The Subaru Forester is a crossover SUV that offers a plethora of features and practicality making this car ideal for a family. The 2020 Subaru Forester is rated 5 stars by NHTSA and has no recalls but the car officially has 338 complaints registered by the customers. People also look at cars like the 2020 Nissan Rogue, the 2020 Volkswagen Tiguan, and the 2020 Honda CR-V in this segment but let’s go through the user complaints and see where the Forester stands against its competition.
User complaints and problems
Electrical Problems
- Battery – The battery was noticed to drain power very quickly leaving the car not being able to start without a jumper kit.
- Warning lights – It was reported random warning lights turned on for no reason and stayed that way for a while. The issue was resolved by itself after restarting the car.
- Emergency braking – The car automatically engaged the emergency brake which made the Forester skid to a stop even though there was nothing ahead.
- Wiring harness – The Forester uses a soy base wiring harness making it prone to be eaten up by rodents.
Mechanical Problems
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- Engine – A customer stated that the engine accelerated by itself when parking the Forester resulting in crashing the car into a wall ahead.
- Engine – The stop/go feature doesn’t work well as when the engine restarts, it hesitates to move the Forester.
- Steering – Lane centering feature gets confused in the presence of snow on the road and locks the steering to one side forcing the driver to slam the brakes creating an unsafe situation.
- Fuel system – A customer had been in a forward collision crash and the car caught fire on impact. The unsafe fuel lines led the fire spread rapidly and reached the cabin area in no time. This is a serious issue that can even cause death.
Exterior Problems
- Taillights – When the shifter is moved to reverse or drive, the taillight comes on and stays that way for the whole drive.
- Windshield – Many customers reported the windshield cracking abruptly after minor contact with stone chippings or without any contact at all.
- Wheels – It was noticed that the wheels start vibrating when the Forester crosses 50 MPH.
- Tires – A customer drive the Forester over a pothole and the driver-side tires just ripped causing the air to completely deplete.
Safety Problems
- Airbags – A customer was involved in a crash as an oncoming car lost control and front-ended the Forester from the other lane. The airbags failed to deploy and caused injuries to the driver.
- Seatbelts – Rear passenger seatbelt was reported to be difficult to buckle up and no warnings were given regarding the same.
- Brakes – Automatic brakes failed to work leading to a collision.
Interior Problems
- Seat – Driver-side heated seat doesn’t heat up well even when set to high but at times, it drastically increases causing minor burns on the skin.
Recalls
The 2020 Subaru Forester had no recalls, making it stand well on top against its competitors.
Should you buy the 2020 Subaru Forester?
This is one of those cars that can be confidently recommended to people but even though the 2020 Subaru Forester has no recalls, there are certain things that need to be checked before getting one. We suggest checking the windshield for any minor cracks and also check for the tire conditions as they’ve been reported to form cracks.
