Subaru Forester Years to Avoid — and the Years to Buy
Every Subaru Forester model year from 1998 to 2026, benchmarked against each other with 8,672 federal complaints, 44 recall campaigns, and the odometer readings owners put in their reports.
Avoid: 2014–2020. These years top the Forester's complaint rankings by volume and severity.
Safer bets: 1998–2000, 2002, 2005–2008, 2012–2013, 2022 — the quietest years with at least four years on the road.
The trouble strip
One cell per model year. The whole answer in one glance — click any year for the full report.
The defining problem
Visibility & wipers tops the Subaru Forester file with 1,173 complaints, concentrated in the 2019–2020 model years, most often reported around 20,000 miles. The year pages break down what fails and when.
Every year, ranked
| Year | Verdict | Complaints | Recalls | Top problem | Trouble index |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Few reports | 18 | 3 | — | 1 |
| 2025 | Too early to call | 121 | 3 | Driver assistance | 15 |
| 2024 | Too early to call | 38 | 2 | — | 4 |
| 2023 | Typical | 111 | 1 | Driver assistance | 13 |
| 2022 | Better year | 137 | 1 | Visibility & wipers | 15 |
| 2021 | Typical | 285 | 0 | Visibility & wipers | 30 |
| 2020 | Avoid | 802 | 0 | Visibility & wipers | 74 |
| 2019 | Avoid | 1,084 | 3 | Visibility & wipers | 100 |
| 2018 | Avoid | 675 | 3 | Visibility & wipers | 60 |
| 2017 | Avoid | 792 | 1 | Airbags | 76 |
| 2016 | Avoid | 615 | 3 | Airbags | 66 |
| 2015 | Avoid | 897 | 3 | Engine | 92 |
| 2014 | Avoid | 576 | 2 | Suspension | 63 |
| 2013 | Better year | 94 | 12 | Engine | 13 |
| 2012 | Better year | 140 | 15 | Engine | 18 |
| 2011 | Typical | 195 | 16 | Engine | 23 |
| 2010 | Typical | 307 | 17 | Seats & interior | 31 |
| 2009 | Typical | 228 | 18 | Airbags | 24 |
| 2008 | Better year | 67 | 1 | Suspension | 8 |
| 2007 | Better year | 89 | 1 | Engine | 10 |
| 2006 | Better year | 121 | 2 | Engine | 16 |
| 2005 | Better year | 105 | 1 | Fuel system | 14 |
| 2004 | Typical | 270 | 2 | Fuel system | 26 |
| 2003 | Typical | 238 | 3 | Fuel system | 29 |
| 2002 | Better year | 109 | 1 | Speed control | 15 |
| 2001 | Typical | 169 | 0 | Speed control | 26 |
| 2000 | Better year | 95 | 0 | Transmission & drivetrain | 9 |
| 1999 | Better year | 156 | 1 | Transmission & drivetrain | 14 |
| 1998 | Better year | 138 | 1 | Transmission & drivetrain | 14 |
Questions buyers ask
What Subaru Forester years should I avoid?
Federal complaint records point to 2014–2020 as the Subaru Forester years to avoid — they drew the highest volume of serious complaints relative to the model's other years.
What is the most common Subaru Forester problem?
Visibility & wipers tops the Subaru Forester file with 1,173 complaints, concentrated in the 2019–2020 model years, most often reported around 20,000 miles.
What are the best Subaru Forester years to buy used?
The quietest Subaru Forester years in federal records are 1998–2000, 2002, 2005–2008, 2012–2013, 2022 — each with at least four years on the road and well-below-average complaint volume for this model.
Every number on this page is a count of records in the federal complaint, recall, and investigation files published by NHTSA's Office of Defects Investigation. Counts cover the Subaru Forester only, scored against this model's own worst year — not against other models. Check any specific vehicle's open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.