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Subaru · 4th gen (SJ) · 2014–2018

Subaru Forester (2014–2018): Problems, Reliability & Repair Costs

The SJ Forester is a roomy, all-wheel-drive compact SUV that's genuinely useful and mostly dependable — but it carries two well-documented asterisks. The 2.5L FB25 engine was the subject of an oil-consumption class action (warranty extended to 8 years/100,000 miles), and the CVT had early teething problems that pushed Subaru to extend that warranty to 10 years/100,000 miles. Buy a clean, well-serviced one — ideally 2016+ — and it's a solid long-hauler. Buy an early oil-burner with no service history and you can inherit someone else's headache.

7/10 CarCaseFile
reliability score

Engines

  • FB25 — 2.5L gasoline, 170 hp
  • FA20F (turbo) — 2.0L gasoline, 250 hp

Transmissions

  • TR580 (Lineartronic) — cvt
  • manual , 6-speed

Drivetrain

AWD

Body

suv

Should you buy a 2014–2018 Subaru Forester?

Buy it — and lean toward the later years. A well-maintained SJ Forester is a practical, safe, all-weather family hauler with standard AWD and excellent visibility. The two things that separate a great buy from a gamble are the FB25 oil-consumption issue and the early-CVT reliability question. A 2016–2018 car with a documented service history clears most of the risk; both major defects are covered by extended Subaru warranties (8 yr/100k for oil, 10 yr/100k for the CVT), but those windows are closing or closed on older cars, so verify before you buy. The turbo XT is genuinely fun and durable but demands strict oil discipline. Skip any early car that's vague about oil top-offs or CVT behavior.

Best years

2016, 2017, 2018

Years to avoid

2014 (worst oil consumption + earliest CVT complaints), 2015 (improving but still has oil-consumption and CVT reports)

Pre-purchase inspection checklist

  • ☐Ask the seller how often they add oil between changes. A car needing a quart every 1,000–1,200 miles is exhibiting the known FB25 consumption problem — pull the dipstick yourself and check the level and color.
  • ☐Confirm whether the oil-consumption warranty extension (8 yr/100,000 mi) or any consumption-test repair was ever performed on this VIN — a Subaru dealer can check.
  • ☐Test-drive for CVT behavior: feel for shudder, hesitation, or jerking on light throttle and from a stop. Any of those is a red flag on an early car.
  • ☐Check the CVT warranty status (10 yr/100,000 mi) by VIN at a Subaru dealer; a car still inside coverage is a much safer bet.
  • ☐Inspect the windshield closely for chips, stars, or stress cracks, especially on 2017–2018 cars — replacement plus EyeSight camera recalibration is expensive.
  • ☐Have the battery and parasitic draw checked, particularly on later cars that have sat; weak/dead-battery complaints are common.
  • ☐Look underneath for rear coil-spring corrosion or breakage (more common on early, salt-belt cars) and check for any rear differential weeping.
  • ☐Confirm all maintenance: CVT fluid service, differential fluid, and timing-chain-driven engine means no belt — but oil history is everything.

Common Subaru Forester problems & repair costs

Excessive oil consumption (FB25 2.5L)

$2,500–$6,000
engine severe 2014–2018 (worst on early 2014–2015) ~30k–100k mi

Symptoms: Oil level dropping noticeably between changes — sometimes a quart every 1,000–1,500 miles — often with no visible leak and little smoke. Low-oil warnings if not topped up. Worst on early-build cars.

Fix: Subaru's documented fix is an oil-consumption test followed by a piston-ring/short-block repair if it fails. The class-action settlement (Yaegar v. Subaru) extended the engine warranty to 8 years/100,000 miles for this issue and reimbursed prior repairs. Out of coverage, a ring/short-block job is the realistic fix; many owners simply manage it by checking and topping oil.

Sources: Subaru oil consumption class action (Class Law Group), Subaru settles oil-burning class action (Top Class Actions), NHTSA complaints — 2014 Forester engine

CVT (TR580) shudder, jerking, or failure

$3,000–$7,000
transmission severe 2014–2015 (early builds most affected)

Symptoms: Shudder or judder on light acceleration, hesitation or jerking from a stop, and in worst cases loss of drive. Most complaints cluster on the earliest cars; later builds and firmware are markedly better.

Fix: Fluid service and a reflash resolve many early shudder complaints; a failed transmission needs a reman or replacement unit. Subaru extended the CVT warranty to 10 years/100,000 miles on these cars, so confirm coverage before assuming the worst.

Sources: Subaru CVT reliability and common issues (Rick's Free Auto Repair Advice), NHTSA complaints — 2015 Forester powertrain

Spontaneous windshield cracking

$400–$1,300
body/glass moderate 2017–2018 (acoustic glass)

Symptoms: Cracks that appear with no obvious impact — often starting from the edge or low on the glass, sometimes overnight or in temperature swings. Tied to the acoustic-glass windshields Subaru introduced around MY2017.

Fix: Windshield replacement. On EyeSight-equipped cars the forward-facing camera must be recalibrated after replacement, which adds cost. A separate class action covered 2017–2019 Forester/Outback/Legacy with reimbursements and extended coverage for eligible owners.

Sources: Subaru cracked-windshield defect lawsuits (ClassAction.org), New ruling in Subaru cracked-windshield lawsuit (Torque News)

Parasitic battery drain / premature dead battery

$200–$600
electrical moderate 2014–2018

Symptoms: Car won't start after sitting a few days; repeatedly dead or weak battery despite the battery testing okay. Linked to parasitic draw from the vehicle's electronics rather than a single failed component.

Fix: Often a stronger replacement battery solves it; persistent cases need a parasitic-draw test to find the offending circuit or module. Many owners fit a higher-capacity battery as the practical fix.

Sources: Subaru Forester battery draining causes + diagnosis (Drivetrain Resource)

Rear coil spring breakage

$250–$600
suspension moderate 2014 (early cars, salt-belt)

Symptoms: A clunk or sag at one rear corner, sometimes a broken coil found at inspection. More common on early cars in road-salt regions where corrosion plays a role.

Fix: Replace the broken spring (replacing in pairs is good practice) and inspect the mating perches for corrosion. A straightforward suspension job.

Sources: Subaru Forester common problems (CarBuzz)

Brake lights fail to illuminate (recall)

$0–$150
electrical safety 2014–2016

Symptoms: Brake lights may not come on when the pedal is pressed (or stay on), due to a brake-light switch issue. A safety recall covered a large number of these vehicles.

Fix: Recall repair — done free at a Subaru dealer if the VIN is open. Outside recall it's an inexpensive brake-light switch replacement. Verify the recall was completed by VIN.

Sources: NHTSA recalls — 2015 Forester

Outside the two big-ticket risks, the SJ Forester is reasonable to own. Routine maintenance is conventional, the FB25 is a timing-chain engine (no belt to replace), and AWD parts and service are widely available since Subaru sells these in volume. Plan for CVT fluid service, periodic differential fluid, brakes, tires, and the occasional battery. The numbers that hurt are an out-of-warranty ring/short-block repair, a failed CVT, or a windshield-plus-EyeSight-recalibration — budget for those only on early, undocumented, or acoustic-glass cars.

DIY repairs & parts

Engine oil & filter change (FB25)

easy 30–45 min saves ~$40–$90

Tools: Floor jack + jack stands or ramps, 17mm socket or wrench (drain plug), Oil filter cap wrench, Drain pan + funnel

  1. Warm the engine briefly, then safely raise and support the front of the car.
  2. Remove the drain plug and let the oil fully drain; replace the crush washer.
  3. Spin off the cartridge/filter, lube the new filter's seal, and install it to spec.
  4. Reinstall the drain plug, then refill with the correct synthetic oil (about 5 quarts).
  5. Run the engine, check for leaks, then recheck the level on level ground. Note the level so you can track consumption.

Parts

Replace cabin & engine air filters

easy 20 min saves ~$50–$110

Tools: Hands only (cabin filter behind glovebox), Flat screwdriver (airbox clips, if needed)

  1. Open the glovebox, squeeze in the side stops to drop it fully, and pull out the cabin-filter cover.
  2. Slide out the old cabin filter and insert the new one with the airflow arrow pointing down.
  3. Unclip the engine airbox lid, lift out the old panel filter, drop in the new one, and re-clip the lid.

