Complaint volume
92 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
2022 Subaru Forester Complaints
92 consumer-submitted complaints on record for the 2022 Subaru Forester, grouped by component category.
92 Total complaints
8 Crash reports
6 Fire reports
3 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, exterior lighting. Use those categories as a test-drive checklist instead of judging the vehicle from the total count alone.
Severity flags
Enriched records include 8 crash reports, 6 fire reports, 3 injury reports, and 0 fatality reports. These fields come from complaint records and should be read in context.
Mileage clue
Mileage is available on 13 complaints, with an average reported failure mileage of 9,658 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, exterior lighting?
- 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 2022 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.
2022 Subaru Forester
Build buyer checklist Compare with other years Sends year, make, and model to pre-fill your checklist.
How severe are the 2022 Subaru Forester complaints?
8 Crash
6 Fire
3 Injury
0 Fatality
7 Towed
3 Medical attention
What are the most common 2022 Subaru Forester complaint categories?
VISIBILITY/WIPER 16
UNKNOWN OR OTHER 13
EXTERIOR LIGHTING 8
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE 6
SERVICE BRAKES 3
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL 3
VISIBILITY 3
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM 2
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM 2
ENGINE 2
92 total complaints on record
Latest complaints
| Date | Component | Summary | Severity | Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield developed multiple small chips for no apparent reason. I am the only one who drives the car and never felt any rock or pebble hitting my windshield. Chips were small (less than 1cm). I took the car to my authorized Subaru Dealer (Pembroke Pines, Florida) to be inspected and they told me that windshield needed to be replaced. They did not accept that this was a manufacturer problem and they told me it was not covered by my warranty. They referred to a company they work with to replace my windshield. I am uploading pictures of some of the chips. There were more but I did not take pictures of all of them. Chips were all over the windshield which obviously is very unlikely to happen and never happened to me before with any of my cars. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,VISIBILITY/WIPER | 2 incidents. First day we took car home the vehicle infotainment system failed while phone was connected to Apple CarPlay. Screen went black and there was a loud noise like interference. Has happened repeatedly since, supposedly due to needing a firmware update but it’s been a well documented problem in Subaru automobiles for several years and the manufacturer has done nothing to alleviate the flaw. Second incident involves the windshield cracking in the lower driver side with no apparent cause from anything striking the windshield. Again, this is a well documented issue and there are several complaints on nhtsa.gov from other unhappy customers | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Over the past year that I have had my vehicle, having bought it in April 2022, I have had my windshield crack 3 times. Each crack has occurred around the end he’s of the windshield. One was caused by a rock hitting the windshield while driving less then 20 miles per hour - resulting in two cracks up the windshield. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,SERVICE BRAKES,ENGINE | The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that after the vehicle had been parked for approximately 3-hours, the alarm sounded indicating that the locks were being tampered with. The contact stated that the doors were locking and unlocking independently. The contact stated that several electrical features had malfunctioned. The contact stated that on occasion, the brake pedal was spongy when depressed, and the check engine and several other unknown warning lights were illuminated. Additionally, the vehicle occasionally failed to start up as needed. The vehicle was not taken to be diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was unknown. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Jan 2023 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The hood wobbles in light wind (imagine a windy day) or from a passing vehicle or semi, it seems very flimsy in protecting the hood from just flying open one day. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Because of your regulations mandating the black spot in cars with HID/LED headlights, we notice a dark line in our windshield when driving in unlit areas at night. This makes it hard to see. Using the brights help, but this is an infraction within our neighborhood and similar dark, forested places. It seems that you have solved one problem but created a new one. This dark windshield line is particularly hard on seniors, whose night vision is commonly diminished. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,UNKNOWN OR OTHER | The battery was completely discharged overnight when the car was only 4 months old. We had a flatbed tow to a dealer who charged the battery and performed tests which all checked out ok. Said we weren't driving the car often enough. This same battery discharge happened 3 more times, approximately 30 days apart each time. August 20 was the first time, September 19, October 13 and November 16, all in 2022. Car was purchased new in April 2022. Took it into the dealership where we bought it; they did tests also saying everything was ok, not being driven enough. The 4th time the overnight discharge happened was about a week after our dealership tested it. Every time this has happened the car was driven the previous day. Car is driven 4-5 times a week for local errands. Currently has 1,100 miles and is 8 months old. We are senior citizens and need a dependable car. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL,SERVICE BRAKES | The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while pulling into a parking space, the vehicle accelerated independently without warning, causing the vehicle to drive over the curb. The contact desperately depressed the brake pedal several times and the vehicle came to a complete stop. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 1,430. | Crash: No Fire: No | 1,430 |
| Dec 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Went to my car on the morning of Dec 10 and found a 4” crack in my windshield. I drive the car the night before around 9pm and it was in my secure garage overnight. No crack the evening before. Next morning - cracked. This is an ongoing problem with Subaru | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Dec 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Woke up this morning to a cracked windshield. Car was garaged over night and I drove it around 8:30pm the evening before and their was no crack. Now have a 4” crack in the passenger side windshield. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | I purchased my Forester Wilderness on 11/5/22 - this problem is with the headlights. I have a serious safety concern 1. There are two large shaded dark spots directly in my field of vision. These are approximately fifteen to twenty feet directly in front of the vehicle and never go away - because the headlights are steering responsive, they are always moving which is distracting and dangerous. 2. The cutoff lines of the projection are jagged and irregular with low points dropping down. These too, are always in motion with the steering responsive headlights. 3.Two rectangular black areas below the cutoff area in my field of vision. And these too are always in motion with the steering responsive headlights. These headlights create a variety of safety concerns. The dark shaded areas result in a reduced clarity in the most needed area; directly in front of the car in the dominant field of vision. The jagged irregular moving cutoff lines are extremely distracting. When the lowered dark cutoff areas move across your field of vision, it’s as if something is jumping out in front of the car. As the driver, it's hard to know if there is an actual need for emergency action or not. Then perhaps the greatest concern of well being is the two dark moving rectangular boxes below the cutoff lines. My eyes tend to fixate on these moving rectangles. This is distracting and I'm concerned I and other Forester drivers are not giving complete attention to the whole field of vision. 4. This is especially prominent and dangerous on unlit roads which is what I mainly travel. I first thought it was an issue with my vehicle and mentioned it to the dealer a day or so after purchase. But today I found many other 2022 Forester owners reporting the same problem. Subaru needs to create a fix for this dangerous issue! | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Nov 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | Windshield cracked on driver’s side - appeared while at a stop. no debris on road, no accidents. Vehicle is 2 weeks old. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | -Engine failure: fuel line issue causing 2022 Subaru Forester Wilderness to catch fire and explode - beforehand rod bearing was pulverized in separate incident a few months prior - engine was then replaced and car exploded 600 miles later causing total loss of vehicle. -Car exploded while driving in it, lost all personal belongings in car, barely got out of vehicle in time before explosion. -Investigation completed by Subaru of America and confirmed as a fuel line issue a few weeks later. -Smelt gas on highway while driving a few moments prior to car exploding. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | SEATS,VISIBILITY/WIPER | Two things have already failed on this vehicle. The first being the seats/seat belt clips on the driver and passanger seat. The seat in constructed in such a way that no matter what adjustment is made, the driver feels as if they are falling into the steering wheel. Any attempts to correct the positioning leaves the driver feeling as if they do not have control of the vehicle. Additionally, the inward positioning of the seat-belt clip on the right side on the driver facing inward pushes into the drivers hip and/or thigh causing extreme pain. The narrowing of the seats does not allow the driver to get away from the pain of the seat belt clip. Second, the issue with the windshield. This is my second Subaru Forester. On my first, I had a cracked windshield in 5 places due to small debris hitting the vehicle in a normal operating matter. This was replaced. My current vehicle, with less than 500 miles on it, already has 5-6 chips in the windshield due to some defect in the glass that causes the glass crack under nearly no pressure at all. I can't even imagine where the cracks came from with such low mileage and driving in near perfect, normal operating condition. It is only a matter of time before I will need to have the windshield replaced on this vehicle. It is also hazardous to know that it may shatter and injure me at any time. I have had the vehicle less than 5 weeks. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | EXTERIOR LIGHTING | The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at night with the low beam headlights activated, the illumination was extremely poor causing a visibility failure. The contact indicated there were dark spots and shadowy lines present on the windshield within the driver’s field of view, creating a visibility hazard for the driver. Additionally, the contact indicated that the headlights failed to illuminate the roadway adequately for safe nighttime driving. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 10. | Crash: No Fire: No | 10 |
