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2025 Subaru Forester Recalls & Complaints

3

open safety recalls on record

Serious

121 owner complaints filed · Severity Index 0.79 · updated 2026-08-07

The recalls

Serious25V033000

Wheels

loss of vehicle stability raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Dealers will inspect and replace the wheels, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 28, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRB-25.

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles equipped with 18" aluminum alloy wheels. The wheels may have been manufactured with an incorrectly specified lug seat surface, which can result in the wheel being improperly attached and cause a loss of vehicle stability.

Serious25V419000

Child Seat

loose child seat anchor bolt raises the risk of injury to a child during a crash.

Remedy & full details

Dealers will inspect the child seat anchor bolts and, if necessary, tighten the bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 15, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-25.

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles. The child seat anchor bolts may have been improperly tightened, allowing the bolts to come loose.

Serious26V436000

Equipment:Other:Labels

incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, raises the risk of a crash.

Remedy & full details

Subaru will mail a new certification label to owners, free of charge. Owners may also choose to have a dealer install the new label, free of charge. Letters informing owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed August 25, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-26.

Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid, 2025-2026 Forester Hybrid, Forester, and 2019-2026 Ascent vehicles. These vehicles were manufactured with an incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on the certification label. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 110, "Tire selection and rims."

Complaint volume

121 this model-year 9 median, same year

Volume alone is not a fault rate — popular vehicles attract more reports. Read it next to the severity mix below.

What owners reported happened

18Crashes
2Fires
11Injuries
1Deaths

Across 121 complaints. Severity Index 0.79.

Severity Index weights each complaint's reported outcome (death ×10, injury ×4, fire ×3, crash ×2) and divides by total complaints. It measures how severe reports are, not how often faults occur.

What owners report most

Unknown Or Other17 · 14%Visibility/Wiper13 · 11%Fuel/Propulsion System11 · 9%Exterior Lighting8 · 7%Electrical System8 · 7%Forward Collision Avoidan…6 · 5%Service Brakes5 · 4%Vehicle Speed Control5 · 4%
  1. Unknown Or Other — 17 reports
  2. Visibility/Wiper — 13 reports
  3. Fuel/Propulsion System — 11 reports
  4. Exterior Lighting — 8 reports
  5. Electrical System — 8 reports
  6. Forward Collision Avoidance: Automatic Emergency Braking — 6 reports
  7. Service Brakes — 5 reports
  8. Vehicle Speed Control — 5 reports
  9. Forward Collision Avoidance: Warnings — 5 reports
  10. Power Train — 4 reports

What to do

  1. Find your 17-character VIN on the driver's door jamb or the base of the windscreen.
  2. Check it against NHTSA's official lookup at nhtsa.gov/recalls — the authoritative record for your exact car.
  3. Book the repair with any franchised dealer. Safety recall work is free, with no time limit and regardless of who owns the car now.

Other model years

1998 (1) · 1999 (1) · 2000 · 2001 · 2002 (1) · 2003 (3) · 2004 (2) · 2005 (1) · 2006 (2) · 2007 (1) · 2008 (1) · 2009 (18) · 2010 (17) · 2011 (16) · 2012 (15) · 2013 (12) · 2014 (2) · 2015 (3) · 2016 (3) · 2017 (1) · 2018 (3) · 2019 (3) · 2020 · 2021 · 2022 (1) · 2023 (1) · 2024 (2) · 2025 · 2026 (3)

Numbers in brackets are open recall campaigns for that year.

Questions

Does an open recall mean the car is unsafe to drive?

Not usually. NHTSA issues a "do not drive" or "park outside" advisory when a defect is dangerous enough to keep you out of the car — those are flagged Critical above. Everything else should be repaired promptly but is not an immediate stop-driving order.

Do I pay for recall repairs?

No. Federal law requires the manufacturer to fix a safety recall free of charge, including parts and labour, whether or not you are the original owner.

Why are there complaints but no recalls?

Complaints are unverified reports filed by owners. They can prompt an investigation, but many never become recalls — either the fault isn't safety-related or it isn't widespread.