"How reliable is the 2010 Subaru Forester?"

"Based on 305 NHTSA complaints, the 2010 Subaru Forester has a median complaint mileage of 60000 miles. The most common issue is Seats."

"What are common problems with the 2010 Subaru Forester?"

"The most frequently reported component in NHTSA complaints for the 2010 Subaru Forester is Seats, accounting for a significant portion of the 305 total complaints filed."

2010 Subaru Forester: Reliability Data

Source: NHTSA — 305 complaints

305

Total Complaints

60,000mi

Median Mileage

Seats

Top Issue

Crash Reports

When Do Complaints Happen?

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

30,387 25th Percentile

60,000 Median Mileage

89,173 75th Percentile

What Fails?

Most reported component issues from NHTSA complaints.

Seats

Air Bags

Engine

Service Brakes

Vehicle Speed Control

Electrical System

Unknown Or Other

Fuel/Propulsion System

Service Brakes, Hydraulic

Power Train

Severity Assessment

Crashes

Fires

Injuries

Deaths

Sample Complaint Reports

"I HAVE A NEW 2020 SUBARU FORESTER THAT IS ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO START----I HAVE HAD IT TO THE DEALER 2 TIMES AND THEY TELL ME THIS IS THE WAY IT IS SUPPOSED TO START DUE TO THE NEW EMISSIONS ON THE CAR--I HAD A FORESTER BEFORE AND NEVER HAD A PROBLEM--BUYER BEWARE--I CALLED THE HEAD OFFICE AND THEY P..."

"THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT BELT STORAGE SPOOL WILL NOT RELEASE. THE SHOULDER PART OF THE BELT WAS ACROSS THE FRONT SIDE OF THE BACK REST AND THE LAP PART OF THE BELT WAS FLIPPED TO THE BACK SIDE OF THE BACK REST AND THEN BUCKLED TO KEEP THE WARNING LIGHT FROM FLASHING WHILE MY DOG WAS RIDING IN THE SE..."

"I HAVE A 2010 SUBARU FORESTER AND THE REAR TAIL LIGHTS FOG UP CONSTANTLY. I HAVE ONLY HAD THE VEHICLE 3 WEEKS AND LESS THAN ONE HUNDRED MILES. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN BACK TWICE SINCE I PURCHASED IT, ONLY BECAUSE OF WORK OTHERWISE IT WOULD HAVE BEEN BACK EVERY DAY. ON THE LAST VISIT THE SERVICE MAN..."

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

When Were Complaints Filed?

Number of complaints by the year the issue occurred.

When Does Each Component Fail?

Median mileage at complaint for top components.

Seats 76 complaints

25th: 51,152 mi Median: 79,500 mi 75th: 90,625 mi

Air Bags 40 complaints

25th: 40,250 mi Median: 70,500 mi 75th: 103,500 mi

Engine 34 complaints

25th: 69,100 mi Median: 85,000 mi 75th: 109,250 mi

Service Brakes 28 complaints

25th: 30,998 mi Median: 57,000 mi 75th: 77,750 mi

Vehicle Speed Control 24 complaints

25th: 15,000 mi Median: 39,215 mi 75th: 72,250 mi

Where Are Complaints Coming From?

Top states by complaint count.

NY: 39 PA: 35 CA: 25 WA: 18 VA: 15 MA: 15 NC: 13 NJ: 12 WI: 9 CO: 9

Who Files Complaints?

Original Owners

99%

Second+ Owners

Subaru Forester — Other Years

See how this model compares across different model years.

Year	Complaints	Median Mileage	Top Issue	Crashes
1998	138	98,000	Vehicle Speed Control	9
1999	156	72,000	Automatic Transmission	6
2000	95	80,000	Wheel Bearing	7
2001	169	60,000	Vehicle Speed Control	39
2002	109	93,000	Vehicle Speed Control	29
2003	238	85,000	Fuel System, Gasoline	28
2004	268	96,000	Fuel/Propulsion System	19
2005	105	80,000	Suspension	23
2006	121	51,000	Vehicle Speed Control	20
2007	89	59,187	Suspension	16
2008	67	87,950	Suspension	8
2009	228	60,000	Air Bags	25
2011	195	54,000	Engine	41
2012	139	42,513	Engine	22
2013	94	47,000	Engine	17
2014	575	50,000	Suspension	84
2015	883	42,206	Engine	89
2016	601	39,000	Air Bags	77
2017	773	30,000	Air Bags	63
2018	660	14,635	Visibility/Wiper	53
2019	1081	8,743	Visibility/Wiper	63
2020	791	6,000	Visibility/Wiper	44
2021	267	8,250	Visibility/Wiper	28
2022	132	2,900	Visibility/Wiper	11
2023	94	9,000	Unknown Or Other	10
2024	34	-	Unknown Or Other	4
2025	82	2,750	Visibility/Wiper	13

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