The Subaru Forester has been a popular compact crossover preferred by shoppers looking for station wagon-like space and SUV-like practicality. Blessed with Subaru’s Symmetrical AWD layout, the Forester has been a rugged machine since its launch; however, a handful of reliability issues keep troubling the vehicle. The 2012 Subaru Forester gets some minor updates but has seen lower complaints than the last year’s model. Officially, the current model has only 95 complaints to its name to date but has been recalled 14 times according to the NHTSA records. The recalls were majorly for the airbag exploding and brake line corrosion and engine stalling issues. The official complaints also show that the owners have filed a maximum number of reports against the airbag and powertrain problems faced by them. The Forester challenges the Honda CR-V, the Nissan Rogue, and the Toyota RAV4 in its class.
Subaru Forester user complaints and problems
Engine problems
- Excessive oil consumption: Several complaints were raised about the excessive oil consumption issue against the 2012 Forester. The affected vehicles consumed an abnormally high amount of engine oil within a short time and the drivers were not notified of the low oil sometimes. As a result, the vehicles needed to be filled with engine oil frequently, and a few owners faced catastrophic engine failures too due to extremely low engine oil levels.
- Sudden acceleration: The powertrains of the affected vehicles faced the sudden acceleration issue. According to the owners, the vehicles accelerated suddenly and uncontrollably despite the accelerator pedal not being pressed by the drivers.
- Premature clutch failure: One case of premature clutch failure has been reported. The owner complained that the clutch failed only at 74,000 miles and prior to the failure, the owner experienced grinding noises from the transmission.
Safety problems
- Brake failure: A few cases of brake failure were reported against the 2012 Subaru Forester. In one instance, after the vehicle was repaired under the brake line corrosion recall, the brake failed and the vehicle crashed.
Miscellaneous problems
- Accelerator pedal getting stuck: This issue affected a few 2012 Forester units. Due to failures, the accelerator pedals of the vehicles got stuck to the floorboard which resulted in unintended accelerations.
2012 Subaru Forester recalls
|
S.No. |
Recall Date |
NHTSA Campaign ID |
Issues noticed |
Additional remarks |
Remedy |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
1 |
March 13, 2012 |
12V099000 |
Center seat automatic locking retractor |
An insecure installation of a child restraint can increase the risk of injury to a child during a crash. |
Subaru will notify the owners, and the dealers will replace the rear center seat belt assembly with a newly modified automatic locking retractor, free of charge. An interim letter was mailed on March 26, 2012. |
|
2 |
December 26, 2012 |
12V602000 |
Accessory Puddle Light may Short-circuit |
Over time, migration of the moisture into the circuit board and/or into the connector cavity may result in a short circuit of the puddle light system. This may generate heat which may melt the plastic resulting in smoke or fire. |
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will install an additional fused-harness, free of charge. The recall began on February 19, 2013. |
|
3 |
June 10, 2014 |
14V311000 |
Brake Lines may Fail due to Corrosion |
Brake line corrosion may result in brake fluid leakage. Fluid leakage may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. |
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rust-proofed with anti-corrosion wax. If brake fluid seepage is observed, the brake lines will be replaced followed by rustproofing with anti-corrosion wax. These services will be performed free of charge. The recall began in July 2014 and second notifications will run through November 2014. |
|
4 |
December 31, 2014 |
14V830000 |
Brake Line Corrosion at Four-Way Connector |
Brake fluid may leak due to the brake line corrosion and may result in longer distances being required to slow or stop the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash. |
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will apply an anti-corrosion wax to the four-way joint connector area of the brake line system, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2015. Affected vehicles not currently, or formerly, registered in the salt belt states identified in this recall are eligible for repair, at no cost to the customer, upon request. |
|
5 |
October 13, 2016 |
16V738000 |
Power Relay may Fail, Allowing Air Pump to Overheat |
If the air injection pump overheats, it may melt and increase the risk of a fire. |
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began in December 2016. |
|
6 |
January 10, 2017 |
17V014000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Rupture |
An inflator rupture may result in metal fragments striking the vehicle occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on March 6, 2017. |
|
7 |
January 9, 2018 |
18V012000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode |
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal airbag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver, or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Subaru will notify the owners and the dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. |
|
8 |
January 9, 2019 |
19V007000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode |
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal airbag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver, or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Subaru has notified the owners, and the dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2019. |
|
9 |
January 9, 2019 |
19V009000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode |
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal airbag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver, or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2019. |
|
10 |
January 9, 2019 |
19V008000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode |
An explosion of an inflator within the passenger frontal airbag module may result in sharp metal fragments striking the front seat passenger, driver, or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger airbag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2019. |
|
11 |
April 11, 2019 |
19V297000 |
Ignition Switch may Turn Off |
The engine turning off unexpectedly can increase the risk of a crash. If a crash occurs under this condition, the air bag may not deploy, increasing the risk of injury. |
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began on May 10, 2019. |
|
12 |
January 2, 2020 |
20V003000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode |
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on January 7, 2020. |
|
13 |
January 2, 2020 |
20V001000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode |
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking |
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began on January 7, 2020 |
|
14 |
January 2, 2020 |
20V002000 |
Passenger Frontal Airbag Inflator May Explode |
An inflator explosion may result in sharp metal fragments striking the driver or other occupants resulting in serious injury or death. |
Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began on January 7, 2020. |
Should you buy a used Subaru Forester?
The Subaru Forester offers an impressive package at a competitive price when compared to its peers. It draws attention with its standard AWD, offered as an option in most of its rivals, and that cavernous cabin. Nevertheless, Subaru always left some room for improvement in the reliability of the crossover and it is evident from the rather long list of recalls issued by the brand in recent times. Getting a used Subaru Forester would be a great preference but you need to inspect the used example thoroughly for the excessive oil consumption issue and the transmission issues.
