"How reliable is the 2003 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 238 NHTSA complaints, the 2003 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 85000 miles. The most common issue is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE."

"What are common problems with the 2003 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2003 Subaru Forester is FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE, accounting for a significant portion of the 238 total complaints filed."

2003 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 238 complaints

238

Total Complaints

85,000mi

Median Mileage

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

Distribution of NHTSA complaints by vehicle mileage at time of report.

49,286 25th Percentile

85,000 Median Mileage

130,403 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM

AIR BAGS

SUSPENSION

VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL

ENGINE

STRUCTURE:BODY

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE

ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING

UNKNOWN OR OTHER

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"SUBARU REPLACED REGULAR SEATS WITH LEATHER AFTER MARKET SEATS. ALSO, SUBARU STATED THAT SIDE IMPACT AIR BAGS IN REAR MAY NOT DEPLOY PROPERLY. PLEASE DESCRIBE DETAILS.*AK"

"THE HILL-HOLDER FEATURE ON THE MANUAL TRANSMISSIO ACTIVATES WHILE BACKING INTO A PARKING SPACE AND UTILIZING THE FOOT BRAKE--AS A RESULT IN ORDER TO RESUME BACKING UP TOO MUCH FORCE ON THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL MUST BE USED CAUSING THE VEHICLE TO LURCH BACKWARD"

Source: NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Names and identifying details omitted.

Data source: View this vehicle on NHTSA.gov | NHTSA ODI Complaints Database. Public domain.

Methodology: Complaint counts and mileage distributions are computed directly from consumer-reported NHTSA complaints. This data represents reported issues, not failure rates — vehicles without complaints are not represented. Full methodology.

Data through: 2026-03-28