Complaint volume
589 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
2020 Subaru Forester Complaints
589 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2020 Subaru Forester, grouped by component category.
589 Total complaints
25 Crash reports
7 Fire reports
13 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, visibility. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 25 crash reports, 7 fire reports, 13 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 272 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 10,312 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, visibility?
- 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 2020 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.
2020 Subaru Forester
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2020 Subaru Forester complaints?
25 Crash
7 Fire
13 Injury
0 Fatality
23 Towed
10 Medical attention
What are the most common 2020 Subaru Forester complaint categories?
VISIBILITY/WIPER 234
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 67
VISIBILITY 49
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 44
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE 15
ENGINE 15
POWER TRAIN 9
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER 8
UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER 8
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 6
589 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield on the 2020 Subaru Forester, as reported by many other owners, is extremely brittle and prone to frequent chips/rapidly spreading cracks. Since purchasing new, I have had two chips that resulted in small cracks and one that resulted in a larger spiderweb crack. None of these were caused by stone/pebble impacts I would have expected to cause windshield damage. (I have lived in the same area with a Ford Ranger, Jeep Wrangler, Ford Escape, VW Sportwagen, and 2016 Forester, and never experienced any windshield chips needing repair with any of the others.) While getting my third crack repaired today, the technician stated that a disproportionate amount of his work in the last two years has been on late-model Subarus. The technician who completed the second chip repair around four months ago stayed the same — a high number of late-model Subarus with chips and cracks. My experience seems reflective of a high number of other Subaru owners, and is reflected in an ongoing class action case involving the increased fragility of recent Subaru’s windshields. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I believe the SUBARU FORESTER 2020 WINDSHIELD is dangerous and is a system failure. In April, 2022 a piece of gravel hit the windshield--smaller than the size of a quarter. Within hours, the windshield had fractured so much that there was no way that I could continue to drive safely as the windshield flowered and split the driver's eye view. I reported the claim to insurance (USAA) and took the car on May 12, 2022 to Safelight to be repaired. After working on it for three hours, they couldn't get the EYESIGHT to calibrate. I drove for two weeks without those safety features until I could get to Safelight again. After 3 more hrs I was finally told to take it to the dealership to finalize repairs and again the EYESIGHT was not calibrated. Those safety features were not available until on June 6, 2022 the delearship calibrated EYESIGHT. Driving on July 20, 2022 a small piece of gravel hit the passenger corner and within 2 hrs, split the windshield again. I have NEVER had a windshield perform like this--it is very dangerous and I believe in a crash, the windshield would INJURE me rather than prevent impact. I am worried about my safety. I cannot afford to repair the windshield when it may happen again. In 44 years of driving, I have NEVER had a windshield that was so weak. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | I was driving down the highway & noticed a crack was growing insanely large due to the heat & while I had other cracks on my windshield that were little dings it looked like a grain of sand/very small pebble hit the side of my windshield and nearly cracked in down the middle. I have heard of other people with Subaru foresters complaining about this issue & it makes the safety of the driver at risk when just about anything can crack your windhshield making it unsafe to drive/hard to see. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | DTC P26A3 thermo control valve ? All my safety features are disabled until the part becomes available- it is apparently on back order and/ or not part of an active recall or both ? Having difficulty getting information from my dealer/service dept | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | UNKNOWN - the windshield seems to have spontaneously cracked. It was parked overnight in an uncovered driveway, and now there is a large crack down the middle. There is no particular pattern to suggest impact (and regardless the driveway is not underneath any nearby trees or other structures). | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | My windshield cracked overnight, in my driveway, with no possibility of a person or animal being the cause. The nearest neighbor is 2 miles away. Subaru warranty denied my claim and said they saw a rock chip in the pics. The glass repair shop that submitted the claim said their was no sign of force (rock) to the windshield being the cause of the crack. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jul 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that the battery was continually being drained and needed to be recharged frequently. There were no warning lights illuminated. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer however, a cause for the failure was not determined. The dealer recharged the battery. The vehicle was not repaired. The contact related the failure with electrical system defects which consistently drained the battery. The contact recharged the battery after each time the vehicle was driven. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 2,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 2,000 |
| Jul 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,VISIBILITY/WIPER | The vehicle has 27000 miles and the windshield shows multiple small chips and voids. The windshield is really thin and can’t take any wear and tear. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | VISIBILITY | The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that there was a crack the size of a quarter at the lower center bottom of the windshield The contact had the windshield repaired by a glass specialist. The failure recurred close to the location of the repair. The windshield was repaired a second time. The failure recurred a third time however, on the top passenger’s side of the windshield. The dealer was notified of the failure by voicemail however, the contact had not received a call back. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 500. | Crash: No Fire: No | 500 |
| Jun 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | While driving one day on the road I heard a pop noise and noticed a huge thin line crack in my windshield. This was directly in front of my line of vision while driving. It made it extremely difficult and dangerous to see while driving and light would reflect off the crack causing a glare. Yes, the problem has been confirmed by an independent service center and has been inspected by an independent party. There was no warning prior to this incident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | FRONT WINDSHIELD CRACKED STARTING AT PASSENGER SIDE TO MIDDLE OF WINDSHIELD. CAR WAS SITTING IN A PARKING LOT WHEN THIS HAPPENED. SUBARU SAID THEY WONT PAY FOR IT EVEN THOUGH THE ORIGINAL WARRANTY IS STILL CURRENT. HAD TO REPLACE WINDSHIELD, $1750.00. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | While driving, a small pebble was believed to strike the front windshield (lower passenger side) because we heard a loud pop then noticed the windshield cracked immediately spanning the lower center of the windshield at least 18 inches from end to end. This crack negatively impacts driver visibility, distorting the view during both day and night driving. Insurance has not yet inspected the windshield. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Windshield Glass Cracked. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jun 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The Windshield broke for no apparent reason. It’s a big crack that affects visibility. I know there is an ongoing problem with other similar suburu vehicles and is currently under a lawsuit process. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Front windshield seems very susceptible to chips and cracks. Since I purchased the vehicle new on 4/16/2020, the following repaired have happened: 3/15/21- chip repaired $19 8/30/21- two chips repaired $19 9/8/21- front window replaced after the formation of a large crack $410.28 5/30/22- crack spread from a chip that occurred yesterday (not repaired yet) | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield has cracked in 2 different spots, one on the driver side and the other on the passenger side. The passenger side is a crack from the edge to the center of the windshield. I didn't see the item, it was so small it may have been a pebble, and barely heard the noise. I don't feel safe to drive it because I am worried the crack will go across the entire windshield making it unsafe to drive. I haven't filed a claim with my insurance company yet, but understand it is expensive to replace and get calibrated for the EyeSight camera. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 small cracks on windshield, unknown cause, possible small pebble. Now extended to a large crack on my winshield effecting eyesite. Through research appears this year and model has been shown to have a defective windshield and previous lawsuits filed. Would like to know if this lawsuit can be used in my case or if I can file. Cost to replace is ~ $3,000 out of pocket. This is ridiculous. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield cracked for no reason. Has continued to worsen. Has to be repaired for and paid for by customer. This seems to be a known Subaru problem. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Battery constantly dying. Significant safety concern. Never no when the car is going to not start. Unreliable | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The windshield cracked without any known trauma. The car was parked in a lot and when I came out the windshield had a large crack in it. The dealer where the car is serviced refused to see it stating they do not replace windshields. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Drove the car to my place of work. There were no rocks , chips or other hitting the windshield. Came out to the car in the parking lot at lunch and the was a crack that stretched from the lower passenger side to the middle of the windshield. The local Subaru dealer played "dumb" and acted like they had never seen this problem and then blamed it on a rock chip after learning we knew of the thousands of Subaru's with similar problems. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | There have been three cracks in the front windshield in 18 months with little to no provocation. These have required replacement of the front windshield and re-calibration of eyesight. With each crack, there was little to no cause. On one occasion, there was a tiny piece of gravel that resulted in a crack that extended across 50% of the front windshield. My concern is for my personal safety should the windshield crack and cause harm to me as the driver or impair my visibility while driving which increases my risk for an accident. There’s also the concern about cost and time spent with repeated replacements. The date of incident below is the date of the third crack | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | On highway speeds, the hood, which is shut, rattles. I have not had the hood inspected nor I have brought it to the manufacturer. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| May 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,UNKNOWN OR OTHER,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | The car was parked and idling for a few minutes as a passenger exited the vehicle. While parked, the car began to shake slightly, it was then placed in reverse to get out of the parking space. Still shaking. When it was put in gear to go forward, the car began to accelerate on its own. The driver was able to use the brake to stop the vehicle but, when she took her foot off the brake to make a left turn and towards the park exit, the vehicle accelerated abruptly, and the car surged towards a main road. The passenger in the seat next to her was able to see clearly that the driver’s foot was not on the gas pedal. The driver was able to steer the vehicle clear of the park visitors, avoid other vehicles in the parking lot, and stop the car prior to reaching the traffic light at the main road. Stunned by the incident, the driver decided to return the vehicle to the parking lot, so she opted to make a U-turn at the light. As she turned the vehicle, the vehicle accelerated once again without her foot on the gas pedal. After the driver was able to maneuver the car into a parking space, the vehicle started to shake violently, and the driver shut off the engine. When the driver attempted to restart the car with the intent to drive home slowly, the driver placed the vehicle in reverse, and applied her foot to the gas pedal but, the vehicle would barely move. The engine revved when the pedal was pushed all the way to the floorboard but, the vehicle only moved at approximately 5MPH. Once parked in a space, the vehicle shook violently, and the dashboard lights lit up. The vehicle was turned off and emergency call button inside the vehicle was used to contact Subaru. The car was towed to the dealership. | Crash: No Fire: No | 45,000 |
| Apr 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The vehicle is about 19 months old and has less than 15,000 miles. We were driving on the highway, passed a large truck, and a small rock got kicked up and hit the windshield near the top, just passenger-side of the eyesight camera. A 5 inch crack formed while we were driving and it grew another 2 inches before we made it to our destination. There is now a 7-in vertical crack in the windshield. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |