2022 Subaru Forester problems & reliability
98 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2022 Subaru Forester, alongside 1 safety recall campaign. Last verified Sep 23, 2026. Complaints are unverified reports submitted by owners to the federal Office of Defects Investigation.
Each complaint is counted once (by NHTSA case number), even when it names several components.
3 complaints report injuries (5 injured).
Federal crash records (FARS 2020–2023): 2022 Subaru Forester vehicles were involved in 9 fatal crashes with 5 occupant deaths. Involvement counts are not adjusted for how many are on the road and do not imply fault or a vehicle defect.
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Visibility/wiper → | 20 | 20% |
| Unknown / Other | 18 | 18% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance → | 15 | 15% |
| Electrical System → | 10 | 10% |
| Engine → | 10 | 10% |
| Service Brakes → | 10 | 10% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 9 | 9% |
| Exterior Lighting | 8 | 8% |
| Fuel/propulsion System | 7 | 7% |
| Air Bags | 4 | 4% |
Component groups as classified by NHTSA. A complaint can name more than one component, so shares may sum to more than 100%.
All 22 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“On two occasions now, one on XXX and another in XXX our vehicle initiated a pre collision breaking sequence with no visible object in our path. On XXX this occurred while turning off of a main road into a shopping center located on route XXX in [XXX]. I was traveling at about 15-20mph with no cars in front of me. The…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Sep 13, 2026
“The affected product is a Kuat Sherpa 2.0 hitch-mounted bicycle rack (2-bike, [1.25" / 2"] receiver), purchased new in January 2023, mounted on a 2022 Subaru Forester. On two occasions in the past several months, the front ratchet/hook arm that secures the front wheel released on its own while the vehicle was in…”
Equipment · filed Aug 27, 2026
“On 8/15/2026 my car's EyeSight system falsely automatically engaged Pre-Collision Braking on a clear road with no cars, obstacles or potholes ahead, on a sunny day, accelerating at 10–15 mph from a traffic light stop. The car was brought to an abrupt stop with no warning beeps from the Eyesight system that are…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Aug 19, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
312 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2022 Subaru Forester. The 10 most recent:
This bulletin announces the service procedures to be followed when encountering instances of water intrusion from the sunroof area. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
12-269-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 31, 2026
This bulletin provides a procedure to address customer concerns of surface rust accumulating in the top center retaining nut area of the front strut mounts. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
05-62-18R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 31, 2026
This Announcement provides diagnostic assistance for CVT issues.
SubaruNet Announcement (C · Other · issued Aug 21, 2026
This bulletin provides guidance when diagnosing chain slip, judder, shudder, and hesitation concerns on the TR580 model CVT transmissions used in the models listed.
16-158-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
This bulletin announces a design change made to the CVT Control Valve Body. The updated valve body incorporates an enhanced valve sleeve to improve durability. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
16-156-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
This Service Information Bulletin announces the release of a new diagnostic assistance application for TR690 and TR580 CVT-equipped vehicles. This is an revised version of the original bulletin.
16-154-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to no-start conditions or…
15-308-23R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
This Bulletin provides updated diagnostic procedures to follow and a brief questionnaire to complete when diagnosing an alleged Chain Slip condition on the TR580 and TR690 model CVT transmissions used in the models…
16-132-20R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 20, 2026
This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns. (This is an revised version of the original bulletin.)
15-304-22R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 13, 2026
Techtips newsletter locator index.
Article Locator · Other · issued Aug 5, 2026
TSBs are repair guidance manufacturers send to dealers — they are not recalls and repairs are not automatically free. Full documents are available on NHTSA’s site.
Safety recalls
The 2022 Subaru Forester has 1 NHTSA recall campaign — recall repairs are free at franchised dealers regardless of the vehicle’s age.
Check whether your specific vehicle is affected
Recall campaigns often cover only certain VIN ranges. Enter your VIN on the official NHTSA site to confirm whether your vehicle is included and whether the repair is still open.
Check VIN on NHTSA →Buying a used 2022 Subaru Forester?
- · Decode the seller’s VIN with our free VIN decoder to confirm the exact year, engine and trim.
- · Check for unrepaired recalls by VIN on NHTSA’s official lookup — recall repairs are free.