2024 Subaru Forester problems, complaints & recalls
Most-reported problem areas: Visibility/Wiper (5) · Air Bags (5) · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings (3)
🧭 Reliability snapshot
Compared against other Subaru Forester model years — complaint volume vs the model's median year, recalls and severity. How we score →
Safety recalls (2)
Power Train:driveline:driveshaft 2023-11-09 · campaign 23V754000 · 4,701 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Crosstrek, Impreza, 2023-2024 Forester, and 2023 WRX vehicles. The front driveshaft assemblies' outer race may develop cracks and break.
Risk: A broken driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power while driving or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake engaged. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the left and right front driveshafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRP-23.
Engine And Engine Cooling 2023-10-26 · campaign 23V723000 · 49 vehicles
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Forester vehicles. The engine water pipe may have loose attachment bolts, allowing the pipe to lose its seal and leak coolant.
Risk: Leaking coolant can contact a hot exhaust pipe, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Subarus independent distributor processing facilities will tighten the water pipe attachment bolts. The affected vehicles have not been delivered to dealers or sold to owners and therefore, no owner notification letters will be sent. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRO-23.
Service bulletins (184)
Technical service bulletins are repair instructions manufacturers send dealers for known issues. Unlike recalls, the fix is not automatically free — but naming the bulletin at the service desk can save diagnosis time and support goodwill repairs.
Unknown Or Other 2026-10-05 · SubaruNet Announcement (M · Other
this announcement provides information on a new software update for the midtronics dss and dca machines.
Power Train 2026-09-28 · SubaruNet Announcement (T · Other
this announcement provides information on an enhancement of the techshare cvt diagnostic assitance application.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-18 · 13-109-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin provides paint code information for 2027 model year vehicles.
Electrical System 2026-09-18 · 18-244-26 · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
"this bulletin announces additional troubleshooting steps for the following dtcs: dtc c1956: rh actuator circuit dtc c1957: lh actuator circuit"
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-15 · SubaruNet Announcement (C · Other
this announcement provides an update to all 2027 model year subaru warranty coverages for wear items and adjustments.
Unknown Or Other 2026-09-14 · 15-333-25R · Service Bulletin/Repair Instructions
this bulletin contains illustrations of exchange components and their manufacturer as well as a description of the proper exchange procedure. this is an revised version of the original bulletin.
Showing the 6 most recent of 184 bulletins. Search all of them free at nhtsa.gov.
What owners report
2026-10-20 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings · 💥 crash“driving in stop and go traffic. cruise control wouldn't work. forward collision warning didn't work. auto braking didn't work. …”
2026-10-09 · Wheels:lugs/Nuts/Bolts/Studs · 5,000 mi“the contact owns a 2024 subaru forester. the contact stated that after the rear driver’s side tire became flat, the temporary spare tire was mounted to the vehicle, and the vehicle was driven to the local auto service center. while the mechanic was attempting to mount the wheel to the vehicle, the lug nuts sheared off, and the contact was unable to…”
2026-08-15 · Structure:body · 💥 crash · 🔥 fire“while driving my grandbaby home i was unable to avoid hitting a deer when it ran into the road. neither the automatic braking nor the airbags deployed when i hit the deer at the front left side. it destroyed the headlight and damaged the fender and quarterpanel lightly and slightly bent the hood. i was able to pull over safely. when i got out to lo…”
2026-04-23 · Unknown Or Other“windshield cracks/chips very easily even when nothing has touched it. i have had 4 cracks in less than 6 months with no reason as to why they are occurring and they are all on the driver side, nothing on passenger side, which seems very odd. this car was bought brand new in february 2025 and this should not be happening. i believe the windshield…”
2026-04-23 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“i am writing to formally request that the ntsb investigate an apparent defect in the eyesight driver assistance system installed on the 2024 subaru forester. i have experienced repeated instances of unreliable and unsafe behavior, including unexpected alerts and the eyesight system disengaging on multiple occasions, including during periods of bad …”
2026-02-05 · Visibility/Wiper“4 subarus and this is my 5th spontainious windshield crack (2nd on this vehicle). …”
2026-01-16 · Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings“on the morning of december 13, 2026, an incident occurred involving our 2024 subaru forester. while attempting to make a right-hand turn, the vehicle failed to decelerate as expected and subsequently struck a utility pole. the vehicle’s safety systems did not appear to activate in an effort to prevent the collision, and the airbags did not deploy. …”
2026-01-10 · Engine“took to local dealership for 20,000 mile oil change. after the oil change the service advisor informed me of an oil leak on the right side of the engine. he could not confirm where the leak was from. i have scheduled to have it repaired under factory warranty. after researching on the internet it has been noted that the valve cover/ spark plug boot…”
2025-12-22 · Lane Departure: Warning“the eyesight system fails on almost a daily basis. when this happens, multiple safety features shutdown. lane assist and departure warning stops working. collision avoidance stops working. cruise control stops working. proximity warning alarms stop going off. the local dealership has repeatedly just indicated that this is how it works. …”
2025-09-03 · Unknown Or Other“the driver side mirror is distorted. it is not only dizzying but i believe it to be a safety hazard. i have taken it into the dealership many times. they agree that it is distorted but stated that it is no different than other of that style. i have looked in the 2025 model and it does not have the same distortion. i feel that this makes the ca…”
Excerpts of consumer complaints filed with NHTSA, lightly truncated. They are owner statements, not verified findings.