Parts

Replace a broken rear coil spring

moderate 1.5–3 hrs saves ~$150–$300

Tools: Floor jack + jack stands, Socket set + breaker bar, Penetrating oil, Torque wrench

  1. Raise and support the rear, then remove the wheel on the affected side.
  2. Support the rear knuckle/lower arm with a jack to control spring tension.
  3. Loosen the lower shock or arm fasteners as needed and carefully relieve spring tension.
  4. Remove the old spring and isolators; transfer or replace the isolators on the new spring.
  5. Seat the new spring correctly, reassemble, torque fasteners to spec, and reinstall the wheel.
  6. Lower the car and check ride height; replacing both sides keeps the rear even.

Parts

Some parts links are affiliate links — we may earn a commission at no cost to you. We only list parts that fit this generation.

The short version

The 2014–2018 Subaru Forester is one of the most practical compact SUVs of its era — standard all-wheel drive, huge glass and great visibility, a roomy cabin, and a strong safety record. For most buyers it’s a smart, dependable used car. But it carries two issues serious enough that Subaru extended warranties for both.

The first is oil consumption on the 2.5-liter FB25 engine. Enough owners reported the engine drinking oil between changes that it became a class-action settlement, with the engine warranty extended to 8 years / 100,000 miles and reimbursements for owners who’d already paid. The second is the early Lineartronic CVT, which had shudder and failure complaints concentrated on the first couple of model years — enough that Subaru pushed that warranty out to 10 years / 100,000 miles.

Neither of those should scare you off a good car. They should change which car you buy.

What that means when you’re shopping

If you’re looking at a 2016–2018 Forester, you’ve mostly cleared the worst of both risks — buy on condition, service history, and a clean test drive like any used car.

If you’re looking at a 2014–2015 car, treat oil and the CVT as the first two things to verify. Ask how often the seller adds oil; a quart every 1,000–1,500 miles is the known consumption problem. On the drive, feel for any shudder or jerk from a stop. A Subaru dealer can tell you by VIN whether either extended warranty was ever used — a car with a documented ring/short-block repair or a serviced CVT is arguably safer than one that was never touched.

Two more things to eyeball: the windshield (2017+ acoustic glass cracks easily, and EyeSight recalibration makes replacement pricey) and the battery, since parasitic-drain dead-battery complaints are common across the generation. The turbo XT is genuinely good — just confirm strict oil-change history, because turbos are less forgiving.

How this file is built: failure modes and cost ranges are compiled from NHTSA complaint and recall data, Subaru’s own class-action settlements and warranty extensions, and owner reporting, then sanity-checked against shop-floor experience. Cost figures are independent-shop estimates and vary by region. Spot something off? Tell us.

Viral car myths, checked

Frequently asked questions

Which Subaru Forester years should I avoid?

Lean away from the 2014 and, to a lesser degree, 2015 cars. Those carry the highest oil-consumption complaint rates on the FB25 engine and the earliest CVT reliability reports. They aren't automatically bad — both issues are covered by extended Subaru warranties — but you have to verify the engine and transmission are sound or already repaired. The 2016–2018 cars are the safer used buy.

Is the Forester's oil consumption covered by Subaru?

Yes, for the affected FB25 engines. A class-action settlement extended the engine warranty to 8 years/100,000 miles for excessive oil consumption and reimbursed owners who'd paid for consumption tests or repairs. If a car is now outside that window, the repair is on you — which is exactly why you check oil habits before buying.

Are the early Forester CVTs reliable?

Mostly, with caveats. The TR580 CVT had shudder, jerking, and failure complaints concentrated on the earliest 2014–2015 cars, and Subaru extended the warranty to 10 years/100,000 miles in response. Later builds and firmware are considerably better, and Consumer Reports rates the 2016+ CVTs well. Test-drive for any shudder and confirm warranty status by VIN.

Why do Subaru windshields crack so easily?

Owners of 2017+ Foresters reported windshields cracking with no obvious impact, often from the edge. It's tied to the acoustic-glass windshields Subaru introduced around 2017 and became a separate class action for 2017–2019 models. Replacement is pricier than usual because EyeSight-equipped cars need the forward camera recalibrated afterward.

How many miles will a 2014–2018 Forester last?

A sound, well-maintained SJ Forester routinely reaches 200,000 miles. The FB25 and the AWD system are durable when serviced; most early retirements trace back to neglected oil consumption or an out-of-warranty CVT failure rather than the car simply wearing out. Documentation is the difference.