #19V701000October 3, 2019366,282 vehicles affected
air bags: sensor: occupant classification
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #19V149000February 28, 20191,303,530 vehicles affected
exterior lighting: brake lights: switch
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.
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.
NHTSA recall #16V162000March 21, 201618,187 vehicles affected
engine and engine cooling: engine: gasoline: turbo/supercharger
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.
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.
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 2015 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