2023 Subaru Forester Problems & Owner Complaints

Unknown Or Other 19 1 crash 1 fire

“Hit a deer the vehicle immediately was on fire and burnt to the ground. It had 3000 miles on it”
NHTSA complaint #11552427, 2023 · crash · fire

“This vehicle has died 4 times in one week. when this happens, multiple lights have flashed in the dash board, including the "eye sight" warning. Then, it would not restart but continued to "turn over" when the ignition button was pushed. One instance was on a busy street at a stop light, another at a busy intersection in the inner left turn lane, the other 2 instances were in parking lots. The first 2 times the vehicle was able to be jump started and was not taken to the dealership. The 3rd, it was jump started and taken to the dealership. They said the battery was slightly low, but had suffic…”
NHTSA complaint #11730548, 2026

“My vehicle has experienced repeated stalling events, including while the vehicle is in operation. The first occurrence began at approximately [mileage] and has continued intermittently despite multiple service visits. During these incidents, the vehicle unexpectedly loses power without warning. This creates a serious safety concern, particularly when driving in traffic, as it increases the risk of collision due to sudden loss of acceleration and potential impact on vehicle control. The issue appears to be intermittent and cannot be reliably reproduced. In some instances, a check engine light h…”
NHTSA complaint #11731400, 2025

Forward Collision Avoidance 13 2 crash 1 fire

“Hit a deer the vehicle immediately was on fire and burnt to the ground. It had 3000 miles on it”
NHTSA complaint #11552427, 2023 · crash · fire

“The contact owned a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle independently accelerated, and the Forward Collision Avoidance system was inoperative, causing the front center of the vehicle to crash into five other vehicles while trying to stop the vehicle. The air bags deployed as needed. No warning lights were illuminated. The vehicle was deemed a total loss at the scene. A Police report was filed. No injuries were sustained, and medical attention was not needed. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was ap…”
NHTSA complaint #11749571, 2026 · crash

“Eyesight collision braking system engaged as I was rolling up my driveway to go into garage. Garage door was rolling up and was about 5 feet off the ground when Anti Collision system engaged and slammed the brakes on. I was going under 1 mph and would not have hit the door. It beeped right before brakes engaged. This is the second time it has engaged when it shouldn't have. The first time was in a right lane, a car about 6 car lengths in front of me was and did turn right as I was driving down the road. It almost caused an accident with the car behind me. The brakes slammed on so hard m…”
NHTSA complaint #11753115, 2026

Visibility/Wiper 11

“Windshield developed a crack during a week with wild temperature swings. There was no incident leading up to the development of the crack that would have caused an initial chip or point of failure. The initial crack appeared during the day where the temperature went from the mid-60s to below freezing with precipitation in a matter of hours. Crack was not present in warm AM and appeared during cold PM. It grew (initial crack ended where the scotch tape is) during a day later that week with another wild temperature swings. Clearly a failure in the tempering process and insufficient QA for the c…”
NHTSA complaint #11649212, 2025

“Rear windshield burst for no apparent reason in car less than one year old while car was stopped at a stop light. Other traffic was also stopped around the car. There was no obvious cause (rock, etc.), plus the rear windshield appeared to shatter as much outward as it did inward. Fortunately car was stopped because it was very startling and could have affected driving. Also fortunately, there was no one in the back who could have been hurt by the glass. Reported it to Subaru, but they denied any coverage under warranty.”
NHTSA complaint #11590835, 2024

“Spontabeus stress crack in windshield in first 1000 miles.”
NHTSA complaint #11571243, 2024

Electrical System 7 1 fire

“Currently suspected that the vehicle battery was installed incorrectly during assembly. Engine fire started at the battery wiring and vehicle was a total liss”
NHTSA complaint #11657516, 2025 · fire

“This vehicle has died 4 times in one week. when this happens, multiple lights have flashed in the dash board, including the "eye sight" warning. Then, it would not restart but continued to "turn over" when the ignition button was pushed. One instance was on a busy street at a stop light, another at a busy intersection in the inner left turn lane, the other 2 instances were in parking lots. The first 2 times the vehicle was able to be jump started and was not taken to the dealership. The 3rd, it was jump started and taken to the dealership. They said the battery was slightly low, but had suffic…”
NHTSA complaint #11730548, 2026

“Traveling at approximately 45 mph through a green light at a 4-way intersection a car making a right on red turn turned into the outside lane in front of me. I had no warning sounds or automatic braking, to avoid a collision I had to steer to the left after an on coming car passed. There were no chimes or auto braking.I have had several instances similar with no alerts. My eyesight system has been problematic for the life of the car and required many diagnosis and recalibration with many trips to the dealership and no permanent repair. Frequent software updates and days with no eyesight -see m…”
NHTSA complaint #11700531, 2025

