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2023 Subaru Forester Reliability & Recall Report

Based on 1 NHTSA recall and 74 owner complaints. All data sourced from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) — free, no signup required.

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This is one of the better years for the Subaru Forester

The 2023 model year shows below-average complaints compared to other years of this model — a good sign for reliability.

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62/100

Elevated Reported Activity — 2023 Subaru Forester

The 2023 Subaru Forester shows elevated recall and complaint activity in NHTSA data. Make sure any recall campaigns are resolved before purchase and have the vehicle inspected thoroughly.

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1
NHTSA Recalls
1 recall on record
74
Owner Complaints
Filed with NHTSA
8
Crash Reports
4 fire reports
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NHTSA Recalls — 2023 Subaru Forester (1)

All recalls listed below must be repaired by an authorized Subaru dealer at no charge to the owner.

🔧 Power Train: Driveline: Driveshaft
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.
Remedy: 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…
NHTSA #23V754000
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Most Common Problems — 2023 Subaru Forester

Based on 74 owner complaints filed with NHTSA. Bars show relative complaint frequency.

Unknown Or Other
14
Visibility/wiper
10
Electrical System
7
Forward Collision Avoidance
6
Air Bags
6
Exterior Lighting
4
Vehicle Speed Control
3
Suspension
3
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Subaru Forester — Complaints by Year

A spike means more owner complaints were filed for that model year. The 2023 model year is highlighted.

2017 589 complaints 2018 498 complaints 2019 834 complaints 2020 602 complaints 2021 210 complaints 2022 99 complaints 2023 74 complaints 2024 30 complaints 2025 98 complaints 2026 28 complaints

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⚠ Higher-complaint years: 2017, 2019, 2020 — These model years have more owner complaints in NHTSA data than the other years compared.

✅ Best model years: 2022, 2023, 2024 — Lowest complaint rates for this model.

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Frequently Asked Questions — 2023 Subaru Forester

Is the 2023 Subaru Forester reliable?
Based on NHTSA data, the 2023 Subaru Forester has 1 recall campaign and 74 owner complaints. This model year shows elevated recall or complaint activity — review the details and get a thorough pre-purchase inspection.
How many recalls does the 2023 Subaru Forester have?
The 2023 Subaru Forester has 1 NHTSA recall. Affected systems include: see recall details above. All recalls are repaired free at authorized dealers.
What are the most common problems with the 2023 Subaru Forester?
The most commonly reported problems for the 2023 Subaru Forester are: Unknown Or Other, Visibility/wiper, Electrical System, Forward Collision Avoidance. See the complaint breakdown above for full details.
Is the 2023 Subaru Forester safe to buy?
The 2023 Subaru Forester has some safety and reliability items to review before buying. Ensure all 1 recallis completed at a dealer. A pre-purchase inspection by an independent mechanic is strongly recommended.
What year Subaru Forester should I buy?
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the best years for the Subaru Forester are: 2022, 2023, 2024. These show the lowest complaint rates. Years with higher complaint counts: 2017, 2019, 2020.
How we score this: The score starts at 100 and subtracts points for the number of NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints filed for this model year, and for complaints that report crashes or fires. Newer model years get a small bonus because they have had less time to collect reports. These are raw counts and are not adjusted for how many vehicles were sold, so popular models tend to have more recalls and complaints. Complaints are unverified owner reports. This grade is not a prediction about any individual vehicle and is not an inspection: check a specific car’s VIN for open recalls and get an independent pre-purchase inspection.
Data source: All recall and complaint data is sourced directly from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public API. Data is cached and refreshed every 7 days. Recall and complaint counts reflect data available at the time of last cache update. For the most current recall status on a specific vehicle, enter the VIN above or visit NHTSA.gov/recalls.