2013 Subaru Forester: True Cost, Problems & Verdict
77 NHTSA owner complaints · 12 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Reviewed by the MotorJury data desk · 2 sources · Last updated 2026-08-20
77 NHTSA owner complaints · 12 recalls · data-computed verdict. No opinions — public data only.
Complaints per year on the road: 5.92
Verbatim reports filed with the United States safety regulator (NHTSA) by owners of this exact model year. Public record.
I had a family member driving an 2013 Subaru Forester all-wheel drive with a manual transition. The car had crash and rolled. The car at the most rolled twice and none of the air bags never deployed. I have photos of the accident and of the vehicle at the towed yard and its clear as day that the air bags are still rolled up.
The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Forester. While the contact's daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle was consuming an excessive amount of engine oil. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired by an independent mechanic or the dealer. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and a case was filed. The contact refere…
The contact owned a 2013 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while idled in reverse with the brake pedal depressed, the vehicle accelerated in reverse on its own, colliding with a deck, after which the vehicle shifted into drive and continued to accelerate on its own, colliding with a brick wall, only then coming to a complete stop after colliding with a tree. The air bags did not deploy. No warning lights were …
What the community is saying right now.
| Campaign | Component | Summary |
|---|---|---|
| 20V001000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2… |
| 20V002000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), … |
| 20V003000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), … |
| 18V012000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Legacy, Forester, Tribeca, WRX and Outback vehicles, and 2009-2011 Impreza v… |
| 19V007000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza veh… |
| 19V009000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 20… |
| 19V008000 | Air Bags:Frontal:Passenger Side:Inflator | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, and Legacy vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2… |
| 14V311000 | Service Brakes, Hydraulic:Foundation Com | Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy, 2008-2011 Impreza and 2008-2014 Impreza WRX/S… |
Re-priced automatically from your country's retail fuel, electricity and parts indices — change country in the bar at the top. Estimates; see methodology.
The most-reported issue in NHTSA complaint data is Engine (26 complaints in our indexed sample).
Our data verdict is CAUTION with a reliability score of 56/100, computed from 77 NHTSA complaints and 12 recall campaigns. See the verdict card for the top reasons.
Yes — NHTSA lists 12 recall campaign(s) for the 2013 Subaru Forester, 12 of them touching fire, crash or stall risk, the most recent recorded 02/01/2020. Check this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls before you buy.
Fuel, maintenance band and depreciation — computed from public data in 10 seconds.
Open the true-cost calculatorComplaints & recalls: NHTSA ·
Fuel economy: EPA fueleconomy.gov ·
Scoring: our published methodology.
Maintenance bands are industry-average estimates (AAA Your Driving Costs, CarMD index) — labeled estimates, not measurements.
Last updated: 2026-08-20.