2021 SUBARU FORESTER — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
5/5
Safety Rating
265
Owner Complaints
0
Recalls
27
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2021 SUBARU FORESTER
The 2021 SUBARU FORESTER has received a total of 265 safety complaints filed with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). It earned an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars in NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program crash tests. 27 technical service bulletins have been issued by Subaru of America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Visibilitywiper (76 complaints), Unknown Or Other (38 complaints), and Electrical System (27 complaints).
Recalls for the 2021 SUBARU FORESTER
There are no recalls on file with NHTSA for the 2021 SUBARU FORESTER. No Active Recalls
Owner Complaints for the 2021 SUBARU FORESTER
265 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2021 SUBARU FORESTER. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
| Component | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries | Deaths |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibilitywiper | 76 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown Or Other | 38 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Electrical System | 27 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| Engine | 27 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibilitywindshield | 13 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Control | 11 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Power Train | 10 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Service Brakes | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance Warnings | 6 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuelpropulsion System | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Blind Spot Detection | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Steering | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Structurebody | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspension | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air Bags | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward Collision Avoidance Adaptive Cruise Control | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Assist | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lane Departure Warning | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Power Trainautomatic Transmission | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Back Over Prevention Rearview System Braking | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chest Clip Buckle Harness | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior Lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Suspensionrear | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tiressidewall | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle Speed Controlaccelerator Pedal | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Visibility | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Most Recent Complaints
Car drains battery. 45,000 miles and has had 3 batteries and have been told it needs another. Dealer says start stop switch, requires a battery of 750 CCA and not the Subaru recommend battery. Car will die in traffic and driver seat adjusts to different positions by itself. Told that these problems will never stop unless I get a higher rated battery than required.
Car drains battery. 45,000 miles and has had 3 batteries and have been told it needs another. Dealer says start stop switch, requires a battery of 750 CCA and not the Subaru recommend battery. Car will die in traffic and driver seat adjusts to different positions by itself. Told that these problems will never stop unless I get a higher rated battery than required.
Car drains battery. 45,000 miles and has had 3 batteries and have been told it needs another. Dealer says start stop switch, requires a battery of 750 CCA and not the Subaru recommend battery. Car will die in traffic and driver seat adjusts to different positions by itself. Told that these problems will never stop unless I get a higher rated battery than required.
On January16,2026 while driving from Houston,TX to Austin TX the vehicle experienced a complete loss of power on Highway 71 W. We were traveling at approximately 70 MPH when the engine completely failed. We were forced to immediately pull over onto a narrow shoulder Our situation at that point was dire: we could not exit the vehicle as other cars were speeding by. Fortunately an emergency vehicle from the Texas Department of Transportation pulled up behind us with his emergency lights flashing. He told us we were in a dangerous situation and, due to our location, he was not able to tow us to safety. Our only option at that point was to allow the emergency vehicle to puss us to a safe location off of the highway. The driver pushed our vehicle approximately 1/2 mile to a motel parking lot. We contacted Austin Subaru, arranged for a tow truck, and proceeded to the dealer. The dealer technician advised us the Thermo Control Valve had failed. We were told this failure was common. The repair was at no charge since Subaru, being aware of the problem, had extended the warranty on this part. The action by Subaru to extend the warranty instead of proactively replacing the part before failure seems blatantly irresponsible
Vehicle was delivered with the wrong battery - reserve capacity. The car stalls out in idle position creating safety issues. My wife was stranded and we had the original battery replaced with the specs from the previous battery…causing the same issues to occur. Finally, we were informed of the improper battery installation
Safety Rating for the 2021 SUBARU FORESTER
The 2021 SUBARU FORESTER received an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars from NHTSA's New Car Assessment Program (NCAP).
| Test Category | Rating |
|---|---|
| Overall Rating | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Frontal Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Side Crash | ★★★★★ (5/5) |
| Rollover | ★★★★☆ (4/5) |
Safety ratings are based on controlled crash tests conducted by NHTSA. A 5-star rating indicates the highest level of occupant protection.
Technical Service Bulletins for the 2021 SUBARU FORESTER
Subaru of America, Inc. has issued 27 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2021 SUBARU FORESTER. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
05-94-25 — WHEELS
This bulletin outlines the repair procedure to follow when the axle nut has rotated from its originally torqued position.
12-269-25 — STRUCTURE:BODY
"This bulletin announces the service procedures to be followed when encountering instances of water intrusion from the sunroof area for models listed. "
Thermo Control Valve Vide — ENGINE
This thermo control valve video contains information on the replacement of thermo control valve.
09-99-23R — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This bulletin addresses rare cases of engine surg or jolting when the operator releases the accelerator from half-throttle.
03-91-23 — POWER TRAIN
This bulletin announces the design change made to the front drive axle shaft assemblies to address cases of a clicking/cracking-type sound heard when driving with the steering wheel in the fully locked (left or right) position.
07-202-23 — EQUIPMENT
This bulletin announces the design changes to the headlights.
07-202-23 — EXTERIOR LIGHTING
This bulletin announces the design changes to the headlights.
12-230-21R — STRUCTURE
This bulletin announces design change to the outer door weatherstrips for the front and rear doors.
15-285-21R — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This Bulletin provides reference tables and photos to use for determining the infotainment head unit supplier and generation.
09-100-23 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This bulletin announces availability of reprograming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) to address rare cases of the engine surging/jolting when releasing the accelerator from halfthrottle.
Showing 10 of 27 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2021 SUBARU FORESTER
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the SUBARU FORESTER
- 2016 SUBARU FORESTER — 594 complaints
- 2017 SUBARU FORESTER — 765 complaints
- 2018 SUBARU FORESTER — 650 complaints
- 2019 SUBARU FORESTER — 1,079 complaints
- 2020 SUBARU FORESTER — 784 complaints
- 2021 SUBARU FORESTER (current)
- 2022 SUBARU FORESTER — 126 complaints
- 2023 SUBARU FORESTER — 92 complaints
- 2024 SUBARU FORESTER — 34 complaints
- 2025 SUBARU FORESTER — 69 complaints
- 2026 SUBARU FORESTER — 0 complaints
Other SUBARU Models
- SUBARU OUTBACK — 12,068 total complaints
- SUBARU LEGACY — 4,117 total complaints
- SUBARU IMPREZA — 3,406 total complaints
- SUBARU CROSSTREK — 1,431 total complaints
- SUBARU ASCENT — 1,230 total complaints
- SUBARU WRX — 1,207 total complaints
- SUBARU SVX — 373 total complaints
- SUBARU XV CROSSTREK — 354 total complaints