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2023 Subaru Forester

The Verdict

82 Smooth Ride

The 2023 Subaru Forester has 69 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (42 complaints) and electrical (15 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 82/100, it earns a "Smooth Ride" rating. If you're shopping for a Subaru Forester, consider the 2024 model year which has 59% fewer complaints.

Safe Bet

The 2024 has 59% fewer complaints

View the 2024 Subaru Forester dashboard →

82

Klunk Score: Smooth Ride

This vehicle year has significantly fewer complaints than average. A reliable choice.

How is this calculated?

The Klunk Score ranks this vehicle year against all others in our database based on total owner complaints filed with NHTSA. 100 = fewest complaints (top tier), 0 = most complained-about. Scores above 60 are better than average; below 40 means more problems than most.

Recalls 1

Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.

23V754000 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.

Risk

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...

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 se...

Reported Sep 11, 2023

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Under the Hood

Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.

YearBodyBrakesElectricalEngineTransmission
200037021818
20016116162623
2002301192815
2003671025818
2004424211457
20054377315
200640213294
200725211269
20082718122
20094913564713
20101193552497
2011241633704
2012271424355
201320817265
201419125817927
20152052515716757
2016113221607337
2017242112365633
201826471514519
20195601810612025
202040312738122
2021136525347
202254717124
20234231581
2024181810
202542217134

By Category

Body
42
Electrical
15
Engine
8
Brakes
3
Transmission
1

By Severity

1
30
2
29
4
10

Worst Problems

Compare Against

See how the 2023 Subaru Forester stacks up against rivals.

Complaints

Engine 4

Vehicle caught fire after oil change. Oil leaked from engine onto catalytic converter and causes catastrophic engine fire

1mo ago
Body 1

This 2023 windshield can easily be chipped. It has more than 10 visible chips/cracks.

2mo ago
Body 1

My vehicle has experienced repeated stalling events, including while the vehicle is in operation. The first occurrence began at approximately [mileage] and has continued intermittently despite multiple service visits. During these incidents, the vehicle unexpectedly loses power without warning. This creates a serious safety concern, particularly when driving in traffic, as it increases the risk of collision due to sudden loss of acceleration and potential impact on vehicle control. The issue appears to be intermittent and cannot be reliably reproduced. In some instances, a check engine light has appeared in connection with the events. Despite multiple attempts to diagnose and repair the vehicle at an authorized dealership, the problem has not been resolved. I have been informed that prior issues may have been addressed; however, I was also told that the root cause has not been definitively identified, and there is no assurance that the stalling will not occur again. The vehicle has been in service multiple times without a confirmed fix. Despite this, I have also been told that there are “no safety concerns” and that the vehicle is safe to operate. This is concerning given the unresolved and recurring nature of the issue. The vehicle is primarily used to transport my young children, which heightens the urgency of this safety risk.

3mo ago
Electrical 2

This vehicle has died 4 times in one week. when this happens, multiple lights have flashed in the dash board, including the "eye sight" warning. Then, it would not restart but continued to "turn over" when the ignition button was pushed. One instance was on a busy street at a stop light, another at a busy intersection in the inner left turn lane, the other 2 instances were in parking lots. The first 2 times the vehicle was able to be jump started and was not taken to the dealership. The 3rd, it was jump started and taken to the dealership. They said the battery was slightly low, but had sufficient charge. They changed the fob battery, and topped off the car battery. That was all. The next day was the episode where it died in the turn lane. I had it towed to the dealership. This time they changed the battery to a more high capacity battery, and admitted that these vehicles have a battery put in them at the manufacturer that is not strong enough for the systems it runs. I even found a service bulletin about it online, #TSB 07-218-23R. This should be a recall item, and they should have changed this battery at my first visit! A vehicle suddenly dying on a busy roadway puts those inside at risk, as well as everyone around them. Very disappointed in this 2023 Subaru Forester Premium.

