219 of the
8,703 complaints filed about the Subaru Forester
are about the body and structure —
3% of everything owners reported.
The worst model year for it is 2014.
Sunroof cracked completely on its own while vehicle was parked. No surface impact, chip, marking or exterior imperfection in the glass was present. There were small air bubbles in the pane mould around the corner where the crack appeared and spread across the pane. Dealership replaced it under factory warranty after Subaru of America approved the claim at no cost at 15,216 miles.
NHTSA complaint #11757614 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While driving my grandbaby home I was unable to avoid hitting a deer when it ran into the road. Neither the automatic braking nor the airbags deployed when I hit the deer at the front left side. It destroyed the headlight and damaged the fender and quarterpanel lightly and slightly bent the hood. I was able to pull over safely. When I got out to look at the damage, I could not open the hood but I could see a small flame on the passsenger side of the engine (this would be on the other side of the engine from where I hit the deer.) I grabbed a fire extinguisher from the back of my car but could not get the fire out. I got my grandbaby out safely at that point. Another driver stopped and tried to get the fire out with his fire extinguisher but to no avail. We called 911 and the fire department promptly got there. By then the entire car was in flames. The fire dept put out the car and nearby weeds that were burning. Besides the safety equipment not working, what concerns me most is that a minor accident caused the entire car to become engulfed in flames within 3-4 minutes. I had enough time to get myself and my grandson out but not his carseat base or diaperbag. The car was burnt down to the frame.
NHTSA complaint #11757169 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was parking at the dentist office in their parking lot going slow, turned into a parking space and thought i was slowly braking but my car lunged forward and hit a tree. I would normally be minimally braking, so I'm not sure what happened but it was sudden. I could have hit the gas pedal but i would have pressed it a lot I think for the sudden lunge to happen.
NHTSA complaint #11750125 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Subaru part # 63269SG002 "hatch lift support / stay tailgate (rear gate, right)". Pin that attaches hydraulic lift to rear tailgate snapped in half when closing trunk - available for inspection. Lift extended fully, preventing closure of rear tailgate. Failure left tailgate solely held up with (1) remaining lift which could not fully support weight, letting door sag/droop and causing injury to scalp of (1) person. A 4 year old child was not injured, but was present - safety was at risk based on proximity to the door at the time of failure. Dealer advised no active recalls open on vehicle 5/26/26. Manufacturer does appear to have issued service bulletin 12-289-20 in 2020 providing warranty extension for this component. Component was not inspected. No warnings or symptoms were observed - corrosion noted on attachment point of life gate after removal.
NHTSA complaint #11740025 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I was driving around the city at about 25mph and the hood flew open, almost entirely blocking my view out the front of the car. I was able to pull off into a parking lot and reclose the hood and get home. A couple of days later, I set out on a longer road trip and I carefully checked that the hood was closed securely, even texting my partner about it when I checked. 3 or 4 hours into the drive, while going 65mph on the interstate, the hood flew open again, shattering through the windshield. Thankfully I was able to avoid any collisions and pull over to the side of the road, but the windshield, hood, fenders, sunroof, and some interior pieces (rearview mirror, console on the roof) were dislodged. My passenger and I could easily have been killed.
NHTSA complaint #11728312 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that upon opening the tailgate, the tailgate quickly fell unintendedly and struck the contact's head while the contact was retrieving items from the trunk. The contact sustained head soreness but had not received medical attention. The contact stated that the failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed, and determined that the tailgate sending unit needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired due to the cost. The failure mileage was approximately 85,000. The VIN was not available.
NHTSA complaint #11720656 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The exterior B-pillar trim on my 2022 Subaru Forester (passenger side) has warped, bubbled, and lifted away from the vehicle. At approximately 24,700 miles, the trim began deforming significantly, with visible bubbling and separation at the top edge. The dealer inspected it and recommended replacing the entire window panel assembly, stating it is not covered under warranty. I am concerned that the loose and distorted trim could detach while driving, especially at highway speeds, creating a hazard for me and other drivers. The damage also affects visibility around the door frame and may compromise the door and window sealing. Subaru of America declined to cover the repair, and I believe this may be a material or manufacturing defect that could impact other owners.
NHTSA complaint #11703066 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Liftgate arm (or support) broke while the liftgate was in the raised position, and the liftgate came crashing down to the closed position, while my sister-in-law was very close by. I believe a serious injury could have resulted if someone had been under the liftgate at the time. We also own a 2016 Forester, and I now expect to replace the liftgate supports as a matter of safety and peace of mind. From what I see, checking the liftgate supports is not on the maintenance schedule. I assume other SUVs are also subject to this issue.
NHTSA complaint #11689673 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
The rear door hinges do not open fully and it is easy to hit your head. I hit my head unloading groceries, and my boyfriend did as well. It is dangerous.
NHTSA complaint #11683876 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
In May 2025, I had the passenger-side mirror on my 2019 Subaru Forester replaced at a licensed Subaru dealership. I was told the replacement part would be factory-original and matched to the vehicle’s VIN, which specifies a dark metallic grey exterior. After the repair was completed, I noticed that the mirror casing was the wrong color — a visibly lighter grey than the rest of the car. While the mirror is functional and undamaged, the color mismatch may affect how other drivers perceive the vehicle, especially during lane changes or turns. In certain lighting or weather conditions, the inconsistency could potentially cause confusion or misinterpretation of the car’s shape or position. The dealership acknowledged that the wrong part color was used based on my VIN, but refused to replace it without full repayment. There were no warning lights or error messages associated with the issue. The part is still installed on the vehicle and available for inspection. I am reporting this as a consumer concern regarding improper VIN-matched component replacement, which may pose a minor but notable risk to the awareness and safety of other drivers.
