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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | SPONTANEOUS CRACK IN WINDSHIELD. BEGAN AS SMALL CRACK CENTER OF WINDSHIELD ON PASSENGER SIDE. SPREAD TO THE LEFT. NO APPARENT DAMAGE AT START OF CRACK..CRACK INITIALLY VERY SMALL AND NOTICED BY PASSENGER WHILE DRIVING. | Crash: No Fire: No | 28,000 |
| Aug 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WHILE DRIVING MY 2018 SUBARU FORESTER ON A HIGHWAY AT 70 MPH, AN 11.5" CRACK APPEARED IN THE WINDSHIELD WITH NO APPARENT CAUSE OF THE DAMAGE. THE CRACK EXTENDS FROM THE EDGE OF THE GLASS HORIZONTALLY. CLOSE INSPECTION REVEALED A CHIP ABOUT 3/8" FROM THE EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD MEASURING NO WIDER THAN 1/16". GIVEN THE IMMEDIACY AND THE EXTENT OF THE DAMAGE, I BELIEVE THIS IS A SIGN OF DEFECTIVE WINDSHIELD MATERIAL. I AM ALSO CONCERNED THAT THIS CRACK WILL GROW VERY QUICKLY BEFORE I AM ABLE TO GET IT REPAIRED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 29,000 |
| Aug 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED AS I WAS DRIVING DOWN A STREET. NOTHING HIT IT. THERE WERE NO OTHER CARS NEAR ME. THE CRACK STARTED AT THE OUTER EDGE OF THE WINDSHIELD. | Crash: No Fire: No | 43,000 |
| Jul 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | OUR 2018 SUBARU FORESTER HAS BEEN SITTING IN OUR DRIVEWAY EVERY DAY SINCE MARCH 2020 WHEN THE COVID CRISIS KEPT US HOUSEBOUND. WE MAKE A FEW SHORT TRIPS AROUND TOWN PER WEEK. JUST TODAY (JULY 28, 2020) MY WIFE NOTICED A BIG CRACK IN THE LOWER WINDSHIELD ON THE PASSENGER SIDE. THEN SHE NOTICED THE SAME TYPE OF CRACK IN THE MOONROOF GLASS. WE HAVE BARELY BEEN DRIVING THE CAR AND WOULD CERTAINLY HAVE NOTICED IF A PEBBLE OR OTHER DEBRIS HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND MOONROOF SO HARD THAT THE TWO CRACKS DEVELOPED. (ALSO THERE'S NO CHANCE THAT A TREE FELL ON IT AND WE SIMPLY FAILED TO NOTICE.) WE WERE ABOUT TO TAKE THE CAR ON A 9-HOUR ROAD TRIP IN TWO DAYS BUT ARE CONCERNED THAT FURTHER DAMAGE WILL OCCUR AND WE WILL BE STRANDED. VERY DISAPPOINTING. | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,000 |
| Jul 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WHILE DRIVING I HEARD A VERY LOUD BANG AND IMMEDIATELY SAW THE WINDSHIELD WAS CRACKED. THERE WAS NO TRAFFIC OR VEHICLES IN FRONT OF ME ON THE LOCAL HIGHWAY TRAVELING AT 55 MPH. THE BANG STARTLED ME SO BAD I STARTED TO SWERVE INTO THE OTHER LANE. WHEN I REACHED MY DESTINATION I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE HOW LONG THE CRACK EXTENDED. I TOOK THE CAMERA OFF THE WINDSHIELD TO GET PICTURES OF THE FULL EXTENT OF THE CRACK. | Crash: No Fire: No | 12,000 |
| Jul 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | HAVE HAD TO REPLACE WINDSHIELD FULL REPLACEMENTS 3 TIMES IN 2 1/2 YEARS. USUALLY A SMALL ROCK KICKED UP FROM HIGHWAY STARTS THE CHIP AND IT SPREADS VERY QUICKLY. I HAVE HAD CHIP FILLED BUT IT STILL CRACKS ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD SO THE WHOLE WINDSHIELD HAS TO BE REPLACED AGAIN. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD CRACKED DUE TO EXCESSIVE HEAT. CAR WAS SITTING IN DRIVEWAY WHEN I CAM OUT IN THE MORNING A LARGE CRACK FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE NEAR THE BODY WENT ACROSS TO THE CENTER OF THE VEHICLE MY THE REAR VIEW MIRROR | Crash: No Fire: No | 30,502 |
| Jun 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED AND BROKE WITHOUT ANY NOTICEABLE OTHER DAMAGE AND WITHOUT HAVING BEEN STRUCK WHILE IN OPERATION. THERE IS NOW A LARGE CRACK ACROSS THE MIDDLE OF THE WINDSHIELD. I WOULD HAVE JUST REPLACED THE GLASS WITHOUT FURTHER ISSUE, BUT A FRIEND WHO IS ALSO A SUBARU OWNER EXPERIENCED A STRANGELY SIMILAR CRACK OCCURRING WITHOUT ANY OTHER DAMAGE, AND WITHOUT ANY ISSUES WHILE OPERATING THE VEHICLE. IT SEEMS ODD THAT THE SAME ISSUE WOULD OCCUR TWICE IN A SHORT SPAN. I AM WONDERING HOW MANY OF THE EXACT SAME ISSUES HAVE BEEN REPORTED TO SUBARU AND WHETHER THEY SHOULD HAVE LAUNCHED AN INVESTIGATION AT THIS POINT. THE CAR HAS HAD NUMEROUS OTHER (SMALLER) QUALITY ISSUES FOR THE DURATION OF THE TIME I HAVE BEEN DRIVING IT SO I WOULD ALSO EXPECT THAT THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME SUBARU HAS BEEN NOTIFIED OF THIS PARTICULAR ISSUE. I DO NOT HAVE A PHOTO OF THE CRACK WITH ME PRESENTLY BUT AM MORE THAN HAPPY TO PROVIDE ONE IF IT WILL AID IN THIS REVIEW. THANK YOU. | Crash: No Fire: No | 36,000 |
| Jun 2020 | AIR BAGS | PASSENGER AIRBAG OCCASIONALLY SHOWS AS 'OFF' EVEN THOUGH AN OCCUPANT IS IN THE SEAT. THE INFO CENTER (AS SHOWN IN THE ATTACHED PICTURES) ALSO INDICATES AN ISSUE WITH AN AIRBAG AND TO CHECK THE OWNER'S MANUAL. A SIMILAR AIRBAG DEFECT WAS REPORTED IN NHTSA BULLETIN - 19V701000 - SUBARU WUM-98, HOWEVER FOR WHATEVER REASON MY VEHICLE WAS NOT INCLUDED EVEN THOUGH IT HAS SIMILAR SYMPTONS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 21,236 |
| Jun 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD CRACKED IN ONE SPOT, THEN THE CRACK SPREAD THROUGHOUT THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD. HAD TO GET THE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD REPLACED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 11,000 |
| Jun 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | VEHICLE WAS STATIONARY WHEN "SRS AIRBAG SYSTEM NEEDS TO BE CHECKED" WARNING APPEARED ON CONSOLE. PASSENGER WAS PRESENT IN PASSENGER SEAT. VEHICLE WAS DRIVEN AND TURNED OFF. AFTER RESTARTING VEHICLE, ERROR MESSAGE APPEARED AGAIN WHEN CAR WAS STATIONARY AND IN MOTION. MESSAGE WAS PRESENT BOTH WHEN PASSENGER WAS PRESENT AND NO PASSENGER. SYMPTOM MATCHES EXISTING NHTSA CAMPAIGN 19V701000. PERFORMED INSPECTION PER HTTPS://STATIC.NHTSA.GOV/ODI/RCL/2019/RCRIT-19V701-0743.PDF, FOUND PASSENGER-SIDE FRONT AIRBAG OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM (ODS) HARNESS THAT MATCHES DEFECTIVE PART DESCRIPTION PROVIDED BY SUBARU (DATE CODE IS BEFORE 18074, SUPPLIER CODE IS 6578). OWNER CONCERN IS THAT THE VEHICLE VIN DOES NOT APPEAR LISTED UNDER RECALL PROVIDED ON NHTSA OR SUBARU WEBSITE, EVEN THOUGH THE DEFECTIVE, RECALLED PART IS PRESENT IN THIS VEHICLE. OWNER BELIEVES THAT SCOPE OF RECALL IS INCORRECT AND DID NOT INCLUDE ALL AFFECTED VEHICLES. | Crash: No Fire: No | 13,000 |
| Jun 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD GLASS SUDDENLY CRACKED ON RIGHT SIDE FROM THE EDGE TOWARD THE LEFT SIDE. CRACK IS ABOUT 12" LONG. WINDSHIELD WAS NOT STRUCK FROM ROCK OR ROAD DEBRIS. I NOTICED WHEN I GOT IN THE CAR WHEN STATIONARY IN THE GARAGE. *TR | Crash: No Fire: No | 16,243 |
| Jun 2020 | VISIBILITY | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING 70 MPH, THE PASSENGER'S SIDE WINDOW SHATTERED WITHOUT WARNING OR IMPACT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES REPORTED. AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC REPLACED THE WINDOW PROVIDED THROUGH THE INSURANCE COMPANY. THE DEALER WAS NOT INFORMED OF THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS CONTACTED BUT NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS PROVIDED. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 50,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50,000 |
| Jun 2020 | AIR BAGS | THERE IS A CURRENT RECALL AFFECTING 2018 SUBARU FORESTER'S (NHTSA CAMPAIGN NUMBER: 19V701000). I CURRENTLY OWN A 2018 FORESTER THAT THE VIN NUMBER DOES NOT MATCH THE RECALL. HOWEVER MY VEHICLE I DOING THE EXACT THING THAT THE RECALL IS FOR, THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG TURNS OFF, LIGHT COMES ON AND AN SRS AIRBAG WARNING MESSAGE COMES ON. TOOK MY VEHICLE TO THE DEALER WHILE STILL UNDER WARRANTY, THEY SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG WITH IT, EVEN THOUGH THERE WAS A TROUBLE CODE FOR THE PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG THAT THEY JUST CLEARED. SIX MONTHS LATER AND NOW NOT COVERED UNDER WARRANTY, VEHICLE IS DOING THE SAME THING, TURNING THE AIRBAG OFF, ERROR MESSAGE COMING ON. I FEEL AS THOUGH SUBARU DIDN'T INCLUDE ALL OF THE CORRECT VIN NUMBER OF VEHICLES THAT WERE AFFECTED. IT CREATES A SAFETY ISSUE FOR THE PASSENGER, BEING THAT THE AIRBAG TURNS OFF AND WILL NOT WORK IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH. I ALSO DON'T FEEL LIKE I SHOULD HAVE TO PAY TO FIX SOMETHING THAT IS OBVIOUSLY A PROBLEM WITH OTHER VEHICLES OF THE SAME YEAR MODEL HAVING THE SAME PROBLEM JUST CAUSE MY VIN NUMBER IS NOT INCLUDED. THEY SHOULD EXTEND THE VIN'S TO ALL 2018 MODELS. *TR | Crash: No Fire: No | 35,000 |
| May 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD HAS EASILY CRACKED MULTIPLE TIMES AND IS VERY EXPENSIVE TO FIX. *TR | Crash: No Fire: No | 12,345 |
