5th generation (SK) · SK (Subaru Global Platform) · 2,457 complaints, 952 with mileage
Owners filed 2,457 complaints with NHTSA about the 2019–2024 Subaru Forester, and 952 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
69% of failures fall within the first 12,000 miles. Failures clustered that early usually indicate a design or manufacturing problem rather than wear.
The most-reported areas are visibility/wiper (29.9% of complaints, typically around 6,000 miles), problems owners could not categorise (13.7% of complaints, typically around 6,079 miles), the electrical system (11.6% of complaints, typically around 6,000 miles).
6 recall campaigns cover this generation.
| System | Complaints | Share | Typical mileage | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility/Wiper | 734 | 29.9% | 6,000 | 2,000–10,700 |
| Unknown Or Other | 337 | 13.7% | 6,079 | 1,900–14,000 |
| Electrical System | 285 | 11.6% | 6,000 | 1,000–20,000 |
| Engine | 228 | 9.3% | 23,000 | 6,500–35,600 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance | 181 | 7.4% | 12,000 | 5,000–16,000 |
| Visibility | 107 | 4.4% | 14,000 | 6,000–29,000 |
| Power Train | 91 | 3.7% | 11,426 | 3,000–30,000 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 78 | 3.2% | 11,426 | 2,700–25,700 |
| Lane Departure | 62 | 2.5% | — | — |
| Service Brakes | 57 | 2.3% | 12,000 | 9,000–22,000 |
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 1,084 | 552 |
| 2020 | 802 | 329 |
| 2021 | 285 | 41 |
| 2022 | 137 | 18 |
| 2023 | 111 | 11 |
| 2024 | 38 | 1 |
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 7,392 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
Visibility/wiper accounts for 29.9% of complaints (734 reports, 416 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 6,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 2,000 and 10,700 miles.
A single system taking 29.9% of all complaints is a concentration worth noting. It means that for this generation, most of what owners reported came back to one area of the car rather than being distributed across many small faults.
Problems owners could not categorise accounts for 13.7% of complaints (337 reports, 114 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 6,079 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 1,900 and 14,000 miles.
The electrical system accounts for 11.6% of complaints (285 reports, 68 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 6,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 1,000 and 20,000 miles.
The engine accounts for 9.3% of complaints (228 reports, 33 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 23,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 6,500 and 35,600 miles.
Forward collision avoidance accounts for 7.4% of complaints (181 reports, 21 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 12,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 5,000 and 16,000 miles.
Visibility equipment accounts for 4.4% of complaints (107 reports, 97 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 14,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 6,000 and 29,000 miles.
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2019 model year drew the most — 1,084 complaints — while 2024 drew the fewest at 38. The median year sits at 211.
That makes 2019 an outlier: roughly 5.1 times the median year of this generation. A single year standing that far apart usually reflects either a first-year issue that was later corrected, or a component change introduced for that year. Anyone shopping this generation has a straightforward reason to prefer a different year, all else being equal.
NHTSA records 6 recall campaigns covering vehicles in this generation. A recall means the manufacturer or the regulator concluded there was a safety defect or a standard was not met, and that a free remedy is owed to owners — including second and later owners.
The campaigns cluster around the transmission and driveline (2), the engine and its cooling system (2), the suspension (1). Repeated recalls against the same area of the car generally mean the first remedy did not fully resolve the underlying problem.
Recall status is specific to the individual vehicle, not the model. Checking a VIN against NHTSA's lookup is free and takes under a minute, and it is the only way to know whether a particular car has had the work done.
Of the 2,457 complaints filed against this generation, 161 reported a crash; 64 reported a fire; 97 reported an injury; 1 reported a fatality. Crash-involved reports represent 6.6% of the total.
These are owner-reported outcomes, not verified investigations, and they are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. They are included because the distinction between a fault that strands a car and a fault that causes a collision is the one that matters most, and it is not visible in a complaint count alone.
For a buyer, an early-failure pattern is comparatively good news on a used example: 69% of the reported failures occur in the first 12,000 miles, which on a car of this age means they have already happened or they were never going to. Service history matters more than mileage here.
On inspection, visibility/wiper and problems owners could not categorise are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. Visibility/wiper in particular shows a median failure mileage of 6,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
Denso low-pressure fuel pump impeller can crack and deform, causing the pump to fail and the engine to stall without warning; NHTSA recall covering MY2019 Subaru vehicles including the Forester.
Continued windshield cracking complaints from minor impacts.
Parasitic 12V battery drain producing repeat no-start conditions, frequently associated with infotainment and telematics modules failing to sleep.
The turbocharged option disappeared entirely for the US market in this generation, and no manual transmission was offered. Every US 2019-2024 Forester is FB25D plus CVT, which makes this generation unusually homogeneous for analysis. A MY2022 facelift added the Wilderness trim.
| Campaign | Date | Component |
|---|---|---|
| 23V755000 | 2024-01-08 | Power Train:Automatic Transmission:Park/Neutral Start Interlock Switch |
| 23V754000 | 2024-01-08 | Power Train:Driveline:Driveshaft |
| 23V723000 | 2023-11-22 | Engine And Engine Cooling |
| 21V263000 | 2021-05-17 | Suspension:Rear |
| 19V856000 | 2020-01-31 | Engine And Engine Cooling:Exhaust System:Emission Control:Crankcase (Pcv) |
| 19V065000 | 2019-02-07 | Steering:Electric Power Assist System |