3mo ago
Body 1

Eyesight camera randomly turns off and on while driving. Has been consistent over several months pierced to be an ongoing issue that was previously recorded from 20 14–20 21 super Forrester. Very similar issue now with my 2023.

3mo ago
Engine 2

Vehicle suffered a major oil leak at under 60k miles. My low oil light didn’t turn on but I was actually extremely low on oil. The dealer confirmed the issue and had to replace multiple components related to the oil filter, caps, etc. If I hadnt noticed/waited any longer I would have had no oil in my car at all.

4mo ago
Electrical 1

1. The passenger seat air bag turn on mechanism malfunctions in a 2023 Subaru Forester Limited. The seat mechanism can be tested (and has been tested) upon request. 2. An adult that weighs 104lbs is not detected when in the seat, so the air bag is not turned on. 3. The problem has been reproduced by two dealers. 4. No other parties have inspected the car seats or the mechanism. 5. The problem indicator is the status light that shows the air bag as off or on. 6. Testing of the car by the dealer found no problems with the setup of the SRS and seat detection technology. Employees weighing more than the customer getting into the seat turned on the air bag. 7. Testing with the customer reproduced the problem 100% of the time. Testing was done by having the adult get into the seat multiple times after a restart of the vehicle. The air bag light never turned on. 8. The same test was performed with the adult customer using a different Forester. The detection mechanism of the other Forester also failed to detect the customer 100% of the time.

4mo ago
Body 2

see attached

5mo ago
Brakes 2

In three years I've had the Automatic Emergency Braking system engage and almost cause accidents several times. The breaking system engages when it's not needed. Going down a road driving straight at 25 MPH, no obstacles in road and breaks engage. Verry scarry, what if I was going 65 MPH on the highway! Another incident was on an off ramp in a curve, and another making a U-turn. This is not ok!

6mo ago
Electrical 1

Traveling at approximately 45 mph through a green light at a 4-way intersection a car making a right on red turn turned into the outside lane in front of me. I had no warning sounds or automatic braking, to avoid a collision I had to steer to the left after an on coming car passed. There were no chimes or auto braking.I have had several instances similar with no alerts. My eyesight system has been problematic for the life of the car and required many diagnosis and recalibration with many trips to the dealership and no permanent repair. Frequent software updates and days with no eyesight -see manual. Finally had a total eyesight replacement with the assurance this was a long awaited technology all under 60,000 miles. A few months later eyesight malfunctioned again and required another update. Eyesight still remains unresponsive and goes in and out a couple of times a day. The technology is defective and unreliable. Subaru has provided no lasting fix.

8mo ago
Engine 4

Vehicle had just received an oil change at the dealership and the car caught fire. Oil leaked onto the catalytic converter and ignited. Car was a total loss. After my own review, there are several instances of this happening and many customers have experienced similar fires. The oil filter is inverted which makes leaks more susceptible

8mo ago
Body 4

The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 15-20 MPH and attempting to make a right turn into the right lane, the steering wheel failed to respond as needed and pulled to the left direction, causing the vehicle to drive over the dividing lane concrete and hit an unknown object. The contact was able to pull into a driveway partially. The air bags did not deploy. A police officer later informed the contact that the vehicle had hit another vehicle, but the other driver did not sustain injury. Triple A transported both the contact and the contact's sister, who was occupying the front passenger's seat, to the residence, and the vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to an autobody repair shop, where it was being repaired for body damage. A police report was filed. The contact sustained a swollen right foot, knee, and ankle, and the contact received medical assistance at the urgent care center. The contact's sister, who was occupying the front passenger's seat, sustained a heart-related injury and sought medical assistance at the ER. The dealer later informed the contact that several warning lights had flashed on the dealer's connected system. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 15,000.

