2025 Subaru Forester
The Verdict
The 2025 Subaru Forester has 89 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. The most reported issues are body (47 complaints) and electrical (18 complaints). With a Klunk Score of 76/100, it earns a "Solid Pick" rating. If you're shopping for a Subaru Forester, consider the 2024 model year which has 67% fewer complaints.
Safe Bet
The 2024 has 67% fewer complaints
View the 2024 Subaru Forester dashboard →
Klunk Score: Solid Pick
Fewer complaints than most vehicles. Generally dependable, but check the top problems below.
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 2
Active safety recalls from NHTSA for this vehicle year.
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.
Risk
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 Subar...
Reported Apr 11, 2026
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 s...
Risk
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. ...
Reported Apr 11, 2026
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Under the Hood
Each number is a complaint. Darker = bigger problem.
| Year | Body | Brakes | Electrical | Engine | Transmission |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 37 | 0 | 2 | 18 | 18 |
| 2001 | 61 | 16 | 16 | 26 | 23 |
| 2002 | 30 | 11 | 9 | 28 | 15 |
| 2003 | 67 | 10 | 25 | 81 | 8 |
| 2004 | 42 | 4 | 21 | 145 | 7 |
| 2005 | 43 | 7 | 7 | 31 | 5 |
| 2006 | 40 | 2 | 13 | 29 | 4 |
| 2007 | 25 | 2 | 11 | 26 | 9 |
| 2008 | 27 | 1 | 8 | 12 | 2 |
| 2009 | 49 | 13 | 56 | 47 | 13 |
| 2010 | 119 | 35 | 52 | 49 | 7 |
| 2011 | 24 | 16 | 33 | 70 | 4 |
| 2012 | 27 | 14 | 24 | 35 | 5 |
| 2013 | 20 | 8 | 17 | 26 | 5 |
| 2014 | 191 | 25 | 81 | 79 | 27 |
| 2015 | 205 | 25 | 157 | 168 | 58 |
| 2016 | 115 | 22 | 163 | 73 | 38 |
| 2017 | 243 | 11 | 240 | 56 | 33 |
| 2018 | 264 | 7 | 156 | 46 | 19 |
| 2019 | 560 | 19 | 106 | 120 | 25 |
| 2020 | 403 | 12 | 73 | 86 | 22 |
| 2021 | 136 | 5 | 25 | 34 | 7 |
| 2022 | 56 | 8 | 17 | 12 | 4 |
| 2023 | 43 | 5 | 15 | 8 | 2 |
| 2024 | 18 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 47 | 3 | 18 | 17 | 4 |
By Category
By Severity
Worst Problems
Compare Against
See how the 2025 Subaru Forester stacks up against rivals.
Complaints
Sunroof cracked completely on its own while vehicle was parked. No surface impact, chip, marking or exterior imperfection in the glass was present. There were small air bubbles in the pane mould around the corner where the crack appeared and spread across the pane. Dealership replaced it under factory warranty after Subaru of America approved the claim at no cost at 15,216 miles.
Noticeable noise after oil change and tire rotation that became progressively worse over time. Constant humming/growling noise from the rear that increases in volume and intensity with speed. Noticeable at 40 mph and higher and floor vibration present at highway speed, especially under the dead pedal. Droning propeller sound. Upon inspection, both rear hub bearing units were failing prematurely and were replaced at 29,240 miles at no cost under the factory warranty.
Purchased new 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid Sport on 01 May 2025 (owned 19 months). Approximately 156 DAYS (a little over 5 months) after purchase we began having trouble with an unknown fuel system defect which prevents the vehicle from being refueled, disables our hybrid system, disables safety features such as the vehicles eyesight system, cruise control, and RAB. Vehicle leaking strong gas smell. Issue has been increasing in frequency, occurring more often, and now escalating to leaking fuel all over the side of my car. I took my vehicle to the Subaru service center at the dealership for repairs on: 06 OCTOBER 2025 (~14,700 miles), 22 OCTOBER 2025 (17,394 miles), 09 MARCH 2026 (27,470 miles), 02 JULY 2026 (35,782 miles), 23 JULY 2026 (35,782 miles) To date, Subaru has been unable to identify the direct cause of the problem and replacing the gas cap is a bandaid on the unknown issue.
The harness was missing stitching on one side. They're supposed to be two levels to connect the harness for a smaller child. One side had two levels. The other side it only had one. Safety first is sending me a brand new harness.
Two occurences of rear hatch window shattering spontaneously while vehicle was parked, powered off. No symptoms, warning lamps, or messages were present. First incident, six months after production/purchase, factory-installed window shattered spontaneously while owner was seated in the car, parked, and engine turned off. Second incident, two months later, OEE replacement window shattered while vehicle was parked, powered off, unattended. Currently having third window installed by dealer and submitting report to Subaru of America.
Engine is misfiring, causing in ability to accelerate properly and loads multiple error codes. Upon taking it to the dealership for services, we were told that there is a significant amount of carbon built-up inside the engine. The car has only 6,800 miles on it. The dealership stated that it is an issue that Subaru engineering is aware of but has yet to figure a way to resolve it. The dealership informed us that hybrid engines have had severe carbon build-up on the in-take valves that causes misfiring, loss of power, bucking and stumbling of the engine. Apparently this has been reported all over different on-line forums. The dealer informed us that they would need to order a valve cleaning kit as referenced un service bulletin 02-193-24 and the engine would require walnut blasting. The vehicle was dropped off for service on 7/22 the work was completed, but upon restarting the engine more codes fired up and they stated that the Electronic Communication Module failed and it would now require an escalation to the Subaru Engineers called TechLine, "they now say that the ECM now needs replacement, still misfiring and has become a more complicated issue"
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space, the brake pedal was slightly released to move the vehicle forward; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated, failed to respond upon depression of the brake pedal, and crashed into a brick wall. The impact resulted in damages to the front bumper and caused a body panel to detach. No warning light was illuminated before or after the crash. The air bags did not deploy. There was no property damage, no reported injury, and no Police report was filed. The vehicle was driven to the dealer, where Subaru field technicians inspected the Event Data Recorder (EDR) and informed the contact that no data was recorded. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that data was not logged because the vehicle was traveling at a significantly slow speed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that a previously owned 2021 Subaru Forester had experienced the same failure, which also resulted in a crash, and a Police report was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 1,200.
the gas cap O ring recall was repaired previously by Casey Subaru of Newport News, VA. (I live in [XXX], purchased the vehicle in [XXX] at Ourisman Subaru) I filled my gas tank the night before this leak occurred. I noticed the smell of gasoline in my car at approximately 08 AM on the way to work. It was mild No obvious exterior leak. I drove my 25 commute to Williamsburg, Va. Upon leaving work I noticed a strong smell of gasoline inside the vehicle. Inspection of the exterior revealed an obvious gas leak (the fuel door to the gas cap was not opened at this time). the paint was wet and the paint adjacent to the plastic guard on the bumper side had bubbled due to the leak. The outside temperature was nearing 100 with a heat index of 105. I drove the vehicle to the dealership in Newport News (not aware I should have had it towed due to the leak). It has not been driven since. The fuel door was opened and there was an obvious leak as the well in the gas cap space was wet and the odor of gasoline was very strong. I twisted the gas cap and it did not close any farther. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)
I have been having problems with my 2025 Subaru Forester since I purchased it. It has failed multiple times to alert me of people and cars when I am backing up. I have RCTW on my vehicle .Sometimes it alerts me when there is a car or person is coming behind me ,sometimes it doesn't. I have a video dated June 4th 2026. Three times people walked right behind my car when I was backing up. I almost hit them! I decided to video tape it. The back up camera also doesn't always work and did not go off when I was backing into the curb until I hit it without an alarm going off. The lighting alert system was also messed up because the light was on green until I almost hit the curb. This also happened on June 4th and I have a video. I could have hit a small animal or child or damaged my car. I have brought this to the attention of my Subaru Service department and they claim they can not replicate this problem.This is of great concern for me and I have filed a Lemon Law Case as I am too fearful I will hurt someone or myself because of these issues. In addition to this, my headlights are aimed down at the ground and I live on curvy country roads. Hard to see at night. My service department said Subaru of America would have to approve the adjustment. They never got back to me on this issue. The tech specialist told the service department manager that I had electrical problems with my vehicle as she witnessed the HVAC working improperly. My radio, navigations, phone and sound systems also cause distracted driving. The Radio would blast on high volume randomly . The navigation, phone and radio volume would be blasting without being able to turn this down. There is no way to turn off the radio. If you do, the whole navigations screen won't work. My navigation system is not functioning properly and has blacked out . Subaru has seen my vehicle 6 times for these issues . They claim they can't replicate the problem. My car is sitting in the garage. It is too unsafe to drive.
Rear hatch glass shattered on April 16th while parked in carport after my wife opened the right rear passenger door, had it replaced by Safelite on April 29th, on July 9th while driving it shattered again, Safelite says that this is a Subaru issue, Subaru says they will not warranty a replacement even if they do the replacement since the car does have a rebuilt title. So we can neither use the car nor sell it in good faith if we're just passing a problem and potential danger on to someone else.
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that a few days after the dealer had serviced the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V106000(Fuel System, Gasoline), the contact refueled the vehicle at the gas station. The contact stated that upon entering the store and returning to the vehicle, the contact noticed both a strong fuel odor and fuel leaking from the fuel tank onto the ground. The contact used soap and water to clean up the area. The vehicle was driven and parked outside the residence's garage. The contact stated that if the fuel leak had gone unnoticed, the vehicle would have been parked inside the garage near a water heater's open flame, leading to a catastrophic fire that could have affected both the contact's family and nearby neighbors. The contact attempted to reach the dealer to report the failure, but had not yet received a return call. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and filed a case. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 2,700.
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving into a parking space and applying the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration, surged forward and drove over a parking bump before crashing into the hedges and a lamp post. No injuries were reported. A police report was filed at the scene. The vehicle was later towed to the local collision center. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,920.
Leading up to a windshield replacement, my eyesight cameras that help with adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist kept failing. This feature would turn on and off repeatedly. When I got my windshield replaced, it took longer than expected because of the camera calibration. The microchip(s) inside one of the three cameras was fried and they had to put in a new camera. This failed camera was an original to my car and the justification provided was that "this sometimes happens." For the fuel/propulsion system, I was topping off my car with gas one day when something went very wrong. My fuel tank was just shy of full, and when the gas pump handle tripped to stop pumping gas, a large amount of gasoline came flooding out as I removed the gas pump handle. This was scary and highly concerning because I have never experienced this with any previous vehicle before. The dealership, in cooperation with corporate, identified one other instance of this issue occurring somewhere in the midwest. Their best guess as to what happened is that the air relief valve of my gas tank somehow became blocked and that is what caused the overflow of gasoline. The solution was to turn the air relief valve around from facing the outside of my car to the inside metal frame. July 2026 marks one year since acquiring my car, and these experiences thus far make me question the safety and longterm viability of my car and the Subaru brand. This is ironic, because Subaru's legacy and strong reputation of safety and build quality was my primary incentive for getting one in the first place.
While backing up into a parking space, my wifes car made contact with a dumpster, which started on the drivers side corner of the rear bumper. The backup sensor did not sound until it was too late. This was a low-speed maneuver that normally would allow for enough reaction time. I (husband) tried a similar maneuver when she got home and encountered a delayed backup sensor notification from both the drivers side and passenger side rear corners of the car. We have small children in our neighborhood, and fear this could have been a child.
While driving wth adaptive cruise set to 50mph I attempted to adjusted the setting for distance between us and rage car in front of us. While the car in front of us was maintains a steady speed our Forester started to slow down dramatically to a near stop; pressing the accelerator had no effect on the slow-down. Fortunately there was a new, closed lane next to us so we were able to roll out of traffic into that lane. Brought the car to a complete stop and turned the adaptive cruise off. After testing that the accelerator worked ok, pulled back into traffic. All was well the rest of this trip. This happened again when I tried to increase the distance between our car and the one ahead of us. Same fix…pulled over, shut off adaptive cruise and successfully pulled out into traffic. Lesson learned…leave the distance setting alone when using adaptive cruise….
My new vehicle, with under 4,000 miles, has already suffered multiple chewed wires due to rodents attracted to the soy-based wire coatings used by the manufacturer. This is not a minor inconvenience — it is a serious safety issue. Damaged wiring can cause loss of power steering mid-drive, ABS and braking system malfunctions, airbag deployment failures, engine stalling on highways, and electrical fires — any of which can result in injury or death. The manufacturer knows soy-based coatings attract rodents, the consequences are safety-critical, and proven mitigations exist (capsaicin-infused coatings, hardened sheathing, metal conduit) yet are not implemented from the factory. If vehicles are engineered to withstand foreseeable environmental hazards like water intrusion, heat, and road debris, there is no justification for leaving critical wiring defenseless against a well-documented and predictable threat. A material choice known to invite damage, paired with insufficient physical barriers, is not an external cause — it is a design flaw.
A commercial advertisement for SiriusXM took the entire infotainment screen until I could click the small X to close it. I was driving at about 35 mph on a road (this has happened at least twice since I bought the vehicle). It impacted my safety and others as it covered navigation information which is important to understand easily and quickly in unfamiliar areas. The annoyance and required fine motor skill reduce driver attention on the road and tie up one hand for an unimportant reason.
While driving the head unit was connected to Google automotive with Google maps giving me directions and music through you tube music when a full screen sized ad for Sirius XM took over the entire screen. I could no longer see the map and directions, couldn't use the climate control. The entire screen was locked by this add until I removed my focus from the road to hit the small X icon in the top right corner of the add to close it out. Ads for a product I've never used taking over my entire head unit distracting my driving and following the directions from Google maps is unacceptable and unsafe.
Sirius add pop-up on the infotainment screen, locks you out of the system. Not allowing use of hands free calling, text or climate control. Recurring issue making vehicle unsafe.
The interior of the vehicle is melting. It smells and the seats, sunglasses holder roof and other parts of the interior are seeding/melting. There is something wrong with this vehicle and Subaru will not help me. I have been there twice and contacted their customer advocacy and they will not help me.
89 total