Subaru Forester vs Ford Bronco Sport: which is more reliable?
The Subaru Forester is ahead of the Ford Bronco Sport on the federal record, 71/100 against 61/100 — a real but narrow gap that a bad model year on either side closes.
The record, side by side
Subaru Forester
- 15 model years scored
- 4,756 owner complaints on record
- about 52 complaints per year on the road
- 58 recall campaigns, 44 safety-critical
- best year 2024 (90/100) · worst 2019 (41/100)
Ford Bronco Sport
- 5 model years scored
- 1,281 owner complaints on record
- about 65 complaints per year on the road
- 51 recall campaigns, 28 safety-critical
- best year 2025 (78/100) · worst 2021 (33/100)
Mean score is the average across model years from 2013 on, where both records are comparable. How the score works.
Year by year: Forester against Bronco Sport
The comparison that decides the purchase. A nameplate is not one car — a redesign can move the record sixty points inside two years, and the two nameplates rarely move together.
What owners actually complain about
Subaru Forester
- Visibility/Wiper — 986 complaints
- Unknown Or Other — 747 complaints
- Electrical System — 707 complaints
Ford Bronco Sport
- Electrical System — 341 complaints
- Power Train — 277 complaints
- Engine — 273 complaints
They do not fail the same way: the Forester's complaints concentrate in Visibility/Wiper, the Bronco Sport's in Electrical System. That difference matters more to a buyer than the score gap, because it says which repair bill you are taking on.
Years to avoid on each
Subaru Forester — avoid: 2019, 2020.
Ford Bronco Sport — avoid: 2021.
A year scores below 45 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns. Every car’s years to avoid.
What each costs today
A recent used Subaru Forester prices at about $32,900 and a Ford Bronco Sport at about $30,500 — the Ford Bronco Sport is roughly $2,400 less, and they return 29.0 against 23.0 MPG combined.
Class-level estimates re-priced to your country, not a valuation of one car. Method.
FAQ
Is the Subaru Forester or the Ford Bronco Sport more reliable?
On the NHTSA record the Subaru Forester scores 71/100 against the Ford Bronco Sport's 61/100, averaged across every model year we hold. The gap is small enough that the model year matters more than the badge.
Which Subaru Forester and Ford Bronco Sport years should I avoid?
Subaru Forester: 2019, 2020. Ford Bronco Sport: 2021. Each of those scores under 45 out of 100 on complaints per year of exposure and recall campaigns.
What goes wrong on the Subaru Forester and the Ford Bronco Sport?
The largest complaint group on the Subaru Forester is Visibility/Wiper (986 complaints); on the Ford Bronco Sport it is Electrical System (341).
Is the Subaru Forester or the Ford Bronco Sport cheaper to own?
A recent used Subaru Forester prices at about $32,900 and a Ford Bronco Sport at about $30,500, before insurance and the maintenance band. Both pages carry the five-year running-cost figure.