8mo ago
Electrical 2

Driver and passenger seats are collapsing to the point we are sinking into the seats unevenly and we can feel the hardware in the seats. We have bells that ding intermittently while driving. The dealership stated this is due to the airbag sensors located in the seats. Both seat manufacturer covers are splitting extensively. Due to the defective breakdown/collapsing seats the airbag timing in an accident and deployment in an accident can be affected and/or the airbags could spontaneously deploy. The passenger seat foam and cover was replaced once, vin specific, and is collapsing worse than before. Subaru of America will not acknowledge this defect as it is very expensive and will likely not be a lasting fix as it has happened previously. The seat quality is defective and poses a serious danger to occupants.

8mo ago
Body 1

This complaint is in relation to a 2023 Subaru Forester. The car was purchased new at White River Subaru in White River Junction, VT less than two years ago. Before it reached 30,000 miles the following problem has arisen 1) rusty brakes and pads 2) a wheel bearing had to be replaced 3) a faulty tire pressure gauge. However, must concerning, I noticed greasy film was forming on the inside of the windshield. I took it dealership and was told there was an AC leak in the engine bay. The service shop told me the substance on the windshield was condensation. I do not believe this to be true. The substance created a visible film across the glass, when it did met with condensation and cold it turned a solid milky color with almost no visibility through the windsheild. When touched the film smudgles and has a greasy texture. I am concerned as this has serious health implications.

10mo ago
Body 2

I had been driving for 30 minutes from Mokena towards Rosemont. I was on [XXX] near rosemont when the rear passenger-side window spontaneously shattered without warning. There was a loud pop, and tempered glass collapsed inward into the rear cargo area and passenger footwell. Some of the glass traveling quite far. I did not hear or see any object strike the vehicle, and there is no visible damage or point of impact on the exterior or interior trim. I have also not been able to locate any evidence of an object. All glass remained inside the vehicle, which I have read is consistent with spontaneous failure rather than impact. Safety Concerns: The sudden breakage was extremely loud and could easily startle or distract a driver to cause an accident or injure the driver with glass. I was alone, but this could pose a serious injury risk if a child or passenger had been seated in the back. The volume and distribution of shattered tempered glass throughout the car will require extensive cleanup. While I suppose it could have been object, this appears consistent with a known safety risk involving nickel sulfide inclusion or internal glass stress in tempered automotive windows. Action Taken: I have documented the incident with extensive photographs. I am in contact with Subaru, but they are looking into prices for us to fix that window. I am submitting this report to ensure visibility and support further investigation into whether this issue is occurring in other 2023 Foresters or related Subaru models. If it was an object, then should that be noted as well given it was on a highway. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

12mo ago
Body 2

In driving our 2023 Subaru Forester at 45mph at 10:00 am in the morning, with NO cars in front of us, in back of us, or on either side of us- suddenly the brakes locked up! Had there been anyone behind us, there could have been a dangerous collision. We have owned this car for 2 years, done all maintenance on it, and have NEVER had this happen before. We feel unsafe driving it now. We pulled the car over, got out to look under the car, thinking maybe we hit something in the road...but there was nothing...no warning....we contacted Subaru corporate, was given a Case number, but are still waiting to hear from them.

12mo ago
Body 2

Air leak puncture on my left front tire driver side

13mo ago
Engine 4

Currently suspected that the vehicle battery was installed incorrectly during assembly. Engine fire started at the battery wiring and vehicle was a total liss

14mo ago
Body 2

Windshield developed a crack during a week with wild temperature swings. There was no incident leading up to the development of the crack that would have caused an initial chip or point of failure. The initial crack appeared during the day where the temperature went from the mid-60s to below freezing with precipitation in a matter of hours. Crack was not present in warm AM and appeared during cold PM. It grew (initial crack ended where the scotch tape is) during a day later that week with another wild temperature swings. Clearly a failure in the tempering process and insufficient QA for the component.

16mo ago
Body 2

Front windshield crack came out of no where. No idea ever had a stone or anything connect with windshield.

17mo ago

69 total

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