Your vehicle report
2025 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
- 99
- Received Sep 2024 to Oct 2026
Owner reports
Most reported problems
- 1Glass shatters or cracks without impact13 complaints · 13% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 2Infotainment screen ghost-touches and changes on its own10 complaints · 10% of this vehicle’s complaints
- 3Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline9 complaints · 9.1% of this vehicle’s complaints
Official NHTSA records
Recalls to check
- Recall #26V436000Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid, 2025-2026 Forester Hybrid, Forester, and 2019-2026 Ascent vehicles. These vehicles were manufactured with an incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on the certification label. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 110, "Tire selection and rims."
- Recall #25V419000Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles. The child seat anchor bolts may have been improperly tightened, allowing the bolts to come loose.
BrakeNews signals
Flagged complaint patterns
Unusual complaint patterns with no matched recall yet. A flag does not mean a recall will happen.
- Glass shatters or cracks without impactFirst signal: Feb 2025
- Fuel tank or line leaks gasolineFirst signal: Mar 2026 · Recent surge
- Headlights dim or fail at nightFirst signal: Nov 2024
Complaint counts reflect reports submitted to NHTSA, not failure rates or a reliability ranking. Reported in these complaints: 13 crashes, 2 fires, 7 people injured, 1 death.
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 10 listed problems by system.
Engine & powertrain
Brakes
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
| Month | Complaints |
|---|---|
| September 2024 | 3 |
| October 2024 | 1 |
| November 2024 | 3 |
| December 2024 | 0 |
| January 2025 | 3 |
| February 2025 | 3 |
| March 2025 | 2 |
| April 2025 | 2 |
| May 2025 | 4 |
| June 2025 | 3 |
| July 2025 | 3 |
| August 2025 | 3 |
| September 2025 | 5 |
| October 2025 | 4 |
| November 2025 | 4 |
| December 2025 | 1 |
| January 2026 | 3 |
| February 2026 | 2 |
| March 2026 | 11 |
| April 2026 | 5 |
| May 2026 | 3 |
| June 2026 | 8 |
| July 2026 | 8 |
| August 2026 | 6 |
| September 2026 | 5 |
| October 2026 | 4 |
| Total | 99 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Glass shatters or cracks without impact | 13 | 13% | 4.9× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Feb 2025 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 5.5% |
| Infotainment screen ghost-touches and changes on its own | 10 | 10% | 7.1× | |
| Fuel tank or line leaks gasoline | 9 | 9.1% | 7.8× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Mar 2026 · Recent surge Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 8.5% |
| Headlights dim or fail at night | 8 | 8.1% | 4.5× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: Nov 2024 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 2.4% |
| Side mirrors give poor rear visibility | 6 | 6.1% | 18.9× | BrakeNews flag · First signal: May 2025 Model estimate of a matched recall within 24 months: 1.3% |
| Airbags fail to deploy in crashes | 4 | 4.0% | 2.9× | |
| Automatic emergency braking applies without reason | 4 | 4.0% | 2.4× | |
| Seat belt fails to latch or retract | 3 | 3.0% | 2× | NHTSA recall #25V419000 |
| Unintended acceleration despite braking | 3 | 3.0% | 1.4× | |
| Steering wheel shakes violently at highway speed | 3 | 3.0% | 4.9× |
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 #26V436000July 7, 2026541,237 vehicles affected
equipment: other: labels
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid, 2025-2026 Forester Hybrid, Forester, and 2019-2026 Ascent vehicles. These vehicles were manufactured with an incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on the certification label. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 110, "Tire selection and rims."
An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Subaru will mail a new certification label to owners, free of charge. Owners may also choose to have a dealer install the new label, free of charge. Letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed August 27, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-26.
NHTSA recall #25V419000June 19, 20252,938 vehicles affected
child seat
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles. The child seat anchor bolts may have been improperly tightened, allowing the bolts to come loose.
A loose child seat anchor bolt increases the risk of injury to a child during a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect the child seat anchor bolts and, if necessary, tighten the bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 15, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-25.
NHTSA recall #25V033000January 23, 202520,366 vehicles affected
wheels
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles equipped with 18" aluminum alloy wheels. The wheels may have been manufactured with an incorrectly specified lug seat surface, which can result in the wheel being improperly attached and cause a loss of vehicle stability.
A loss of vehicle stability increases the risk of a crash.
Remedy
Dealers will inspect and replace the wheels, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 28, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRB-25.
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 2025 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