Air Bags 6 1 crash 1 injury

“The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and the RPMs were significantly high. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact shifted to park(P) and turned off the vehicle, and the vehicle decelerated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed. Additionally, the contact stated while his wife was reversing, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly an…”
NHTSA complaint #11600803, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“1. The passenger seat air bag turn on mechanism malfunctions in a 2023 Subaru Forester Limited. The seat mechanism can be tested (and has been tested) upon request. 2. An adult that weighs 104lbs is not detected when in the seat, so the air bag is not turned on. 3. The problem has been reproduced by two dealers. 4. No other parties have inspected the car seats or the mechanism. 5. The problem indicator is the status light that shows the air bag as off or on. 6. Testing of the car by the dealer found no problems with the setup of the SRS and seat detection technology. Employees weighing more t…”
NHTSA complaint #11722519, 2026

“The front passenger side air bag remains turned off when a 105 pound adult sits in it, but turns on when a 185 pound adult sits in it. Subaru service informs us that it is factory set so that it will not deploy when a child is in the seat and cannot be adjusted. This puts any small adult or teenager sits in the front passenger seat.”
NHTSA complaint #11628405, 2024

Engine 5 1 crash 3 fire

“Vehicle caught fire after oil change. Oil leaked from engine onto catalytic converter and causes catastrophic engine fire”
NHTSA complaint #11743185, 2025 · fire

“Vehicle had just received an oil change at the dealership and the car caught fire. Oil leaked onto the catalytic converter and ignited. Car was a total loss. After my own review, there are several instances of this happening and many customers have experienced similar fires. The oil filter is inverted which makes leaks more susceptible”
NHTSA complaint #11698669, 2025 · fire

“Currently suspected that the vehicle battery was installed incorrectly during assembly. Engine fire started at the battery wiring and vehicle was a total liss”
NHTSA complaint #11657516, 2025 · fire

Lane Departure 5 1 crash 1 injury

“I was driving on a two lane highway in the mountains and came around a small right-veering turn in the road. I straightened out the wheel to resume traveling straight, and my car’s auto-steer kicked in and pulled left into the center divider, and then right across two lanes and crashed into the side of the mountain. The auto-steer has pulled me out of lanes prior to this incident as well.”
NHTSA complaint #11625984, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“Eyesight camera randomly turns off and on while driving. Has been consistent over several months pierced to be an ongoing issue that was previously recorded from 20 14–20 21 super Forrester. Very similar issue now with my 2023.”
NHTSA complaint #11727556, 2025

“The check engine light and a flashing 'S' and other lights stating the safety features such as Eyesight, lane departure, RAB, etc. are turned off. This started on 1/15/25, and I took the car to the dealership on 1/16/25. The dealership stated the EVap System Leak Detection Pump sensor indicated a leak, and the EvaporateLeak Check Module needs to be replaced but is back-ordered until mid-March 2025. They turned off all the lights and told me I could keep driving the vehicle. On 1/20/25, all of the lights were back on. The car lags to accelerate and is using gas at a rapid rate. I feel unsafe dr…”
NHTSA complaint #11638318, 2025

Vehicle Speed Control 5 3 crash 2 injury

“The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 65 MPH, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly and the RPMs were significantly high. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle failed to respond. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact shifted to park(P) and turned off the vehicle, and the vehicle decelerated. The contact was able to pull to the side of the road. The contact stated that upon restarting the vehicle, the vehicle operated as needed. Additionally, the contact stated while his wife was reversing, the vehicle accelerated unintendedly an…”
NHTSA complaint #11600803, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while in a parking lot, the contact depressed the brake pedal and attempted to shift into gear and the vehicle accelerated inadvertently, jumped a curb, and crashed into a tree. The contact was able to put the vehicle in reverse; however, while the contact’s foot was on the brake pedal, the vehicle accelerated backward independently. The contact was treated by a local urgent care for whiplash. No one else was involved in the crash. The Police were dispatched to the scene however, no Police report was filed. The contact had the ve…”
NHTSA complaint #11590008, 2024 · crash · 1 injury(ies)

“The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, and drove over a concrete curb and uphill toward a building. The contact quickly made a right turn, however, the fender and driver's side of the vehicle crashed into the edge of the building and scraped it. The vehicle then drove downhill through the grass and stopped on a sidewalk. The air bags did not deploy. The contact did not recall whether a warning light was illuminated. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was file…”
NHTSA complaint #11513387, 2023 · crash

Exterior Lighting 4

“I see black/gray spots on the headlights and sometimes I cannot detect if it is something in the road. Especially if it is raining. I called today for my maintenance and I am going to address this. Another issue that scared me to death. I was backing out of my garage, I was clear to continue backing but it kept beeping. Again I checked and nothing there, I began to continue and all of a sudden the car braked on its on hard. It was so alarming. I’m glad I was not in traffic. I am addressing this as well at my dealership. Another issue, I am feeling a hesitation when I accelerate, like it is n…”
NHTSA complaint #11611294, 2024

“Factory installed headlights are dangerous as the low beam has a black line approximately halfway in the field of vision. Subaru states this is to keep from blinding oncoming vehicles. Driving in town not too bad, however in rural mountain areas with winding roads the headlights do not provide necessary lighting causing driving to be extremely dangerous. Low beams should not blind oncoming traffic. Dealer states these "projection" headlights cannot be replaced with traditional headlights. Complaint filed with Subaru who inform they can't take any action; however state in voice mail that "altho…”
NHTSA complaint #11641177, 2023

“The low beam headlights project a light field which has distracting dark spots within the field. When turning the car the dark spots move as the headlight field moves and appear to be an animal or unknown object in the field of vision. We asked the Subaru dealer for a different type of headlight. The dealer said Subaru has no other options for headlights. We were not told about this feature when we purchased the car. And we did not test drive the car at night. The dark spots are dangerously distracting as a driver is trained to alert when an object is in front of the car. If a driver swer…”
NHTSA complaint #11540943, 2023

Power Train 4

“Tires are wearing badly on the inside edge only. Suspension and drive train components make noise during normal operation.”
NHTSA complaint #11751388, 2025

“The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while at a stop light, the brake pedal was released, but the vehicle failed to move. The accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle jolted forward. The contact was able to drive to a parking lot. After shifting to drive, the vehicle unexpectedly reversed. While in reverse, the vehicle would shift to drive erroneously. The vehicle jolted forward. The vehicle was shaking, jerking, and skipping gear. The engine and oil warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Th…”
NHTSA complaint #11610406, 2024

“I checked on KBB.com and my car came up as having a recall for the drive shaft. The NHTSA Campaign ID - 23V754000 and when I called my dealership about it, I am being told that there is no recall. This is a serious issue and I am seriously concerned.,”
NHTSA complaint #11608272, 2024

Service Brakes 4 1 crash 1 fire

“Hit a deer the vehicle immediately was on fire and burnt to the ground. It had 3000 miles on it”
NHTSA complaint #11552427, 2023 · crash · fire

“Eyesight collision braking system engaged as I was rolling up my driveway to go into garage. Garage door was rolling up and was about 5 feet off the ground when Anti Collision system engaged and slammed the brakes on. I was going under 1 mph and would not have hit the door. It beeped right before brakes engaged. This is the second time it has engaged when it shouldn't have. The first time was in a right lane, a car about 6 car lengths in front of me was and did turn right as I was driving down the road. It almost caused an accident with the car behind me. The brakes slammed on so hard m…”
NHTSA complaint #11753115, 2026

“In three years I've had the Automatic Emergency Braking system engage and almost cause accidents several times. The breaking system engages when it's not needed. Going down a road driving straight at 25 MPH, no obstacles in road and breaks engage. Verry scarry, what if I was going 65 MPH on the highway! Another incident was on an off ramp in a curve, and another making a U-turn. This is not ok!”
NHTSA complaint #11706572, 2025

Seats 3

“The front passenger seat and the seat belt attached to that seat suddenly started making creaking noises as if the seatbelt or the seat itself are not properly secured whenever a passenger is sitting and seatbelt fastened while the vehicle is moving (no noise exists when the seat is empty). The noise is loudest and most prevalent when the weight of the passenger is lower, when outside temperature is cooler, when the vehicle is driven on roads that are not smooth, when the vehicle breaks and is going uphill. The vehicle has not been in any accidents and the noise appeared suddenly without any…”
NHTSA complaint #11617947, 2024

“Driver and passenger seats are collapsing to the point we are sinking into the seats unevenly and we can feel the hardware in the seats. We have bells that ding intermittently while driving. The dealership stated this is due to the airbag sensors located in the seats. Both seat manufacturer covers are splitting extensively. Due to the defective breakdown/collapsing seats the airbag timing in an accident and deployment in an accident can be affected and/or the airbags could spontaneously deploy. The passenger seat foam and cover was replaced once, vin specific, and is collapsing worse than befo…”
NHTSA complaint #11695008, 2023

“I purchased a new Subaru Forester on February 3, 2023 from Cross Creek Subaru in Fayetteville NC. I noticed that the passenger air bag was off at times with my wife in the passenger seat. I made an appointment to have this fixed, The air bag was always on for her in my F150, Honda CRV and all the other cars we have owned. When I took it in they put some weights on the seat, hooked up to a computer and said that the seat was measuring the weight properly. The air bag was still on some time and off some time with no obvious reason for the difference. The dealer could not find any infor…”
NHTSA complaint #11518701, 2023

Structure 3

“2023 Subaru Forester, consumer is concerned that the Blind Spot Monitoring System and Dashboard Display are safety hazards and what changes can be made.”
NHTSA complaint #11522191, 2023

“Door garnish panel (Part Number 91112SJ570) came loose within about 2 weeks of delivery of the new vehicle. The date of the incident is uncertain as the missing part was discovered after the event. The missing part is not available as it was not clear when or where the part fell off the vehicle. The vehicle has been shown to a service centre at Subaru Serramonte who confirmed the part number of the missing part. No investigation was offered as the missing part was not available. No lamps, messages or symptoms alerted the problem.”
NHTSA complaint #11515459, 2023

Suspension 3

“Tires are wearing badly on the inside edge only. Suspension and drive train components make noise during normal operation.”
NHTSA complaint #11751388, 2025

“I checked on KBB.com and my car came up as having a recall for the drive shaft. The NHTSA Campaign ID - 23V754000 and when I called my dealership about it, I am being told that there is no recall. This is a serious issue and I am seriously concerned.,”
NHTSA complaint #11608272, 2024

“Both front control arm outer bushings failed. At 21,000 miles, both bushings were found to be almost completely torn. They were torn around both the inner and outer portions of their respective sleeves. Rubber was found to be heavily worn and appear to be possibly dry rotted as well, with many surface cracks. The rubber was found to be no longer fully adhered to the outer portion of the sleeve. The control arms had a lot of play, both up and down, and left and right, causing the vehicle to drive erratically, especially on wet or uneven roadways. Vehicle also exhibited a lot of body roll. Furt…”
NHTSA complaint #11563645, 2023

Fuel/Propulsion System 2

“Vehicle suffered a major oil leak at under 60k miles. My low oil light didn’t turn on but I was actually extremely low on oil. The dealer confirmed the issue and had to replace multiple components related to the oil filter, caps, etc. If I hadnt noticed/waited any longer I would have had no oil in my car at all.”
NHTSA complaint #11725947, 2026

“The check engine light and a flashing 'S' and other lights stating the safety features such as Eyesight, lane departure, RAB, etc. are turned off. This started on 1/15/25, and I took the car to the dealership on 1/16/25. The dealership stated the EVap System Leak Detection Pump sensor indicated a leak, and the EvaporateLeak Check Module needs to be replaced but is back-ordered until mid-March 2025. They turned off all the lights and told me I could keep driving the vehicle. On 1/20/25, all of the lights were back on. The car lags to accelerate and is using gas at a rapid rate. I feel unsafe dr…”
NHTSA complaint #11638318, 2025

Tires 2

Back Over Prevention 1

“Subaru Infotainment system frozen I've been experiencing an issue where the screen suddenly freezes and emits a loud beeping sound. I've tried restarting and resetting to factory settings multiple times, but the issue persists. The situation is worsening; my infotainment system has been unusable for a couple of days now, which means my backup camera is also not functioning. My friend mentioned that I could report this to the NHTSA, as it directly relates to safety concerns.”
NHTSA complaint #11596928, 2023

Engine And Engine Cooling 1

“The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while at a stop light, the brake pedal was released, but the vehicle failed to move. The accelerator pedal was depressed, and the vehicle jolted forward. The contact was able to drive to a parking lot. After shifting to drive, the vehicle unexpectedly reversed. While in reverse, the vehicle would shift to drive erroneously. The vehicle jolted forward. The vehicle was shaking, jerking, and skipping gear. The engine and oil warning lights were illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Th…”
NHTSA complaint #11610406, 2024

Seat Belts 1

“The front passenger seat and the seat belt attached to that seat suddenly started making creaking noises as if the seatbelt or the seat itself are not properly secured whenever a passenger is sitting and seatbelt fastened while the vehicle is moving (no noise exists when the seat is empty). The noise is loudest and most prevalent when the weight of the passenger is lower, when outside temperature is cooler, when the vehicle is driven on roads that are not smooth, when the vehicle breaks and is going uphill. The vehicle has not been in any accidents and the noise appeared suddenly without any…”
NHTSA complaint #11617947, 2024

Steering 1 1 crash 2 injury

“The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 15-20 MPH and attempting to make a right turn into the right lane, the steering wheel failed to respond as needed and pulled to the left direction, causing the vehicle to drive over the dividing lane concrete and hit an unknown object. The contact was able to pull into a driveway partially. The air bags did not deploy. A police officer later informed the contact that the vehicle had hit another vehicle, but the other driver did not sustain injury. Triple A transported both the contact and the contact's sister, w…”
NHTSA complaint #11696075, 2025 · crash · 2 injury(ies)

Visibility 1

“The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, she noticed that a pea-sized stone had struck the front windshield and caused a crack. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 1,999. The VIN was not available.”
NHTSA complaint #11548480, 2023