Complaint volume
831 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
2019 Subaru Forester Complaints
831 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2019 Subaru Forester, grouped by component category.
831 Total complaints
35 Crash reports
11 Fire reports
15 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, unknown or other, electrical system. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 35 crash reports, 11 fire reports, 15 injury reports, and 1 fatality report. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 467 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 13,263 miles. Compare that with the mileage on the listing.
Questions to ask the seller
- Have you had any problems related to visibility/wiper, unknown or other, electrical system?
- 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 2019 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.
2019 Subaru Forester
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2019 Subaru Forester complaints?
35 Crash
11 Fire
15 Injury
1 Fatality
37 Towed
11 Medical attention
What are the most common 2019 Subaru Forester complaint categories?
VISIBILITY/WIPER 346
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 98
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 73
ENGINE 35
VISIBILITY 32
POWER TRAIN 11
STRUCTURE 11
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 10
ENGINE,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 10
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 10
831 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED ACROSS THE ENTIRE SURFACE IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS OF BEING HIT WITH A SMALL ROCK IN THE CORNER OF MY BRAND NEW 2019 FORRESTER | Crash: No Fire: No | 5,000 |
| Mar 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I HAVE EXPERIENCED 2 CRACKS IN MY WINDSHIELD IN THE 1ST 10 MONTHS OF OWNERSHIP. BOTH INSTANCES OCCURRED WHILE I WAS DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY. I HEARD A LOUD NOISE AND LATER NOTICED THAT A CRACK APPEARED ON MY WINDSHIELD. IN OUR PREVIOUS 30 YEARS OF DRIVING, NEITHER MY WIFE NOR I HAVE EXPERIENCED ANY WINDSHIELD CRACKS AND WE BELIEVE THAT THE WINDSHIELD PROVIDED WITH OUR 2019 SUBARU FORESTER (PURCHASED NEW) IS DEFECTIVE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 11,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | AFTER DRIVING THE NEW 2019 SUBARU FORESTER FOR ONLY A COUPLE OF MONTHS, I NOTICED LOTS OF CHIPS AND FINE SCRATCHES ON THE FRONT WINDSHIELD. AND NOW, AFTER DRIVING IT FOR LESS THAN 8 MONTHS, A 12'' CRACK APPEARS ON THE WINDSHIELD WITH THE CAR FULLY COVERED IN THE GARAGE. I CONTACTED THE LOCAL SUBARU DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME I NEED TO PAY ABOUT $1200 TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD. I KNOW THERE ARE MULTIPLE LAWSUITS ON THIS ISSUE AND SUBARU OWNERS ARE HAVING THIS AS A COMMON ISSUE. THIS IS DEFINITELY A MANUFACTURING DEFECT. | Crash: No Fire: No | 13,173 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | ROCK CRACKED WINDSHIELD, WHILE MOVING ON FREEWAY, DRIVERS SIDE. 2 DAYS LATER CRACK RAN ABOUT HALF WAY ACROSS WINDSHIELD IN FRONT OF DRIVER. LARGE TRUCK SENT ROCK INTO WINDSHIELD, WHILE MOVING DOWN FREEWAY. | Crash: No Fire: No | 9,500 |
| Mar 2020 | ENGINE,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 ISSUES 1. THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED AND THE CAR IS LESS THAN A YEAR OLD. 2. THE ENGINE PULSES AS IF STUCK BETWEEN GEARS WHEN DOING 75+MPH, ESPECIALLY WHEN GOING UPHILL. THERE ARE FLUCTUATIONS IN ACCELERATION THAT MAKE IT FEEL LIKE IT IS ABOUT TO STALL. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10,950 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD IS DEFECTIVE AND EASILY DAMAGED. FIRST DAMAGED OCCURRED ON NOVEMBER 24, 2019 WITH 4501 MILES DRIVEN. A SMALL PEBBLE STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD RESULTING IN A SMALL STAR BURST CRACK WHILE THE CAR WAS IN MOTION. SECOND DAMAGED OCCURRED ON MARCH 15, 2020 WITH 8,651 MILES DRIVEN. A STRESS CRACK FROM THE PASSENGER SIDE WINDSHIELD ORIGINATING RIGHT BELOW THE WIPER BLADE DEFROSTING HEATING ELEMENT. THE CRACK WAS NOT CAUSED BY ANY IMPACT. LATER IT WAS NOTICED AFTER THE CAR WAS DRIVEN AND PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY. REVIEWED MANY OTHER SUBARU CUSTOMER COMPLAINTS ABOUT THE SAME STRESS CRACK ORIGINATING FROM BELOW THE PASSENGER SIDE WIPER HEATING ELEMENTS. I STRONGLY BELIEVE THE 2019 SUBARU FORESTER SHOULD BE RECALLED FOR EITHER HAVING A STRUCTURAL DESIGN FAULT THAT CAUSES STRESS CRACKS TO FORM AT THE BOTTOM OF THE GLASS OR THE GLASS IS VERY BRITTLE FROM MINOR STRIKES OR FLEXING. | Crash: No Fire: No | 15 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | MY 2019 SUBARU FORESTER HAS HAD ITS WINDSHIELD GLASS REPLACED ONCE AND TODAY IS THE SECOND TIME ITS DAMAGED WHILE DRIVING ON THE HIGHWAY AND CRACKED WITHIN A PERIOD OF 9 MONTHS. IT WAS A SMALL CHIP WHILE DRIVING ON HIGHWAY AND LATER WHILE NOT IN MOTION THE CRACK KEPT EXPANDING. I SPECIFICALLY REQUESTED TO HAVE ORIGINAL PARTS BUT THE OVERALL BUILD QUALITY SEEMS VERY POOR TO HAVE THIS HAPPEN SO FREQUENTLY. | Crash: No Fire: No | 9,000 |
| Mar 2020 | STRUCTURE | TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2019 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT WHILE THE VEHICLE WAS PARKED IN THE DRIVEWAY, THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITHOUT IMPACT. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC WHO STATED THAT THE CRACK MIGHT HAVE BEEN CAUSED BY A ROCK. THE CONTACT STATED IT WAS NOT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOT MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE VEHICLE WAS REPAIRED BY AN INDEPENDENT MECHANIC. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 6,500. | Crash: No Fire: No | 6,500 |
| Mar 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | HAD THE VEHICLE ABOUT 3 MONTHS AND WINDSHIELD DEVELOPED CRACK IN UPPER LEFT CORNER OF WINDSHIELD. VEHICLE WAS BEING DRIVEN ON INTERSTATE BUT DO NOT RECALL BEING HIT WITH ROCK OR DEBRIS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 3,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | APPROXIMATELY ONE MONTH AFTER PURCHASING A BRAND NEW SUBARU FORRESTER 2019 TOURING VEHICLE DIRECTLY FROM SUBARU, THE WINDSHIELD