Every generation: what ownership is like, what breaks at what mileage, what repairs cost, and what to check before you buy.
Search 'Subaru Forester years to avoid' and the lists disagree. CoPilot says only the 2014 redesign had significant issues. CarTalk names 1998 to 2001, 2006, 2009 to 2010, 2011 to 2015 and 2019, for head gaskets, oil consumption, CVT trouble and windshield cracks. Neither shows a count behind the years.
This page walks six Forester generations back to 1998. For each, it shows what breaks, what repairs cost where we found sources, and what to check in person. We add our own numbers, NHTSA complaints per catalog listing and how often ads mention a problem, always with the denominator. Ad mentions are not confirmed failures.
Our fixed rule flags one Forester year. 2003: 191 complaints across 49 listings, 3.90 complaints per listing against a generation median of 1.42. 2020 sits just under the line: 603 complaints across 188 listings, 3.21 per listing against a 2019-2024 median of 1.62, which is 1.99 times the median where the rule needs 2.0, so 2020 is not flagged. Most of its complaints are about visibility (windshields), not the powertrain. 2014, the year CoPilot singles out, runs 0.94 per listing against a 2014-2018 median of 1.31, below our 2.0x cutoff.
problems cluster by generation, not by badge — know which one you're looking at
NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 2.97 for 2002 (92 complaints across 31 listings) to 33.67 for 1998 (101 across 3), against a generation median of 4.41. The highest year, 1998, is 7.6 times that median. No year reaches the 2.0x our rule needs together with an above-median ad share and 30 or more listings, so nothing is flagged.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No consistent mileage found in sources (Car Costing says 1999-2010 EJ25 cars are more prone to third-party leaks) | EJ25 head gasket seepage and failure | $4,000-$5,000 at most shops (JustAnswer); about $1,500 USD from one overseas quote including head machining (owner forum); $2,800 on a 2008 turbo with belt and pump (owner forum) | Sources describe EJ25 head gasket work on the Forester generally and the quotes spread widely because the bill is mostly labor. One owner post breaks a job into a $300 gasket, $300 head resurfacing and about 12 labor hours; a 2008 turbo job with timing belt and water pump, done with the engine out and heads machined, was quoted $2,800. Check for oil or coolant seepage at the heads, coolant loss, and overheating on the test drive. |
| any | Recalls on file (2 campaigns in our records): 02V282000 (2002), 99V040000 (1998-1999) | Free at a Subaru dealer when open | Confirm each by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Records for these years are sparse; absence of a recall in our records is not proof a car is clear. |
NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 0.93 for 2007 (74 complaints across 80 listings) to 3.90 for 2003 (191 across 49), against a generation median of 1.42. The highest year, 2003, is 2.8 times that median. Flagged by our rule: 2003.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| No consistent mileage found in sources | EJ25 head gasket seepage and failure (naturally aspirated cars most often; XT turbos used multi-layer gaskets) | $4,000-$5,000 at most shops (JustAnswer); about $1,500 USD from one overseas quote including head machining (owner forum); $2,800 on a 2008 turbo with belt and pump (owner forum) | Sources describe EJ25 head gasket work on the Forester generally and the quotes spread widely because the bill is mostly labor. One owner post breaks a job into a $300 gasket, $300 head resurfacing and about 12 labor hours; a 2008 turbo job with timing belt and water pump, done with the engine out and heads machined, was quoted $2,800. Check for oil or coolant seepage at the heads, coolant loss, and overheating on the test drive. |
| around 105,000 (Samarins) | Timing belt service | Not verified as a standalone price; the $2,800 2008 quote above bundled belt, water pump and head gasket work | The Forester uses a timing belt in this generation. Ask for proof it was done, and ask about the water pump at the same time. |
| any | Recalls on file (5 campaigns in our records): 02V282000 (2003), 03V047000 (2003), 04V473000 (2004), 07V043000 (2006), 11V464000 (2003-2008) | Free at a Subaru dealer when open | Confirm each by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Includes a lower control arm recall and an automatic transmission recall on early cars in our records. |
A year is flagged by our rule only when all three hold: (1) its NHTSA complaints per catalog listing is at least 2.0x the median for its generation, (2) the share of ads that mention a problem is above the generation median, and (3) we track at least 30 listings for that year. The cutoff was fixed before we looked. Ad mentions are not failures, and a flag is a reason to inspect harder, not a verdict on any one car. We also re-ran the ad test with the 'rust' flaw left out, because the ad reader counts phrases like 'no rust' as mentions, and publish a flag only if it passes both ways.
