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Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2021 Subaru Forester

Every safety complaint, recall and defect investigation the US government holds on this vehicle.

207

Complaints

16

Crashes

5

Fires

8

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2021 Subaru Forester have filed 207 safety complaints with NHTSA between January 2021 and July 2026. The most complained-about system is visibility and the wipers, named in 76 of them (37%). The typical failure was reported at 8,000 miles, the median across the 37 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints rose by half year on year: 34 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 22 in the twelve before.

No recall campaign was matched to this year, make and model. That is not the same as a clean vehicle: recalls are issued against production ranges, and the only reliable check is your own VIN.

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 207.

VISIBILITY/WIPER 76 37%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 41 20%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 33 16%
ENGINE 32 15%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 17 8%
POWER TRAIN 14 7%
VISIBILITY 14 7%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 12 6%
LANE DEPARTURE 8 4%
SERVICE BRAKES 7 3%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 6 3%
SUSPENSION 4 2%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2021 at 58.

2021 2026
2021 to 2026, the last of them a part year

In owners' own words

Quoted from NHTSA's complaint file. These are unverified accounts by the people who filed them, not findings of fault.

POWER TRAIN

4 injured · crash · towed · 30,000 miles

The contact owned a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 4 MPH and slowing to park, the vehicle accelerated on its own. The contact stated that the vehicle drove out of the parking lot and crashed into a wall. The contact stated that the air bags deployed and that the vehicle had then shifted into reverse (R) and driven out away from the wall and crashed into a parked vehicle and stopped. The contact stated she was unaware of any warning lights. The contact stated that she had 1 passenger in the front seat and 2 passengers in the rear seat. The contact stated that everyone was shaken and achy, but no cuts or other injuries. The contact stated later

NHTSA complaint 11723858, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ENGINE

1 injured · fire · crash · towed · 20,000 miles

The contact owned a 2021 Subaru Forester Sport. The contact stated while driving at 75 MPH, the front end of the vehicle crashed into a small deer. The air bags did not deploy. The contact veered to the side of the road. The contact's friend who was occupying the front passenger seat exited the vehicle and inspected the front end of the vehicle. The contact's friend then advised her to immediately exit the vehicle as there were flames underneath the hood of the vehicle. The contact stated while she was exiting the vehicle and letting her three dogs who were occupying the rear seats out of the vehicle, the fire expanded to the entire front end of the vehicle. The contact stated that the

NHTSA complaint 11469060, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

1 injured · crash · towed

1. The car shut off several times, with the steering wheel locking up and becoming stiff, the brakes failing to respond, and loud, erratic sounds emanating from the vehicle. The car is available for inspection. 2. Yes, the car crashed resulting in damage to the car, driver, and other driver (e.g. car in front). 3. This is the second time the car has been brought to the dealership (the second time being Subaru South Hill in Pennsylvania) and they cannot identify the problem. 4. The vehicle was not inspected by police, or insurance, as far as I am aware. 5. There were no warning signs before the failure.

NHTSA complaint 11643583. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

STEERING

1 injured · crash · towed

While driving on I-17 Southbound near mile marker 311 at approximately 75 mph, I experienced a sudden and dangerous malfunction of the Lane Keep Assist (Auto-Steer) system in a 2021 Subaru Forester. The feature was active at the time and unexpectedly veered the vehicle sharply toward the concrete wall on the left shoulder of the highway. I attempted to regain control, but due to the abrupt nature of the malfunction, I overcorrected and collided with the wall on the rear driver side. There were no vehicles in the immediate vicinity, or this could have resulted in a multi-vehicle collision at high speed. I hit my head during the impact but did not require emergency medical services at the

NHTSA complaint 11672501, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM

22,500 miles

The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while trying to roll up vehicle windows from driver sits and passenger sit they would roll up to 3/4th all the way up and they would roll back down after. The contact stated this was a recurring event. The dealer was aware of failure and diagnosed issue needing repairs for window regulator and run channels for driver and passengers side. Manufacturer was made aware of failure and let contact know it was outside of warranty. The failure mileage was approximately 22,500.

NHTSA complaint 11748908. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
My 2021 Subaru Forester has a recurring, worsening defect in the Idle Stop/Start (ISS) system that creates a stalling hazard. When ISS shuts the engine off at a stop, the engine intermittently fails to restart when I try to move again. It cranks progressively slower, warning lights illuminate, a continuous alert sounds, and the vehicle cannot proceed until I shift to Park and restart manually. This has left me immobile in live traffic at lights, stop signs, and mid-turn. The system also attempts to shut down in unfavorable moments, such as mid-turn, or as I am already releasing the brake (meaning it was depressed only lightly or briefly); it then tries to restart while still mid-shutdown,

NHTSA complaint 11748058, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Persistent Battery Drain on a 2021 Subaru Forester Limited. Problems began in year 4 of ownership (~17,000 mileage), after Subaru Starlink Subscription services expired. Red (Error) Starlink SOS indicator light was evident, where a normal light would show green. Battery would fully drain after about 3-4 days of inactivity while parked in a commercial garage. After repeated dead batteries, a jump-starter battery pack was used regularly, as well as a wall-outlet battery charger. The problem has not resolved with a new and appropriately specified AGM battery, replaced in December 2025. The only solution is to pull the engine-bay fuse #5, which disables the Data Communication Module (DCM), as

NHTSA complaint 11744837, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
Driving along and various system warnings came on, then started losing power, then the engine died and the car was completely dead. Got a jump start and the car ran for a couple of minutes and died again. Had it towed to a repair shop and when they checked it the next morning, they couldn't find a problem and it ran great for them. I replaced the battery and alternator just to be safe because we were about to leave on a trip.

NHTSA complaint 11743852. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
2021 Subaru Forester The vehicle has experienced recurring electrical and battery-related issues for several years. The original battery was replaced by the Subaru dealer with a larger-capacity battery because of repeated starting concerns. The replacement provided only temporary improvement. The vehicle continues to experience rough starting on a regular basis, even after installation of a newer aftermarket battery with a higher cold-cranking-amp rating. The current battery is approximately five months old. The most significant safety concern occurs during Auto Start-Stop operation. On multiple occasions, the engine has shut off at a stop as intended, but then failed to restart when

NHTSA complaint 11741788, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
My Subaru Forester has a significant safety defect. If my web searches are representative this software problem affects multiple models and years of Subaru. I have addressed this problem with the local dealer, Subaru America, and Subaru Japan and have been told "that is the way it was designed and it is supposed to do that." As you may imagine that is not a satisfactory answer to a significant safety issue; I can only imagine Ford saying the Pinto was designed with a gas tank that explodes in a collision or a more recent Takata claiming that their seatbelts were designed that way. So here is the problem in a nutshell (and I have a host of Emails from various levels of Subaru if you want the

NHTSA complaint 11738084, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

Compare

Other years of the Subaru Forester

Model year Complaints Recalls Deaths
2026 15 3 —
2025 88 3 1
2024 29 2 —
2023 73 1 —
2022 95 1 —
2020 595 0 —
2019 831 3 1
2018 491 3 —
2017 581 1 —
2016 409 3 —
2015 613 3 —
2014 403 2 —
2013 77 12 —
2012 105 15 —
2011 147 16 —
2010 262 17 —

Other 2021 Subaru models

Outback 294 Crosstrek 112 Ascent 100 Legacy 31 Impreza 14 WRX 13

Every Subaru on this site — 97 vehicles, 147 recall campaigns and 1 open investigation .

If this is your car and a dealer keeps failing to fix it, your state's lemon law may require the manufacturer to replace it or buy it back. What each state asks for , read from the statutes.

Where these numbers come from

A complaint is one owner's account and has not been verified by NHTSA or by us. A vehicle with more complaints is not necessarily worse: models that sold in larger numbers collect more of them. How this is counted.

Compiled and maintained by
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