2025 Subaru Forester

2025 Subaru Forester recalls (3)

• WHEELS

  Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles equipped with 18" aluminum alloy wheels. 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.

  Remedy: 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.

• CHILD SEAT

  Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles. The child seat anchor bolts may have been improperly tightened, allowing the bolts to come loose.

  Remedy: 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.

• EQUIPMENT:OTHER:LABELS

  Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid, 2025-2026 Forester Hybrid, Forester, and 2019-2026 Ascent 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."

  Remedy: 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 24, 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.

2025 Subaru Forester safety ratings

Source: NHTSA NCAP ratings.

2025 Subaru Forester owner complaints (15)

• STRUCTURE

  Sunroof cracked completely on its own while vehicle was parked. No surface impact, chip, marking or exterior imperfection in the glass was present. There were small air bubbles in the pane mould around the corner where the crack appeared and spread across the pane. Dealership replaced it under factory warranty after Subaru of America approved the claim at no cost at 15,216 miles.

• WHEELS

  Noticeable noise after oil change and tire rotation that became progressively worse over time. Constant humming/growling noise from the rear that increases in volume and intensity with speed. Noticeable at 40 mph and higher and floor vibration present at highway speed, especially under the dead pedal. Droning propeller sound. Upon inspection, both rear hub bearing units were failing prematurely and were replaced at 29,240 miles at no cost under the factory warranty.

• UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  Purchased new 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid Sport on 01 May 2025 (owned 19 months). Approximately 156 DAYS (a little over 5 months) after purchase we began having trouble with an unknown fuel system defect which prevents the vehicle from being refueled, disables our hybrid system, disables safety features such as the vehicles eyesight system, cruise control, and RAB. Vehicle leaking strong gas smell. Issue has been increasing in frequency, occurring more often, and now escalating to leaking fuel all over the side of my car. I took my vehicle to the Subaru service center at the dealership for repairs on: 06 OCTOBER 2025 (~14,700 miles), 22 OCTOBER 2025 (17,394 miles), 09 MARCH 2026 (27,470 miles), 02 JULY 2026 (35,782 miles), 23 JULY 2026 (35,782 miles) To date, Subaru has been unable to identify the direct cause of the problem and replacing the gas cap is a bandaid on the unknown issue.

• Chest Clip, Buckle, Harness

  The harness was missing stitching on one side. They're supposed to be two levels to connect the harness for a smaller child. One side had two levels. The other side it only had one. Safety first is sending me a brand new harness.

• VISIBILITY/WIPER

  Two occurences of rear hatch window shattering spontaneously while vehicle was parked, powered off. No symptoms, warning lamps, or messages were present. First incident, six months after production/purchase, factory-installed window shattered spontaneously while owner was seated in the car, parked, and engine turned off. Second incident, two months later, OEE replacement window shattered while vehicle was parked, powered off, unattended. Currently having third window installed by dealer and submitting report to Subaru of America.

• ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  Engine is misfiring, causing in ability to accelerate properly and loads multiple error codes. Upon taking it to the dealership for services, we were told that there is a significant amount of carbon built-up inside the engine. The car has only 6,800 miles on it. The dealership stated that it is an issue that Subaru engineering is aware of but has yet to figure a way to resolve it. The dealership informed us that hybrid engines have had severe carbon build-up on the in-take valves that causes misfiring, loss of power, bucking and stumbling of the engine. Apparently this has been reported all over different on-line forums. The dealer informed us that they would need to order a valve cleaning kit as referenced un service bulletin 02-193-24 and the engine would require walnut blasting. The vehicle was dropped off for service on 7/22 the work was completed, but upon restarting the engine more codes fired up and they stated that the Electronic Communication Module failed and it would now require an escalation to the Subaru Engineers called TechLine, "they now say that the ECM now needs replacement, still misfiring and has become a more complicated issue"

• SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

  The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while pulling into a parking space, the brake pedal was slightly released to move the vehicle forward; however, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated, failed to respond upon depression of the brake pedal, and crashed into a brick wall. The impact resulted in damages to the front bumper and caused a body panel to detach. No warning light was illuminated before or after the crash. The air bags did not deploy. There was no property damage, no reported injury, and no Police report was filed. The vehicle was driven to the dealer, where Subaru field technicians inspected the Event Data Recorder (EDR) and informed the contact that no data was recorded. The manufacturer was contacted and informed the contact that data was not logged because the vehicle was traveling at a significantly slow speed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. Additionally, the contact stated that a previously owned 2021 Subaru Forester had experienced the same failure, which also resulted in a crash, and a Police report was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 1,200.

• FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

  the gas cap O ring recall was repaired previously by Casey Subaru of Newport News, VA. (I live in [XXX], purchased the vehicle in [XXX] at Ourisman Subaru) I filled my gas tank the night before this leak occurred. I noticed the smell of gasoline in my car at approximately 08 AM on the way to work. It was mild No obvious exterior leak. I drove my 25 commute to Williamsburg, Va. Upon leaving work I noticed a strong smell of gasoline inside the vehicle. Inspection of the exterior revealed an obvious gas leak (the fuel door to the gas cap was not opened at this time). the paint was wet and the paint adjacent to the plastic guard on the bumper side had bubbled due to the leak. The outside temperature was nearing 100 with a heat index of 105. I drove the vehicle to the dealership in Newport News (not aware I should have had it towed due to the leak). It has not been driven since. The fuel door was opened and there was an obvious leak as the well in the gas cap space was wet and the odor of gasoline was very strong. I twisted the gas cap and it did not close any farther. INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION

  I have been having problems with my 2025 Subaru Forester since I purchased it. It has failed multiple times to alert me of people and cars when I am backing up. I have RCTW on my vehicle .Sometimes it alerts me when there is a car or person is coming behind me ,sometimes it doesn't. I have a video dated June 4th 2026. Three times people walked right behind my car when I was backing up. I almost hit them! I decided to video tape it. The back up camera also doesn't always work and did not go off when I was backing into the curb until I hit it without an alarm going off. The lighting alert system was also messed up because the light was on green until I almost hit the curb. This also happened on June 4th and I have a video. I could have hit a small animal or child or damaged my car. I have brought this to the attention of my Subaru Service department and they claim they can not replicate this problem.This is of great concern for me and I have filed a Lemon Law Case as I am too fearful I will hurt someone or myself because of these issues. In addition to this, my headlights are aimed down at the ground and I live on curvy country roads. Hard to see at night. My service department said Subaru of America would have to approve the adjustment. They never got back to me on this issue. The tech specialist told the service department manager that I had electrical problems with my vehicle as she witnessed the HVAC working improperly. My radio, navigations, phone and sound systems also cause distracted driving. The Radio would blast on high volume randomly . The navigation, phone and radio volume would be blasting without being able to turn this down. There is no way to turn off the radio. If you do, the whole navigations screen won't work. My navigation system is not functioning properly and has blacked out . Subaru has seen my vehicle 6 times for these issues . They claim they can't replicate the problem. My car is sitting in the garage. It is too unsafe to drive.

• ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,BACK OVER PREVENTION

  I have been having problems with my 2025 Subaru Forester since I purchased it. It has failed multiple times to alert me of people and cars when I am backing up. I have RCTW on my vehicle .Sometimes it alerts me when there is a car or person is coming behind me ,sometimes it doesn't. I have a video dated June 4th 2026. Three times people walked right behind my car when I was backing up. I almost hit them! I decided to video tape it. The back up camera also doesn't always work and did not go off when I was backing into the curb until I hit it without an alarm going off. The lighting alert system was also messed up because the light was on green until I almost hit the curb. This also happened on June 4th and I have a video. I could have hit a small animal or child or damaged my car. I have brought this to the attention of my Subaru Service department and they claim they can not replicate this problem.This is of great concern for me and I have filed a Lemon Law Case as I am too fearful I will hurt someone or myself because of these issues. In addition to this, my headlights are aimed down at the ground and I live on curvy country roads. Hard to see at night. My service department said Subaru of America would have to approve the adjustment. They never got back to me on this issue. The tech specialist told the service department manager that I had electrical problems with my vehicle as she witnessed the HVAC working improperly. My radio, navigations, phone and sound systems also cause distracted driving. The Radio would blast on high volume randomly . The navigation, phone and radio volume would be blasting without being able to turn this down. There is no way to turn off the radio. If you do, the whole navigations screen won't work. My navigation system is not functioning properly and has blacked out . Subaru has seen my vehicle 6 times for these issues . They claim they can't replicate the problem. My car is sitting in the garage. It is too unsafe to drive.

• UNKNOWN OR OTHER

  Rear hatch glass shattered on April 16th while parked in carport after my wife opened the right rear passenger door, had it replaced by Safelite on April 29th, on July 9th while driving it shattered again, Safelite says that this is a Subaru issue, Subaru says they will not warranty a replacement even if they do the replacement since the car does have a rebuilt title. So we can neither use the car nor sell it in good faith if we're just passing a problem and potential danger on to someone else.

• FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

  The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that a few days after the dealer had serviced the vehicle under NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V106000(Fuel System, Gasoline), the contact refueled the vehicle at the gas station. The contact stated that upon entering the store and returning to the vehicle, the contact noticed both a strong fuel odor and fuel leaking from the fuel tank onto the ground. The contact used soap and water to clean up the area. The vehicle was driven and parked outside the residence's garage. The contact stated that if the fuel leak had gone unnoticed, the vehicle would have been parked inside the garage near a water heater's open flame, leading to a catastrophic fire that could have affected both the contact's family and nearby neighbors. The contact attempted to reach the dealer to report the failure, but had not yet received a return call. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and filed a case. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 2,700.

• VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

  The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving into a parking space and applying the brake pedal, the vehicle suddenly experienced unintended acceleration, surged forward and drove over a parking bump before crashing into the hedges and a lamp post. No injuries were reported. A police report was filed at the scene. The vehicle was later towed to the local collision center. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 14,920.

• FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE,LANE DEPARTURE

  Leading up to a windshield replacement, my eyesight cameras that help with adaptive cruise control and lane keeping assist kept failing. This feature would turn on and off repeatedly. When I got my windshield replaced, it took longer than expected because of the camera calibration. The microchip(s) inside one of the three cameras was fried and they had to put in a new camera. This failed camera was an original to my car and the justification provided was that "this sometimes happens." For the fuel/propulsion system, I was topping off my car with gas one day when something went very wrong. My fuel tank was just shy of full, and when the gas pump handle tripped to stop pumping gas, a large amount of gasoline came flooding out as I removed the gas pump handle. This was scary and highly concerning because I have never experienced this with any previous vehicle before. The dealership, in cooperation with corporate, identified one other instance of this issue occurring somewhere in the midwest. Their best guess as to what happened is that the air relief valve of my gas tank somehow became blocked and that is what caused the overflow of gasoline. The solution was to turn the air relief valve around from facing the outside of my car to the inside metal frame. July 2026 marks one year since acquiring my car, and these experiences thus far make me question the safety and longterm viability of my car and the Subaru brand. This is ironic, because Subaru's legacy and strong reputation of safety and build quality was my primary incentive for getting one in the first place.

• BACK OVER PREVENTION

  While backing up into a parking space, my wifes car made contact with a dumpster, which started on the drivers side corner of the rear bumper. The backup sensor did not sound until it was too late. This was a low-speed maneuver that normally would allow for enough reaction time. I (husband) tried a similar maneuver when she got home and encountered a delayed backup sensor notification from both the drivers side and passenger side rear corners of the car. We have small children in our neighborhood, and fear this could have been a child.