Complaints add up over a car's whole life, so older years in a generation can look worse here than they are. Read this flag next to the complaint details below.
NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 0.50 for 2012 (106 complaints across 210 listings) to 1.19 for 2009 (178 across 149), against a generation median of 0.81. The highest year, 2009, is 1.5 times that median. No year reaches the 2.0x our rule needs together with an above-median ad share and 30 or more listings, so nothing is flagged.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Varies; Subaru's test procedure measures consumption over a set interval | FB25 oil consumption (2011-2013 Foresters in this generation) | Repair is free when covered: Subaru's bulletin changes the piston rings under its oil consumption program (TSB 02-157-14R); the powertrain warranty was reported extended to 8 years / 100,000 miles on affected cars (Apex Tech Nation) | Subaru issued TSB 02-157-14R for oil consumption on FB25 engines, and a class settlement covered 2011-2014 Foresters (Jalopnik). An owner-forum post says updated piston rings went into production on 2013-05-08, so later builds fall outside the bulletin. Ask for oil change records and check the oil level on a cold start. Ad mentions of oil use are not confirmed failures. |
| No consistent mileage found in sources | EJ25 head gasket seepage and failure (2009-2010 Foresters) | $4,000-$5,000 at most shops (JustAnswer); about $1,500 USD from one overseas quote including head machining (owner forum) | Hitches Guide places naturally aspirated EJ25 head gasket trouble in early third-generation cars too. The cost is mostly labor. Check for seepage at the heads and coolant loss. |
| any | Recalls on file (21 campaigns in our records): 08V460000 (2009), 09E011000 (2009), 12V099000 (2009-2012), 12V602000 (2009-2012), 14V311000 (2009-2013), 14V830000 (2009-2013), 16V358000 (2009-2011), 16V738000 (2009-2013), 17V014000 (2009-2012), 17V026000 (2009), 18V012000 (2009-2013), 18V013000 (2009-2010), 18V014000 (2009), 19V007000 (2010-2013), 19V008000 (2010-2013), 19V009000 (2010-2013), 19V297000 (2009-2013), 20V001000 (2009-2013), 20V002000 (2009-2013), 20V003000 (2009-2013), 22V838000 (2009-2013) | Free at a Subaru dealer when open | This generation has the longest recall list in our records, much of it air bag inflator and related campaigns. Confirm each by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. |
NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 0.94 for 2014 (403 complaints across 431 listings) to 2.04 for 2017 (591 across 289), against a generation median of 1.31. The highest year, 2017, is 1.6 times that median. No year reaches the 2.0x our rule needs together with an above-median ad share and 30 or more listings, so nothing is flagged.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coverage runs 10 years / 100,000 miles from the in-service date, whichever first | CVT failure or shudder (2014-2015 Foresters covered by the warranty extension) | Free if covered; otherwise $3,500-$7,000 for a replacement (CVT Mechanic) | Subaru's CVT extension, effective Aug 1 2017, covers 2014-2015 Forester CVT assemblies (Subaru OEMDTC, NHTSA bulletin 16-107-17R). Many 2014-2015 cars are now past 10 years or 100,000 miles, so confirm with a dealer by VIN whether coverage remains. Coverage for 2016 and later is not listed in these sources. |
| Varies by car | FB25 oil consumption (2014 Foresters) | Repair is free when covered: Subaru's bulletin changes the piston rings under its oil consumption program (TSB 02-157-14R); the powertrain warranty was reported extended to 8 years / 100,000 miles on affected cars (Apex Tech Nation) | Subaru issued TSB 02-157-14R for oil consumption on FB25 engines, and a class settlement covered 2011-2014 Foresters (Jalopnik). An owner-forum post says updated piston rings went into production on 2013-05-08, so later builds fall outside the bulletin. Ask for oil change records and check the oil level on a cold start. Ad mentions of oil use are not confirmed failures. |
