NHTSA lists 403 complaints for the 2014 Subaru Forester, 48 of them mention a crash and 3 mention a fire. 18 complaints mention an injury, with 28 injuries and 0 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-08.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as SUBARU FORESTER.
At a glance
Complaints
403
With crash
48
With fire
3
With injury (complaints)
18
Injuries
28
Deaths
0
Recalls
2
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
1,303,530
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
637
Complaints per 100k sold: 251.949. Units sold: 159,953; sales year: 2014; basis: calendar_year_us_sales_proxy_for_model_year. goodcarbadcar.net.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
SUSPENSION
94
23.3%
ENGINE
69
17.1%
AIR BAGS
57
14.1%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
44
10.9%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
42
10.4%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
42
10.4%
POWER TRAIN
41
10.2%
SERVICE BRAKES
31
7.7%
STRUCTURE
27
6.7%
STEERING
16
4.0%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
STRUCTURE
BODY
25
AIR BAGS
SENSOR
11
EXTERIOR LIGHTING
BRAKE LIGHTS
3
BACK OVER PREVENTION
CAMERA SYSTEM
1
BACK OVER PREVENTION
SENSING SYSTEM
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
INSTRUMENT PANEL
1
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
WIRING
1
EQUIPMENT
APPLIANCE
1
LANE DEPARTURE
BLIND SPOT DETECTION
1
LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES
HOOD
1
One complaint can name several systems, so shares can add to more than 100 percent.
Confidence is the model's own probability for the label it chose (0 to 1), not accuracy.
Model-generated labels on tagged complaints only. Model years 2013 and newer are tagged in full; 2012 in part (see tagged_share); earlier model years have no tags. NHTSA's own flags remain separate in the complaints block.
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2014-2016 Forester, 2008-2016 Impreza sedans, 2012-2016 Impreza station wagons, 2008-2014 WRX sedans (including STI), and 2013-2017 Crosstrek vehicles. Exposure to certain contaminants may cause the brake light switch to malfunction, preventing the brake lights from illuminating and also preventing keyless ignition vehicles from starting and C (excerpt)
Consequence: Brake lights that do not illuminate properly will not alert other drivers that the vehicle is slowing or stopping, increasing the risk of crash. (excerpt)
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the brake light switch, free of charge. The recall began April 15, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUE-90. (excerpt)
Defect: Subaru is recalling certain model year 2014 Forester vehicles manufactured from January 2013 through March 2013. The backing for the carpeted floor mats was not manufactured to specification. As a result, the floor mats may curl when exposed to heat.
Consequence: Curling of the driver side floor mat could distract the driver and/or interfere with proper operation of one or a combination of, the vehicle's clutch, brake, and accelerator pedals. Brake or accelerator pedal interference may result in very high vehicle speeds and make it difficult to stop the vehicle, which could cause a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace each of the vehicle's four (4) carpeted floor mats with new ones. These services will be performed free of charge. Subaru issued an interim notification during April 2013. Notification that the remedy is now available was mailed to owners on June 5, 2013. Owners may contact Subaru at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's recall campaign number is WQH-44.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
0 investigations; 0 open.
Manufacturer communications
637 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system
System
Count
EQUIPMENT
209
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
153
ENGINE
90
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
67
POWER TRAIN
61
STRUCTURE
45
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
28
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
22
11037943
Date: 2026-10-05. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This announcement provides information on a new software update for the Midtronics Dss and DCA machines.
11037940
Date: 2026-09-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
11037930
Date: 2026-09-15. Type: Other. Systems: UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year Subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
11037927
Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11037929
Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11036807
Date: 2026-08-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or frequent jump-starts.This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11036810
Date: 2026-08-20. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: POWER TRAIN.
This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body. The updated valve body incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11036796
Date: 2026-08-13. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
Date: 2026-08-01. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
This bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. This is an revised version of the original bulletin
Notes on this record
Complaints from the API and bulk file are merged and deduplicated by ODI number; the API alone misses records.
System and subsystem counts are numbers of distinct complaints, recalls or communications that name them. One record can name several systems, so shares across systems can add to more than 100 percent; a single share never exceeds 100 percent.
Recalls are counted once per campaign, investigations once per action and manufacturer communications once per NHTSA id, even when NHTSA lists several model names for the same record.
A sales denominator is a calendar-year proxy, not the population of vehicles still in use. Rates are copied from verified pipeline output.