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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The radio/touch screen unit has lost its contrast. In bright sunlight I can see an underlying circuit pattern on the screen that makes it hard or sometimes impossible to see the back up camera. Instead of seeing the image from the backup camera all I see are lines. I can no longer rely on the camera for safety support. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery went dead on Jan 14th 2022. This isn't totally unexpected as this was the first time the battery needed replacing since the car was purchased new. However, after the battery was replaced the same day, three days later Jan 17th the battery was again dead. Since then, the battery has been replaced once more and again died on both March 27th and April 1st. The car is driven weekly at least and has no warning lights on. After the most recent incident it was researched more heavily and found that there is a potential class action lawsuit against Subaru for this exact problem. Though it hasn't been dangerous for us it could be potentially dangerous should the car decided to fully shut off in the middle of traffic. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | 1. The car battery failed on six separate occasions within a 12 month time frame. First on May 8, 2021, August 21, 2021, September 9, 2021, November 5, 2021, February 5, 2022, and on March 28, 2022 2. The drivers safety was placed at minimal risk on one occasion since cars were lined up behind in a parking lot when the car would not start. 3. Yes, the problem has been reproduced due to the number of different times the battery died and the car would not start. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer or independent service center. 4. No, to date the vehicle or component has not been inspected by the manufacturer, police, insurance representatives or others. 5. No, there were not any warning lamps, messages, or other symptoms of the problem prior to failure. They first appeared on May 8, 2021. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | AIR BAGS | We went it because the ODS (Occupant Detection System)/SRS (supplemental restraint system lit up on our dashboard. I took it in to Subaru of America after seeing that there were no VIN specific recalls on this issue. They immediately said they would cover the parts but we would have to pay for the labor. I then checked for recalls again and found that there was this exact same issue with 2015-2018 Subaru Foresters accounting for almost 370 thousand vehicles but apparently not ours. Obviously the car was no longer safe to drive as we weren't sure if the airbags would trigger in the event of the crash so we are paying out of our pocket to fix the issue but this seems like the old recall needs to be extended to cover other 2018 Subaru Foresters as well because from what I've seen on complaints here and on message boards, the problem is widespread. Hopefully, the NHTSA can investigate and see that the issue is further reaching than the initial 370 thousand vehicles. It's also important to note that 370 thousand subaru foresters between 2015-2018 is about half the amount sold in the US. If this issue affected that many vehicles on the road, it seems like the issue could be further widespread. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | This is the latest time in a series of incidents where the SUV would not start due to a problem with the main battery. New batteries drain very quickly after a series of electrical problems. So far, we have noticed keyless entry FOB says battery in the FOB is low and stops connecting (but then connects if we remove the key from it without us holding it to the button that turns the car on and off), we replace this battery but continue to have the same issues, front passenger side window is not able to be rolled down or up from driver side, as the battery continues to drain, gas gauges stop correctly registering amount of gas in the car, different warning lights light up on control panel without any sense of rhyme or reason, and overhead lighting gets dim. For a few weeks, the SUV blames the problems on the battery in the key FOB being low, even though it was replaced on December 15, 2021. When replacing the FOB battery did not work, we learned it was the actual main SUV battery that had been drained. It is now March 19, 2022, and we are having the same issues despite having only a moderate amount of miles put on the SUV and only 3 months of time passing since we purchased and installed a brand new car battery. We will have to spend money on batteries again. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I took our 2018 Subaru Forester through a car wash. The usual washing procedure went just fine with me in the car idling in neutral as it went through. When it came to the end of the wash cycle, I coasted out and then shifted into drive. Instantly the car surged forward at an alarming speed and I could not stop it. The car crossed a busy street. I fortunately did not collide with cars. The car continued into a field next to a Ford dealer’s lot at a high speed and I was unable to stop it. I managed to swerve right to avoid crashing into the cars parked on the Ford lot. This sent the car back toward the road. Fortunately I hit a lone fire hydrant along the road, shearing the hydrant completely off. The hydrant was dragged along under the front left tire until it hit the curb stopping the car. The air bag did not deploy and I was not injured. This all occurred in a matter of seconds. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Battery continues to drain when car is parked/off causing a required jump start and then recharging of the battery. Dealer replaced battery one time in 2019 (with expense to owner) and recommended driving car every couple of days to ensure it does not draw down. This is not normal. Battery continues to drain down. Owner purchased aftermarket AGM battery (May 2021) of higher voltage/capacity to attempt to reduce number of issues yet vehicle continues to exhibit parasitic drain and battery dies after 3-4 days (faster when it's cold). Dealer has looked at car two more times and claims this is normal and need to not leave car for multiple days without starting. There are multiple class action lawsuits claiming this issue so I am registering this VIN as an affected vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 2 MPH while pulling into a parking spot, the vehicle lurched forward. The contact stated that she heard the engine revving but did not notice any warning lights. The contact had not taken the vehicle to the local dealer. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer had been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 19,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 19,000 |
