NHTSA Safety Recalls
2013 Subaru Forester Recalls
The 2013 Subaru Forester has 12 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on November 10, 2022.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2013 Subaru Forester. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 12
- Owner complaints
- 78
- Crashes reported
- 13
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★☆
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
3 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2013 Subaru Forester, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
12 recalls on the 2013 Subaru Forester
Seat belts
- Campaign
- 22V838000
- Reported
- November 10, 2022
- Vehicles affected
- up to 16
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2009–2012 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 2009–2012 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 2009–2012 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 2009–2012 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 2009–2012 Forester, 5 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 19V007000
- Reported
- January 9, 2019
- Vehicles affected
- up to 43,394
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2012 Forester, 5 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 19V008000
- Reported
- January 9, 2019
- Vehicles affected
- up to 330,120
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2012 Forester, 5 other models
Air bags: frontal: passenger side: inflator module
- Campaign
- 19V009000
- Reported
- January 9, 2019
- Vehicles affected
- up to 452,630
- Risk NHTSA names
- injury and death
- Same campaign
- also 2010–2012 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 2009–2012 Forester, 5 other models
Electrical system
- Campaign
- 16V738000
- Reported
- October 13, 2016
- Vehicles affected
- up to 100,127
- Risk NHTSA names
- fire
- Same campaign
- also 2009–2012 Forester, 3 other models
Service brakes, hydraulic
- Campaign
- 14V830000
- Reported
- December 31, 2014
- Vehicles affected
- up to 200,064
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 2009–2012 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 2009–2012 Forester, 5 other models
2013 Subaru Forester complaints by year
NHTSA has received 78 owner complaints about the 2013 Subaru Forester, the newest on October 12, 2026. Of these, 13 describe a crash (17%) and 3 a fire; owners reported 11 injuries.
In complaints about the 2013 Subaru Forester, the component group named most often is the engine (35%), followed by the air bags (17%) and the service brakes (12%).
7 of the 2013 Subaru Forester's 12 recalls also concern the air bags.
Where 2013 Subaru Forester owners gave the mileage (55 complaints), the median was 50,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Engine27
- Air Bags13
- Service Brakes9
- Unknown Or Other7
- Vehicle Speed Control7
- Power Train6
Complaints received, by year
| 2012 | 1 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 4 | |
| 2014 | 7 | |
| 2015 | 9 | |
| 2016 | 3 | |
| 2017 | 4 | |
| 2018 | 9 | |
| 2019 | 16 | |
| 2020 | 6 | |
| 2021 | 6 | |
| 2022 | 4 | |
| 2023 | 4 | |
| 2024 | 2 | |
| 2025 | 2 | |
| 2026 | 1 |
Complaints about the 2013 Subaru Forester peaked in 2019, when NHTSA received 16. 31% arrived between 2012 and 2016, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2013 vehicles, the 2013 Subaru Forester drew 0.3× the complaints of the median Subaru Forester year in the same window: 21st highest of the 23 ranked years.
That makes 2013 one of the three best-measured Subaru Forester years.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★☆
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 4/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 78 complaints about the 2013 Subaru Forester are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Subaru Forester by model year
Other 2013 Subaru models
Newest record on this page: October 12, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted