2023 SUBARU FORESTER — Problems, Recalls & Safety Data
5/5
Safety Rating
92
Owner Complaints
1
Recall
13
Service Bulletins
0
Investigations
Overview of the 2023 SUBARU FORESTER
The 2023 SUBARU FORESTER has received a total of 92 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. There have been 4 recall campaigns affecting this vehicle, covering issues with POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT. 13 technical service bulletins have been issued by Subaru of America, Inc. for this model year. The most commonly reported problems involve the Unknown Or Other (16 complaints), Visibilitywiper (11 complaints), and Forward Collision Avoidance Automatic Emergency Braking (7 complaints).
Recalls for the 2023 SUBARU FORESTER
NHTSA has recorded 4 recalls for the 2023 SUBARU FORESTER, potentially affecting up to 18,804 vehicles.
Recall 23V754000 — POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
| 4,701 vehicles affected
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Crosstrek, Impreza, 2023-2024 Forester, and 2023 WRX vehicles. The front driveshaft assemblies' outer race may develop cracks and break.
Consequence: A broken driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power while driving or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake engaged. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the left and right front driveshafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRP-23.
View full details →Recall 23V754000 — POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
| 4,701 vehicles affected
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Crosstrek, Impreza, 2023-2024 Forester, and 2023 WRX vehicles. The front driveshaft assemblies' outer race may develop cracks and break.
Consequence: A broken driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power while driving or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake engaged. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the left and right front driveshafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRP-23.
View full details →Recall 23V754000 — POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
| 4,701 vehicles affected
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Crosstrek, Impreza, 2023-2024 Forester, and 2023 WRX vehicles. The front driveshaft assemblies' outer race may develop cracks and break.
Consequence: A broken driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power while driving or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake engaged. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the left and right front driveshafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRP-23.
View full details →Recall 23V754000 — POWER TRAIN:DRIVELINE:DRIVESHAFT
| 4,701 vehicles affected
Defect: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Crosstrek, Impreza, 2023-2024 Forester, and 2023 WRX vehicles. The front driveshaft assemblies' outer race may develop cracks and break.
Consequence: A broken driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power while driving or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake engaged. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the left and right front driveshafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRP-23.
View full details →Owner Complaints for the 2023 SUBARU FORESTER
92 complaints have been filed with NHTSA for the 2023 SUBARU FORESTER. Below is a breakdown by vehicle component.
Most Recent Complaints
see attached
In three years I've had the Automatic Emergency Braking system engage and almost cause accidents several times. The breaking system engages when it's not needed. Going down a road driving straight at 25 MPH, no obstacles in road and breaks engage. Verry scarry, what if I was going 65 MPH on the highway! Another incident was on an off ramp in a curve, and another making a U-turn. This is not ok!
In three years I've had the Automatic Emergency Braking system engage and almost cause accidents several times. The breaking system engages when it's not needed. Going down a road driving straight at 25 MPH, no obstacles in road and breaks engage. Verry scarry, what if I was going 65 MPH on the highway! Another incident was on an off ramp in a curve, and another making a U-turn. This is not ok!
In three years I've had the Automatic Emergency Braking system engage and almost cause accidents several times. The breaking system engages when it's not needed. Going down a road driving straight at 25 MPH, no obstacles in road and breaks engage. Verry scarry, what if I was going 65 MPH on the highway! Another incident was on an off ramp in a curve, and another making a U-turn. This is not ok!
Traveling at approximately 45 mph through a green light at a 4-way intersection a car making a right on red turn turned into the outside lane in front of me. I had no warning sounds or automatic braking, to avoid a collision I had to steer to the left after an on coming car passed. There were no chimes or auto braking.I have had several instances similar with no alerts. My eyesight system has been problematic for the life of the car and required many diagnosis and recalibration with many trips to the dealership and no permanent repair. Frequent software updates and days with no eyesight -see manual. Finally had a total eyesight replacement with the assurance this was a long awaited technology all under 60,000 miles. A few months later eyesight malfunctioned again and required another update. Eyesight still remains unresponsive and goes in and out a couple of times a day. The technology is defective and unreliable. Subaru has provided no lasting fix.
Safety Rating for the 2023 SUBARU FORESTER
The 2023 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 2023 SUBARU FORESTER
Subaru of America, Inc. has issued 13 technical service bulletins (TSBs) for the 2023 SUBARU FORESTER. TSBs are notices sent by manufacturers to their dealers describing a known issue and the recommended repair procedure.
12-255-24R — ENGINE
This bulletin announces the repair procedure developed to address cases of a knocking type sound emitting from the engine compartment.
09-125-24 — ENGINE
This bulletin announces the availability of new reprogramming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM), to address concerns of the starter motor not operating.
09-115-24 — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This bulletin announces the availability of new oxygen sensors developed to address the following Diagnostic Trouble Codes (DTCs); P0137 (O2 Sensor Circuit Low Voltage Bank 1 Sensor 2, P0138 (O2 Sensor Circuit High Voltage Bank 1 Sensor 2) P0140 (O2 Sensor Circuit No Activity Detected Bank 1 Sensor 2), and...
09-104-23R — EQUIPMENT
This bulletin announces availability of reprogramming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) to address rare cases of DTCs P0011 (âAâ Camshaft Position â Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 1) and P0021 (âAâ Camshaft Position â Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 2) detected by the ECM.
09-104-23R — ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
This bulletin announces availability of reprogramming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) to address rare cases of DTCs P0011 (âAâ Camshaft Position â Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 1) and P0021 (âAâ Camshaft Position â Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 2) detected by the ECM. The new...
09-104-23R — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
This bulletin announces availability of reprogramming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) to address rare cases of DTCs P0011 (âAâ Camshaft Position â Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 1) and P0021 (âAâ Camshaft Position â Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 2) detected by the ECM. The new...
09-104-23R — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM)
This bulletin announces availability of reprogramming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) to address rare cases of DTCs P0011 (âAâ Camshaft Position â Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 1) and P0021 (âAâ Camshaft Position â Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 2) detected by the ECM. The new...
12-230-21R — STRUCTURE:BODY:DOOR
This bulletin announces design change to the outer door weatherstrips for the front and rear doors.
09-104-23 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
This bulletin announces availability of reprogramming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) to address rare cases of DTCs P0011 (âAâ Camshaft Position â Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 1) and P0021 (âAâ Camshaft Position â Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 2) detected by the ECM.
09-104-23 — ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE:ENGINE CONTROL MODULE (ECU/ECM)
This bulletin announces availability of reprogramming files for the Engine Control Module (ECM) to address rare cases of DTCs P0011 (âAâ Camshaft Position â Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 1) and P0021 (âAâ Camshaft Position â Timing Over-Advanced or System Performance Bank 2) detected by the ECM.
Showing 10 of 13 technical service bulletins.
NHTSA Investigations for the 2023 SUBARU FORESTER
There are no NHTSA defect investigations on record for this vehicle.
Other Model Years of the SUBARU FORESTER
- 2018 SUBARU FORESTER — 650 complaints
- 2019 SUBARU FORESTER — 1,079 complaints
- 2020 SUBARU FORESTER — 784 complaints
- 2021 SUBARU FORESTER — 265 complaints
- 2022 SUBARU FORESTER — 126 complaints
- 2023 SUBARU FORESTER (current)
- 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