2012 Subaru Forester problems
Owners have filed 140 complaints with NHTSA about the 2012 Subaru Forester. Engine is the most reported problem area, at 21% of complaints. After that come air bags (14%) and cruise control (13%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 140 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Engine 21% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 22 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 12 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 43,000 miles 89 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 | 30 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 12 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 7 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 11 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 18 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 6 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 3 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 89 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 43,000 miles. For engine specifically, the median reported mileage is about 86,000 miles (19 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 22 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 12 injuries reported. Its complaints are more severe on average than those of 83% of model years in our database.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2012 ranks 19th most-complained-about out of 29 model years of the Subaru Forester with enough data (83 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 15 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.
After hitting a curb pulling into a parking lot, the car immediately accelerated at a lightening speed and raced at increasing speed forward knocking over a bush and crashing into a brick wall of a church building. The severe impact caused the airbags to open and the front of the car was so damaged that it is considered a total loss. This all occurred in a matter of seconds myself, the driver, and a passenger were sent to emergency room with multiple abrasions and contusions.
While passing a parked dumpster, the driver stepped lightly on the gas. Instead of the expected mild acceleration, the engine revved greatly and an unexpected high acceleration occurred. It resulted in a collision with the car in front.
Me and my 12 year old daughter were driving 20MPH down a small hill,a lady pulled out in front of us,I hit the brakes,which locked up and we slid so I let off them immediately,the roads were icy and snowy,so we gained a lot of velocity,we missed hitting her but went sideways,a little airborn and hit a telephone pole.I violently struck my head off the drivers side window,and my shoulder and arm were pinched between my body and the door.the tires popped,the front bumper clips broke.we both suffered seat belt…
While opening the driver's side door, the top, right corner of the door struck my forehead, causing a gash just above my right eyebrow that required six stitches to close. A little lower and the sharp, pointed corner of the door frame could have caused the loss of my right eye. The problem is with the design of the door frame. In order to open the door, one must reach for the door handle and, in doing so, lean in toward the door.
Tl* the contact owns a 2012 subaru forester. The contact stated that while parking, he shifted into reverse with his foot on the brakes when the vehicle suddenly accelerated without warning. The contact engaged the emergency brake but it failed to stop the vehicle. As a result, the contact crashed into another vehicle and then into a tree. A police report was filed and no injuries were reported. The vehicle was destroyed. The dealer was made aware of the failure. The manufacturer was not made aware of the problem.