Complaint volume
482 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
482 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2018 Subaru Forester, grouped by component category.
482 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 240 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 20,699 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 55
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 51
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 47
VISIBILITY 19
AIR BAGS,SEATS 17
ENGINE 12
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 11
POWER TRAIN 10
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 7
482 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 2022 | AIR BAGS,SEATS | The passenger sensor light is on and Subaru says I need to replace the seat. There was a recall for certain vehicles but my Vin was not part of the recall - however, if the issue persists why isn't the recall expanded? Do we really want drivers like me to have to replace seats because Subaru is not living up to the standards - due to their faulty wiring? Please expand the recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | AIR BAGS | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the passenger’s side air bag warning light was illuminated. The contact took the vehicle to the dealer who reset the fault light; however, the failure persisted. The contact was aware of NHTSA Campaign Number: 19V701000 (Air Bags) however, the dealer confirmed that the VIN was not included. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 63,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 63,000 |
| Nov 2022 | AIR BAGS | My dashboard for the past several months has intermittently indicated that there is an issue with my front passenger airbag. I just discovered there was a recall for this issue for cars manufactured with heated seats the same year as my vehicle but my vehicle is not part of the recall. This recall may need to be expanded. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Unanticipated Windshield Crack: While attempting to replace the right wiper blade, I lost handling it, with the old blade still in place. No obvious damage was noticed at the time. I took the car to the local Subaru dealership to successfully replace the wiper blades. Returning home I noticed the beginning of the crack. In disgust, I didn’t return to that shop, but waited until the next oil change to have the original dealership examine. No responsibility was assessed but an estimate of $1,333 was offered for replacement and recalibration of EyeSight. I don’t have windshield replacement coverage. I’m looking for other replacement options. The damaged windshield is available for professional inspection at this time. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Just had my battery replaced and it’s already dead. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | AIR BAGS | I have had a airbag light on for the passenger side of the car for a long time. Subaru said it is from water damage. I do not recall water damage - I didn't drive through a flood. I understand there is a recall on 2015-2018 Subaru Foresters with and has heated seats but even though my car falls within those parameters my VIN shows up as not being recalled. Something seems fishy! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | AIR BAGS | Air bag sensor in passenger seat doesn't recognize when someone is in it therefore keeping it from activating in the event of an accident. There was a recall (Subaru # WUM98R, NHTSA campaign # 19V701) for that problem for 2015-2018 model years which mine is and with heated seats which it also has. Subaru told me there is no open recall based on the VIN and won't repair without being paid for. There are many reports of the exact same thing across both the internet and NHTSA's own site. It's quite obvious there is a problem with more vehicles than being admitted to by Subaru. The repair for a potential death causing issue shouldn't be the burden of the consumer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | We have discovered that our 2019 Forester has a parasitic battery drain of almost 1 amp when the car is off and the hatchback is open. This resulted in full battery drain several times until we did several tests to determine the root cause of the problem (Subaru was of no help). This led to replacement of the OEM battery at about 52,000 miles. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Car battery died within 4 months of purchasing, had to purchase a replacement | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Fuel gauge system became inaccurate in February 2022, showing 100 extra miles available upon filling tank, 450 instead of 350, also gallons left on fuel gauge was inaccurate, off by 4 gallons. Went to Subaru dealership/Service Dept. & was told that I would have to replace gauges & fuel tank, due to warranty past 3 years. I decided to not replace, just keep track. They said they'd never heard of this problem before. It lasted approximately 3 months & went back to normal, then beeped & became inaccurate again while I was starting engine 4 months later, & re-adjusted back to normal after a couple weeks. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that since owning the vehicle, the battery had been replaced three times. On each occasion, the contact stated that the vehicle failed to start up after multiple attempts. There was no warning light illuminated. The dealer had been notified of the failure and informed her that there were no recalls on the vehicle. The manufacturer had yet to be notified of the failure. The vehicle had yet to be diagnosed or repaired. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | AIR BAGS | Passenger air bag light displays intermittently on and off (mostly off) regardless of whether there is a passenger in the seat. It has not yet been inspected by any dealer, service center, manufacturer, police, insurance, or others. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Environmental and safety issue. The AC System has failed three times now. SUBARU dealer checked the system for leaks at in November 2021 (mileage about 22,000 miles) and could not locate any leak but added freon. AC System stopped working again in August 2022 at 24,000 miles. Mechanic checked system, found a loose connector and tightened it, then recharged Freon in system. After 4 days, system again is not cooling the car. Compressor and blower work but no cold air and return line from compressor is not cool. This problem is widespread across Subaru Forrester models 2017 & 2018. Checking for leaks and adding freon costs $200. Most likely a repair of the system will cost at around $1,500 - 3,000. For a less than 4-year-old, very well-maintained, garaged and little driven car, components should not be failing. Having no working AC is a safety hazard to be in while driving in 100+ degree weather and also the windshield will fog over because moisture is not being taken out of the air now. Environmental issue due to loss of Freon to atmosphere. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I recently purchased a used Subaru Forester with about 92k miles. About two weeks after purchase, I took it to a Subaru dealership and a multi point inspection revealed a cracked catalytic converter. The tech stated that this was discovered by visual inspection. This failure causes a safety issue by leaking exhaust vapors into the cabin. This failure occurred with no warning lamps or messages/codes. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | AIR BAGS | The passenger airbag is disabled when my light weight wife is riding in our 2018 Subaru Forester. There is a recall for this issue including 2018 models but it looks like Subaru thinks the fault is caused by heated seats. We don't have heated seats - so maybe that's why our VIN doesn't register ??? However it is definitely a safety problem that Subaru must fix. I don't want to get embroiled in a lawsuit if my wife ends up injured in an accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Twice now the battery has died without any obvious reason. We did not leave the lights on nor any other electrical devices known to us. We had to cal AAA who could not find an issue for the drained battery. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | AIR BAGS | I have been getting an airbag warning light for the past few months. I took it into my local Subaru dealer and they confirmed that the issue was the passenger recognition system. The system will recognize a passenger and turn the airbags on sometimes, and sometimes it will not. This puts the passenger’s life at risk in the event of an accident and the airbags don’t deploy. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | AIR BAGS | Passenger seat when empty will at times indicate person is sitting in seat without buckling seat belt and sound alert | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Windshield cracked over night, and is getting bigger. There was no accident, nothing hit the windshield. It is in the drivers view point | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Our windshield cracked again to the edge. This is the third time it’s cracked and will be our fourth windshield on a 2018 model year car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield cracks after being struck by minor objects. The windshield does not chip when struck with objects. One crack appeared without being struck by an object. It showed up from the bottom of the windshield is growing. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | VISIBILITY | The contact stated that his girlfriend owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that when the vehicle was purchased, the front windshield seal dislodged and was visible by the dashboard. The contact stated that the seal should not be visible. The dealer was contacted and stated that they could not repair the windshield. The contact stated that a rock recently struck the windshield and a spider crack appeared; starting where the seal was not properly seated. The contact stated that the vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired as he was awaiting an appointment with the dealer. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 5,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 5,000 |
| Jul 2022 | STRUCTURE | The windshield cracked itself. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Battery, electrical system was doing funny things I noticed then a day or two later my wife and daughter got stranded at a gas station and I had to go jump the car to get them home in the middle of the night we called the dealership a few times and they said that all battery's die they just said to go buy a new battery no warning light nothing | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | On June 8 after waiting for my garage door to rise, my 2018 Subaru Forester suddenly shot through the door, across the garage, through a 7 ft high wooden cupboard, through the back wall, across the basement steps, into the wall that backs up to the kitchen, shoving my stove one and a half feet into the kitchen. I was able to back out because I believe the right front tire ran on the top basement step, stopping me from falling into the basement. The insurance company has assessed the damage to both the car and the house. The car is in the body shop. The repairs do not address the reason it accelerated without me stepping on the gas. I had no previous warning that anything was wrong. Before driving up to the garage door I had just filled the car with gas from our gas tank located on the other side of the house. I had been driving very slowly around our circular driveway and had pushed the remote for the garage door. I wasn’t in a hurry. Now I am afraid to drive the car when it is returned to me. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |