Subaru Forester Years to Avoid and the Best Years

Years to avoid: 2019 and 2020 At least twice the 164 complaints of a typical Forester year. Most described: a cracked windshield.
Best years: 2016, 2022, and 2023 Under three quarters of the 164 complaints of a typical Forester year since 2016, with no open NHTSA investigation or do-not-drive or park-outside recall.

Based on owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, not adjusted for sales. The 2024 to 2026 models are too new to judge. See every year ranked

Data: US EPA and NHTSAUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Every model year since 2010 in one place: EPA fuel economy, NHTSA recalls, owner complaints and crash test ratings. The best fuel economy rating, 35 mpg combined, arrived in 2025 and has held since. Includes the Forester Hybrid.

Forester problems by year, ranked by owner complaints

How the years are ranked

Model years ranked by owner complaints filed with NHTSA in their first three years (model year Y: filed by the end of Y+2), so every year is measured over the same time on the road. Years without three full years of data, and launch or final years with very few sold, are left out. Counts are not adjusted for how many were sold.

A typical Forester year drew 164 complaints in its first three years: the median of its years since 2016, higher than the median of all its ranked years (84.5). Years to avoid drew at least twice that, and at least 50. Best years are up to three years since 2016 with the fewest complaints, each under three quarters of a typical year since 2016 (164), with no open NHTSA investigation and no do-not-drive or park-outside recall that covers all versions; the 2020 is never picked, as its first three years fell in the pandemic. How the verdict works.

Model year	First 3 years	All complaints	Recalls
2019 Forester Avoid Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	525	834	3
2020 Forester Avoid Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	409	604	0
2017 Forester Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	200	594	1
2018 Forester Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	195	499	3
2015 Forester Most described: suspension part problems	141	617	3
2021 Forester Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	133	215	0
2016 Forester Best Most described: stalling or shutting off	89	416	3
2014 Forester Most described: suspension part problems	80	403	2
2022 Forester Best Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	70	100	1
2023 Forester Best Most described: a cracked or shattered windshield	61	76	1
2010 Forester Most described: rust or corrosion	44	262	17
2012 Forester Most described: excessive oil consumption	27	107	15
2013 Forester Most described: excessive oil consumption	21	78	12
2011 Forester Most described: excessive oil consumption	19	147	16

Compare other models' worst years in the worst model years guide.

Check your Forester for open recalls

Opens NHTSA's lookup in a new tab; your VIN goes to NHTSA, not to us. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard, the door jamb and your registration. Safety recall repairs are free at Subaru dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

How to check a car for recalls, step by step

Get a vehicle history report from EpicVIN (opens in a new tab): a paid report with the car's title, odometer and salvage records, from an approved NMVTIS data provider. Affiliate link: we earn a commission if you buy. If you typed a full VIN above, the link sends it to EpicVIN and opens its checkout page for that VIN. Check the price before you pay: EpicVIN's $1 trial lasts 3 days, then becomes a monthly subscription until you cancel ($49.99 to $99.99 a month on its pages as of Oct 2, 2026). Disclosure

Year by year

Model year	Best rating	Recalls	Complaints	Crash test
2026 MPG · Recalls and problems	35 mpg Hybrid	4	35
2025 MPG · Recalls and problems	35 mpg Hybrid	4	102
2024 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	2	31
2023 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	1	76
2022 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	1	100
2021 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	0	215
2020 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	0	604
2019 MPG · Recalls and problems	29 mpg Gas	3	834
2018 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	3	499
2017 MPG · Recalls and problems	28 mpg Gas	1	594
2016 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Gas	3	416
2015 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Gas	3	617
2014 MPG · Recalls and problems	27 mpg Gas	2	403
2013 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	12	78
2012 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	15	107
2011 MPG · Recalls and problems	23 mpg Gas	16	147
2010 MPG · Recalls and problems	22 mpg Gas	17	262	Not rated

Owner complaints by model year

All complaints filed so far. Counts rise with sales volume and with time on the road, so recent years look better than they may turn out. The highlighted bar is the model year with the most complaints in its first three years.

2019: 834 complaints

Show as a table

Owner complaints by model year, Subaru Forester
Model year	Complaints
2010	262
2011	147
2012	107
2013	78
2014	403
2015	617
2016	416
2017	594
2018	499
2019	834
2020	604
2021	215
2022	100
2023	76
2024	31
2025	102
2026	35

Best combined rating by model year

The best-rated version in each model year. Gas: 22 to 29 mpg (every year from 2010 to 2026); 29 since 2019. Hybrid: 35 mpg (2025 to 2026).

Best gas version
Best hybrid version

2026: gas 29 mpg · hybrid 35 mpg

Show as a table

Subaru Forester best combined mpg by model year
Model year	Best gas version	Best hybrid version
2010	22	–
2011	23	–
2012	23	–
2013	23	–
2014	27	–
2015	27	–
2016	27	–
2017	28	–
2018	28	–
2019	29	–
2020	29	–
2021	29	–
2022	29	–
2023	29	–
2024	29	–
2025	29	35
2026	29	35

Every Forester year's ratings in one table

Comparisons

Questions

Which Subaru Forester years should you avoid?

The 2019 and 2020 Forester are the years to avoid: each drew at least twice the 164 owner complaints of a typical Forester year in its first three years. Owners of the 2019 most often describe a cracked windshield. Complaints can't tell you whether a particular car is sound, so whatever the year, check its open recalls by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy. Safety recall repairs are free at Subaru dealers for vehicles up to 15 years old from first sale.

What are the best Subaru Forester years?

The 2016, 2022, and 2023 Forester are the best years: they drew 89, 70, and 61 owner complaints in their first three years, each under three quarters of the 164 complaints of a typical Forester year since 2016, and none has an open NHTSA investigation or recall telling owners not to drive or to park outside. Only years since 2016 are considered, since owners filed fewer complaints in the early 2010s. The 2024, 2025, and 2026 are not ranked yet: they have had fewer than three full years on the road.

Which Subaru Forester years have the most problems?

Counting owner complaints filed with NHTSA in each model year's first three years, the 2019 (525) drew the most, then the 2020 (409). Owners of the 2019 most often describe a cracked or shattered windshield.

Which Subaru Forester years have the most recalls?

The 2010 has the most safety recalls in NHTSA's file (17), then the 2011 (16). A recall can cover a problem that affects only a few cars, so open a year's page to see what each one covers. Two recalls tell owners not to drive the car or to park it outside until it is repaired: NHTSA 26V-106 (2025 models) and NHTSA 26V-685 (2026 models).

What are the most common Subaru Forester problems?

In the 5,120 owner complaints NHTSA lists for 2010 to 2026 models, owners most often describe a cracked or shattered windshield (1,165 complaints, most of them for the 2019 and 2020); stalling or shutting off (275 complaints); and the airbag warning light or an airbag fault (230 complaints, most of them for the 2015, 2017, and 2018). One complaint can describe several problems. Each year's recalls and problems page lists what owners describe for that year.

Which Subaru Forester year has the best MPG?

The best EPA fuel economy is 35 mpg combined, first reached by the 2025 hybrid version and matched by every year since.

Sources and method

US EPA fuel economy data (fueleconomy.gov), file dated Nov 4, 2026.
NHTSA recall file dated Nov 12, 2026 and owner complaint file dated Nov 11, 2026; NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings.

Complaint counts are unverified owner reports and are not adjusted for sales volume. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.