2025 Subaru Forester Problems, Complaints & Recalls
- Compared with other Forester years
- Fewer complaints than other years 19th of 29 for complaints
- Safety recalls
- 3 recalls: check your VIN
- NHTSA crash rating
- 5 out of 5 stars
Owners have filed 97 complaints with NHTSA about the 2025 Subaru Forester. That ranks 19th out of 29 Forester model years for complaints. The most reported problem area is unknown or other (19 complaints, 20%). Complaints mention 11 crashes, 2 fires, 6 injuries. There are 3 safety recalls covering this model year.
- 97owner complaints
- 3safety recalls
- 0NHTSA investigations
- 11complaints mentioning a crash
Complaints are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume.
Most common 2025 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown or Other | 19 | 20% | — | — | — |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 13 | 13% | — | — | — |
| Visibility/wiper | 13 | 13% | 1,000 | — | — |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 12 | 12% | — | — | — |
| Electrical System | 8 | 8% | 100 | — | — |
| Exterior Lighting | 8 | 8% | — | — | — |
| Visibility | 7 | 7% | 4,000 | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 5 | 5% | 2,800 | — | — |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 5% | 8,060 | — | — |
| Air Bags | 4 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Back Over Prevention | 4 | 4% | 100 | — | — |
| Engine | 4 | 4% | 15,000 | — | — |
| Fuel System, Gasoline | 4 | 4% | 2,725 | — | — |
| Power Train | 4 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Wheels | 4 | 4% | — | — | — |
| Lane Departure | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Seat Belts | 2 | 2% | — | — | — |
| Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Child Seat | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 1 | 1% | 100 | — | — |
| Seats | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Service Brakes, Hydraulic | 1 | 1% | 1,200 | — | — |
| Steering | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Structure | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
| Suspension | 1 | 1% | — | — | — |
One complaint can list several problem areas, so shares can add up to more than 100%.
Complaints by year received
2025 Subaru Forester recalls (3)
Tap a recall to see the problem, the risk and the fix.
Equipment:other:labels
Problem: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid, 2025-2026 Forester Hybrid, Forester, and 2019-2026 Ascent vehicles. These vehicles were manufactured with an incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on the certification label. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 110, "Tire selection and rims."
Risk: An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will mail a new certification label to owners, free of charge. Owners may also choose to have a dealer install the new label, free of charge. Letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed August 27, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-26.
Child seat
Problem: 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.
Fix: 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 Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-25.
Wheels
Problem: 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 surface, which can result in the wheel being improperly attached and cause a loss of vehicle stability.
Risk: A loss of vehicle stability increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: 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. Subaru's number for this recall is WRB-25.
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.
Recent owner reports
Short excerpts of the latest complaints filed with NHTSA, with personal details removed. Full reports can be searched on NHTSA.gov.
On October 7, 2026 at approximately 7:40 PM, the EyeSight system inexplicably stopped working with a warning light notification. Prior to the EyeSight failure, the touchscreen froze completely with subsequent inability to control the climate and other control options. After pulling over and…
I never ride in the back seat and very infrequently have back seat passengers. However, every time I do they all complain about how difficult it is to "buckle up", I never thought much about it until I started visiting my grandkids and would have to buckle them; it is very difficult to access the…
The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while her husband was driving on a road trip at interstate speed with the contact and her daughter inside the vehicle, the vehicle started shaking violently from side to side. The driver pulled over to the side of the road…
I had made a right turn onto an avenue, then crossed another main avenue that breaks up the first avenue, and attempted to continue onto the original avenue. Suddenly, before I could continue to drive down the avenue and complete the maneuver, the pre-collision breaking system activated (I could…
The radio/HVAC system in the 2025 Subaru Forester has a major delay problem which causes the unit to freeze and not accept user input, delay connectivity, and HVAC conteol, and volume comtrol/on/off, etc. This can take up to 90 seconds to work and if already driving, causes unnecessary fiddling…
Other Subaru Forester years
← 2024 Forester · 2026 Forester →
| Year | Complaints | Recalls |
|---|---|---|
| 2026 Forester | 28 | 3 |
| 2025 | 97 | 3 |
| 2024 Forester | 30 | 2 |
| 2023 Forester | 74 | 1 |
| 2022 Forester | 98 | 1 |
| 2021 Forester | 210 | 0 |
| 2020 Forester | 603 | 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 Forester | 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 2025 Subaru Forester?
Owners most often report unknown or other, fuel/propulsion system, visibility/wiper problems. The top one, unknown or other, accounts for 19 complaints.
Was there a recall on the 2025 Subaru Forester?
Yes, 3 safety recalls. Enter your VIN at NHTSA.gov to check whether the repairs were done on your car.
Was the 2025 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 2025 has fewer complaints than most years, and NHTSA rates it 5 out of 5 stars overall in crash tests. Always get a pre-purchase inspection and check the VIN for open recalls.