2026 Subaru Forester

Defect. Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek and Forester vehicles. The castle nut on the left-front lower control arm ball joint may be improperly fastened, which can lead to the ball joint separating from the lower control arm.

Risk. A ball joint that separates from the lower control arm can cause a loss of vehicle control, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Owners are advised not to drive their vehicle until the remedy is completed. Dealers will inspect and replace the left-front lower control arm ball joint assembly, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 16, 2026. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRI26.

Defect. Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid, 2025-2026 Forester Hybrid, Forester, and 2019-2026 Ascent vehicles. These vehicles were manufactured with an incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on the certification label. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 110, "Tire selection and rims."

Risk. An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Subaru will mail a new certification label to owners, free of charge. Owners may also choose to have a dealer install the new label, free of charge. Letters informing owners of the safety risk were mailed August 27, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-26.

Defect. Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Forester and Forester Hybrid vehicles. The sliding glass panel of the power moonroof assembly may have been improperly bonded to the sliding frame, allowing the glass panel to detach from the vehicle.

Risk. A detached glass panel may become a road hazard, increasing the risk of a crash.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect the power moonroof glass panel for proper adhesion and, if necessary, replace the glass panel assembly, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed July 6, 2026. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRF-26. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov beginning May 29, 2026.

Defect. Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Forester vehicles. These vehicles may have been manufactured with an incorrect and/or incorrectly oriented rear hatch support bracket which can detach without prior warning.

Risk. A rear hatch support bracket that detaches can allow the rear hatch to fall unexpectedly during use and increase the risk of injury.

Remedy. Dealers will inspect the rear hatch support brackets and, if necessary, replace the stay and support bracket, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 29, 2026. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRG-25. Vehicle Identification Numbers (VINs) involved in this recall became searchable on NHTSA.gov on December 20, 2025.

At only 800 miles of ownership, the moonroof had a leak that allowed water penetration into the cabin.

The contact owns a 2026 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at 70 MPH, the headlights activated but failed to illuminate beyond 80 ft. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was determined that the headlight aim adjustment was low, and that an auto-headlight leveling beam computer system reinitialization was required. The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that while driving 65 MPH in a construction zone, the vehicle was pulling toward the construction cones. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed and determined that the EyeSight computer programming was unfinished. The dealer performed an EyeSight calibration A-DC ratio from 0 percent to 99 percent. The computer system then displayed "Finished". The vehicle was repaired. The contact stated that the failure was a factory defect. The failure mileage was approximately 7,000.

Just bought a 2026 Subaru forester on August 30, 2026. It was a floor model. Never used the moonroof or opened the sliding cover except for day 1 when showing my kids, and second time was today, October 23rd. Noticed a big hairline crack. I can feel like crack from the outside, but not from the inside. The line is fine and thin starting from the front edge to 2/3 of the glass. Found out there’s a recall on this problem, but my vin # is not part of it. Online images confirm other people’s cracked moonroof on their 2026 forester look the same. Wondering why my vin doesn’t confirm. Will be calling service dept.

UPDATE TO EXISTING ODI 11761974 - 2026 Forester Wilderness - WRF-26 Power Moonroof Glass Adhesion Recall / 26V346000 Component/system failed: Power moonroof tracking assembly bonding area / roof panel paint. Available for inspection upon request, garaged, unrepaired with exposed bare metal. On 08/18/2026 at 3364 miles dealer completed WRF-26 recall and marked PASSED. On same repair order same day same dealer documented: "YELLOW FLUID COMING OUT OF DRIVERS SIDE OF SUNROOF CAUSING DAMAGE TO PAINT. DOWN TO BARE METAL AT THIS TIME." Macro photos taken BEFORE that RO was opened on 08/18 at 07:35 AM show yellow/orange chemical extruding FROM UNDER black rubber tracking channel seal, not deposited on top. Fluid burned through factory clear coat to primer and bare steel. Photos on 08/15 show same leak path. Photo on 10/09 at 4605 miles shows bare metal still exposed with corrosion starting at edges. Safety risk: Chemical discharge from moonroof bonding area causes paint failure to bare metal on roof structure. Exposed steel will corrode. If factory bonding adhesive is failing and leaking, potential for moonroof glass adhesion failure per WRF-26. Has problem been reproduced/confirmed by dealer? Yes. Dealer documented coming OUT causing bare metal. Authorized collision estimate $1,830 - Body 9.8 hrs, Paint 5.3 hrs, Mechanical 2.4 hrs (sunroof R&I 1.5 + headliner R&I 3.6) for full roof strip + headliner drop + side-curtain airbag disassembly. Body shop advised spot repair will not hold

