2023 Subaru Forester
Problems, recalls and owner-reported issues
Forward collision avoidance is the leading concern among 73 owner complaints filed for this model year. This is the 24th highest complaint count among 26 Forester model years with reports.
Of the 2023 reports, 8 involved a crash and 4 involved a fire. 5 people were injured.
What owners report most often
Recalls and investigations
Power train, driveline, driveshaftNov 9, 2023
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.
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.
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.
Campaign 23V754000 on NHTSA.gov
Representative owner complaints
73 reports, newest first.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 10, 2024
Spontabeus stress crack in windshield in first 1000 miles.
Forward collision avoidance, Feb 7, 2024
If you have the adaptive cruise control (or regular cruise if you disable adaptive) and accelerate to pass another vehicle, as soon as you take your foot off the gas to coast back down to the cruise setting the car slams on the brakes to bring the vehicle back to the set speed. I have almost been rear ended several times when this happens. This has occurred since I purchased the vehicle. The dealership says this is a design feature and not a defect. It doesn't matter what speed the cruise is set at. If you are exceeding the set speed, the brakes apply when the accelerator is released.
Visibility/wiper, Feb 6, 2024
I have owned the vehicle less than 6 months. There is now a 6 inch crack in my front windshield for no apparent reason. It just appeared one day last week. I have heard from other Subaru owners that this is a common problem. They suggested I report the issue here.
Other or unspecified, Visibility/wiper, Feb 6, 2024
Car only has 6,000 miles,had 2 tiny stones hit the windshield and put 2 pebble sized holes in windshield, got those fixed and a week later another stone hit and now it has a quarter size chip,hole ,never had any other car i owned have this happen too,I would think a #1 safety rated manufacturer would have better windshields
Electrical system, Jan 26, 2024
The vehicles battery does not hold a charge during short term, (3-5 weeks of storage). I understand that some prior years of Subaru vehicles have this same problem and there is currently a recall for this. I wonder if this battery problem exists in newer Subaru Foresters. When we purchased this vehicle as new we observed that the Dealership was having problems maintaining the charge on at least two other new Forester vehicles on display and had to replace the battery in one of these to start the vehicle and show it to other customers. We have had to have Triple A, (AAA), visit our home and jump start our 2023 Forester at least three times. We do not use the vehicle much and there is less than 1000 miles on our auto. The auto is stored in the off condition. No warning messages of lamps show the depleted battery conditions until trying to start the vehicle. We have recently, week of 1/15-22/2023, replaced the battery the auto came with and put in a new Diehard battery. We have photos of the old battery.
Tires, Jan 10, 2024
225/60R17 99T
Suspension, Jan 4, 2024
Both front control arm outer bushings failed. At 21,000 miles, both bushings were found to be almost completely torn. They were torn around both the inner and outer portions of their respective sleeves. Rubber was found to be heavily worn and appear to be possibly dry rotted as well, with many surface cracks. The rubber was found to be no longer fully adhered to the outer portion of the sleeve. The control arms had a lot of play, both up and down, and left and right, causing the vehicle to drive erratically, especially on wet or uneven roadways. Vehicle also exhibited a lot of body roll. Further, vehicle would slide/skid around the roadway while making turns. The manufacturer, Subaru of America, has failed to respond to several emails. Phone calls have yet to be returned. Original Subaru dealership, World Subaru Tinton Falls, NJ, refused to acknowledge the issue and claimed they were in perfect working order. Customer tried to obtain another service appointment as was denied. Subaru's commonly have bushing failures that both the dealerships and manufacture refuse to acknowledge. Customer was able to finally find a dealership who has confirmed the issue and is currently replacing them.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 30, 2023
Just replaced my winshield for my 2023 suburu, first off safelite uses after market, also I haven't had the car for more than 3 months, the next day the winshield was hit with another pebble causing another crack. Like what the hell is the matter with these winshields and what is suburu go8ng to do about it. I'm missing work, and losing money here, not only that it's very dangerous to drive with these winshields.
Visibility/wiper, Nov 26, 2023
Small pebble hit winshield and in no time I have about a 3 inch crack. Car purchased a few months ago, used I have about 4000 miles on it. Read about winshield problems in newer cars with eyesight happening frequently and bam, it happens to me. This needs to be corrected!
