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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apr 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Since purchasing 2020 Subaru Forester (35K miles) I have now had to replace THREE (3) windshield and have ONE (1) additional suboptimal windshield repair. Three incidents were immediately apparent from road debris from cars/trucks traveling in the opposite direction or passing. One appeared spontaneously. The cracks are all 12-24" long and curiously have only been in the areas directly in front of the driver's forward vision. Prior to this I have been without any auto insurance claims for over 40 years! 1. Windshield unsuitably sensitive to chipping and cracking. 2. Impairs driver vision and impairs use of Eye Sight technology. 3. All defects/damages have been confirmed by Safelite. 4. No other third party inspections have been required. 5. No warning lamps appeared before the incidents. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Electrical defect in recent Subarus causes parasitic battery drain when the car is not in use. Our battery drained to the point that the vehicle couldn’t start without a jump due to this defect. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I have had four cracked windshields since I took possession of the car in October 2020. August 2021, October 2021, April 2022, April 2022 | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | For the 2nd time in 5 months, my windshield has cracked (crack in excess of 6 inches) for no apparent reason | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Large crack appeared in windshield. Car was parked at the time and was not hit by anything. Filed claim with insurance company and they are going to replace windshield. Called Evanston Subaru about incident about warranty coverage and they have not returned my call. I have read that this is a problem for Subarus. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Apr 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery drains regularly, causing the vehicle to be inoperable. Battery is dead after 3 days of non use, leaving vehicle unable to be used. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL | The contact leased a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while reversing in a driveway, the vehicle suddenly accelerated on its own and crashed into a bush without the accelerator pedal being depressed. There were no reported injuries. There were no warning lights illuminated. The contact applied the brake pedal and the vehicle stopped. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer but they were unable to duplicate the failure. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The contact was concerned about driving the vehicle. The failure mileage was 38,000. The VIN was not available. | Crash: Yes Fire: No | 38,000 |
| Mar 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I drove my car at lunchtime to get lunch and returned to work. There was no issue. Then less than 5 hours later when I left work around 5:30 pm and went to my car there was a large crack from the base of my windshield almost in the center. It doesn’t go all the way to the top but curves in a sort of U shape. Obviously I now need a new windshield. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I got in my car one day and noticed a crack going up through the middle of my windshield - about 10 inches and went all the way to the bottom edge of the glass. After traveling a short distance (15ish min) and leaving it parked for a couple of hours, I came back and it had now turned horizontally across the windshield maybe 4-6 inches toward the driver's side. No impact or incident to cause the crack initially or that extended it. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | The forester's windshield cracked over 2 feet. We brought it to the dealer for a warranty claim, and the dealer rejected it. They said the windshield was hit by something and caused the crack. I am not sure how big of an object has to hit the windshield to cause such a crack. Subaru is not taking any responsibility for their product's quality. This is a common problem for Subaru owners and should be addressed via recall. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield cracked from no apparent damage. I was driving and a hairline fracture spread from the top driver side of the Windshield to the middle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | SERVICE BRAKES,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | Automatic braking system failed and led to a front end collision immediately a fire broke out under the hood and accelerated into the car with in minutes using a tire iron the passenger door was forced opened Air bags deployed (3) and seat belt held | Crash: Yes Fire: Yes Injuries: 1 Towed Medical attention | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Windshield - The front windshield cracked all by itself. This is the 2nd time the front windshield cracked. I got the 1st driver side crack repaired as it was relatively small (dime size). The 2nd time the crack was on the passenger side. This cracked is in the middle of the window and is approximately 17 inches long and starts at the edge. The crack happened when I was driving. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Front windshield crack for no reason. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER,LANE DEPARTURE | Battery dead not even 2 years old. Known problem they won't fix. Lane assist was pulling us into other traffic lanes when wasn't supposed to almost causing accidents and now won't turn on | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Mar 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the brake pedal was depressed; however, the vehicle failed to respond. The vehicle stalled and then went into sleep mode. The contact was able to restart the vehicle after several attempts. There were several unknown warning lights illuminated. The contact stated that the vehicle also experienced failures with the electrical system. The vehicle was taken to the local dealer where the contact was informed that the vehicle was operating as designed. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The approximate failure mileage was 1,300. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,300 |
