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Subaru · NHTSA safety record

2022 Subaru Forester

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

95

Complaints

8

Crashes

6

Fires

5

Injuries

0

Deaths

Owners of the 2022 Subaru Forester have filed 95 safety complaints with NHTSA between February 2022 and August 2026. The most complained-about system is visibility and the wipers, named in 20 of them (21%). The typical failure was reported at 5,500 miles, the median across the 14 complaints that gave an odometer reading.

Complaints rose 45% year on year: 16 in the twelve months to 2026-Q1, against 11 in the twelve before.

NHTSA has issued 1 recall covering this vehicle.

Recalls (1)

POWER TRAIN:AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION:PARK/NEUTRAL START INTERLOCK SWITCH

23V755000 · November 9, 2023

The defect
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
The risk
An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
The remedy
Dealers will replace the inhibitor switch, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number for this recall is WRQ-23.

Subaru of America, Inc. · up to 95,830 vehicles across all model years covered

What owners report

Complaints naming each system. One complaint can name several, so these add up to more than 95.

VISIBILITY/WIPER 20 21%
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 18 19%
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 13 14%
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 10 11%
ENGINE 10 11%
SERVICE BRAKES 9 9%
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 9 9%
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 8 8%
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 7 7%
AIR BAGS 4 4%
POWER TRAIN 4 4%
VISIBILITY 4 4%

When the complaints arrived

By the year NHTSA received them, which is not the year the failures happened. They peaked in 2022 at 37.

2022 2026
2022 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.

AIR BAGS

2 injured · crash · towed · 1,800 miles

The contact owned a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while slowing pulling into the parking space the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration and drove over a curb and traveled up a hill before crashing into a tree. During the crash neither the driver nor passenger-side air bags deployed. The driver and front passenger sustained chest injuries. The vehicle was destroyed and towed away. A police report was taken at the scene. The cause of the failure was not determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 1800.

NHTSA complaint 11467960. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

SERVICE BRAKES

2 injured · crash · towed

I was trying to make a right turn but when I pressed the brake pedal it did not work. This caused me to hit another vehicle.

NHTSA complaint 11523500. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL:ACCELERATOR PEDAL

1 injured · crash · towed

The contact owned a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 15 MPH the accelerator pedal remained depressed which caused her to crash into a stone wall. The air bags deployed. A police report was filed. The driver sustained injuries to her back, legs, and a tooth. Medical attention was needed. The vehicle was towed to an impound lot. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown.

NHTSA complaint 11540819. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

fire · crash · towed

My wife was driving our 2022 Subaru forester and I was following her in a second vehicle on the way to the airport for our honeymoon. The road we were on had a steep incline and then smoothed out to a plateau. At approximately 4:30am, 100 yrds from the top of the hill, a deer ran out in front of the Subaru. We both travelling at around 50mph. Before striking the deer my wife was able to slam on the brakes and attempt to swerve, but she still struck the deer with the front left portion of the Subaru. She immediately pulled off to the side of the road and I pulled in behind her. I ran to her car and saw that airbags had deployed and there was fire leaking out of the car in the center of the

NHTSA complaint 11528568, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
We are experiencing the exact same problem as the recall Under NHTSA Campaign No. 23V755000 (Subaru recall code WRQ-23) for an ineffective weld leading to moisture affecting the backup camera and dashboard lights. However, our VIN is NOT included in the recall.

NHTSA complaint 11756597. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
While driving my 2022 Subaru Forester, the factory EyeSight autonomous safety system completely failed and disabled itself permanently. The total system shutdown caused an immediate loss of Pre-Collision Emergency Braking, Lane Change Detection, and Adaptive Cruise Control, creating an active highway safety hazard. A subsequent diagnostic scan by an authorized retailer confirmed hard fault code B1402, indicating that the internal factory camera software permanently corrupted itself and erased its own model code data profile. The manufacturer has issued TSB 07-225-24 to address this exact internal memory logic crash, but is currently refusing to replace this critical, failed safety system on

NHTSA complaint 11749419, quoted in part. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

POWER TRAIN

51,000 miles

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. While the contact's wife was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a failed inhibitor switch. The contact was informed that the inhibitor switch needed to be replaced. The vehicle was being repaired. The contact was informed that parts were on back order. The contact referenced an unknown recall; however, the VIN was not associated with a recall related to the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 51,000.

NHTSA complaint 11746009. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM:12V/24V/48V BATTERY

30,200 miles

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while the vehicle was at the dealer for a service appointment, the contact was advised that the batter was defective. The contact was informed that the battery was not large enough for the power of the vehicle. The contact was informed that the battery needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact stated that the failure was a known failure of the vehicle. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 30,200.

NHTSA complaint 11737260. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

UNKNOWN OR OTHER
Back window shattered spontaneously. No known cause. No evidence of vandalism. Temperature did drop 45 degrees over night. Shut side door and back window shattered. Had not started car yet. Rear defroster not engaged.

NHTSA complaint 11725294. Filed by an owner and not verified by NHTSA or by us.

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
I had two codes on my 2022 Forester over last two weeks. First one u0284 was for the Active Grill Shutter. This happened because for some reason Subaru decided to put the fog lights on the same fuse as the AGS. Fog light blew, shorted out blew the fuse, this caused every safety system in the car to turn off. By default these are open so why does loosing 1-2MPG, or longer time to warm up a car cause every safety feature to turn off. Answer is they kill everything so you have to come in and pay hundreds for $15 bulb. This week had a o2 sensor go bad while I was driving. Had lane assist on , adaptive cruise, etc. Check engine went on and car start to rapidly decelerate, and again all safety

NHTSA complaint 11724029, 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 —
2021 207 0 —
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 2022 Subaru models

Outback 460 Ascent 55 Legacy 32 WRX 25 Impreza 12 BRZ 10

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
Independent developer and analyst