| any | Recalls on file (6 campaigns in our records): 13V159000 (2014), 16V162000 (2015-2016), 18V455000 (2018), 19V149000 (2014-2016), 19V701000 (2015-2018), 21V587000 (2018) | Free at a Subaru dealer when open | Confirm each by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. |
NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 0.36 for 2024 (31 complaints across 85 listings) to 4.34 for 2019 (834 across 192), against a generation median of 1.62. The highest year, 2019, is 2.7 times that median. No year reaches the 2.0x our rule needs together with an above-median ad share and 30 or more listings, so nothing is flagged.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Any | Cracked windshield and EyeSight recalibration (2019-2020 owner reports) | About $609 including EyeSight calibration at Safelite (Reddit, Feb 2020); $640 plus $250 recalibration (owner forum); additional $600 for calibration quoted on a 2019 (owner forum); about $2,300-$2,500 quoted on a Bay Area Forester in 2024 (Reddit) | These are owner-reported quotes, not shop price lists, and they spread widely by region and glass type. Ask whether the windshield has been replaced, whether the EyeSight camera was recalibrated afterward, and check the glass for chips. |
| any | Recalls on file (6 campaigns in our records): 19V065000 (2019), 19V856000 (2019), 21V263000 (2019), 23V723000 (2024), 23V754000 (2023-2024), 23V755000 (2022) | Free at a Subaru dealer when open | Confirm each by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. 2019 records include rear suspension, emission and electric power steering campaigns. |
NHTSA complaints per catalog listing run from 0.71 for 2026 (34 complaints across 48 listings) to 1.15 for 2025 (99 across 86), against a generation median of 0.93. The highest year, 2025, is 1.2 times that median. No year reaches the 2.0x our rule needs together with an above-median ad share and 30 or more listings, so nothing is flagged.
| Miles | Item | Cost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| n/a | Too new for a repair history | Not enough data | We track too few older listings to say anything about long-run reliability. Check VIN recall status and the remaining factory warranty. |
| any | Recalls on file (6 campaigns in our records): 25V033000 (2025), 25V419000 (2025), 25V889000 (2026), 26V346000 (2026), 26V436000 (2025-2026), 26V685000 (2026) | Free at a Subaru dealer when open | Confirm each by VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. |
| Variant | Years | What it means for a buyer |
|---|---|---|
| Forester Wilderness | 2023 onward (per NHTSA records) | NHTSA lists it as FORESTER WILDERNESS. We include those complaints with the Forester and count each once. Most 2024 records sit under that name. |
the story above, validated by two independent sources: federal complaints (NHTSA) + what sellers mention in 3028 real ads from our catalog
| Issue | Ads mentioning | Rate | |
|---|---|---|---|
| head gasket | 195/3028 | 6.4% | |
| rust | 81/3028 | 2.7% | |
| timing chain | 70/3028 | 2.3% | |
| engine replaced | 49/3028 | 1.6% | |
| electrical | 37/3028 | 1.2% | |
| transmission | 11/3028 | 0.4% | |
| suspension | 11/3028 | 0.4% | |
| oil consumption | 8/3028 | 0.3% | |
| ac failure | 5/3028 | 0.2% |
complaint volume spikes show where problems cluster — higher bars, more owner pain
| Year | Complaints | Top components | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 101 | Power Train, Suspension, Service Brakes, Hydraulic | |
| 1999 | 134 | Power Train, Engine And Engine Cooling, Suspension | |
| 2000 | 75 | Suspension, Power Train, Engine And Engine Cooling | |
| 2001 | 142 | Vehicle Speed Control, Power Train, Suspension | |
| 2002 | 92 | Vehicle Speed Control, Power Train, Engine And Engine Cooling | |
