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2024 Subaru Forester

Gas

Small Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
2 EPA-rated configurations
Data refreshed 2026-09-11

Safety Signal

77 / 100 from the NHTSA recall record

Recalls1 critical2

Complaintsowner reports to NHTSA29

Crash ratingNHTSA overall5★

Fuel economybest combined, EPA29 mpg

2026 2025 2024 2023 2022 2021 2020 2019 2018 2017 2016

The 2024 Subaru Forester is sold in the U.S. as a gas compact SUV with 2 EPA-rated configurations. The most efficient version, the Forester AWD, is EPA-rated at 29 mpg combined. NHTSA lists 2 recall campaigns for this model year, 1 rated critical, which gives it a Safety Signal grade of C. Owners have filed 29 complaints, most often about the air bags. NHTSA crash-tested it at 5 stars overall.

Specs & fuel economy

Source: EPA fueleconomy.gov

Configuration	Powertrain	Drive	Engine / motor	City	Hwy	Comb	Annual fuel*
Forester AWD	Gas	AWD	2.5L 4-cyl	26	33	29	$2,150
Forester Wilderness AWD	Gas	AWD	2.5L 4-cyl	25	28	26	$2,400

*EPA estimate at 15,000 miles/year at EPA reference fuel and electricity prices. fueleconomy.gov record ids: 47161, 47163.

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Recalls (2)

Source: NHTSA recall database

▲high

Power Train

WRP-23

4,701 vehicles

ProblemSubaru 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.RiskA 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.FixDealers 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.

NHTSA campaign 23V754000reported Nov 9, 2023Subaru of America, Inc.

!critical

Engine And Engine Cooling

WRO-23

49 vehicles

ProblemSubaru 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.RiskLeaking coolant can contact a hot exhaust pipe, increasing the risk of a fire.FixSubaruÂ’s 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.

NHTSA campaign 23V723000reported Oct 26, 2023Subaru of America, Inc.

Owner complaints

Source: NHTSA complaint database

29complaints filed

4 involved a crash · 1 a fire · 1 injuries · 0 deaths reported

Filed per year: 2024: 13 · 2025: 10 · 2026: 6

Most-cited components

Unspecified9

Air Bags7

Forward Collision Avoidance7

Visibility/Wiper5

Exterior Lighting2

Structure2

What owners describe

“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 vehicleâ€™s safety systems did not appear to activate in an effort to prevent the collision, …”Jan 16, 2026 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report

“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 th…”Jan 10, 2026 · Engine · NHTSA owner report

“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…”Dec 22, 2025 · Forward Collision Avoidance · NHTSA owner report

Complaint counts are raw owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects, and scale with how many were sold. Use them to spot patterns, not to rank.

Crash ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP

Configuration	Overall	Frontal	Side	Rollover	Rollover risk
SUV AWD	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★★	★★★★☆	17%
SUV AWD	not rated	★★★★★	★★★★★	not rated	17%

NHTSA New Car Assessment Program. Standard driver-assist: forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic emergency braking.

Other Forester model years

2026 Subaru Forester

3 recalls · 19 complaints

2025 Subaru Forester

4 recalls · 90 complaints

2023 Subaru Forester

1 recalls · 73 complaints

2022 Subaru Forester

1 recalls · 97 complaints

2021 Subaru Forester

0 recalls · 207 complaints

2020 Subaru Forester

0 recalls · 598 complaints

2019 Subaru Forester

3 recalls · 833 complaints

2018 Subaru Forester

3 recalls · 493 complaints

2017 Subaru Forester

1 recalls · 584 complaints

2016 Subaru Forester

3 recalls · 411 complaints

Sources & method

Safety Signal starts every model-year at 100 and subtracts points per open NHTSA recall campaign by severity: critical 15 (fire risk, park-outside or do-not-drive advisories), high 8 (brakes, steering, airbags, loss of drive power, structure, battery), moderate 6, minor 3 (software, labels, lighting fixed by an update). Floor 35. A ≥ 90, B ≥ 80, C ≥ 70, D ≥ 60, otherwise F. Complaint counts and NHTSA crash ratings are shown separately and are not blended into the grade.

EPA figures come from fueleconomy.gov vehicle records. Recalls, complaints, investigations and crash ratings come from NHTSA's public flat files, refreshed weekly.

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