| Oct 2022 | SUSPENSION | At only 3,000 miles front suspension “clunks” at low speeds over speed bumps, potholes, and other uneven surfaces | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Windshield spontaneously cracked while stationary on a level paved major thoroughfare. There was no impact on the windshield of any kind. No prior damage. Just sitting at a red light no traffic approaching from any direction and the windshield cracked in the middle sections of the glass, on the right edge. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Oct 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | 2022 Subaru Forester Touring Leaks an unknown fluid under the engine compartment. Left a pizza size stain on the driveway that slowly dissipated. Placed cardboard under the vehicle to identify leak location. Sizable amount of unknown fluid on cardboard. It also dissipated. Nasty burning smell that enters the cabin and smells horrible outside of the vehicle happening multiple times at only 100 miles. I thought it was residual that would burn off. Nope. Now have only 350 miles on it. I’ve owned two new Foresters in the past and nothing like this. Taking it to the dealer tomorrow. Saw someone on Reddit who had their 2022 Forester catch on fire and burn up at 70 miles. Subaru blamed a hole in the radiator. I highly doubt that. Need your help on this one please. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | I was driving to work and my car started stalling. So i pulled into a parking spot and when I got out I noticed a trail of oil behind the car. I closed the door and the car started smoking and within seconds it was in flames. I bought it on 7/25 and on 8/3 it was gone. It only had 78 miles on it, 100% driven on city streets. I have several pictures and videos of the event but this site doesn't support them so I can share separately if needed. You are also welcome to inspect the car as it will be hauled to a salvage yard shortly. | Crash: No Fire: Yes | Unknown |
| Sep 2022 | POWER TRAIN | My new 2022 Forester Wildness is equipped with an automate "Start and Stop" function which (while driving) shuts the engine off if the sits still too long in traffic or a stop light. While the car has a button to disable this function. You must press the button every time you start the car to disable the auto SS. Today I had forgot to disable the function. The car stalled at a busy intersection nearly causing me to be rear ended. I think there is a safety concern here. Someone could get hurt trying to save a small amount of gas. Also, the wear and tear on the starter and associated engine components could result in premature failures over the life of the vehicle. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | AIR BAGS,FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE | I had adaptive cruise control set to the speed limit of 55, I looked down to input directions and then heard the collision warning tone. There was a large box truck sitting at the stop light ahead of me. I slammed on the breaks and swerved into the right-hand turn lane. The vehicle did not make it entirely out of the way and hit the back passenger corner of the lift on the box truck at a slight angle. The vehicle was shredded from the front driver's side bumper to the beginning of the driver's door frame and the hood went through the windshield. No air bags were deployed. --I believe the components/system that could have potentially failed if any, was the airbag system or the automatic emergency breaking system. --Unsure if the problem has been reproduced. --The vehicle was inspected by police & insurance representatives. Unsure if the manufacturer has completed an inspection. --The front collision warning tone & red warning image populated on the center screen of the instrument cluster ~3 seconds prior to collision. | Crash: Yes Fire: No Towed | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | UNKNOWN OR OTHER | windshield cracked easily | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | VISIBILITY/WIPER | Driving through a parking lot under 5mph, and the glass cracked with no warning or sign of anything hitting the windscreen. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | ELECTRICAL SYSTEM,ENGINE,FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM | Purchased car on 8/15/2022 and encountering issues with: 1. oil in the air when engine is turned on 2. Onion smell when engine is turned on 3. AC if affected by oil and onion smell ; too hot when sitting in car with engine on ..sulfur? 4. Please check the gas tank for possible leak. 5. 3-yr old grandson is affected by onion, oil and possible exhaust fumes leaking into the interior of the car. Daycare made a notation of oil smell and onion smell on grandson. We need oxygen to our brain and body; without it we cannot live. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |
| Aug 2022 | POWER TRAIN | My brand new 2022 Subaru Forester will accelerate and stall while I am driving. It is more noticeable between 0 - 40mph speed shifts, especially 20 to 40mph. It is frightening because this may cause an unintentional accident. | Crash: No Fire: No | Unknown |