On Thursday October 1st upon leaving work the dashboard and infotainment system glitched and rebooted while driving. I thought I was seeing things. I was stopping at a stop sign ad paying attention to the road. Everything seemed fine at that point. On October 3rd while driving approximately 45 MPH our 2026 Subaru Forester stalled and quit running without any warning or warning lights. Both the dashboard lights and the infotainment system went black then came back on. After restarting the car the transmission would not engage. Subaru of America had it towed to the closest dealership. A loaner was obtained. Said dealership found nothing and said car was good to go. Upon pick up a buzzing sound was noted upon start. Left the car again. The phone charger was replaced. Still nothing found of the original stall while driving. Under duress, the was driven to the original dealership it was purchased from. Still nothing found of the original stalling issue.

Mid-afternoon - clear day - dry pavement - cruise control set at 70+ MPH on Interstate 35. Car suddenly detects obstacle and starts phantom breaking excessively. Causes complete terror that we're about to hit something - only there was no obstacle to be found. Alarm eventually shut off and after a few moments, I was finally able to accelerate again. Luckily, there were no cars directly behind me or that would have been a huge pile up. Reported concern to Subaru dealer - referred to corporate - they have had my car for 25 days. Today I was notified that due to not signing a waiver issued today stating I would turn all eyesight data over to any third party vendor and law enforcement - both now and in the future data - the safety case was at an impasse. No further explanation as to how this concern would be addressed. Corporate has not contacted local dealer with next steps. It is a 2026 forester with under 15,000 miles on it. No explanation as to why they could not have a form with a reasonable request - I.E. timeframe, no law enforcement involved, etc. Concern for this is the phantom braking with no explanation as to why and refusal to fix it.

I opened the hood all the way to add washer fluid. While doing so, the hood came crashing down on my head.

The pre-collision breaking system activated while I was driving 35mph on a straight road with no cars or obstacles present. There was enough force generated in the abrupt stop that the seatbelt locked and unsecured items were thrown to the floor.

The contact owns a 2026 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving 25 MPH, the engine sputtered before the vehicle stalled. The vehicle was towed to the dealer and diagnosed with an inoperable fuel pump. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure returned three weeks later. The vehicle was taken back to the same dealer. The dealer was unable to duplicated the failure but determined that the failure was caused by a blown fuse and the fuse was replaced. The manufacturer was contacted by phone and made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 6,000.

The air-conditioning/HVAC system repeatedly failed to cool and blew hot air. The vehicle was leased new on [XXX]; warm air returned within about two days. During a [XXX] round trip between Portland and Springfield, Oregon, hot weather and HOT AIR from the HVAC left our two-year-old child red, hot to the touch and breathing rapidly. We were sweating profusely. We considered taking her to the hospital and feared a longer trip would make the situation more dire. There was no crash, fire, hospital visit or medical treatment. These are observed heat-related symptoms, not a diagnosed condition. Dealer records later revealed a compressor failure and replacement before delivery. RO [XXX] opened June 18 at 22 miles; the technician documented a major leak through the compressor and replacement before June 23 delivery. The vehicle returned July 13 at 564 miles for continued cooling failure (RO [XXX]). That is the service-intake mileage, not a verified mileage for the trip. The dealer reported further compressor work in August and an evaporator replacement. On August 25 the service manager reported that a leak remained and a hose was on backorder. Subaru's August 19 email confirmed coordination with dealer management on the evaporator repair. On September 2 the hose ETA was mid-October. The vehicle remains with the dealer and can be inspected; availability of removed parts is unknown. We have no confirmed independent contamination diagnosis. Repeated cooling failures exposed a young chil

