NHTSA lists 4 safety recalls and 93 owner complaints for the 2025 Subaru Forester (including the hybrid).
One recall for this model year tells owners not to drive or to park outside until repaired:Fuel system, park outside (26V-106). Check your VIN below to see whether yours is affected.
4Safety recalls
93Owner complaints
11Complaints citing a crash
2Complaints citing a fire
Data: NHTSA recall and complaint filesUpdated Sep 27, 2026
Recalled components: fuel system, equipment, child seats, and wheels. Most-reported area: fuel and propulsion system (13 complaints, 14%). Includes the Forester Hybrid.
4 safety recalls for the 2025 Subaru Forester
Do-not-drive and park-outside recalls first, then newest first. Summaries are NHTSA's own wording. Open a recall for the fix and the full notice.
When the fuel tank is near full capacity, an increase in ambient temperature may cause the fuel to expand and spill out of the filler neck due to an insufficient seal on the fuel cap.
Risk: A fuel leak in the presence of an ignition source increases the risk of a fire.
The fix and full notice
Fix: Owners are advised to park outside and away from structures, and to limit the fuel level to 50% until the remedy is completed. Dealers will replace the fuel filler cap gasket, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed March 25, 2026. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-26. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on February 16, 2026.
Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek hybrid, and 2025 Forester hybrid 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."
Risk: An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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 were mailed August 27, 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.
The child seat anchor bolts may have been improperly tightened, allowing the bolts to come loose.
Risk: A loose child seat anchor bolt increases the risk of injury to a child during a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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 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.
Risk: A loss of vehicle stability increases the risk of a crash.
The fix and full notice
Fix: 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.
NHTSA listing: FORESTER. Subaru campaign WRB-25.
Questions about any of these recalls: call NHTSA's Vehicle Safety Hotline at 888-327-4236 (TTY 888-275-9171) or check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.
What owners report
The areas named in the 93 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for the 2025 Forester. NHTSA does not verify complaints.
Fuel and propulsion system13 · 14%
Visibility/wiper13 · 14%
Forward collision avoidance10 · 11%
Most named: automatic emergency braking (7); warnings (5)
Electrical system8 · 9%
Exterior lighting8 · 9%
Visibility7 · 8%
Most named: rearview mirrors/devices, exterior (4)
Brakes6 · 6%
Unknown or other19 · 20%
A complaint can name more than one area, so shares add up to more than 100%.
Subaru Forester recalls and complaints by model year
The highlighted bars are the 2025 model year. Newer model years have had less time on the road, so their counts are lower. Counting complaints filed in each model year's first three years, the 2019 Forester drew the most (525).
Owner complaints
2025: 93 complaintsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Owner complaints by model year, Subaru Forester
Model year
Complaints
2016
414
2017
587
2018
495
2019
833
2020
601
2021
207
2022
98
2023
73
2024
29
2025
93
2026
21
Safety recalls
2025: 4 recallsTap or drag across the chart for other years.
Show as a table
Safety recalls by model year, Subaru Forester
Model year
Recalls
2016
3
2017
1
2018
3
2019
3
2020
0
2021
0
2022
1
2023
1
2024
2
2025
4
2026
3
Crash test ratings
NHTSA's 5-Star Safety Ratings for each version it tested. Rollover risk is NHTSA's estimate of the chance of rolling over in a single-vehicle crash.
Tested version
Overall
Frontal
Side
Rollover
SUBARU FORESTER HYBRID SUV AWD
Rollover risk 17.4%
SUBARU FORESTER SUV AWD
Rollover risk 17.4%
Subaru Forester Wilderness SUV AWD
Not rated
Not rated
Questions
What are the most common 2025 Forester problems?
The areas owners name most often in NHTSA complaints: fuel and propulsion system (13), visibility/wiper (13), forward collision avoidance (10). NHTSA does not verify complaints, and one complaint can name several areas.
Is the 2025 Subaru Forester safe?
In NHTSA crash tests every tested version of the 2025 Subaru Forester earns 5 stars overall. The table above lists each tested version.
How do I check if my Forester has an open recall?
Enter the 17-character VIN from your dashboard, door jamb or registration at nhtsa.gov/recalls. The lookup lists unrepaired recalls for that exact vehicle. Safety recall repairs are free at Subaru dealers.
Sources and method
NHTSA recalls file (NHTSA datasets), dated Sep 27, 2026; every campaign checked against NHTSA's recalls API.
NHTSA owner complaints file, dated Sep 26, 2026. Counted by complaint number, so a complaint naming three components counts once in the total.
NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings (NCAP).
NHTSA model names covered: FORESTER, FORESTER HYBRID.
Complaint counts are unverified owner reports. They rise with sales volume and time on the road, so compare model years with care. How we build these pages. Spotted an error? Tell us.