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Owner-Reported Problems · NHTSA

2024 Subaru Forester — Problems & Complaints

NHTSA has 30 owner complaints on file for this vehicle. Every report below was filed by a real owner with the US government's road-safety agency.

30
Complaints
filed with NHTSA
4
Involved a Crash
owner-reported
1
Involved Fire
owner-reported
1
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.

589 complaints

498 complaints

834 complaints

602 complaints

210 complaints

99 complaints

74 complaints

30 complaints

98 complaints

0 complaints

Problem Areas

What Owners Complain About Most

Unknown Or Other 9 reports
Air Bags 7 reports
Visibility/wiper 5 reports
Forward Collision Avoidance 4 reports
Structure 2 reports
Exterior Lighting 2 reports
Wheels 1 report
Engine 1 report
In Their Own Words

Recent Owner Reports

Service Brakes ODI 11632976 12/29/2024

Left the house and at about 1.5 miles while approaching a stop sign the vehicle brakes did not engage even when pushing all the way down. Resulting in a collision that landed in a corn field and jumping over a ditch. Vehicle has not been inspected by a mechanic but will be heading to repair shop soon. Would like to know any information the NHTSA would like to collect during …

Forward Collision Avoidance ODI 11706573 12/22/2025

The eyesight system fails on almost a daily basis. When this happens, multiple safety features shutdown. Lane assist and departure warning stops working. Collision avoidance stops working. Cruise control stops working. Proximity warning alarms stop going off. The local dealership has repeatedly just indicated that this is how it works.

Unknown Or Other ODI 11629256 12/06/2024

While I was driving my brand new car on a wide highway, with no other cars or buildings nearby, the driver's side rear-door window suddenly blew out with a loud "pop," shattering completely. Glass pieces came into the passenger area, and fortunately missed hurting my child who was in her safety seat. Also glass pieces damaged the paint on that side of the car. I was not aware…

Air Bags ODI 11624708 11/12/2024

The contact owns a 2024 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while the passenger’s side front seat was occupied by an 85-pound adult carrying a purse and holding a dog weighing 19 pounds, the air bag warning light was off. The contact stated that the air bag was inoperable. The contact stated that while the passenger’s side front seat was occupied, the air bag warning ligh…

Air Bags ODI 11624744 11/12/2024

The Car is available for Inspection. Front Passenger Side Air Bag. When My Wife Sits in the Front Passenger Seat, The Air Bag indicator Indicates the Air Bag System is Off. This Means My Wife seated in the front passenger seat is not protected by the air bag system, this is un acceptable. This Condition Existed Since the car was new. Current Car Milage is 14,052 11/12/2024.

Same Vehicle

Recalls & Crash Tests

Complaints are one half of the picture — see the official recalls and NHTSA crash-test stars for the 2024 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 2024 Subaru Forester reliable?
Owners have filed 30 safety complaints with NHTSA for the 2024 Subaru Forester, most often about unknown or other. 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.