Complaint volume
488 consumer-submitted complaints are matched to this model year. Treat the count as a research signal, then read the actual summaries for repeated symptoms.
Complaint records
2018 Subaru Forester Complaints
488 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Subaru Forester, grouped by component category.
488 Total complaints
26 Crash reports
1 Fire reports
6 Injury reports
Complaint data reflects consumer-submitted reports. A complaint is not proof
of a defect, recall, or manufacturer fault. Enriched severity fields come
from official bulk records when the complaint can be matched by ODI number.
Buyer interpretation
How to use these complaints before buying
Complaint records are most useful when they turn into inspection points, seller questions, and comparison checks against nearby model years.
Pattern to inspect
The most common categories are visibility/wiper, air bags, unknown or other. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 26 crash reports, 1 fire report, 6 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 241 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 21,173 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to visibility/wiper, air bags, unknown or other?
- Can I see recent maintenance and repair records?
- Has the vehicle ever been towed, involved in a crash, or repaired for the same issue twice?
- Can we also check the recall record for this 2018 Subaru Forester?
Used-car checklist
Use these complaints before the test drive.
Build a buyer checklist to turn these issues into questions and inspection points.
2018 Subaru Forester
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2018 Subaru Forester complaints?
26 Crash
1 Fire
6 Injury
0 Fatality
21 Towed
3 Medical attention
What are the most common 2018 Subaru Forester complaint categories?
VISIBILITY/WIPER 123
AIR BAGS 60
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 52
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 47
VISIBILITY 19
AIR BAGS,SEATS 17
ENGINE 12
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11
POWER TRAIN 10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 7
488 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The key would not pull from the ignition. We took the car to a Subaru Dealership and they had to replace the shifter assembly. This would have cost $650 had it not been covered by our 30 day limited warantee. We had just bought the car a week prior. There was no recall on the required notice we got when we bought the car because Subaru had not issued at that time. I discovered this when visiting forums of others with a similar experience. The owners know their experience, but that knowledge has not risen to the level of public acknowledgement by Subaru. The windshield cracked in 3 places for no discernable reason. We had it looked at, and they are not deep enough for service, at this time. However, we anticipate having to get a replacement windshield with estimated costs of $1000 or more. Another discovery found in the forums, but not from Subaru directly. The general public relies on the credibility of manufacturers and dealerships when making this long term investments. Subaru concealing information this information is quite concerning. If they do not disclose then neither do the dealerships selling them. In the end, the consumer ends up with the expense. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Multiple times, I've had the car parked for several days and when I try to start it, the battery is dead. I've had the dealer check the battery twice, and the entire charging system once. They couldn't find a problem. This doesn't happen every time consistently, but it's happened enough that I wanted to report the issue. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | AIR BAGS | When a passenger sits in the front passenger seat of my Subaru Forester, the airbag notification light indicates that the airbag is "OFF". It is my understanding that there was a recall for this very issue but when I contacted Subaru to get it fixed, they said that my vehicle wasn't on their list of recalled vehicles and would not service it under the recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the vehicle was parked when she noticed there was a crack on the windshield. There was no impact to the windshield that could have caused the crack. The vehicle was not diagnosed nor repaired. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was 33,203. | Crash: No Fire: No | 33,203 |
