2008 Subaru Forester Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Forester years
- Far fewer complaints than other years 27th of 29 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 1 recall: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- Not rated
Owners have filed 50 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Subaru Forester. That ranks 27th out of 29 Forester model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is suspension (11 complaints, 22%), typically at around 136,000 miles. Complaints mention 5 crashes, 3 fires, 5 injuries. There is 1 safety recall covering this model year. NHTSA has opened 1 defect investigation involving it.
- 50owner complaints
- 1safety recalls
- 1NHTSA investigations
- 5complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2008 Subaru Forester problems
Complaints grouped by the part of the car owners reported, with the median mileage when the problem happened.
| Problem area | Complaints | Share | Median miles | Owners mention most | Typical repair cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suspension | 11 | 22% | 136,000 | — | — |
| Engine | 7 | 14% | 113,000 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 6 | 12% | 81,500 | — | — |
| Unknown or Other | 6 | 12% | 111,642 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 6 | 12% | 27,094 | — | — |
| Electrical System | 5 | 10% | 90,000 | — | — |
| Steering | 4 | 8% | 32,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 3 | 6% | 67,000 | — | — |
| Engine and Engine Cooling | 2 | 4% | 53,800 | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Power Train | 2 | 4% | 130,821 | — | — |
| Seats | 2 | 4% | 73,350 | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Equipment | 1 | 2% | 2,000 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 2% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Electric | 1 | 2% | 608 | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 2% | 608 | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 2% | 56,000 | — | — |
| Tires | 1 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Traction Control System | 1 | 2% | 47,600 | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 1 | 2% | 50,000 | — | — |
| Wheels | 1 | 2% | 70,000 | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2008 Subaru Forester recalls (1)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Suspension:front:control arm:lower arm
Problem: Subaru is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 impreza, model year 2003-2008 forester, and model year 2005-2006 saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured from september 5, 2000 through november 26, 2007 originally sold, or currently registered in, massachusetts, maryland, michigan, new hampshire, new york, pennsylvania, vermont, wisconsin, connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, maine, minnesota, missouri, new jersey, ohio, rhode island, west virginia and the district of columbia. The front lower control arms may break at the hanger brackets due to corrosion if the hanger bracket is exposed to salty and humid environments such as roads containing snow melting agent.
Risk: A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will handle their vehicles and saab will handle theirs. Dealers will inspect the degree of corrosion of the front lower control arms, and will either rustproof or replace them. This service will be performed free of charge. The safety recall is expected to begin during december 2011. Owners may contact subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Owners may contact saab at 1-800-955-9007.
To see whether a specific car still has an open recall, enter its VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup. You can also decode a VIN here.
NHTSA defect investigations
- Front suspension control arm failure (PE11011) — opened Apr 7, 2011, closed Sep 23, 2011, led to recall 11V464000.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
Engine overheating and causing multiple problems
The contact owns a 2008 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving at approximately 5 MPH, the transmission control valve detached. No warning light was illuminated. The contact did research and was made aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 11V464000 (Suspension) however, the VIN was not…
The contact owns a 2008 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at various speeds, there was a clanking and knocking sound coming from the front end of the vehicle. The vehicle was examined by an independent mechanic who discovered severe subframe rust and corrosion. The vehicle was…
The airbag on driverâs side deployed (malfunctioned)without incident while parked in my garage. It is currently at local Subaru dealer. Mechanics cannot determine what caused the malfunction. An engineer from Corporate Subaru inspected. Another team of engineers from Corporate is going to conduct…
The contact owns a 2008 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 35 MPH, there was an abnormal clanking noise coming from the steering wheel. Additionally, the steering wheel became loose without warning. The contact pulled over and upon inspection, the front lower control arm had…
Other Subaru Forester years
← 2007 Forester · 2009 Forester →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Forester | 28 | 3 |
| 2025 Forester | 97 | 3 |
| 2024 Forester | 30 | 2 |
| 2023 Forester | 74 | 1 |
| 2022 Forester | 98 | 1 |
| 2021 Forester | 210 | 0 |
| 2020 Forester | 602 | 0 |
| 2019 Forester | 834 | 3 |
| 2018 Forester | 498 | 3 |
| 2017 Forester | 590 | 1 |
| 2016 Forester | 415 | 3 |
| 2015 Forester | 615 | 3 |
| 2014 Forester | 403 | 2 |
| 2013 Forester | 78 | 12 |
| 2012 Forester | 105 | 15 |
| 2011 Forester | 147 | 16 |
| 2010 Forester | 262 | 17 |
| 2009 Forester | 178 | 17 |
| 2008 | 50 | 1 |
| 2007 Forester | 74 | 1 |
| 2006 Forester | 88 | 2 |
| 2005 Forester | 93 | 1 |
| 2004 Forester | 219 | 2 |
| 2003 Forester | 189 | 3 |
| 2002 Forester | 88 | 1 |
| 2001 Forester | 139 | 0 |
| 2000 Forester | 75 | 0 |
| 1999 Forester | 131 | 1 |
| 1998 Forester | 101 | 1 |
See all Subaru Forester problems by year, every Subaru model, or the Subaru VIN decoder.
Similar Subaru models
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Frequently asked questions
What are the most common problems with the 2008 Subaru Forester?
Owners most often report suspension, engine, air bags problems. The top one, suspension, accounts for 11 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2008 Subaru Forester?
Yes, 1 safety recall. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2008 Subaru Forester a good year?
Complaint data can't fully answer that, because counts aren't adjusted for sales. Compared with other Forester model years, the 2008 has far fewer complaints than most years. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.