Brand new vehicle purchased 08/29/2026, backed out of the driveway (on Sept 25, 2026.) A few hundred feet down the road turned right (going ~20 MPH?) and all the dashboard warnings including the check engine light came on and the vehicle began to lose power. Turned the car around, barely made it back into the driveway. The car would not restart after several intermittent attempts. Immediately called the dealer's service dept who instructed me to contact the towing service # listed on the window sticker. It was towed within an hour or so to the dealership. Prior to this specific incident there were no other issues. As of today, (Oct 2, 2026) the vehicle is still at the dealership's service department (7 days and counting). The service dept said they are working with the techs to determine the exact cause which is unknown at this time, but possible electrical or communication issue. No anticipated date of completed repair or return.

I am experiencing a serious visibility defect in my 2026 Subaru Forester. When driving at night with headlights on, a dark curtain or shadow drops down over more than half of the windshield. This occurs consistently and severely reduces forward visibility. It is dangerous and makes it difficult to see road signs, street signs, vehicles up ahead, and orienting landmarks. My Subaru dealer test drove the vehicle at night and confirmed the problem. He stated that he “definitely saw the issue duplicated.” (I have this recorded in a voicemail he left me.) They attempted a minor adjustment, but the defect remains essentially unchanged. The dealer then told me “That’s just how 2026 Subarus are,” and refused further repair. (He did express openness to having a Subaru Field Service Engineer (FSE) inspect the vehicle, which I am interested in pursuing, but I wanted to establish a case with NHTSA and Subaru of America’s Regional Case Management first, as I wasn’t sure how much an FSE simply represented Subaru’s, rather than the customer’s, interest. I included a request for an FSE to Regional Case Management.) This appears to be related to the EyeSight camera housing, windshield lamination/coating, or internal reflections from the auto dimming mirror. The problem is not cosmetic — it is a major safety hazard that affects nighttime driving and could lead to a collision. I am requesting NHTSA review because the defect persists, the dealer acknowledges it but will not repair it, and Subaru

At approximately 500 miles from delivery, the vehicle experienced a catastrophic mechanical failure caused by a malfunctioning PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve, which resulted in oil fumes being expelled through the exhaust system. This is a manufacturing/component defect that should not occur in a new vehicle at such low mileage, and I have serious and reasonable concerns that oil contamination may have affected the catalytic converter, oxygen sensors, and/or other emissions and engine components, regardless of whether the PCV valve itself has since been replaced. I want to be clear about the severity of this incident, as it is directly relevant to the safety concerns underlying my request. The failure occurred while I was driving on a New Jersey highway, approximately 1.5 hours from home, alone in the vehicle with my two young children, ages 6 and 8. The vehicle began emitting a volume of smoke from the tailpipe significant enough that three separate police vehicles surrounded my car out of concern that it might catch fire or explode. This was an extremely frightening experience for both myself and my children, and it is not one I am willing to risk repeating in this vehicle, regardless of what repairs have since been made. I also want to note that I received no warning lights or indicators on the dashboard before or during the onset of this failure. The smoke was first visible outside the vehicle and only afterward began seeping into the cabin. The absence of any

I am reporting a severe structural vulnerability regarding the component shielding on the 2026 Subaru Forester Touring. The vehicle was purchased brand new in March 2026 and experienced a catastrophic component failure on September 4, 2026, at only six months of ownership. While driving under normal road conditions, the vehicle’s climate control system completely failed. A subsequent inspection by an authorized Subaru dealership revealed that a rock passed entirely through the front factory grille and punctured the air conditioning condenser, causing an immediate loss of refrigerant and irreparable component damage. The dealership service department stated that this occurs frequently due to the unshielded, highly exposed placement of the condenser directly behind the widely spaced gaps of the front grille assembly. No significant impact or road hazard was heard or felt during operation, indicating that routine, minor road elements are capable of easily penetrating the factory defenses. A complete failure of the HVAC system in severe climates, such as the extreme heat of Texas, presents an immediate cabin safety hazard—especially for vulnerable occupants. The manufacturing and structural layout of the 2026 Forester grille fails to provide critical baseline protection for pressurized cooling components, creating an unreasonable risk of premature systemic failure from everyday driving environments. This open design should be investigated as a manufacturing defect.

I was pulling into a handicapped parking spot at the grocery store, turning right into it, and was almost stopped, with my right foot on the brake, when the vehicle suddenly accelerated at top speed, surging over the median strip, flattening the "Handicapped Parking" sign, and racing ahead into the street beyond. I drove forward and turned left back into the parking lot and parked the car. The flattened parking lot sign ripped the front panels off the car. I went into the grocery store and asked if we needed to call the police, and they said no, and that they would replace the sign. The two store managers helped m by putting the ripped off front, plastic panels into the back seat and advised me to take the car to the dealer to address the damage. My foot was on the brake when this unexpected acceleration occurred. I was extremely lucky that this did not happen when I was breaking at a stop light; if it had, I would have soared out into moving traffic and probably been killed.

While the vehicle was stationary and off, the rear windshield shattered and fell in the vehicle for the second time in just over 3 weeks.

"My 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness is subject to safety recall Campaign 26V346000 for moonroof adhesive failure. A yellow chemical fluid leaked out from the driver's side moonroof seal assembly and ran down the body panel, burning completely through the factory clear coat down to bare metal. While the fluid is not actively dripping at this exact moment, Landers McLarty Subaru explicitly documented on Invoice #401063: 'YELLOW FLUID COMING OUT OF DRIVERS SIDE OF SUNROOF CAUSING DAMAGED TO PAINT.' Despite this permanent written diagnosis from their own dealer network, Subaru of America is denying all liability and refusing to repair the vehicle, leaving the sheet metal exposed to rapid corrosion."

When I am driving forward, or turning, sometimes the car automatically beeps very loud and puts on the breaks and the car in front of me is far away. It’s stressful and problematic. It doesn’t seem like an effective feature. This has happened like 10 times

The contact owns a 2026 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that on several occasions while the vehicle was parked after fueling, the fuel door failed to latch as needed, especially when it was extremely hot outside. The contact poured cool or cold water on the fuel door to latch it securely. The vehicle was taken to a dealer where it was diagnosed and determined that the locking mechanism for the fuel tank door needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 1,000.

I closed the driver's door, and the rear windshield shattered and collapsed into the vehicle. No known defects were known prior to the incident. Animals or contents in the rear compartment could have been cut by the shattered glass. The vehicle is only 4 months old. The rear windshield will be replaced by an independent glass company. We live in a very rural area, and park well away from the road. There were no storms since the previous use of the vehicle. Thus, no damage prior to the glass shattering.

When filling my tank for the first time, I pumped the gas slightly after the "pop" from the handle. When I did this, fuel poured out of my gas tank onto me, my car, and the gas station. My VIN is not listed but my vehicle model is. Please advise.

Twice within a month. the Eyesight front collision braking system suddenly activated in traffic while passing through a signal light showing green when the car in front made a right turn onto an adjacent street. My vehicle was clear of the car that had turned right and could continue to proceed through the light without incident. The Eyesiight system activated and caused a near-miss potential rear end collision situation between my car and the cars following behind me.

I was merging into a road in Windsor, Ontario on July 3/4. I was nowhere near another vehicle. There was a LARGE gap between myself in any other cars. I am always extra cautious being out of country and driving. The automatic brakes kicked on and told me I had an obstruction ahead and would not let me control the vehicle. I was stopped turning into the middle of a five-lane road without control of my vehicle. This was incredibly dangerous. Luckily, it was only a few seconds and I had time to move before other cars got to me but it was a much closer call than it should have been.

Got in the car around 8am. Sat down, shut the door and then BOOM! The rear hatch glass shattered into a thousand pieces. Nothing touched nothing hit it , it just shattered. Luckily no one was in the back seat. Brought it to the dealer. Interesting , at the exact time I pulled into the dealer another Forestef arrived with the EXACT SAME problem!

Brand new 2026 Forester's factory amplifier system completely failed within a week from purchasing at approximately 570 miles, disabling hands-free communication. California law strictly requires drivers to use phones in a hands-free manner. Drivers are prohibited from holding or physically touching their phone for any reason while operating a vehicle.

Infotainment center had popup ad about Sirius xm trial ending soon and a phone number to call to extend. Had to hit small x in the corner to disable while vehicle in motion or have no access to air, radio controls, or see map.

