2018 Subaru Forester Problems

491 owner complaints filed with the United States safety regulator · top issue: Visibility/Wiper · verdict AVOID 26/100

Source NHTSA public complaint and recall record · methodology

What breaks, by owner reports

Visibility/Wiper135
Air Bags94
Unknown Or Other82
Electrical System69
Engine31
Vehicle Speed Control30

In the owners’ words

“Discovered (06/08/26) that the engine would not turn over without the accelerator being pushed down when warm from driving after resting 30-60 minutes. Car was taken to Capital Subaru. No codes were triggered. The throttle body was cleaned. No change. The Crankshaft Position Sensor was replaced, the ECU was reprogrammed, then the EVAP Purge Valve was replaced. A bottle of fuel injector cleaner was added to the gas t”NHTSA complaint, 2018 Subaru Forester owner
“B1760 code for ODS AIRBAG LIGHT IS ON AND THE LIGHT FOR PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF is On. There is a recall open for many other Subarus, same make, model & year. Safety concern for my daughter as she rides passenger. I had the problem diagnosed and documented receipt from ACS in Roseville California. I contacted Maita Subaru of Sacramento and they said there is not and wasn’t a recall for my Subaru. Very concernin”NHTSA complaint, 2018 Subaru Forester owner
“I had a recall for my ODS sensor which controls the passenger airbag. I went and had it "taken care" of due to a recall. They did not fix it. My passenger airbag will still randomly shut off while I am driving down the road. I tried talking tk the dealership and they only say "we fixed the part we needed to replace". This is a huge safety issue. If I were tk wreck and my passenger airbag was turned off, someone would”NHTSA complaint, 2018 Subaru Forester owner

Recall campaigns

ReportedComponentSummary
29/07/2021Fuel System, Gasoline:Delivery:Fuel Pump SAFETYSubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may
03/10/2019Air Bags:Sensor:Occupant Classification SAFETYSubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2015-2018 Forester vehicles equipped with heated seats. An electrical connection in the front passenger seat for the Occupant Detection System (ODS) may loosen.
10/07/2018TiresSubaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018 Subaru Forester vehicles. The Certification Label may indicate the incorrect wheel size, tire size, and air pressure. As such, these vehicles fail to comply wi

Questions owners ask

Is the 2018 Subaru Forester reliable?

On the federal record it scores 26/100: 491 owner complaints (61.38 per year on the road) and 3 recall campaigns, 2 touching safety-critical systems.

What is the most common problem with the 2018 Subaru Forester?

The most-reported component in NHTSA complaints is Visibility/Wiper, with 135 of 441 categorised reports.

Share this verdict

The 2018 Subaru Forester scored 26/100 on the federal record.

Full 2018 data pagecosts, verdict, every numberAll Forester yearswhich year to avoid Most complained-about carsthe national ranking