| Feb 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while attempting to start the vehicle, the vehicle failed to start-up. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer who diagnosed that rodents had eaten through the engine wiring harness. The contact was informed that the wiring harness was made of a soy-based material that was attractive to rodents. The vehicle was not yet repaired. The contact indicated that 2 weeks prior the windshield wiper fluid spray mechanism was inoperable due to a similar failure with rodents eating the soy-based tubing. The manufacturer was not yet notified. The VIN was not available. The failure mileage was 27,000. | Crash: No Fire: No Towed | 27,000 |
| Feb 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Unknown system that failed but vehicle equiped with EyeSight and all of Subaru safety features. Air bag did not deploy. Pulling into curbed parking space at city park. Speed <10 mph while in parking lot. Applied brake while pulling in space to park and car accelerated jumping the curb. The car was out of control and luckily heading into the woods. Tried to apply brake again but car kept accelerating. Car went approximately 10-12 feet and crashed into a tree. I suffered only stiffness and sore muscles from the seatbelt. An accident report was filed with local police department. No warning lamps, messages or other messages appeared prior to the incident. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving approximately 35 MPH, the windshield cracked without impact. The vehicle was not taken to a local dealer. The manufacturer was not informed of the failure. The failure mileage was 39,591. | Crash: No Fire: No | 39,591 |
| Feb 2022 | ENGINE | I was driving on a normal roadway when a pulley began to make a loud screaming sound. Then I heard two loud pops. I pulled to the side of the road. I found a melted serpentine belt. I replaced the belt and began to drive at a low speed. I noticed the Vehicle started to sputter. I pulled over and checked the engine. When I opened the hood the AC compressor was sparking and 6-12 inch flames were shooting out. I turned off the engine and extinguished the fire. Vehicle operated like normal after replacing AC compressor. Concerned that it could have caught entire vehicle on fire. Condenser for same make and model is recalled but not for our specific vin. I have old AC pump as evidence. An argument could be made that my VIN should have been included in the recall. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | On January 15, 2020, a very cold morning, I discovered a crack in my 2018 Subaru Forester windshield. Upon further research, I also discovered this issue with spontaneous windshield cracking was an ongoing problem, found in Subaru's in the 2016 thru 2020 issue years. I took my Forester to my local Subaru dealer to inquire about the process to have Subaru repair my windshield under warranty. I was told by the service manager that there were no technical bulletins regarding the repair of windshields under warranty. This is a safety issue because this crack has now increased in size to half way across the windshield. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | There is a parasitic drain on the electrical system, including when the vehicle is turned off and nothing is left running. As a result the vehicle will not start. aI replaced the battery and experienced the same problem with a month. This is most problematic when the vehicle has not been used for at least 2 days or it's very cold outside. It's happened at least 10 times in the last 2 years. The most recent incident was yesterday. When I called dealership they denied any electric so issues with the 2018 Forester and want to charge me $75:to check the electrical system even though there's a lawsuit in Canada due to this same exact issue. Everytime this happens aI and my passenger s are put at a safety risk by stranding us because until help arrives. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | SUSPENSION | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while having routine maintenance performed at an independent mechanic, he was informed that the control arm and ball joints were rusted. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer and the vehicle was diagnosed that the control bushings were worn, and the lower control arm was inspected. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure however, no further assistance was provided. The failure mileage was approximately 50,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 50,000 |
| Jan 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I'm filing a complaint regarding a battery drain issue in the 2018 Forester Limited. After sitting idle and not being started for 1.5-2 weeks the battery is fully drained. Fully drained is defined as the car won't start with a portable jumper. The power source car needs to be running and connected to the battery of the dead Forester for upwards of 20mins to give it a partial charge prior to the battery dead Forester being able to start. I've been told various reasons from various dealers and cannot get a straight answer. [A] one subaru dealersip said it's normal to have a dead battery in 3days. [B] another subaru dealership said it was because I had a bad battery, but after replacing it the issue still persisted. I have made sure to manually shut off all lights including making sure the running lights are in the off position, not the automatic on/off position. This incident has occurred multiple times when traveling for week at a time and upon returning to the car to try and start it and it won't start. The same dealership [B] claimed that the parasitic draw was because I kept a cigarette lighter car charging adapter plugged in even though the car was off. I have read several other complaints about this issue regarding this car and hope there can be a recall/legal claim filed against subaru for this issue so they resolve it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Hi, I came home. Parked in my carport on a moderately cool morning. Three hours later I came out and there was a huge crack up the center of my windshield around 10” long | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER,LANE DEPARTURE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Temperature dropped to -20 and large crack randomly appeared on driver side windshield. This crack has caused the eyesight safety feature to not work meaning I don’t have lane departure warning or forward collision warning. Informed my warranty does not cover the windshield repair or required camera recalibration. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I bought my 2018 Subaru Forester in may of 2020 it is now January of 2022 and I have replaced the entire windshield THREE TIMES. If requested, my vehicle can be inspected. It is clear that this windshield is too fragile and poses a safety risk for myself and those passengers that enter my vehicle. It is also costing me a lot of money to repair multiple windshields and causing my insurance to go up for something out of my control. I can only imagine what would happen if I were ever to get into an accident with the windshield being that fragile. I am not a dangerous driver nor have I ever been in an accident, I have a clean record. A class action lawsuit filed in 2017 stating that “The cracks were allegedly due to the deicer creating a condition that makes the glass susceptible to cracking after a minor strike to the glass, such as the stone's impact“ it also stated that the lawsuit included 2.5 million Subaru models between the years of 2017-2020. “[XXX], represented by Attorneys [XXX] Law Group, Moon Law APC, and [XXX], contends the Subaru models have "defective and dangerous" windshields that are prone to "cracking, chipping and otherwise breaking."” After the first windshield crack in June of 2020 (1 month after I purchased the vehicle) I called my authorized Subaru dealership and asked if there was a common problem or known safety issue with the windshields, I was told there was not and my issue was singular. This is a SEVERE safety concern. A minor crack went through both panes of the windshield and rapidly become in my line of vision. I feel as though this is an unfair and unjust safety concern that is costing Subaru drivers like myself their safety and money. INFORMATION Redacted PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES, HYDRAULIC,POWER TRAIN | The contact owns a 2018 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving into a parking space at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle unintendedly accelerated, which caused a collision. The contact depressed the brake pedal, but the vehicle crashed into a traffic signpost, a boulder, and then a tree, which stopped the vehicle. No injury was sustained and no medical treatment was received. No air bags were deployed. No police report was filed. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed that the computer system did not show a failure. The vehicle was not repaired and remained at the dealer. The vehicle was not deemed totaled by the insurance company. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. Prior to the collision, the vehicle had inadvertently accelerated on several occasions. The failure mileage was approximately 38,000. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | 3,800 |
| Jan 2022 | AIR BAGS,SERVICE BRAKES,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | While turning in a parking lot car accelerated and hit a tree. Foot was on brake and airbags didn’t deploy despite extensive damage. Body shop estimator said computer wouldn’t confirm problem. It was not caused by floor mat! No warning lights prior to incident. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Injuries: 1 Towed | Unknown |
| Jan 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Hello, I am writing to report an incident of a cracked windshield while driving on highway 5 in Los Angeles, CA. I have owned this vehicle for about 6 months. The vehicle is available for inspection and I have attached the photos for review. The windshield has been inspected by a Subaru dealership who states they cannot repair or replace the windshield. The dealership suggested filing a claim with NHTSA and visiting their partner, Safelite AutoGlass. A Subaru dealer and partner, Safelite AutoGlass, both confirmed that Subaru's defective or weak/brittle windshield is a known and common issue. The windshield malfunction appears to be a recurring problem across several models nation-wide with a lawsuit pending: https://bergermontague.com/cases/subaru-windshield-cracking/. Furthermore, this commonly known issue was not prefaced during contract reviews and Subaru warranty does not cover the damages. The windshield issues was not highlighted or recommended for coverage when purchasing insurance. Safelite AutoGlass offered to replace the windshield with the original glass and confirms we do not have the option of choosing stronger or better quality windshield options. Continuously replacing a poor product with the same poor product could be dangerous if this continues to occur especially in the event it blocks visibility. Additionally the frequency of the problem will be burdensome especially since this car was purchased specifically to drive in harsh weather conditions. There was no warning, messages or other symptoms of the problem prior to this occurring. If Subaru produces weak windshields it should be a service covered under all warranties and/or offer better repair/replacement options. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield easily getting chips and pits affecting visibility and now a crack from, a small pebble. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Bought vehicle June 2021. Battery failed multiple times. Sometimes it will start with a jump, but on 12/2/21 it was completely dead and required tow to Michael's Subaru dealer in Bellevue, WA. Battery was replaced twice within 6 week period. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2021 | FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | At around 35,400 miles on the odometer, the vehicle first started backfiring as I was driving. I began an uphill climb through low mountains and the check engine light began flashing, the "emissions control systems" warning light came on the screen, the engine began seriously sputtering and lost a lot of its power, all occurring at the same time. Luckily I have a standard transmission and was able to downshift through gears to regain some power and was able to drive 10 miles, seriously sputtering the whole time, to a safe location. I turned off the engine and it wouldn't start back up again, therefore, I had to have it towed home. The next day I had it towed to a Subaru dealer. It took them 5-6 days to diagnose the cause and fix. I was told it was a VERY rare occurrence; it was pinpointed to the fuel injector and coil, they went bad in cylinder #1. The parts were replaced with new ones and a new spark plug was installed as well. ALL codes are gone and the problem was completely fixed. Thankfully, the service was covered by manufacturer's warranty of 5yrs/60,000 miles power train. For being such a fairly new engine, this problem should not of occurred. A defective fuel injector. However, I can understand that there can always be some sort of flukes. As of this writing, I have not gone to the dealership to pick up the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |