2025 Subaru Forester problems & reliability
93 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2025 Subaru Forester, alongside 3 safety recall campaigns. Last verified Sep 21, 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.
6 complaints report injuries (6 injured, 1 deaths reported).
Most reported problems
| Component | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Unknown / Other | 19 | 20% |
| Fuel/propulsion System → | 13 | 14% |
| Visibility/wiper → | 13 | 14% |
| Forward Collision Avoidance → | 10 | 11% |
| Electrical System | 8 | 9% |
| Exterior Lighting | 8 | 9% |
| Visibility | 7 | 8% |
| Service Brakes | 5 | 5% |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 5 | 5% |
| 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 25 reported components →Common symptoms owners describe
Keyword analysis of complaint narratives; one complaint can describe several symptoms.
Complaints by incident year
What owners report
“The radio/HVAC system in the 2025 Subaru Forester has a major delay problem which causes the unit to freeze and not accept user input, delay connectivity, and HVAC conteol, and volume comtrol/on/off, etc. This can take up to 90 seconds to work and if already driving, causes unnecessary fiddling which is a safety…”
Unknown / Other · filed Sep 14, 2026
“Driving in middle lane on i-87 heading towards albany (around it), car alarmed (flashed a red box on dashboard) and then the AEB braked for shadows in front and caused cars to swerve behind us with semi trucks getting too close. Could not get the car to stop breaking and other drivers were very upset at us. Will be…”
Forward Collision Avoidance · filed Sep 14, 2026
“I recently noticed that the metal lip and outer cap area of my fuel filler neck is rusting. This isn't just a cosmetic issue this is the exact surface where the gas cap needs to seal to keep the fuel system airtight. Because it’s rusting it’s going to ruin that seal, cause fuel vapor leaks, and trigger a check engine…”
Fuel/propulsion System · filed Sep 10, 2026
Verbatim excerpts from complaints filed with NHTSA. Reports are not independently verified.
Technical service bulletins
177 manufacturer communications (TSBs, service campaigns, warranty extensions) are on file with NHTSA for the 2025 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 announces an inspection procedure for the Smart Rear View Mirror Assembly.
15-342-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 31, 2026
This Subaru announcement provides an update to the non-compliance recall WRH-26 Certification label.
SubaruNet Announcement (W · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions · issued Aug 21, 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 to the cord assembly that connects the Center Infotainment Display (CID) to the CCU, addressing reports of CID screen flickering.
15-341-26 · 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 announces a reprogramming file availability and provides a software update installation procedure to optimize the new Gen 4.5 Denso CP1.5 Audio and Navigation head units utilized in the models listed. This…
15-305-22R · 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
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 2025 Subaru Forester has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns — 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 2025 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.