NHTSA lists 833 complaints for the 2019 Subaru Forester, 37 of them mention a crash and 11 mention a fire. 16 complaints mention an injury, with 21 injuries and 1 deaths reported.
Data build 2026-10-09.
NHTSA lists this vehicle as SUBARU FORESTER.
At a glance
Complaints
833
With crash
37
With fire
11
With injury (complaints)
16
Injuries
21
Deaths
1
Recalls
3
Do not drive recalls
0
Park outside recalls
0
Recall potential units (maximum)
408,271
Investigations
0
Open investigations
0
Manufacturer communications
577
Complaints per 100k sold unavailable. The available sales group does not match this vehicle variant.
Where the complaints are
Top systems
System
Complaints
Share of this vehicle's complaints
VISIBILITY/WIPER
370
44.4%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
144
17.3%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
134
16.1%
ENGINE
106
12.7%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
43
5.2%
POWER TRAIN
38
4.6%
VISIBILITY
38
4.6%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
27
3.2%
STRUCTURE
25
3.0%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
22
2.6%
Top subsystems
System
Subsystem
Complaints
VISIBILITY
WINDSHIELD
33
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
27
STRUCTURE
BODY
25
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
WARNINGS
22
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE
ADAPTIVE CRUISE CONTROL
11
LANE DEPARTURE
WARNING
6
LANE DEPARTURE
ASSIST
5
LANE DEPARTURE
BLIND SPOT DETECTION
4
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
ACCELERATOR PEDAL
4
BACK OVER PREVENTION
WARNINGS
3
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 2018-2019 Subaru Crosstrek, 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid, and 2019 Forester vehicles. The rear stabilizer bracket bolts may loosen and detach.
Consequence: Missing bolts may allow the rear stabilizer bracket to shift, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will retorque and replace any missing bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-21.
Date: 2019-12-02. Systems: ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING.
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Crosstrek, Forester, and Ascent vehicles. The aluminum Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve can separate, allowing the separated components to enter the engine, resulting in a loss of power while driving.
Consequence: An unexpected loss of power while driving can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the PCV valve, free of charge. If the PCV valve has separated and the components cannot be found, the short block engine will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began January 31, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUW-08.
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Forester and Crosstrek vehicles. A connector inside the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) unit may short circuit resulting in a loss of electric power steering assistance.
Consequence: Loss of power steering assist would require higher steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: None of the affected vehicles have been sold yet. Subaru has notified dealers and they will inspect the steering gearbox, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUC-88.
Do not drive: No. Park outside: No.
Investigations
0 investigations; 0 open.
Manufacturer communications
577 manufacturer communications.
Communications by system
System
Count
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
331
EQUIPMENT
215
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
51
POWER TRAIN
49
STRUCTURE
46
ENGINE
42
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
32
EQUIPMENT ADAPTIVE/MOBILITY
27
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.
11037942
Date: 2026-09-28. Type: Other. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, POWER TRAIN.
This announcement provides information on an enhancement of the TechShare CVT diagnostic assitance application.
11037938
Date: 2026-09-18. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.
"This Bulletin announces additional troubleshooting steps for the following DTCs: DTC C1956: RH Actuator Circuit DTC C1957: LH Actuator Circuit"
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.
11037928
Date: 2026-09-14. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
In the interest of customer satisfaction, Subaru of America, Inc. (SOA) is extending the New Car Limited Warranty coverage for the CP1 & Gen 3.1 Head Unit used in the listed models and model years to (8) eight years / 150,000 miles to cover certain qualifying repairs to the infotainment audio system
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.
11037926
Date: 2026-09-10. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, UNKNOWN OR OTHER.
This bulletin announces the service procedures to be followed when encountering instances of water intrusion from the sunroof area.This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
11036824
Date: 2026-08-31. Type: Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions. Systems: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM, STRUCTURE.
This bulletin announces the service procedures to be followed when encountering instances of water intrusion from the sunroof area. 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.