Subaru Forester 2019–2024Common problems, reliability & repair costs

Symptoms: Battery repeatedly dead after the car sits a few days, sometimes after just overnight. Jump-starts become routine; some owners went through multiple batteries in the first two years. The Starlink data communication module (DCM) fails to enter sleep mode and keeps hunting for a cellular signal, draining the 12V battery.

Fix: A new battery alone doesn't fix it — the drain kills the replacement too. The real fix is a DCM software update or DCM replacement (owners have reported around $1,200 at dealers when paying out of pocket). A class-action settlement covering 2015–2020 Foresters reimbursed battery and diagnostic costs; the claim window has closed, so today this is on the buyer to verify it was already addressed.

Sources: ClassAction.org — Subaru parasitic battery drain lawsuit (2019–2025 vehicles), Top Class Actions — Subaru battery drain settlement (2015–2020 Forester included), CarComplaints — 2019 Forester electrical complaints

Symptoms: Windshield cracks from a tiny chip — or seemingly from nothing — sometimes overnight while parked. Owners filed hundreds of NHTSA complaints describing cracks that spread rapidly across the glass with no impact event.

Fix: Windshield replacement, and because the EyeSight stereo cameras sit behind the glass, a proper job includes camera recalibration — that's what pushes the bill up. A 2024 class-action settlement covering 2019–2022 Foresters extended the windshield warranty to 5 years/unlimited miles and reimbursed prior repairs. On a used car today, budget for OEM-spec glass plus recalibration if the windshield looks tired.

Sources: CarComplaints — Subaru cracked windshield lawsuit settlement, ClassAction.org — Subaru windshield crack lawsuits (Forester/Outback), Official Subaru windshield settlement site

Symptoms: Check-engine light with codes P0126, P2682, P26A3, or P26A5; temperature gauge spiking in traffic; coolant loss. The plastic-bodied electronic coolant valve cracks or its electronics short out from coolant intrusion. If it sticks closed, hot coolant can't reach the radiator and the engine can overheat quickly — warped heads or a head gasket if you keep driving.

Fix: Replace the thermo control valve assembly — roughly $1,100–$2,000 at independent shops (the part alone is expensive, plus about 2.5–3 hours labor and a coolant refill). After a class-action lawsuit, Subaru extended coverage on the TCV to 15 years/150,000 miles (extension WMM-23) — check with a Subaru dealer by VIN before paying out of pocket.

Sources: Subaru Forester Owners Forum — TCV assembly merged thread, CarComplaints — 2019 Forester thermo control valve assembly, ClassAction.org — Subaru thermo control valve defect lawsuit

Symptoms: Sudden loss of engine power, possibly while driving; in the worst case the aluminum PCV valve comes apart and drops pieces into the engine along with oil. Some owners reported the car dying on the highway before the recall landed.

Fix: Covered by safety recall NHTSA 19V-856 (Subaru WUW-08, about 33,000 Foresters): dealers inspect and replace the PCV valve free, and if valve pieces went into the engine and can't be retrieved, Subaru replaces the short block free. The redesigned valve is steel, so a completed recall closes this permanently. On any 2019, verify recall completion by VIN — an unrepaired car is a walking engine claim. Out-of-recall PCV valve replacement itself is a cheap job.

Sources: RepairPal — recall 19V856000 (PCV valve separates, loss of power), CarComplaints — Subaru PCV valve recall (Crosstrek/Forester/Ascent), Cars.com — 2019 Subaru Forester recalls

Symptoms: The pre-collision system brakes hard or throws a forward-collision warning with nothing in the road — owners report events at highway speed, at overpasses and shadows, and with adaptive cruise engaged. NHTSA complaint files for these years include dozens of phantom-braking reports, and the system was the subject of a class action covering 2013–2021 models.

Fix: There's no single hard-part fix. Dealers address it with EyeSight software updates and stereo-camera recalibration (roughly $100–$400 if out of warranty). A correctly recalibrated windshield after glass replacement matters here too — a cheap glass job with no recalibration makes EyeSight worse. Test-drive on the highway and take any warning lights seriously.

Sources: ClassAction.org — Subaru EyeSight pre-collision braking lawsuit, Autoblog — Subaru EyeSight lawsuit over phantom braking, NHTSA — 2019 Subaru Forester complaints

Symptoms: Shudder, vibration, or rubber-band hesitation when gently accelerating from a stop, often worse cold. Owner forums have long merged threads on it dating to the 2019 launch. Distinct from a failing CVT — usually it's calibration or fluid, not hard parts.

Fix: First step is the Subaru TCM reprogramming TSB plus a proper CVT fluid service with genuine Subaru fluid — that resolves most cases for a few hundred dollars. The Lineartronic is intolerant of 'compatible' aftermarket fluid, and skipping the TCM relearn after a fluid change causes exactly this symptom. Genuine internal failures (valve body, torque converter) are the minority but run into the thousands, so clear the cheap fixes first.

Sources: CarGurus — 2019 Forester CVT shudder discussion, Subaru Forester Owners Forum — CVT/drivetrain owner reports

Tools: None (hands only; small flathead helps on the glovebox stops)

1. Unclip the two airbox latches on the driver's side of the engine bay and lift the lid.
2. Swap in the new engine air filter with the seal seated flat, then re-clip the lid.
3. Open the glovebox, squeeze the sides past the stops, and let it hang down.
4. Slide the cabin filter cover off, pull the old filter, and insert the new one with the airflow arrow pointing down.
5. Reset the glovebox and confirm the fan sounds normal on high.

Tools: 10mm socket or wrench, Battery terminal brush, Memory saver (optional but keeps radio/seat settings)

1. With the ignition off, disconnect the negative terminal first, then the positive.
2. Remove the battery hold-down bracket (10mm) and lift the old battery out.
3. Clean both cable clamps with the terminal brush and set the new battery in place.
4. Reinstall the hold-down, connect positive first, then negative, and snug both clamps.
5. Drive for 15+ minutes so EyeSight and the electronics re-initialize; expect a one-time lane-assist or gate-position relearn message.

Tools: 3/8" ratchet with wobble extensions, 14mm thin-wall magnetic spark plug socket, 10mm socket (ignition coil bolts), Torque wrench, Dielectric grease and anti-seize (sparingly, per plug maker's guidance)

1. Remove the airbox intake duct (and washer bottle neck if needed) to open up access to the plug wells on each side of the boxer engine.
2. Unplug and unbolt one ignition coil at a time; keep hardware sorted per cylinder.
3. Extract each plug with the thin-wall socket and wobble extension — the horizontal cylinders make angle everything on this engine.
4. Gap-check the new iridium plugs, thread them in by hand to avoid cross-threading, then torque to spec.
5. Reinstall coils and ducting, then idle the engine and confirm smooth running with no misfires.