In early April 2026 I after washing the auto I noticed a chip in the windshield on the passenger side. I was shocked-normally if the windshield is hit hard enough to chip the drive notices it-I am the only drive and I was totally unaware of any such strike (auto had about 2000 miles on it). Then, May 30th as I exited a highway midway up the ramp going ~40-45 mph behind another auto going the same slow speed with 1-1.5 car length between us, something struck my windshield and immediately the strike had clearly broken the windshield just below the driver's direct line of sight and put a thorough 'star' the size of a nickel coin. There did not appear to be any debris on the road nor off or out of the auto in front of me. (There was not a vehicle ahead of that auto that would have generated this strike.) I feel I may be unsafe in this auto if its windshield cannot hold up under minor strikes such as this. When I called the auto repair center recommended by my automobile dealer they told me they’d already had 14 Subaru windshields call to schedule repairs this week (it was only Tuesday. This is a modest sized single location windshield repair shop).

Drivers side mirror vibrates making changing lanes a Safty issue as the approaching vehicle is not a clear visual to operator

I was working on fitting a cargo box on the crossbars the dealer had recently installed and noticed a milky white discoloration and moisture in the front driver's corner of the moonroof. I arranged for an appointment at the dealer who confirmed the glass had delaminated. They happened to have a replacement in stock and replaced it under warranty.

The gps/map display, displays the wrong speed, on some traffic circles it directs me to go around in the wrong direction. The auto vehicle uses the speed limit from the installed map to display the speed limit on the main dash between the tach and speedometer. Both conditions could easily cause and accident. Contacted the manufacturer, the corporate headquarters, my dealership where I purchased the vehicle, and Tomtom in the Netherlands. None will assist in the correction of the issue. Tomtom did commit to investing the issue after I gave them the specific locations, but they closed my record/complaint file. On fb, I see a good many people complain about the same issues and also that they can't get sny help from the dealership, like me, to resolve the issue. Please help the all consumers to be able to purchase a new car that is functioning as advertised and to be confident that they will be safe when driving the highways.

[XXX] [XXX] [XXX] [XXX] VIA CERTIFIED MAIL – RETURN RECEIPT REQUESTED U.S. Department of Transportation National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Vehicle Safety Compliance Division (NVS-210) 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE Washington, DC 20590 Wednesday, May 6, 2026 RE: SAFETY DEFECT COMPLAINT – 2026 Subaru Forester VIN: [XXX] Honorable, Eileen Sullivan Associate Administrator, Enforcement I am filing this formal safety defect complaint regarding my 2026 Subaru Forester. A pedestrian incident occurred on February 2, 2026, in which the vehicle failed to warn or brake automatically when a pedestrian crossed in front of my car. Additionally, the Subaru EyeSight system does not remain enabled between ignition cycles. Every time I start the car, I must manually re-engage the system. Consequently, Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) is not active by default during ordinary driving and will reverts to off (not remain enable) when I am driving . I believe this poses an unreasonable risk to pedestrian and occupant safety. I am aware of prior investigations (e.g., NHTSA Action Number PE23010 and related lawsuits) involving Subaru EyeSight failures, including lack of braking for obstacles. Vehicle Information: Year: 2026 Make: Subaru Model: Forester VIN: [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6)

Vehicle stopped at light,auto start stop engine off,stepped on gas to go engine didn’t restart,my passenger and I jumped out and grabbed a Noco GB40 jump box I carry and jump started car,we were on a road trip out of town and could not wait for the dealership so finished our trip with the auto start stop turned off and if we had a problem starting used the jump box.

On the first day of receiving the car the windshield looked clear by day but it had little specks and lines like dust when driven at dusk and night of the first day it was driven. I brought it back to the dealer, they replaced it with a new one, and the problem persists. A clear windshield is much safer than one with specks.

Cell phone does not stay stable on the wireless charging pad. The phone will start to charge, but as soon as the vehicle moves, the phone bounces off the flat charging pad and no longer connects or charges. It’s distracting to try to reposition the phone as the car is moving. It has become a costly, not usable, feature. Have tried many phone cases and different types of phones to eliminate this as a possible problem. Nothing works.