Your vehicle report

2023 Subaru Forester

The problems owners report. The recalls to check. The evidence behind each.

NHTSA data through October 2026View original NHTSA data Change vehicle

Your vehicle at a glance

Complaint patterns and official recall records, kept distinct.

Owner complaints
74
Received Mar 2023 to Oct 2026
Official recalls listed
1
Naming this model year; check your VIN for applicability
BrakeNews flagged problems
3
Statistical signals, not official defect findings or recalls

Owner reports

Most reported problems

  1. 1
    Glass shatters or cracks without impact15 complaints · 20% of this vehicle’s complaints
  2. 2
    Automatic emergency braking applies without reason6 complaints · 8.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
  3. 3
    Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off4 complaints · 5.4% of this vehicle’s complaints
See all reported problems

Official NHTSA records

Recalls to check

  • Recall #23V754000Subaru 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.
View recall details

BrakeNews signals

Flagged complaint patterns

Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.

How flags are identified

Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 8 crashes, 4 fires, 6 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.

Schematic car with five system shortcutsGeneric side view, with the front on the left. Numbered links explore engine, brakes, steering, electrical, and body complaints. Text controls below provide the same choices.12345FRONTSCHEMATIC VIEW

Illustrative only; not this vehicle’s exact design. Areas represent complaint categories, not confirmed defective parts.

View selected problems

Showing all 8 listed problems by system.

Engine & powertrain

Brakes

Electrical & lights

Airbags, belts & seats

Steering, suspension & tires

No problems in this category meet this page’s listing criteria. This does not establish that the system is free of problems.

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.

Complaints received about the 2023 Subaru Forester
6
Show as a table
MonthComplaints
March 20231
April 20232
May 20233
June 20230
July 20232
August 20231
September 20231
October 20233
November 20233
December 20230
January 20243
February 20246
March 20240
April 20240
May 20244
June 20242
July 20244
August 20244
September 20241
October 20242
November 20241
December 20241
January 20254
February 20252
March 20251
April 20251
May 20250
June 20252
July 20251
August 20250
September 20251
October 20252
November 20252
December 20251
January 20260
February 20261
March 20263
April 20262
May 20261
June 20261
July 20263
August 20261
September 20260
October 20261
Total74

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.

ProblemComplaintsShareShare ratioStatus
Glass shatters or cracks without impact1520%4.5×BrakeNews flag · First signal: Oct 2023
Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 2.4%
Automatic emergency braking applies without reason68.1%5.4×BrakeNews flag · First signal: Jul 2024
Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 0.6%
Passenger airbag sensor wrongly shows off45.4%34.2×BrakeNews flag · First signal: Mar 2026
Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 2.1%
Vehicle catches fire from wiring45.4%5.4×
Unintended acceleration despite braking45.4%–
Headlights dim or fail at night34.0%–
Check engine light comes on repeatedly34.0%–
Battery drains and dies when parked34.0%–

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 #23V754000November 9, 20234,701 vehicles affected

    power train: driveline: driveshaft

    Subaru 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.

    A 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.

    Remedy

    Dealers 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.

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 2023 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