| May 2020 | VISIBILITY,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I HEARD A LOUD POP WHEN DRIVING ON A MAJOR ROAD. JUST DRIVING. I LOOKED UP AT THE REAR VIEW AND SAW THE WINDSHIELD HAD A VERY LARGE / LONG CRACK IN IT. I CALLED SUBARU DEALERSHIP THEY TOLD ME TO CALL MY INSURANCE COMPANY. NO MENTION OF PROBLEMS WITH WINDSHIELDS. *TR | Crash: No Fire: No | 21,000 |
| May 2020 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2018 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE DRIVING AT VARIOUS SPEEDS, WITH THE CRUISE CONTROL ACTIVATED, THE VEHICLE WOULD ACCELERATED INDEPENDENTLY WITHOUT WARNING. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE OCCURRED FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 SECONDS BEFORE RESUMING NORMAL OPERATION. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO MARK MILLER SUBARU (3535 STATE ST, SOUTH SALT LAKE, UT 84115) AND AN UNKNOWN DEALER IN AUSTIN, TEXAS, HOWEVER, NEITHER DEALER WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE A CONCLUSIVE DIAGNOSIS OF THE VEHICLE. THE MANUFACTURER HAD NOT BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE HAD NOT BEEN REPAIRED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 31,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 31,000 |
| May 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I PURCHASE A 2018 SUBARU FORESTER AND 5 MONTH LATER THE SIDE/BACK RADAR WARNING SYSTEMS WENT DEAD. I RETURNED IT TO THE DEALER AND WAS TOLD BECAUSE OF A SCRATCH ON THE BUMPER THE CAR WAS IN AN ACCIDENT AND THE PART WAS NOT WARRANTED AND WOULD COST OVER $2K TO REPAIR. THIS PART WARNS ME FROM GOING BACK OR CHANGING LANES BECAUSE OF BLIND SPOTS OR EXCESSIVE SPEED OF OTHERS DRIVERS AND PREVENTS ACCIDENTS. I BROUGHT IT TO SEVERAL REPAIR SHOPS AND HAD THE PART REPLACED AND PAID OUT OF POCKET. RECENTLY I FOUND IN MY PAPERS THAT THE DEALER HAD INCLUDED IN MY PRICE AN EXTENDED WARRANTY FOR THE SAME PERIOD AS THE MANUFACTURERS WARRANTY AND CHARGED ME OVER $300 FOR IT. I RE-APPLIED TO HAVE THE REPAIR COVERED BY THE NEW WARRANTY AND AGAIN DENIED. I REPORTED THIS TO CONSUMER REPORTS IF THEY WOULD BE WILLING TO TEST THE ORIGINAL DEFECTIVE PART TO SHOW IT WAS NOT MADE DEFECTIVE BY A SCRATCH/BUMP TO THE BUMPER. BECAUSE THIS PIECE IS SUCH AN INTEGRAL SAFELY PIECE OF THE CAR, LIKE A COMPUTER OR TV ELECTRONIC PARTS DON;T GO DEFECTIVE IN SUCH SHORT PERIODS AND WITH NO REAL PHYSICAL DAMAGE. I NOTICED THE DEFECTIVE DEVICE WHEN BACKING OUT OF MY DRIVEWAY AND WHEN ON THE STREETS AND VEHICLES WERE PASSING AND DEVICE NOT WARNING ME. *TR | Crash: No Fire: No | 4,985 |
| May 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | AFTER NOT DRIVING MY VEHICLE FOR 2 MONTHS DUE TO COVID I NOTICED I HAVE A HUGE CRACK THAT GREW BY AT LEAST AN INCH A DAY WHILST THE CAR WAS IN MY GARAGE. THE CRACK STARTED ON THE BOTTOM BLACK PORTION WHERE IT LOOKS LIKE IT CHIPPED (SEE PHOTO) THE WINDSHIELD AND HAS SPIDERED FROM THERE. I HAVE MEASURED THE CRACK DAILY WITH A CHALK MARKER AND THE CRACK WILL SOON BE ACROSS THE WINDSHIELD. *TR | Crash: No Fire: No | 12,000 |
| May 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | THE WINDSHIELD ON MY 2018 SUBARU FORESTER HAD TO BE REPLACED ON APRIL 16, 2019 AND AUGUST 13, 2019 DUE TO ROCK STRIKES IN THE BOTTOM OR SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD (THE BLACK SECTION OF THE WINDSHIELD CLOSEST TO THE METAL. TODAY, MAY 3, 2020 A CRACK LARGER THAN 12 INCHES APPEARED. THE CRACK BEGAN ON THE BOTTOM OF THE WINDSHIELD (AGAIN IN THE BLACK SECTION). I CHECKED CLOSELY AND THERE WASN'T A ROCK STRIKE. THE CRACK SPONTANEOUSLY APPEARED. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2018 SUBARU FORESTER, SITTING AT HOUSE UNDRIVEN (STATIONARY) FOR OVER A MONTH DUE TO STAY AT HOME ORDER, DEVELOPED A CRACKED WINDSHIELD FOR NO REASON. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10,000 |
| Apr 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WE HAVE NOW HAD TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD TWICE. BOTH TIMES, THERE WAS A CRACK ORIGINATING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE GLASS AND COMING UP INTO THE LINE OF SITE. BOTH TIMES, THE CRACK OCCURRED WITHOUT AN APPARENT ROCK HIT OR OTHER ISSUE. BOTH TIMES, THE CRACK WAS NOTICED AFTER THE CAR HAD BEEN STATIONARY WITH NO APPARENT ISSUES. THE FIRST TIME WE TOOK IT TO SUBARU, WHO SAID IT WAS PROBABLY A ROCK. I SAW NO EVIDENCE OF A ROCK. | Crash: No Fire: No | 34,500 |
| Apr 2020 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | FORESTER WAS PARKED IN UNDER GROUND PARKING GARAGE FOR BETWEEN ONE AND TWO WEEKS. THE BATTERY WAS COMPLETELY DEAD, NO SOUND AT ALL WHEN I TRIED TO START IT. THE ONLY DOOR THAT WAS LOCKED WAS THE REAR HATCH DOOR. NEIGHBOR BROUGHT A BATTERY CHARGER AND GOT THE FORESTER STARTED. FOLLOWING THAT, I DROVE IT TO THE LOCAL SUBARU DEALER AND ASK THEM TO CHECK AND SEE IF ANYTHING WAS DRAINING THE BATTERY. THEY CHECK EVERYTHING AND DID NOT FIND ANY PROBLEM. THE FELLOW AT THE SERVICE DESK SAID THAT STARTING A CAR IS THE BIGGEST DRAIN ON A BATTERY AND IF THE CAR ISN'T DRIVEN ENOUGH BETWEEN STARTUPS, IT TENDS TO BRING THE BATTERY DOWN. HE RECOMMENDED PARTICULAR BATTERY CHARGER WHICH HE SAID I COULD PURCHASE AT WALMART. SINCE I ONLY HAVE A LITTLE OVER ELEVEN THOUSAND MILES ON MY FORESTER, AND I HAVE NEVER HAD THIS SITUATION OCCUR WITH ANY OF MY OTHER AUTOMOBILES IN THE PAST. I DO WORRY ABOUT WHAT WOULD HAPPEN SHOULD I LEAVE MY CAR PARKED AT THE AIRPORT FOR A COUPLE WEEKS AND THERE IS NO PLACE TO PLUG IN A CHARGER. I STILL LOVE MY FORESTER. | Crash: No Fire: No | 11,735 |
| Apr 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | MY CAR WAS SITTING IN THE DRIVEWAY AND OVERNIGHT A WINDSHIELD CRACK OF 8-12 INCHES APPEARED OUT OF NOWHERE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 8,990 |
| Apr 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED, THE CRACK IS GROWING FROM BOTTOM PASSENGER SIDE AND UP, HEADING MID SHIELD TOWARDS DRIVER. NO LOGICAL REASON FOR CRACK. NO ROCK CHIP MARKET, NO ACCIDENT. | Crash: No Fire: No | 27,000 |