2022 Subaru Forester
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Visibility/wiper is the leading concern among 98 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 16th highest complaint count among 26 Forester model years with reports.
Of the 2022 reports, 8 involved a crash and 6 involved a fire. 5 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Power train, automatic transmission, park/neutral start interlock switchNov 9, 2023
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.
An inoperative inhibitor switch may prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview camera image from displaying, increasing the risk of a crash.
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.
Campaign 23V755000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
98 reports, newest first.
Power train, Sep 6, 2022
My new 2022 Forester Wildness is equipped with an automate "Start and Stop" function which (while driving) shuts the engine off if the sits still too long in traffic or a stop light. While the car has a button to disable this function. You must press the button every time you start the car to disable the auto SS. Today I had forgot to disable the function. The car stalled at a busy intersection nearly causing me to be rear ended. I think there is a safety concern here. Someone could get hurt trying to save a small amount of gas. Also, the wear and tear on the starter and associated engine components could result in premature failures over the life of the vehicle.
Air bags, Forward collision avoidance, Aug 31, 2022, crash
I had adaptive cruise control set to the speed limit of 55, I looked down to input directions and then heard the collision warning tone. There was a large box truck sitting at the stop light ahead of me. I slammed on the breaks and swerved into the right-hand turn lane. The vehicle did not make it entirely out of the way and hit the back passenger corner of the lift on the box truck at a slight angle. The vehicle was shredded from the front driver's side bumper to the beginning of the driver's door frame and the hood went through the windshield. No air bags were deployed. --I believe the components/system that could have potentially failed if any, was the airbag system or the automatic emergency breaking system. --Unsure if the problem has been reproduced. --The vehicle was inspected by police & insurance representatives. Unsure if the manufacturer has completed an inspection. --The front collision warning tone & red warning image populated on the center screen of the instrument cluster ~3 seconds prior to collision.
Other or unspecified, Aug 22, 2022
windshield cracked easily
Visibility/wiper, Aug 19, 2022
Driving through a parking lot under 5mph, and the glass cracked with no warning or sign of anything hitting the windscreen.
Electrical system, Engine, Fuel/propulsion system, Aug 17, 2022
Purchased car on 8/15/2022 and encountering issues with: 1. oil in the air when engine is turned on 2. Onion smell when engine is turned on 3. AC if affected by oil and onion smell ; too hot when sitting in car with engine on ..sulfur? 4. Please check the gas tank for possible leak. 5. 3-yr old grandson is affected by onion, oil and possible exhaust fumes leaking into the interior of the car. Daycare made a notation of oil smell and onion smell on grandson. We need oxygen to our brain and body; without it we cannot live.
Power train, Aug 5, 2022
My brand new 2022 Subaru Forester will accelerate and stall while I am driving. It is more noticeable between 0 - 40mph speed shifts, especially 20 to 40mph. It is frightening because this may cause an unintentional accident.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 29, 2022
Windshield Cracked while in the hot sun. I was sitting inside my car and started hearing a cracking noise and noticed my windshield was cracking. Eventually it developed a 7 inch crack.
Other or unspecified, Jul 28, 2022
New vehicle with less tan 100 miles on it . Vehicle was parked in garage with garage door closed. Vehicle engine started horn, honked, and lights were on and engine ran for less than one minute. Two safety issues. Risk for carbon monoxide poisoning and personal safety of driver. Cannot trust if someone has control of vehicle. Dealer tried to sign us up Subaru Link, which we declined.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 25, 2022
2 separate windshield cracks in 2 days!!
Visibility/wiper, Jul 24, 2022
Subaru installs terribly delicate windshields on their vehicles. I just bought this car in May of 2022 and already there are chips and cracks in the windshield. I had to replace the windshield on my previous 2019 Forester within months of purchase, too. If the slightest pebble (even at low speeds) hits the windshield, it will crack - currently the crack on my windshield is about six inches long and growing.
Forward collision avoidance, Jul 22, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle experienced phantom braking. The vehicle was taken to the dealer where it was diagnosed; however, no fault codes were retrieved. The vehicle returned to operating as designed. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 250.
Other or unspecified, Jul 12, 2022
Windshield cracked for no reason. While driving turning on ram windshield cracked
Visibility, Vehicle speed control, Jul 5, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 60 MPH, a rock struck the bottom middle of the windshield glass. The rock became imbedded inside the windshield glass which caused water to leak inside the vehicle. The dealer was notified of the failure and insisted that the windshield glass be replaced with the same type of glass and not an aftermarket glass. The contact waited a month for the windshield repair; however, the eyesight and cruise control features both became inoperable after the repair. A month later, the contact stated while exiting the highway, an unknown object struck the windshield and caused another crack to form on the bottom left side of the windshield. The contact stated that each crack obstructed her vision while driving. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 500.
Exterior lighting, Jul 5, 2022
Three issues with the headlights. First, major shadowing. From the bumper to 6 feet out there is a dark spot. Second issue. Vehicle is two weeks old. We drive twisty windy roads. Headlights are almost a foot and a half low at 25ft. You can not see more than 50 feet on roads that are hilly due to the headlights being low and the auto level not correcting fast enough. I do not understand at all how this is ok from Subaru or federal agencies. Multiple times we had to slow down due to not being able to see or the headlights being so slow to adjust. Maybe raising them would help but why is this not being checked before deliver. Last issue, the high beams are literally no brighter than the low beams. My wife works nights. She drives home in the dark and in to work in the dark during half the year. This vehicle is horrible for night driving. I have never seen headlights so bad. This is after owning 4 brands of vehicles. I can send video and pics if needed.
Visibility, Jun 21, 2022
The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while starting the vehicle, she noticed a crack on the windshield which started from the bottom of the front windshield and expanded to the driver's side casing a visibility hazard. The vehicle was taken to the dealer but was not diagnosed. The representative at the dealer took a picture and forwarded the picture to the manufacturer. The windshield was not replaced. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 7,600.
Steering, Lane departure, Jun 10, 2022
Incident on Highway 80 on May 30, 2020. Entered Highway 80 (East) from Donner Sumit Roadside Rest, accelerated in the slow land and passed a truck and accelerated in the fast lane to 65-70 mph. Began feeling a severe/violent shaking of the steering wheel, a couple of inches or so, side to side. Pulled over and steering wheel was still shaking and brought the vehicle to a full stop. Shaking stopped. Inspected wheels for looseness and nothing appeared abnormal. Lane keeping system was not engaged at the time. Could be new Automatic emergency steering but activated falsely. Felt very unsafe and had to hold steering wheel tight to retain control Took vehicle to dealer who could not find anything wrong with car, no codes in diagnostic. No warning lamps or messages appeared.
Air bags, Vehicle speed control, Jun 7, 2022, crash
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.
Structure, Visibility/wiper, May 18, 2022
On May 12, 2022, when I got in my vehicle and closed the driver's side door, I heard a crackling sound. When I looked in the rearview mirror, I could see a gaping hole in the rear windshield and glass falling everywhere. I got out of the vehicle to inspect it. The rear windshield had not been impacted by anything; it just spontaneously cracked. I house the vehicle in my garage, and that's where the situation occurred. I bought this vehicle brand new on March 1, 2022.
Exterior lighting, May 17, 2022
When driving at night, there are two black dots that appear in my headlights on the road. They move with the steering and become an extreme nuisance. Its all your eye can focus on and are right in the field of view from the lights. They move and create blind spots.
Exterior lighting, Mar 23, 2022
There seems to be an issue with the led headlights. When on they are projecting two dark shadows of something looking like rectangle objects. This is very unsafe and definitely very annoying because all you see are those two shadows right in front of your eyes.
Exterior lighting, Mar 8, 2022
Same complaint as NHTSA ID Number: 11454147. I have a serious safety concern with a new vehicle purchased in February 2022. I have there are three issues concerning the vehicle’s headlights: 1.There are two large shaded dark spots directly in your field of vision. These are approximately fifteen to twenty feet directly in front of the vehicle. 2.The cutoff lines are jagged and irregular with low points dropping down. These are always in motion with the steering responsive headlights. 3.There are two rectangular black areas below the cutoff area in your field of vision. These too are always in motion with the steering responsive headlights. These headlights create a variety of safety concerns. The dark shaded areas result in a reduced clarity of vision in the most needed area; directly in front of the car in the dominant field of vision. The jagged irregular moving cutoff lines are extremely distracting. When the lowered dark cutoff areas move across your field of vision, it’s as if something is jumping out in front of the car. The driver struggles to know if there is an actual need for emergency action or not. Then perhaps the greatest concern of well being is the two dark moving rectangular boxes below the cutoff lines. Your eyes fixate on these moving rectangles. When fixated on these boxes the driver is not giving complete attention to the whole field of vision. The first time I drove the vehicle at night I became almost completely disoriented and would have had a accident if I had been driving faster than the 20mph under cruise control. I stopped, got my bearings and drove the last quarter mile home. I thought I had had a brain seziure.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 28, 2022
Bought my brand new Forester less a month and i have to replace a windshield already!!! Discovered about 5 inches crack while warming up the car on the snow day. Subaru have a glass action agains them about windshield so easily to crack. Service dept refused to replace my windshield because of a super tiny hold that can not be seen by normal eyes, i think it was a damage from crack . We have a different brand vehicle which has about 10x bigger intake but never cause the crack for year. Now i know the reason why Subaru offer the limited windshield replace program.
Exterior lighting, Feb 25, 2022
This is not a specific incident but a serious safety concern with a new vehicle purchased in January 2022. There are three contributing issues to the concern with the vehicle’s headlights: 1.There are two large shaded dark spots directly in your field of vision. These are approximately fifteen to twenty feet directly in front of the vehicle. 2.The cutoff lines are jagged and irregular with low points dropping down. These are always in motion with the steering responsive headlights. 3.The most glaring problem is two rectangular black areas below the cutoff area in your field of vision. These too are always in motion with the steering responsive headlights. Up close to a wall these are about eight inches wide, but when projecting on the road these grow exponentially to several feet. Note - These matters are most prominent with the low beam headlights. These headlights create a variety of safety concerns. The dark shaded areas result in a reduced clarity of vision in the most needed area; directly in front of the car in the dominant field of vision. The jagged irregular moving cutoff lines are extremely distracting. When the lowered dark cutoff areas move across your field of vision, it’s as if something is jumping out in front of the car. The driver struggles to know if there is an actual need for emergency action or not. Then perhaps the greatest concern of well being is the two dark moving rectangular boxes below the cutoff lines. Your eyes fixate on these moving rectangles. When fixated on these boxes the driver is not giving complete attention to the whole field of vision. This seems to be a design flaw.