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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2014 Subaru Forester — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 403 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

403
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
48
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
3
Involved Fire
owner-reported
28
Injuries
across all reports
Years to Avoid

Subaru Forester — Complaints by Model Year

Years flagged AVOID have at least twice this model's average complaint count — the strongest public-data signal of a bad year.

262 complaints

147 complaints

105 complaints

78 complaints

403 complaints

615 complaints

415 complaints

589 complaints

498 complaints

834 complaints

602 complaints

210 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Suspension 94 reports
Engine 69 reports
Air Bags 57 reports
Unknown Or Other 44 reports
Electrical System 42 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 42 reports
Power Train 41 reports
Service Brakes 31 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Engine ODI 11385642 12/30/2020

I HAVE HAD IGNITION PROBLEMS TURNING OFF THE ENGINE AFTER STOPPING ALSO I HAVE TO KEEP PUTTING A QUART OF OIL IN WHEN THE OIL LIGHT COMES ON WHILE DRIVING

Power Train ODI 11385167 12/28/2020

FAILURE OF THE CONTINUOUS VARIABLE TRANSMISSION (CVT) IS A KNOWN AND DANGEROUS DEFECT FOR CERTAIN MODELS OF SUBARUS. SUBARU OF AMERICA ISSUED AN EXTENDED WARRANTY IN 2018 WHICH PARTIALLY ADDRESSED CVT PROBLEMS, BUT FELL SHORT OF A RECALL, WHICH IS WHAT CUSTOMERS DESERVE AND ARE OWED. ADDITIONALLY, THIS EXTENDED WARRANTY ONLY RECOGNIZED PROBLEMS WITH SPECIFIC CVT COMPONENTS, BU…

Unknown Or Other ODI 11291782 12/28/2019

TAILGATE LIFT SUPPORT FAILURES- ON NOV 3, 2019, MY 2014 FORESTER WAS PARKED IN MY DRIVEWAY. I OPENED THE TAILGATE AND ALLOWED MY DOG TO JUMP INTO THE BACK OF THE CAR. WHEN I CLOSED THE TAILGATE THERE WAS A LOUD METAL-ON-METAL CRUNCHING NOISE. I CAREFULLY OPENED THE TAILGATE AND THEN NOTICED THAT THE DRIVER'S SIDE TAILGATE LIFT SUPPORT WAS HANGING DOWN BECAUSE IT HAD SNAPPED O…

Wheels ODI 11056385 12/26/2017

FAILED REAR WHEEL BEARINGS TWICE WITHIN 20,000 MILES. INCREASINGLY LOUD NOISE WHEN IN MOTION.

Unknown Or Other ODI 11561752 12/25/2023

I had 2 accidents with this car. The first was on October 10, 2023. I pulled into a parking space and braked. I move forward a little more and braked again. The car suddenly accelerated and hit 2 vehicles parking across from me. My car was damaged, and one of the cars I hit was badly damaged, and the other had less damage. My 93 year old father was not injured. I had an in…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2014 Subaru Forester, or check your exact car by VIN with the free VIN lookup.

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Problems Checker

Any year, make and model: open the Car Problems Checker. Data: NHTSA (US DOT, public domain), cached up to 7 days.

Questions

FAQ

Is the 2014 Subaru Forester reliable?
Owners have filed 403 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2014 Subaru Forester, most often about suspension. Compare the complaint counts across model years above — a year with far more complaints than the model's average is the strongest 'avoid' signal in public data.
Which Subaru Forester years should I avoid?
The rule of thumb used by analysts: a model year whose complaint count is well above the model's own average (we flag 2× or more) usually had a real manufacturing or design problem — not just noisy reporting. Use the year-by-year strip on this page.
Where do these complaints come from?
Directly from NHTSA, the US government road-safety agency. Any owner can file a Vehicle Owner Questionnaire; NHTSA publishes them as public domain data. We cache each lookup for up to 7 days.
Do complaints mean a recall is coming?
Sometimes. NHTSA opens defect investigations when complaint patterns emerge, and investigations can end in recalls. Check the recalls page for this vehicle to see what has already been recalled.