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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2015 Subaru Forester — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 615 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

615
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
53
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
7
Involved Fire
owner-reported
34
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

99 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Engine 131 reports
Air Bags 102 reports
Power Train 95 reports
Electrical System 82 reports
Unknown Or Other 73 reports
Vehicle Speed Control 70 reports
Suspension 66 reports
Fuel/propulsion System 56 reports
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Engine ODI 11292168 12/30/2019

FOR THE PAST FEW WEEKS I HAVE BEEN HAVING MAJOR ISSUES WITH THIS VEHICLE. THE VEHICLE SHAKES AS IF IT IS GOING TO STALL. WHILE ON THE HIGHWAY OR THE STREET THE RPMS AND POWER WILL SUDDENLY DROP AND WHEN I PUSH ON THE ACCELERATOR THE RPM REVS UP TO A 5 OR 6 BUT WITH LITTLE POWER AND THE ENGINE SHAKES FOR THE VEHICLE TO EVEN START MOVING FORWARD. THERE APPEARS TO BE SLIPPAGE AS …

Engine ODI 11057652 12/30/2017

ON TWO OCCASIONS: TRAVELING AT APPROX 65-70MPH THE ENGINE SUDDENLY STALLS AND WE HAVE BEEN FORCED TO STOP ON THE SHOULDER. THE STEERING WORKS, BUT THERE IS NO POWER GOING TO THE ENGINE WHICH EVENTUALLY STALLS. IT STARTS AFTER 2 ATTEMPTS AND THEN DRIVES NORMALLY. FIRST OCCASION, IT WAS RAINING AND THE 'EYESIGHT CAMERAS; WERE ON. AT FIRST WE THOUGHT THIS WAS THE ISSUE. THE SECON…

Air Bags ODI 10669126 12/30/2014

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2015 SUBARU FORESTER. WHILE DRIVING 20 MPH THROUGH A GREEN LIGHT, A VEHICLE CRASHED INTO THE DRIVER SIDE OF THE CONTACT'S VEHICLE. THE AIR BAGS FAILED TO DEPLOY. A POLICE REPORT WAS FILED. THE DRIVER SUSTAINED INJURIES TO THE HEAD AND NECK THAT REQUIRED MEDICAL ATTENTION. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED, BUT THE SPECIFICS WERE UNKNOWN. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTI…

Suspension ODI 11445461 12/29/2021

The contact owns a 2015 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while pulling out of the driveway, he heard an abnormal grinding sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was taken to the dealer who diagnosed that the driver’s side wheel bearing had failed and needed to be replaced. The contact stated that the vehicle was repaired; however, the failure reocc…

Unknown Or Other ODI 10938635 12/29/2016

WHEN STOPPED ON A HILL, WITH ENGINE RUNNING, SHIFT PLACED SECURELY IN PARK, WITH ROAD ICE ON ONE SIDE OF VEHICLE, THE CAR STARTED TO SLIDE DOWN THE HILL, BUT BOTH REAR WHEELS AND DRIVER SIDE FRONT WHEEL WERE TURNING WHILE CAR WAS SLIDING DOWN HILL. IN TESTING THIS, IT WAS REPEATED TWO TIMES, ONCE ON THE SAME HILL, AGAIN ON A DIFFERENT HILL. THIS IS DANGEROUS! IT IS AS THOUG…

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2015 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 2015 Subaru Forester reliable?
Owners have filed 615 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2015 Subaru Forester, most often about engine. 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.