NHTSA Safety Recalls
2009 Subaru Forester Recalls
The 2009 Subaru Forester has 18 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on November 10, 2022.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2009 Subaru Forester. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 18
- Owner complaints
- 178
- Crashes reported
- 19
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
7 fires
frontal crash, no overall star before 2011
On a 2009 Subaru Forester, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
18 recalls on the 2009 Subaru Forester
Seat belts
- Campaign
- 22V838000
- Reported
- November 10, 2022
- Vehicles affected
- up to 16
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2013 Forester
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 20V001000
- Reported
- January 2, 2020
- Vehicles affected
- up to 258,813
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2013 Forester, 6 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 20V002000
- Reported
- January 2, 2020
- Vehicles affected
- up to 127,547
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2013 Forester, 6 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 20V003000
- Reported
- January 2, 2020
- Vehicles affected
- up to 111,562
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2013 Forester, 6 other models
Electrical system: ignition: switch
- Campaign
- 19V297000
- Reported
- April 11, 2019
- Vehicles affected
- up to 511
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2013 Forester, 5 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 18V012000
- Reported
- January 9, 2018
- Vehicles affected
- up to 64,179
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2013 Forester, 5 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 18V013000
- Reported
- January 9, 2018
- Vehicles affected
- up to 93,209
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2010 Forester, 5 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 18V014000
- Reported
- January 9, 2018
- Vehicles affected
- up to 72,150
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 5 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 17V026000
- Reported
- January 11, 2017
- Vehicles affected
- up to 69,529
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 5 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 17V014000
- Reported
- January 10, 2017
- Vehicles affected
- up to 53,480
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2012 Forester, 6 other models
Electrical system
- Campaign
- 16V738000
- Reported
- October 13, 2016
- Vehicles affected
- up to 100,127
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2013 Forester, 3 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 16V358000
- Reported
- May 25, 2016
- Vehicles affected
- up to 302,127
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2011 Forester, 6 other models
Service brakes, hydraulic
- Campaign
- 14V830000
- Reported
- December 31, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 200,064
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2013 Forester, 3 other models
Service brakes, hydraulic: foundation components: hoses, lines/piping, and fittings
- Campaign
- 14V311000
- Reported
- June 10, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 461,338
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2013 Forester, 5 other models
Exterior lighting
- Campaign
- 12V602000
- Reported
- December 26, 2012
- Vehicles affected
- up to 633,842
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2012 Forester, 3 other models
Seat belts: rear/other
- Campaign
- 12V099000
- Reported
- March 13, 2012
- Vehicles affected
- up to 326,014
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 208, occupant crash protection
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2012 Forester
Engine and engine cooling: engine
- Campaign
- 08V460000
- Reported
- September 11, 2008
- Vehicles affected
- up to 16,715
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2 other models
Equipment
- Campaign
- 09E011000
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 6 other models
2009 Subaru Forester complaints by year
NHTSA has received 178 owner complaints about the 2009 Subaru Forester, the newest on March 12, 2025. Of these, 19 describe a crash (11%) and 7 a fire; owners reported 5 injuries and 1 death.
In complaints about the 2009 Subaru Forester, the component group named most often is the air bags (22%), followed by the engine (15%) and the electrical system (12%).
9 of the 2009 Subaru Forester's 18 recalls also concern the air bags.
Where 2009 Subaru Forester owners gave the mileage (121 complaints), the median was 57,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Air Bags40
- Engine27
- Electrical System22
- Vehicle Speed Control19
- Power Train17
- Seats16
Complaints received, by year
| 2008 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 15 | |
| 2010 | 13 | |
| 2011 | 3 | |
| 2012 | 10 | |
| 2013 | 18 | |
| 2014 | 15 | |
| 2015 | 13 | |
| 2016 | 18 | |
| 2017 | 29 | |
| 2018 | 17 | |
| 2019 | 8 | |
| 2020 | 5 | |
| 2021 | 5 | |
| 2022 | 1 | |
| 2023 | 2 | |
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2009 Subaru Forester peaked in 2017, when NHTSA received 29. 25% arrived between 2008 and 2012, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2009 vehicles, the 2009 Subaru Forester drew 1.1× the complaints of the median Subaru Forester year in the same window: 9th highest of the 23 ranked years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: none before 2011
- Frontal: 5/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 178 complaints about the 2009 Subaru Forester are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Subaru Forester by model year
Other 2009 Subaru models
Newest record on this page: March 12, 2025. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted