2004 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 268 complaints
268
Total Complaints
96,000mi
Median Mileage
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
Top Issue
19
Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

60,375 25th Percentile
96,000 Median Mileage
129,000 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM
62
FUEL SYSTEM, GASOLINE
58
ENGINE
23
SUSPENSION
19
AIR BAGS
19
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
10
POWER TRAIN
9
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
9
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING
7
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING:ENGINE
6

Severity Assessment

19
Crashes
4
Fires
11
Injuries
0
Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION MADE NOISE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT HE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO RETURN THE VEHICLE AND RECEIVE A REFUND FOR THE PURCHASE PRICE. *NM THE SUBARU DEALER OFFERED THE CONSUMER $1500.00 TO 2,000..."
"THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION MADE NOISE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT HE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO RETURN THE VEHICLE AND RECEIVE A REFUND FOR THE PURCHASE PRICE. *NM THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE ENGINE IS MAKING A HIGH PITC..."
"THE VEHICLE'S TRANSMISSION MADE NOISE WHILE DRIVING. THE VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED AND IT WAS DETERMINED THAT HE VEHICLE WAS OPERATING AS DESIGNED. THE CONSUMER WOULD LIKE TO RETURN THE VEHICLE AND RECEIVE A REFUND FOR THE PURCHASE PRICE. *NM THE CONSUMER STATED THAT THE ENGINE IS MAKING A HIGH PITC..."

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