SUFFERED A CRACK. ON FEBRUARY 24, 2019, I WAS DRIVING THE VEHICLE ON A HIGHWAY IN CALIFORNIA WHEN A SMALL ROCK HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND CREATED A SMALL DENT WHICH THEN SPLINTERED INTO A CRACK THAT SPREAD FURTHER AND FURTHER THROUGHOUT THE WINDSHIELD. MY INSURANCE COMPANY DETERMINED THAT WINDSHIELD NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. I USED A LOCAL COMPANY TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD WITH A BRAND NEW WINDSHIELD FROM SUBARU AND THEN I HAD SUBARU RECALIBRATE THE EYESIGHT CAMERA. MY INSURANCE DEDUCTIBLE LIMITED THE TOTAL COST FOR THIS REPAIR AND RECALIBRATION. APPROXIMATELY ONE YEAR LATER, ON FEBRUARY 16, 2020, ONCE AGAIN, WHILE DRIVING ON A HIGHWAY IN CALIFORNIA, SMALL ROCKS HIT THE WINDSHIELD AND CREATED TWO SMALL DENTS (EACH SMALLER IN SIZE THAN A QUARTER). FORTUNATELY, THESE DENTS DID NOT SPLINTER INTO CRACKS BUT THEY BOTH NEEDED TO BE FILLED. THE COST WAS COVERED FOR THIS OUT OF POCKET. I AM NOT CERTAIN BUT MY BEST ASSESSMENT IS THAT SUBARU'S WINDSHIELD FOR THE 2019 FORRESTER MAY BE DEFECTIVE. IN NEITHER CASE WAS I SPEEDING, NOR WERE THE ROCKS THAT HIT THE WINDSHIELD LARGE. THE ATTACHED DOCUMENT INCLUDES THE COST OF WINDSHIELD REPLACEMENT, EYESIGHT RECALIBRATION, AND DENT FILLINGS. | Crash: No Fire: No | 500 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | BOUGHT THE CAR 9/18/19, SMALL PEBBLE HIT WINDSHIELD WHICH INSTANTLY CRACKED DEC 1, 2019, HAD TO REPLACE ENTIRE WINDSHIELD LESS THAN 3 MONTHS AFTER I PURCHASED CAR. I WAS DRIVING ON THE FREEWAY. | Crash: No Fire: No | 3,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | TWO THINGS: OUT OF NOWHERE OUR FIRST WINDSHIELD CRACKED AND OUR REAR TAILGATE GETS JAMMED UP ALL THE TIME AND WE HAVE TO DO A RESET | Crash: No Fire: No | 15,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WITHIN THE FIRST 6 MONTHS OF PURCHASING THE VEHICLE THE WINDSHIELD SPONTANEOUSLY CRACKED ON THE DRIVERS SIDE. THE CRACK OCCURRED WHILE PARKED. I WAS TOLD WHEN REPLACING THE WINDSHIELD THAT THEY WERE ON BACKORDER DUE TO THE HIGH NUMBER OF WINDSHIELDS THAT NEEDED TO BE REPLACED. THE WINDSHIELD WAS REPLACED, AND WITHIN 6 MONTHS OF INSTALLATION OF THE SECOND WINDSHIELD CHIPPED. THE CHIP WAS NOTICED AFTER HIGHWAY DRIVING.*DT | Crash: No Fire: No | 500 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WHILE I WAS DRIVING MY WINDSHIELD CRACKED WITHOUT BEING STRUCK BY ANYTHING. THE VEHICLE WAS IN MOTION ON A STATE HIGHWAY WITH NO OTHER VEHICLES IN MY LANE. THE CRACK INITIATED FROM THE MIDDLE OF THE LEFT SIDE OF THE WINDSHIELD AND WAS APPROXIMATELY 24 IN LONG, ACROSS THE DRIVERS FIELD OF VISION. I FILED A CLAIM WITH MY INSURANCE AGENCY TO HAVE IT REPLACED AND SPENT $500 OUT IF POCKET. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,300 |
| Mar 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | WINDSHIELD CRACKED- STARTED CRACKING SLOWLY HAVEN'T OWNED TOO LONG. JANUARY 2020 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | MONDAY OCTOBER 21ST I WAS DRIVING 65 MILES PER HOUR ON US 23 WHEN I HEARD A NICK ON THE WINDSHIELD. ABOUT FIVE MINUTES LATER I NOTICED A CRACK GOING FROM THE TOP OF THE WINDSHIELD TO THE MIDDLE. I HAD THE WINDSHIELD REPLACED INSURANCE COVERED IT BUT I HAD TO PAY $200 DEDUCTIBLE. I HAVE HEARD OF MANY SUBARU FORESTER WINDSHIELDS BREAKING IN THIS MANNER. | Crash: No Fire: No | 200 |