| Feb 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I was driving in fine weather, in a smooth highway when a crack occurred in the windshield for no apparent reason. I initially thought a dust particle must have hit in the wrong place, but then was alerted to the fact that a windshield should not break for no apparent reason. I have owned cars for decades, and this is the first time that I have had a windshield crack, and in a nearly new car. It is a Forester 2020. I drove a Forester 2002 for nearly fifteen years with no issue ever. I have, upon research, found out that I am one of many people waiting for Subaru windshields for my same model, and that there is clearly a pattern that suggests an error in the making. I called Subaru of America and also my dealership and neither one seemed receptive to my concerns, nor showed any awareness of windshield issues. I did my own research after the glass company alerted me to the fact that there is a class action lawsuit for my very vehicle in process due to overwhelming problems with the windshields cracking for no apparent reason. I find this really concerning. Subaru markets itself for its all terrain vehicles, and while I only drive on roads and highways, they are vehicles supposedly designed to go through much rougher terrain. The problems with the windshields are a concerning safety alert for all the owners of these vehicles, and particularly for those who use them in a variety of terrains. I did find through my own research that there are indeed lawsuits currently in process for this very issue, and that prior models were already recalled as well. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | POWER TRAIN,ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE | At the time,time, car was not fully 2 years old.. its brand new.This is an addition to a post created a week ago. After the dealership offered to detail the interior of the car to solve the sulferic acid feeling I noticed that the flap above the driving wheel started to feel warm. This happened right in the morning in February. I'm not sure if I am feeling an electrical voltage, smelling the exhaust or there's still sulferic acid in the car. Every once in awhile I my hair smells like oil.. Whatever it is it makes your head feel heavy. My toddler feels something because during a drive he will say " hot". This puts our safety at risk if we are smelling the exhaust or feeling voltage while driving in the car. Sometimes it smells like fuel I the trunk of the car or acidic | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | Battery draining requiring multiple charging. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The battery died after less than two years. There is a class action lawsuit related to recent Subarus draining batteries very quickly due to parasitic power drain because of a faulty electrical system. The 2020 Forester was included in the initial lawsuit, but this model was thrown out of the lawsuit by the judge since none of the plaintiffs owned a Forester. However, it is a known issue. Prematurely and unexpectedly dead batteries, as I experienced, can cause motorists to be stranded and face related hazards, as well as to incur unexpected costs. I spent more than $200 to replace my battery long before the minimum expected three-year battery life. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | I was driving from Gainesville Georgia to Stuart Florida and all of the sudden the windshield cracked from the top upper left corner to about 6 inches down. It continued to crack for about 18 inches or so within the next 24 hours. I only had the vehicle since September, 2020. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | I bought my new 2020 Forester in November 2019. It now has 1604 miles on it. Twice already I've had to have it towed to the dealership because the battery was dead from just sitting in my driveway. The first time, February 2021, they said it was a bad battery. The second time, January 2022, they said it's because I don't drive the car enough. Said I have to drive or idle the car for at least 15 minutes twice per week which is a waste of gas and time for something that shouldn't happen to start with! There are already lawsuits about this constant battery drain but the 2020 Forester isn't included and it should be! There is NO reason for the battery to constantly drain to the point that the car won't start when the car is sitting with everything turned off! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | A cracked windshield - the second replacement windshield in two months - As in the case of the first replacement windshield, this second crack appeared as I was sitting in a parking space in a parking lot. No movement of my vehicle. I've spoken with representatives of the company which installed this windshield and this company claims no responsibility. This company is authorized by Subaru. I've spoken to the manager of the Subaru dealership from which I purchased the car. The dealership claims no responsibility. I am planning to write to Subaru's corporate offices. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | My windshield cracked by itself overnight while the car was parking with no signs of any trauma to it. searching online there are multiple cases reported same problem i definitely believe there is a manufacturers defect with these windshields | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Feb 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM | The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the radio system malfunctioned, which caused the blind-spot detection system, headlights, and instrument panel to fail to operate as needed. Additionally, the eyesight system would inadvertently engage, which caused the vehicle to stop without warning. The contact restarted the vehicle to correct the failure. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, and AutoNation Subaru Scottsdale (15678 N Northsight Blvd, Scottsdale, AZ 85260) and diagnosed with radio software failure. The dealer replaced the radio on three separate occasions; however, the failure recurred. The dealer also reconnected the eyesight system and resolved the eyesight system failure. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,000 |