| 2003 | 191 | Fuel System, Gasoline, Fuel/propulsion System, Engine... | |
| 2004 | 219 | Fuel/propulsion System, Fuel System, Gasoline, Suspension | |
| 2005 | 93 | Suspension, Vehicle Speed Control, Fuel/propulsion System | |
| 2006 | 88 | Vehicle Speed Control, Engine And Engine Cooling, Suspension | |
| 2007 | 74 | Suspension, Engine, Power Train | |
| 2008 | 50 | Suspension, Engine, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2009 | 178 | Air Bags, Engine, Seats | |
| 2010 | 262 | Seats, Air Bags, Engine | |
| 2011 | 147 | Engine, Air Bags, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2012 | 106 | Engine, Air Bags, Vehicle Speed Control | |
| 2013 | 78 | Engine, Air Bags, Vehicle Speed Control | |
| 2014 | 403 | Suspension, Air Bags, Engine | |
| 2015 | 616 | Air Bags, Engine, Suspension | |
| 2016 | 416 | Air Bags, Electrical System, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2017 | 591 | Air Bags, Visibility/wiper, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2018 | 498 | Visibility/wiper, Air Bags, Unknown Or Other | |
| 2019 | 834 | Visibility/wiper, Unknown Or Other, Electrical System | |
| 2020 | 603 | Visibility/wiper, Unknown Or Other, Visibility | |
| 2021 | 213 | Visibility/wiper, Unknown Or Other, Electrical System | |
| 2022 | 100 | Visibility/wiper, Unknown Or Other, Exterior Lighting | |
| 2023 | 74 | Unknown Or Other, Visibility/wiper, Forward Collision Avoidance | |
| 2024 | 31 | Unknown Or Other, Air Bags, Visibility/wiper | |
| 2025 | 99 | Unknown Or Other, Visibility/wiper, Forward Collision Avoidance | |
| 2026 | 34 | Unknown Or Other, Visibility/wiper, Forward Collision Avoidance |
total: 6,542 complaints on file · source: NHTSA complaints database (api.nhtsa.gov)
Own a Subaru Forester, or pricing one? See what they're actually selling for →
We don't tell you to skip a year; we flag by a fixed rule, and today it flags 2003 only (191 complaints across 49 listings, 3.90 per listing against a 2003-2008 median of 1.42). 2020 comes close but is not flagged: 3.21 per listing against a 2019-2024 median of 1.62 is 1.99 times the median, just under the 2.0 the rule needs; its complaints are mostly visibility (windshields). Third-party lists name other years: CoPilot says 2014, CarTalk lists 1998-2001, 2006, 2009-2010, 2011-2015 and 2019. 2014 has 0.94 per listing and 2019 has 4.34 in our data.
Older EJ25 cars do. Sources put naturally aspirated EJ25 Foresters from roughly 1999 to 2010 at higher risk of head gasket leaks (Car Costing, Hitches Guide). JustAnswer says the repair typically runs $4,000 to $5,000 at most shops; owner posts range from about $1,500 USD overseas to $2,800 for a 2008 turbo job including timing belt and water pump. Look for oil seepage at the heads and coolant loss.
Subaru's bulletin TSB 02-157-14R covers FB25 oil consumption in 2011-2014 Foresters, and a class settlement covered those years (Jalopnik). An owner forum post says updated piston rings went into production on 2013-05-08. Ask for oil change records and check the oil level cold.
Yes for some cars. Subaru extended CVT coverage to 10 years or 100,000 miles on 2014-2015 Foresters (Subaru OEMDTC; NHTSA bulletin 16-107-17R). Many of those cars are past that limit now, so confirm status by VIN with a dealer. A replacement outside coverage is quoted at $3,500 to $7,000 (CVT Mechanic).
Owner reports vary: about $609 including EyeSight calibration (Reddit, 2020), $640 plus $250 recalibration (owner forum), and about $2,300 to $2,500 quoted in the Bay Area in 2024 (Reddit). These are single reports, not price lists. Windshield and wiper complaints are the largest NHTSA group for 2020.
We don't rank generations. Our own numbers: the 2009-2013 generation has a median of 0.81 NHTSA complaints per catalog listing and the 2014-2018 generation has 1.31. Those rates are not directly comparable across generations, because newer cars have had less time and different ways of being reported.