| Mar 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | THE WINDSHIELD CRACKED ON THE PASSENGER SIDE FOR NO REASON. WE FOUND IT IN THE MORNING WHEN WE WENT TO GO TO THE STORE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 16,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I WAS DRIVING AT 55 MPH ON 5/9/2019 AND WINDSHIELD HIT BY SMALL INVISIBLE ROCK CHIP AND WINDSHIELD GOT CRACKS FROM LOWER TO MIDDLE AND STARTED SPREADING ALL OVER | Crash: No Fire: No | 3,500 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | SPONTANEOUS CRACK IN WINDSHIELD 2 MONTHS AFTER PURCHASING | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,800 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD CONSTANTLY GETS CHIPS IN IT FROM ANYTHING. AFTER A 2000 MILE ROAD TRIP THE WINDSHIELD HAS HUNDREDS OF TINY CHIPS IN IT. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10,000 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | WINDSHIELD CRACK SIGNIFICANTLY. VERY LIGHT STRIKE BY SMALL DEBRIS.. TRAVELING ON I65 NORTH IN TENNESSE NEAR KENTUCKY BORDER. | Crash: No Fire: No | 9,532 |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | THE WINDSHIELD ON THIS VEHICLE HAS CRACKED 3 TIMES IN 9 MONTHS. ANY TIME ANY SORT OF SMALL PEBBLE HITS THE WINDSHIELD, IT CRACKS. MOST RECENT SMALL CRACK SPREAD FOR ABOUT 12 INCHES ALMOST INSTANTLY. NEVER HAVE HAD THIS HAPPEN IN A VEHICLE BEFORE. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2020 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | MY CAR WINDSHIELD HAS A CRACK ON THE PASSENGER SIDE NEAR THE WIPERS. IT WAS STATIONARY AND THEN I NOTICED A CRACK ONE MORNING. I USUALLY PARK MY CAR IN MY GARAGE. | Crash: No Fire: No | 8,000 |
| Mar 2020 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | WE PURCHASE A 2019 SUBARU FORESTER ON MARCH 29, 2019. SINCE WE PURCHASED THE VEHICLE WE HAVE HAD THREE SEPARATE INCIDENTS INVOLVING THE VEHICLE'S WINDSHIELD. ON APRIL 3, 2019 A STONE HIT THE WINDSHIELD THAT REQUIRED US TO SUBMIT A CLAIM TO OUR INSURANCE COMPANY FOR REPAIR. IN NOVEMBER 2019, WE WENT INTO THE GARAGE AND NOTICED A LARGE CRACK IN THE CENTER OF THE WINDSHIELD WHICH WENT FROM THE BOTTOM TO TOP. THERE WAS NO CLEAR EVIDENCE AS TO HOW THE CRACK OCCURRED. DON'T REMEMBER ANOTHER STONE HITTING THE WINDSHIELD THE CRACK JUST APPEARED. WE HAD TO REPLACE THE WINDSHIELD AND THE DEALER REFUSED TO COVER UNDER THE VEHICLE WARRANTY SO WE HAD TO SUBMIT IT TO OUR INSURANCE COMPANY. THIS YEAR IN JANUARY 2020 ANOTHER STONE STRUCK THE WINDSHIELD AND WE HAD TO SUBMIT A CLAIM TO OUR INSURANCE FOR IT TO BE FIXED. HAVING OWNED SEVERAL VEHICLES THROUGHOUT OUR LIVES, WE HAVE NEVER HAD THIS MANY PROBLEMS WITH A WINDSHIELD OR TO HAVE A WINDSHIELD REPLACED. WE HAVE NOTICED OTHER INDIVIDUALS ON THE INTERNET EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEMS WE ARE HAVING WITH THEIR SUBARU WINDSHIELDS. ARE THE SUBARU WINDSHIELDS DEFECTIVE? THIS NEEDS TO BE INVESTIGATED. | Crash: No Fire: No | 12,161 |