What is the most reliable year for Subaru Forester?
Consumer Reports still gave the 2018 Forester good reliability scores, and the owner satisfaction score was even higher. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) gave the 2018 Subaru Forester the Top Safety Pick award.
If you are looking for a used Forester, Consumer Reports says the 2020 and 2021 Subaru Forester have the best overall reliability rankings.
1. 2014 (from Generation IV) According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the 2014 Subaru Forester earned its Top Safety Pick Award for its superior quality in its crashworthiness test. It also won Motor Trend Magazine's SUV of the Year Award in 2014.
With major redesigns leading to extensive safety recalls for multiple models, 2009 and 2013 are the top two Subaru years to avoid.
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10 Most Reliable Car Brands - Subaru Moves Up A Spot, Scores Ahead Of Lexus.
2022 Subaru Forester | 2022 Forester |
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refreshed Forester | New Forester |
Subaru Forester Reliability Problems. Forester owners have made 706 complaints over 24 model years. Using our PainRank™ system we've ranked it dead last in overall reliability , with significant engine and interior concerns.
On paper, your Subaru Forester should still be driving after 200,000 to 250,000 miles, provided you keep up with routine maintenance like oil changes, tune-ups, etc. And it's pretty common to reach and surpass those milestones without needing to do serious work on them.
Common complaints related to the Subaru Forester's engine revolve around excessive oil consumption. The worst model year seems to be 2014, which gets the most complaints about excessive oil consumption. The Subaru Forester doesn't garner as many complaints from owners as some other compact SUVs do.
Subarus are reliable cars, versatile and offer a wide range of customization with new purchases. However, they are also tremendously valuable as preowned purchases. If you're looking for a great brand of used car to buy, Subaru should definitely make your list of top automakers.
In several cases, the Subaru Forester's CVT transmission fails well before its warranty has expired, including failures and issues sometimes arising as early as 10,000 miles, in several instances within 20,000 to 40,000 miles, and in many cases before the 100,000-mile warranty has expired or very shortly afterward.
Is the new Forester reliable?
Is the Subaru Forester Reliable? The 2022 Subaru Forester has a predicted reliability score of 83 out of 100. A J.D. Power predicted reliability score of 91-100 is considered the Best, 81-90 is Great, 70-80 is Average, and 0-69 is Fair and considered below average.
As is normal for the Subaru brand, the Forester was exceptionally safe. The IIHS gave the Forester an overall evaluation of good. According to the NHTSA, the Forester received one recall and just over 100 complaints on average per model year.

They report the Subaru Forester has a fairly high cost to maintain over a 10 year period. Forester comes in at number 10 on the list with a 10-year cost-to-own of $12,200 ($1,220 per year average). The Chrysler Sebring is the highest cost to own car at $17,100 over 10 years.
How Reliable Is the 2017 Subaru Forester? The 2017 Subaru Forester has a predicted reliability rating of 2.5 out of five from J.D. Power. This is below average among all vehicles (a score of three is average).