2014 Subaru Forester problems
Owners have filed 576 complaints with NHTSA about the 2014 Subaru Forester. Suspension is the most reported problem area, at 16% of complaints. After that come engine (12%) and air bags (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 576 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Suspension 17% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 84 and 6
- Injuries and deaths
- 50 and 0
- Typical mileage
- 50,000 miles 414 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 | 98 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 66 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 72 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 78 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 42 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 32 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 17 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 3 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 5 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 1 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 414 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 50,000 miles. For suspension specifically, the median reported mileage is about 55,000 miles (82 complaints with mileage).
Safety-related details: 84 complaints mention a crash; 6 complaints mention a fire; 50 injuries reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 2014 ranks 7th most-complained-about out of 29 model years of the Subaru Forester with enough data (383 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 2 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.
I was driving my 2014 Subaru Forester (about 148,000 miles) behind a minivan at a safe distance and speed. Without warning, my vehicle accelerated uncontrollably. Despite applying the brakes, shifting into low gear, and using the emergency brake, I was unable to slow it down. After impact, the car then hit a telephone pole, spun me around and rolled the car over. There is major damage to the car and we looked at it at the tow yard but the salvage adjuster is moving it shortly.
Rear driver's side coil spring broke while vehicle was stationary. It broke in the same spot as so many others have reported recently, having completely rusted from the inside out in a small spot on the bottom. Unacceptable to happen with a 5 year old vehicle and very, very dangerous as this could have happened while driving causing a loss of control over the vehicle and/or a tire blowout from the spring breaking.
2014 subaru forester. The SRS airbag light has come on. I took the vehicle to the local subaru dealership and they claim the cause is a sensor within the passenger seat being broken. This is a safety concern and should be reviewed.