Subaru Forester 2025–2026Common problems, reliability & repair costs

Symptoms: Cracks that start at a small chip — or, per some NHTSA reports, with no impact at all — and spread across the glass within hours. Roughly a dozen of the 2025 model's first 84 NHTSA complaints are windshield reports, some noting replacement glass on back-order. A handful of complaints also describe rear hatch glass shattering while parked. This is the same complaint pattern that produced a class-action settlement on the 2019–2022 cars; that settlement does NOT cover this generation.

Fix: Windshield replacement plus EyeSight camera recalibration — owners on the Forester forums report quotes around $1,750 and horror stories up to $2,500, which is also why dealers now pitch glass-coverage add-ons on these cars. Insurance with full glass coverage is the practical defense. Use OEM-spec glass and insist on recalibration; a cheap glass job degrades EyeSight.

Sources: NHTSA — 2025 Subaru Forester complaints (windshield is a top theme), Subaru Forester Owners Forum — 2025 Limited, is glass coverage worth it ($2,500 replacement reports), The Subaru Forums — 2025 Forester windshield cracked in first month, ~$1,750 quote

Symptoms: With the tank near full, rising ambient temperature expands the fuel and it can spill out of the filler neck past a cap gasket that doesn't seal well enough — owners reported gas pooling in the filler recess and running down the body. Fuel smell after filling up is the tell. Subaru logged 33 field reports; no fires.

Fix: Free under safety recall 26V106 (Subaru WRD-26, about 69,000 vehicles including the 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid): dealers install a redesigned fuel filler cap gasket with an O-ring. Until the fix is done, Subaru's interim advice was to park outdoors away from structures and keep the tank under 50%. On any used 2025 Hybrid, verify this campaign closed by VIN — it's a two-minute check against a fire-risk item.

Sources: NHTSA Part 573 safety recall report — 26V106, Subaru Forester Owners Forum — gas cap recall WRD-26 thread, Cars.com — 2025 Subaru Forester Hybrid recalls

Symptoms: The automatic emergency braking system brakes hard for objects that aren't there — NHTSA complaints on the 2025 car describe highway-speed events and near rear-endings, echoing the pattern documented on earlier EyeSight generations. Camera dropouts and adaptive-cruise shutdowns round out the file.

Fix: No hard-part fix; dealers apply EyeSight software updates and stereo-camera recalibration, free under the 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty on essentially every car this age. The issue is now litigation again: Hall v. Subaru of America, filed May 11, 2026 in the District of New Jersey, covers 2022–2026 Foresters and alleges the AEB system both brakes for phantoms and misses real hazards. Subaru previously settled similar claims on older models. Nothing to buy here — but test the system on your test drive and keep dealer visits documented.

Sources: Class Action U — Hall v. Subaru EyeSight class action (models covered incl. 2022–2026 Forester), Autoblog — Subaru EyeSight lawsuit over unprompted hard braking, NHTSA — 2025 Subaru Forester complaints

Symptoms: The most-reported single theme in the 2025 car's NHTSA file (~15 of the first 84 complaints): a sharp horizontal cutoff line above the lit road surface, with owners describing a black band where they can't see hazards, deer, or grade changes on dark roads — worse cresting hills. Dealers and Subaru customer service have told owners the beam pattern is working as designed.

Fix: There is no recall or TSB — this is a design characteristic of the sharp-cutoff LED low beams, and all modern cutoffs trade some upward light for oncoming-glare control. Headlight aim is adjustable and a dealer can check it against spec, which resolves some cases. Beyond that, the honest advice is to drive one at night before buying and use high beams (or the adaptive high-beam trims) on rural roads.

Sources: NHTSA — 2025 Subaru Forester complaints (headlight visibility is the top theme), The Subaru Forums — 2025 Forester Premium low-beam dark cutoff thread, Subaru Forester Owners Forum — are the 2025 headlights unsatisfactory vs previous models

Symptoms: The driver-side mirror glass vibrates enough at highway speed to blur what's behind you — about 8 of the 2025 model's NHTSA complaints describe it as a safety issue, and it's a recurring owner-forum topic on the new body.

Fix: No recall and, as of early 2026, no TSB. Some owners have had mirror assemblies or glass replaced under the 3/36 basic warranty with mixed results. Document it with the dealer while the car is in warranty; out of warranty it's an ordinary mirror-glass or assembly replacement. Verify on a highway test drive — it's instantly obvious in the car.

Sources: NHTSA — 2025 Subaru Forester complaints (mirror vibration reports), Go-Parts — 2025–2026 Forester door mirror vibration and replacement guide

Symptoms: Two separate 2026-only build defects. Recall 26V346: the power moonroof's glass panel may have been bonded with too little primer and can detach from the sliding frame — while driving, in the worst case — covering 69,663 Foresters and Forester Hybrids built June 2025–March 2026. Recall 25V889: 5,603 Foresters built September–October 2025 got an incorrect or mis-oriented rear hatch support bracket, which can let the open hatch fall without warning.

Fix: Both are free: dealers inspect moonroof adhesion and replace the glass panel assembly if needed (26V346, Subaru WRF-26), and inspect/replace the hatch stay and support bracket (25V889). Neither has reported injuries. On any 2026, run the VIN and confirm both campaigns are closed — and until they are, treat the moonroof and an open hatch with respect.

Sources: NHTSA Part 573 safety recall report — 26V346 (moonroof glass panel), Autoevolution — 2026 Forester rear hatch support bracket recall (25V889, 5,603 vehicles), Fox Business — Subaru recalls nearly 70,000 SUVs over detaching moonroof panels

Tools: None (hands only; a small flathead helps release glovebox stops)

1. Unclip the airbox latches in the engine bay, lift the lid, and swap in the new engine air filter with the seal seated flat.
2. Re-clip the lid and confirm no gaps around the seal.
3. Open the glovebox, release the side stops, and let it swing down to expose the cabin filter cover.
4. Slide the cover off, pull the old cabin filter, and insert the new one with the airflow arrow pointing the same way the old one came out.
5. Reset the glovebox and run the fan on high to confirm normal airflow.

Tools: Jack and jack stands or ramps, Oil filter wrench (top-mounted spin-on filter), Drain pan and funnel, Torque wrench for the drain plug

1. Warm the engine briefly, then drain the oil at the pan plug and fit a new crush washer on the plug.
2. Spin off the old filter — it's top-mounted on the boxer engine, one of the easiest filters in the business — and lightly oil the new filter's gasket.
3. Install the new filter hand-tight per the filter maker's spec and torque the drain plug.
4. Refill with 0W-16 full synthetic per the owner's manual — 0W-20 is a temporary top-off only on this generation, not the service fill.
5. Run the engine, check for leaks, then verify the level on the dipstick after it settles.

Tools: None

1. Lift the driver arm and note the blade size — 26 inches on the driver side, 17 on the passenger side, 14 on the rear.
2. Press the release tab and slide the old blade off the hook or pin adapter.
3. Click the new blade on until it locks, then lower the arm gently — never let a bare arm snap onto the glass.
4. Repeat for the passenger and rear blades, then wet the glass and test all speeds.