| Jul 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The windshield has several small cracks in it and it was not hit by rocks or any other debris. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Battery keeps dying without daily use. I drove my vehicle less than a week ago, no lights left on, nothing in the charging ports, no doors open, and still the battery didn't have enough power to start. I've had to call AAA and have neighbors jump start my vehicle a few times but when I get my battery tested I'm told that my battery is fine and that I do not need a new one. Something is draining my battery and I don't know what. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | There is a crack in the glass of my moon roof and the moon roof is not properly sealed so water leaks in to the car. I purchased the vehicle on 6/18/21 and noticed the crack today (6/25/21) as I was examining the car when I was showing it to a friend of mine. I noticed the water leaking in to the car on 6/19/21 and 6/24/21 when I took the vehicle to get washed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | Follow up-to complaint #11420905 submitted 6/14/2021. The car was taken back to the dealership due to stall, hesitation, slowness, and erratic uncontrolled acceleration. Safety was the main issue. The dealer confirmed the concern and replaced the transmission with a remanufactured one. The problems still remain with the exception of the stalling. We believe this situation requires further thorough investigation and possible recall or new transmission installation. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | POWER TRAIN,VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | The 2018 Forrester XT was taken to Subaru Dealer (Gwinnett) for a routine 42,000-mile service. There were no issues with the car. Shortly after picking up and driving approximately 30 miles the car stalled twice at traffic lights. The engine was restarted but started to exhibit sluggish and erratic acceleration, especially from 0-45 MPH. The car was taken back to Gwinnett Subaru the next day. They did some data retrieval and found a mass airflow event, cleaned the air filter, test drove the car, and released it to us. The next few days, the same problems were experienced but the car did not stall. At one point, at a traffic light, the car would simply not accelerate even with full pedal pressure which was gradually increased. When it finally did, it was uncontrolled and erratic. Highway driving once speed was reached seemed normal, but any acceleration from a slower speed was problematic. On Monday 6-14-2021 the car was taken back to the dealer due to serious concerns about safety and the possibility of the loss of power when critically needed or when on the highway. The dealer promised to investigate the problem further. That evening, we were informed that it was their assessment that the car would need a brand new CVT transmission. The car has approximately 41,100 miles and we were told that it would be covered by the 5 years/60,000 miles powertrain warranty. Expected to take 7-10 days for repair. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | When applying gentle gas pressure at low speed car does not respond for 2-4 seconds, then lurches strongly forward as tho full throttle has been applied. Happens at random times. Dealer said nothing wrong when first happened 2 years ago. Was rare until today when it happened 6 times within 50 miles of city driving. Will see dealer tomorrow. No warnings of any kind. Grave safety hazard as could be hit by traffic when trying to enter street or get out of somebodies way when car does't respond. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2021 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The windshield, after being in a garage for A whole weekend cracked. There was no impact, it just split up the middle. This issue has had a class action lawsuit brought up against Subaru, and is something that sadly happened to me to. I am now stuck with an almost 1000 bill. There were no warnings or causes. It happened with no indication this would occur. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield cracked over half way across due to no apparent reason. Noticed it in the morning after vehicle had been parked in a protected area. The crack continued to get bigger over the next day and now covers over half of the windshield. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Changing wipers blades. Blade hit passenger side windshield and creates a 12 inch crack. Windshield had to be replaced. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I have had numerous times that my car would not start because the battery was dead. I upgraded my battery at purchase because I had the dealer install a remote start. Within a few months my car was completely dead and had to be towed to the dealer, 2.5 hrs away. Subaru replaced the battery with the biggest battery that would fit. The next winter, the same dead battery issues happened. It was suggested that I get a car starter jump pack, to keep on hand, which I used often. Then the battery stopped holding charge for even four days. So they recommended that I get a Trickle charge battery tender, so I did. The dealer thought it might be the remote starter, and replaced that. So far, it has been okay, but it is warmer weather now too. They also recommended that I keep the battery tender plugged in all time, year round, which seems crazy for a new car. I tried several times and ways to download my invoices showing these repairs. All failed. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery died. Subaru battery drain related | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | BATTERY DRAINS FOR SEEMINGLY NO REASON. THE RADIO OR LIGHTS ARE NOT LEFT ON THAT WOULD MAKE THE CAR DRAIN WHILE THE CAR OFF. I HAD TO REPLACE THE BATTERY ON 5/14/2021. | Crash: No Fire: No | 100,000 |
| May 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | BATTERY DIED AND HAD TO BE REPLACED | Crash: No Fire: No | 54,000 |
| May 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | WOULD GO TO START CAR AND IT WOULDN'T START. MULTIPLE DAYS THOUGHT I WAS DOING SOMETHING WRONG G LEAVING SOMETHING ON, GOT BATTERY CHECKED THEY SAID IT WAS OK JUST LOW. IT KEPT DOING IT, WENT ON FOR LIKE 2-3 MONTHS . FINALLY I HAD ENOUGH AND BOUGHT A NEW BATTERY. SINCE IT HAPPENED AND REPLACED BATTERY VEHICLE IDLES HIGH LIKE 1-2 IN PARK. | Crash: No Fire: No | 35,000 |
| May 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,LANE DEPARTURE | WENT TO START MY CAR AND BATTERY WAS DEAD. GOT A JUMP FROM AAA BUT SINCE NONE OF THE EYESIGHT SAFETY FEATURES WORKED, I HAD THE CAR TOWED TO SUBARU AND THEY REPLACED THE BATTERY. I WAS TOLD I'D NEED TO DRIVE IT EVERY DAY TO KEEP THE BATTERY CHARGED. THAT'S ABSURD. TO MAKE THINGS WORSE, REMOTE START WILL ONLY WORK FOR 2 STARTS. ON THE 3RD START, IT WON'T START UNLESS YOU START THE CAR MANUALLY. WHAT'S THE POINT OF HAVING A REMOTE START IF YOU HAVE TO START THE CAR MANUALLY EVERY 3 DAYS? | Crash: No Fire: No | 2,909 |
| May 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | WHILE GETTING A 2 HR DENTAL PROCEDURE, THERE WAS AN UNEXPLAINED BATTERY DRAIN, LEAVING THE CAR DEAD. I PAID AAA TO GIVE ME A ROADSIDE EMERGENCY JUMP. I HAD HAD NO PREVIOUS ISSUES. | Crash: No Fire: No | 34,000 |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THE UPON ENTERING HER VEHICLE, SHE NOTICED A VERTICAL CRACK AT THE BOTTOM BASE OF THE PASSENGER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD. THE WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED WITHOUT INCIDENT OR IMPACT. WITHIN HOURS, THE CRACK WAS EXTENDED AND FORMED A CURVE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD, OBSTRUCTING THE DRIVER'S VISION WHILE DRIVING. THE CONTACT CALLED DELLENBACH SUBARU SERVICE CENTER (3103 S. COLLEGE AVE, FORT COLLINS, CO 80525, (970) 226-3100) AND WAS INFORMED TO BRING THE VEHICLE IN TO BE INSPECTED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 18,300. | Crash: No Fire: No | 18,300 |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | A SMALL ROCK FLEW UP AND HIT THE WINDSHIELD WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY, CRACKING THE WINDSHIELD. THE WINDSHIELD SHOULD BE ABLE TO WITHSTAND THE IMPACT OF A ROCK THAT SMALL. | Crash: No Fire: No | 18,000 |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD HAS CRACKED WHILE VEHICLE WAS AT IDLE FOR NO REASON AND NO IMAPCT | Crash: No Fire: No | 75,000 |
| May 2021 | VISIBILITY | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THERE WERE SEVERAL FRACTURES ON THE DRIVER'S AND PASSENGER'S SIDE WINDSHIELD. A DEALER WAS NOT CONTACTED. AN APPOINTMENT WAS SCHEDULED WITH A GLASS REPAIR FACILITY. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT YET REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE CONTACT LEARNED OF A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT RELATED TO THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 22,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 22,000 |
| Apr 2021 | VISIBILITY | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED, WHEN SHE NOTICED THAT THE FRONT WINDSHIELD HAD A CRACK ON THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND THE CRACK STARTED EXPANDING. WAGNER SUBARU (5470 INTRASTATE DR, FAIRBORN, OH 45324) WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND INFORMED THE CONTACT THAT SHE HAD TO PAY OUT OF POCKET FOR THE REPAIR. THE VEHICLE WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 75,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 75,000 |