Other or unspecified, Nov 1, 2023
Spontaneous windshield crack. I parked car in garage overnight. In the morning, there was a spontaneous crack on passenger side. Not sure if it is related to using car heater for the very first time 2 days prior to the spontaneous crack. The vehicle is 8 months old with 10,000 miles
Other or unspecified, Service brakes, Forward collision avoidance, Oct 28, 2023, crash, fire
Hit a deer the vehicle immediately was on fire and burnt to the ground. It had 3000 miles on it
Engine, Oct 23, 2023, crash
The contact owned a 2023 Subaru Forrester. The contact stated that while his wife was driving in reverse mode, the vehicle independently accelerated, which caused a crash. The contact stated that the vehicle simultaneously crashed into a parked vehicle and a concrete wall. The vehicle was towed to a collision center and then towed to a tow yard. A police report was filed. The vehicle was condemned as a total loss by the insurance company. The contact also stated that damage was caused to the parked vehicle and to the wall. The vehicle was diagnosed by Subaru Headquarters which advised the contact that they do not share the diagnosis details with the customer. The contact stated that the Subaru Headquarters representative advised him that all their systems for the vehicle worked as designed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The failure mileage was approximately 200. The VIN was not available.
Visibility, Oct 5, 2023
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 45 MPH, she noticed that a pea-sized stone had struck the front windshield and caused a crack. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 1,999. The VIN was not available.
Visibility/wiper, Sep 19, 2023
I believe Subaru STILL has issues I've found when researching them before I bought my vehicle, about weak windshields. I purchased a new 2023 Subaru Forester Wilderness just a little over a week ago. I was driving to the dealership to drop off some papers, leaving plenty of room around me, and something small hit my windshield because I didn't see any object. My guess is a small pebble off from somewhere off the road? Instant chip that formed the start of a spiderweb crack. I've been driving for 28 years in multiple vehicles and have had small pebbles hit my windshield. I've had glass replacement twice, ever. I feel like my old 2010 Ford Focus could have taken that hit. I understand the complaints by other consumers and feel these windshields are fragile and unsafe. I had less than 400 miles on my car at the time of impact and was traveling 65 mph with plenty of distance around me. My windshield is scheduled to be replaced with sensor recalibration with just a little over a week of ownership. This is unacceptable.
Exterior lighting, Aug 26, 2023
The low beam headlights project a light field which has distracting dark spots within the field. When turning the car the dark spots move as the headlight field moves and appear to be an animal or unknown object in the field of vision. We asked the Subaru dealer for a different type of headlight. The dealer said Subaru has no other options for headlights. We were not told about this feature when we purchased the car. And we did not test drive the car at night. The dark spots are dangerously distracting as a driver is trained to alert when an object is in front of the car. If a driver swerves to avoid the object the object will remain in the field of vision as it is caused by the headlight. The dealer said it is a design feature so approaching vehicles are not facing a bright low beam. The dealer refused to take the car back and return our money. We would not have purchased this car if had we driven it at night and saw this distracting feature. Vehicle owners may become more or less accustomed to the light feature, but persons driving the car for the first time will think an object is in the road ahead of them as we did. When they turn to avoid the suspected unknown object drivers will turn into oncoming traffic or on to the shoulder of the road and whatever is on the shoulder (trees). The hazard is greater when the Steering Responsive Headlight feature is turned on. The dark spots move and converge back together as the car turns, confusing and distracting the driver. Subaru will do nothing to correct this feature on their own. Respectfully request NHTSA investigate this feature before drivers, or other persons on the road or on the shoulder are hurt or killed. Subaru needs to develop a fix and conduct a recall. We also found the jagged & stark delineation between lighted and dark fields to be confusing. The headlights don't gradually dim on the edges of light beam. Confirmation is at subaruoutback.org (2023 Outback headlight casting a shadow???)
Exterior lighting, Jul 22, 2023
No incident yet. Have LED projection lights which are supposed to prevent glare to oncoming drivers. Live in rural area where there is little lighting. Even on dim, lights apparently are too bright & other drivers flash their brights as if I have them on bright. Don't understand how this helps safety. The projection prevents me from seeing the top 2/3 of screen at night the dark cut off line allows me to see very little in front of me. I will try to upload photos. Have almost hit deer. Have to put on bright for visibility, but can't do this in traffic, obviously, because I don't want to blind them. Have been to Subaru in Kennesaw twice. All they say is they are reset to factory setting which is safest. I have let my insurance agent know this, in case there is an accident where this causes a collision or even road rage incidents where my dim lights are blinding other drivers. Please give me any advice to improve vision. Love safety features on car but will need to trade if no solution.
