2020 Subaru Forester Recalls and Problems

NHTSA lists 0 safety recalls and 604 owner complaints for the 2020 Subaru Forester.

Most-described problem: a cracked or shattered windshield (302 complaints, 50%). Most-reported area: visibility/wiper (252 complaints, 42%; median mileage when it happened: 5,000).

Data: NHTSA recall, complaint and investigation filesUpdated Nov 12, 2026

Year to avoidBest year

0 safety recalls for the 2020 Subaru Forester

NHTSA lists no safety recalls for the 2020 Subaru Forester in its recall file dated Nov 12, 2026. Recalls can still be issued later, so check your VIN from time to time.

NHTSA investigations

NHTSA's investigations file, dated Nov 12, 2026, lists no investigations for the 2020 Subaru Forester.

What owners report

Owners have filed 604 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Forester. Below, they are sorted by the problems owners describe and by the areas NHTSA files them under. NHTSA does not verify complaints.

Problems owners describe

• Cracked or shattered windshield302 · 50%
  Median 6,000 miles at failure, from 170 reports with mileage
• Check engine light44 · 7%
• Stalling or shutting off41 · 7%
• Dead battery or battery drain31 · 5%
• Auto start-stop problems25 · 4%
• Won't start18 · 3%
• Driver-assist errors or blocked-sensor messages18 · 3%
• Several warning lights at once14 · 2%

Counted from the complaint text: a complaint counts once for each problem it describes (how we match them). Some complaints describe none of these. Compare other models in the problem owners report most for every model year.

Areas named in complaints

• Visibility/wiper252 · 42%
  Median 5,000 miles at failure, from 140 reports with mileage
• Electrical system103 · 17%
  Median 2,000 miles at failure, from 20 reports with mileage
• Engine82 · 14%
• Visibility49 · 8%
  Most named: windshield (46) · Median 13,200 miles at failure, from 48 reports with mileage
• Forward collision avoidance44 · 7%
  Most named: automatic emergency braking (27); warnings (19)
• Powertrain32 · 5%
• Speed control24 · 4%
  Most named: accelerator pedal (3)
• Unknown or other107 · 18%
  Median 6,000 miles at failure, from 41 reports with mileage

A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%. Mileage is shown where at least 15 owners reported it.

Subaru Forester recalls and complaints by model year

The highlighted bars are the 2020 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 Forester drew the most (525) and the 2020 drew 409.

Crash test ratings

NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.

2020 Forester MPG

Questions