AutoUtility currently tracks 90 official NHTSA owner defect complaints for the 2025 Subaru Forester. Visibility, Wipers & Glass issues are the most frequently reported category, appearing in 20 complaints (22.2% of submitted records). Among these NHTSA complaint records, 11 filings cite a crash, 2 cite a fire, 6 report one or more injuries, 1 reports one or more fatalities.
Factual proportion of owner complaints categorized by automotive subsystem in NHTSA records
20 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
17 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
16 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
8 owner complaints submitted to NHTSA ODI for this subsystem.
Representative defect filings submitted by owners to the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation
"Noticeable noise after oil change and tire rotation that became progressively worse over time. Constant humming/growling noise from the rear that increases in volume and intensity with speed. Noticeable at 40 mph and higher and floor vibration present at highway speed, especially under the dead..."
"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..."
"Purchased new 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid Sport on 01 May 2025 (owned 19 months). Approximately 156 DAYS (a little over 5 months) after purchase we began having trouble with an unknown fuel system defect which prevents the vehicle from being refueled, disables our hybrid system, disables safety..."
"The harness was missing stitching on one side. They're supposed to be two levels to connect the harness for a smaller child. One side had two levels. The other side it only had one. Safety first is sending me a brand new harness."
"Two occurences of rear hatch window shattering spontaneously while vehicle was parked, powered off. No symptoms, warning lamps, or messages were present. First incident, six months after production/purchase, factory-installed window shattered spontaneously while owner was seated in the car, parked,..."
Reported defect complaint volume across sibling model years (2015–2026)
| Model Year | NHTSA Complaints | Crash Reports | Safety Recalls | Detailed Report |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 Subaru Forester | 613 | 53 | 3 | View 2015 Problems → |
| 2016 Subaru Forester | 410 | 39 | 3 | View 2016 Problems → |
| 2017 Subaru Forester | 582 | 39 | 1 | View 2017 Problems → |
| 2018 Subaru Forester | 492 | 26 | 3 | View 2018 Problems → |
| 2019 Subaru Forester | 832 | 36 | 3 | View 2019 Problems → |
| 2020 Subaru Forester | 596 | 26 | 0 | View 2020 Problems → |
| 2021 Subaru Forester | 207 | 16 | 0 | View 2021 Problems → |
| 2022 Subaru Forester | 96 | 8 | 1 | View 2022 Problems → |
| 2023 Subaru Forester | 73 | 8 | 1 | View 2023 Problems → |
| 2024 Subaru Forester | 29 | 4 | 2 | View 2024 Problems → |
| 2025 Subaru Forester Current Page | 90 | 11 | 4 | Current |
| 2026 Subaru Forester | 0 | 0 | 3 | View 2026 Problems → |
Complete distribution of consumer defect reports across all 34 granular NHTSA system and subsystem classifications
| Vehicle Component / System | Total Complaints | Crash Reports | Fire Reports | Injury Entries | Fatality Entries |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other / Uncategorized NHTSA category: UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 14 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Visibility & Wipers NHTSA category: VISIBILITY/WIPER | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility / Glass NHTSA category: VISIBILITY | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance NHTSA category: FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 6 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel & Propulsion System NHTSA category: FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags NHTSA category: AIR BAGS | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Fuel System NHTSA category: FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electrical System NHTSA category: ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EXTERIOR LIGHTING,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Powertrain NHTSA category: POWER TRAIN | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes NHTSA category: SERVICE BRAKES | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Wheels & Hubs NHTSA category: WHEELS | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention / Camera NHTSA category: BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CHEST CLIP, BUCKLE, HARNESS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| CHILD SEAT | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LATCHES/LOCKS/LINKAGES,BACK OVER PREVENTION | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SEATS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SEAT BELTS,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| STEERING,WHEELS,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure & Body NHTSA category: STRUCTURE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| SUSPENSION,POWER TRAIN,WHEELS | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control NHTSA category: VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
Cross-reference safety recalls, crash test safety ratings, and EPA fuel economy for this model year
Key performance indicators, EPA fuel economy specs, powertrain variants, and summary ratings.
Official recall campaigns, safety defect descriptions, and manufacturer free remedy instructions.
NHTSA 5-Star NCAP crash test results, driver assistance systems, and rollover resistance ratings.
EPA fuel economy ratings, electric range, and annual energy cost benchmarks.
Direct, deterministic answers synthesized from verified United States government databases for the 2025 Subaru Forester
In official NHTSA consumer records, the most frequently cited issue area for the 2025 Subaru Forester is Visibility, Wipers & Glass, appearing in 20 records (22.2% of submitted filings).
Secondary reported categories include Driver Assistance & Safety Tech (17) and Fuel & Propulsion System (16).
AutoUtility does not issue subjective reliability scores or commercial ratings. In official United States government records, NHTSA tracks 90 consumer defect complaints and 4 safety recall campaigns for the 2025 Subaru Forester.
Reviewing documented component complaint distributions, recall remedy notices, and active federal investigations provides an objective, evidence-based view of the vehicle's historical safety and defect record.
Among consumer complaint records on file with NHTSA for the 2025 Subaru Forester, 11 filings cite a crash, 2 cite smoke or fire, and 6 report one or more injuries.
Incident entries represent consumer descriptions at the time of submission to federal authorities and do not establish mechanical causation or legal liability.
The complaint records on this page are retrieved directly from the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI) public database under 49 CFR Part 576.
Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.