Visibility/wiper, Jul 6, 2023
Cracked windshield. Full length. No apparent or known impact.
Forward collision avoidance, May 22, 2023
Forward collision braking activated for no reason. No traffic in front or behind when activated. Steady speed of 35-40 mph when activated - conditions were clear and dry. No warning prior to incident, message appeared on dash during braking. Seat belts activated and car came to a complete and very abrupt stop. Thankfully no vehicle behind us or most likely would have been rear ended. Problem has not been reproduced as we will not drive the vehicle without disabling the Forward Collision feature on the car. Vehicle had less than 2500 miles on it when incident occurred. Vehicle has not been to the dealer for inspection yet but will have them check the Forward collision system at first oil change service unless requested sooner. Emailed Subaru customer service to notify them of the incident.
Visibility/wiper, May 17, 2023
Near-immediate chip in the windshield my first time taking this vehicle on the interstate about 50 miles into a 800 mile weekend road trip.
Electrical system, Structure, May 16, 2023
2023 Subaru Forester, consumer is concerned that the Blind Spot Monitoring System and Dashboard Display are safety hazards and what changes can be made.
Air bags, Seats, Apr 24, 2023
I purchased a new Subaru Forester on February 3, 2023 from Cross Creek Subaru in Fayetteville NC. I noticed that the passenger air bag was off at times with my wife in the passenger seat. I made an appointment to have this fixed, The air bag was always on for her in my F150, Honda CRV and all the other cars we have owned. When I took it in they put some weights on the seat, hooked up to a computer and said that the seat was measuring the weight properly. The air bag was still on some time and off some time with no obvious reason for the difference. The dealer could not find any information as to what weight the air bag should be on. I made another appointment and took it back in on February 21st. They again tested the seat weight measurements and that was working. The had my wife sit on the seat and with her feet on the floor it measured her weight as 97 pounds but the air bag was still off. The service manager told me to contact Subaru of America (800-782-2783) about this problem. I talked to Heath (856-438-2434) about this problem. He called me back a few days later on a recorded line and told me that the air bag should be on when the weight measurements at the seat was from 78 to 80 pounds. My wife weighs 102 to 103. My daughter gave me a 12lb weighted blanket to put on the seat. Even with the extra weight the air bag is off at times. It happens like this. We will got to the grocery store and the air bag is on, and when we get in to come home the air bag is off. This is with my wife not having anything even a pocket book with her. One of the conditions either on or off is not safe, so this car is not safe for us to drive. The service manager Jay at Cross Creek Subaru told me on 3/22/2023 to tell Subaru of America that I wanted to return the car and that he did not know how to fix it. My case number at Subaru of America is 230221-1700488 and I have called and talked to America, Rommel, Linda, Yenisei, and finally Bernadine on 3/22/2023.
Structure, Apr 4, 2023
Door garnish panel (Part Number 91112SJ570) came loose within about 2 weeks of delivery of the new vehicle. The date of the incident is uncertain as the missing part was discovered after the event. The missing part is not available as it was not clear when or where the part fell off the vehicle. The vehicle has been shown to a service centre at Subaru Serramonte who confirmed the part number of the missing part. No investigation was offered as the missing part was not available. No lamps, messages or symptoms alerted the problem.
Vehicle speed control, Mar 23, 2023, crash
The contact owns a 2023 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while parking the vehicle, the brake pedal was depressed, but the vehicle accelerated unintendedly, and drove over a concrete curb and uphill toward a building. The contact quickly made a right turn, however, the fender and driver's side of the vehicle crashed into the edge of the building and scraped it. The vehicle then drove downhill through the grass and stopped on a sidewalk. The air bags did not deploy. The contact did not recall whether a warning light was illuminated. There were no injuries sustained. A police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer informed the contact that it could take approximately two months for a Subaru engineer to diagnose the vehicle. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that they would follow up with her in two days. The failure mileage was approximately 547.