2011 Subaru Forester problems
Owners have filed 195 complaints with NHTSA about the 2011 Subaru Forester. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 34% of complaints. After that come air bags (15%) and brakes (10%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 195 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 34% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 41 and 7
- Injuries and deaths
- 5 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 54,000 miles 127 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 24 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 33 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 9 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 26 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 11 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 10 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 10 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 4 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 127 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 54,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 66,000 miles (52 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 41 complaints mention a crash; 7 complaints mention a fire; 5 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2011 ranks 17th most-complained-about out of 29 model years of the Subaru Forester with enough data (98 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 16 safety recall campaigns.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
The contact owns a 2011 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, she observed smoke emanating from the engine compartment, and the vehicle began to fill with smoke, prompting her to immediately stop and exit the vehicle. Upon exiting the vehicle, the contact observed that the vehicle had become engulfed in flames, and local emergency services were called. Local emergency services arrived and were able to extinguish the flames. No warning lights were illuminated.
On 5/24/11, while driving through an intersection, my forester was hit broadside by another vehicle that ran a red light. The impact of the speeding vehicle caused the forester to spin 360 degrees and flip-over on the driver's side. I was left trapped inside the forester and witnesses pointed out that the engine and transmission continued to run after the forester flipped over. Apparently there is no engine or transmission kill switch. Furthermore, there is no interior release of the rear hatch.
Brake switch went bad. No tail lights, brake lights, or 4 ways. During a 300 mile trip, part of which was in the dark. Was stopped by state police and towed to dealership (toyota of scranton) where I purchased the car.
The wipers clog with ice and do not clear the windshield well. They freeze into the well between the hood and the windshield. I have to physically chop them loose with an ice scraper in very cold weather. Chunks of ice stick to the blades and do not release, resulting in blades that do not make full contact with the glass. I have tried several different types of blades including whatever they sell at the dealership and winter ice blades. They drag and smear during rain or snow, making it impossible to see clearly.