NHTSA Safety Recalls
2018 Subaru Forester Recalls
The 2018 Subaru Forester has 3 NHTSA safety recalls on file, the newest reported on July 29, 2021.
A recall covers a range of VINs, not every 2018 Subaru Forester. Whether a recall on your own car is still open shows only on a VIN check; recall repairs are free.
- Recalls
- 3
- Owner complaints
- 498
- Crashes reported
- 26
- NHTSA crash test
- ★★★★★
NHTSA campaigns
filed with NHTSA
1 fires
overall, 5 stars max
On a 2018 Subaru Forester, the 17-character VIN is on the driver-side dashboard, visible through the windshield, or on the door jamb sticker.
3 recalls on the 2018 Subaru Forester
Fuel system, gasoline: delivery: fuel pump
- Campaign
- 21V587000
- Reported
- July 29, 2021
- Vehicles affected
- up to 175,968
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Same campaign
- also 7 other models
Air bags: sensor: occupant classification
- Campaign
- 19V701000
- Reported
- October 3, 2019
- Vehicles affected
- up to 366,282
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash and injury
- Same campaign
- also 2015–2017 Forester
Tires
- Campaign
- 18V455000
- Reported
- July 10, 2018
- Vehicles affected
- up to 3,654
- Risk NHTSA names
- crash
- Federal standard
- FMVSS 110, tire selection and rims
- Same campaign
- only the 2018 Subaru Forester
2018 Subaru Forester complaints by year
NHTSA has received 498 owner complaints about the 2018 Subaru Forester, the newest on October 2, 2026. Of these, 26 describe a crash (5%) and 1 a fire; owners reported 9 injuries.
In complaints about the 2018 Subaru Forester, the component group named most often is the visibility/wiper (27%), followed by the air bags (20%) and the electrical system (14%).
1 of the 2018 Subaru Forester's 3 recalls also concerns the air bags.
Where 2018 Subaru Forester owners gave the mileage (242 complaints), the median was 16,000 miles.
Component groups named in complaints
- Visibility/Wiper135
- Air Bags99
- Unknown Or Other84
- Electrical System71
- Engine32
- Seats30
Complaints received, by year
| 2017 | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| 2018 | 34 | |
| 2019 | 69 | |
| 2020 | 89 | |
| 2021 | 96 | |
| 2022 | 71 | |
| 2023 | 46 | |
| 2024 | 34 | |
| 2025 | 29 | |
| 2026 | 27 |
Complaints about the 2018 Subaru Forester peaked in 2021, when NHTSA received 96. 58% arrived between 2017 and 2021, the model year's first years on the road.
Adjusted for how many complaints NHTSA received about all 2018 vehicles, the 2018 Subaru Forester drew 4.2× the complaints of the median Subaru Forester year in the same window: 3rd highest of the 23 ranked years.
That makes 2018 one of the Subaru Forester years to avoid by our method.
NHTSA crash-test stars
- Overall: ★★★★★
- Frontal: 4/5
- Side: 5/5
- Rollover: 4/5
The 498 complaints about the 2018 Subaru Forester are unverified owner reports, and a model sold in large numbers collects more of them.
Subaru Forester by model year
Other 2018 Subaru models
Newest record on this page: October 2, 2026. Data: NHTSA recall and owner-complaint files. How these figures are counted