NHTSA complaint #11664785 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
While I was driving to work, with Cruise control set at 65, I hit a deer head on. All airbags deployed and engine ceased and I was able to brake car to a stop on the shoulder of the road. Within minutes, the engine erupted in fire and thankfully I wasn't trapped inside and was able to get out, because by the time I got 4-500 feet from the car, it had been totally engulfed in flames. From the time I hit the deer to the fire starting was less than 10 minutes. Fire truck wasn't even on scene yet and I was still speaking with highway patrol on the phone. If I had been trapped or the vehicle had rolled i wouldn't be here today. It was that quick.
NHTSA complaint #11651125 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
I opened the back hatch of my 2024 Subaru Forester to retrieve an item. I then pressed the button to close the hatch. It was an extremely windy day and right when I pressed the button to close the hatch an empty grocery bag blew out of the car. I caught it and shoved it back into the car. The hatch was closing at the time and it struck me on the head. I contacted a local Subaru dealer and Subaru corporate to confirm that the hatch was supposed to stop and reverse when encountering an obstruction. It did not. I have been suffering from a severe headache since this happened a week ago. I will be taking my car in to have it repaired as well as seeing a doctor since my headache has not resolved. Please investigate and ensure this safety issue is corrected by Subaru.
NHTSA complaint #11647168 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When closing the liftgate during the normal course of use, the liftgate support cylinder on the driver's (left) side failed (metal ball joint snapped where it connects to the liftgate), causing the support cylinder to fall between the liftgate and the rear tail light. Without this support cylinder in place, the liftgate did not receive enough support from the right side support cylinder and rapidly fell down, smashing the left support cylinder into the left tail light, cracking the tail light assembly. Additionally, there was no way to secure the liftgate with the broken support cylinder still attached to the body of the vehicle. Fortunately, we were in the parking lot of a hardware store where I was able to purchase a ratchet kit to remove the two bolts connecting the support cylinder to the body of the vehicle. Had this occurred somewhere else, I would have had to drive the vehicle somewhere else with the liftgate unsecured. This was an extremely dangerous situation as the liftgate could have seriously injured someone who may have been underneath when the support cylinder failed. Additionally, the way the support cylinder is installed, when it fails, it WILL break the rear tail light assembly. The support cylinder has nowhere to go but across the tail light. The problem was not reproduced by a dealer, but the same thing happened to the support cylinder on the other side (passenger, right side) of the car not even 6 months later. We have only had the car 8 years. There is no reason this component should fail in 8 years when using the liftgate under normal operating conditions. There are no warning signs that this will happen. It simply just fails and the liftgate comes crashing down. I did not have a mechanic look at the issue as it simply requires a new support cylinder (OEM part at Subaru costs $138). I was able to replace the cylinder when the part arrived, but my tail light is still cracked. I will have to replace that as well ($289 at Subaru).
NHTSA complaint #11637135 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
When closing the liftgate during the normal course of use, the liftgate support cylinder on the passengers (right) side failed (metal ball joint snapped where it connects to the liftgate), causing the support cylinder to fall between the liftgate and the rear tail light. Without this support cylinder in place, the liftgate did not receive enough support from the left side support cylinder and rapidly fell, smashing the right support cylinder into the right tail light, shattering the tail light assembly. Additionally, there was no way to secure the liftgate with the broken support cylinder still attached to the body of the vehicle. Fortunately, my wife had a ratchet set in the vehicle from the last time this happened and was able to remove the two bolts connecting the support cylinder to the body of the vehicle. Had she not had the ratchet set in the car, she would have had to drive the vehicle somewhere else with the liftgate unsecured. This was an extremely dangerous situation as the liftgate could have seriously injured someone who may have been underneath when the support cylinder failed. Additionally, the way the support cylinder is installed, when it fails, it WILL break the rear tail light assembly. The support cylinder has nowhere to go but across the tail light. The problem was not reproduced by a dealer, but the same thing happened to the support cylinder on the other side (driver, left side) of the car only 5 months earlier. We have only had the car 8 years. There is no reason this component should fail in 8 years when using the liftgate under normal operating conditions. There are no warning signs that this will happen. It simply just fails and the liftgate comes crashing down. I did not have a mechanic look at the issue as it simply requires a new support cylinder (OEM part at Subaru costs $138). I was able to replace the cylinder when the part arrived, but my tail light is still shattered. I will have to replace that as well ($289 at Subaru).
NHTSA complaint #11637139 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.
Automated lift gate opened fully, and then immediately closed without warning upon a person who was trying to access the back, nearly causing injury. It is unknown what precisely is failing within the lift gate and it is available for review. The automated lift gate can close on a person unexpectedly potentially causing injury. This has been reproduced as was "fixed" by the dealer but then reappeared only a month later with the same issue. The vehicle was not inspected by anyone but the dealer's service representatives. There was a soft beep emitted as it came down but the behavior was completely unexpected. There were no warning lamps or other information as to something was non-functional, only the soft beep as the lift-gate fully opened, then automatically fully shut right after.
NHTSA complaint #11631660 — an unverified report by a vehicle owner.