Vehicle Data Hub

2018 Subaru Forester engine problems

32 complaints about engine have been filed for the 2018 Subaru Forester, which is 5% of all its NHTSA complaints.

At a glance

Complaints
32 5% of this year's complaints
Typical mileage
20,000 miles 12 complaints with mileage
Crashes and fires
6 and 1
Injuries and deaths
4 and 0

Source: NHTSA owner complaints

When engine problems show up

Engine complaints by mileage, 2018 Subaru Forester Complaints by odometer reading in 20,000-mile steps. The median is about 20,000 miles. 0k to 20k miles: 6 complaints 20k to 40k miles: 3 complaints 40k to 60k miles: 2 complaints 60k to 80k miles: 1 complaints 80k to 100k miles: 0 complaints 100k to 120k miles: 0 complaints 120k to 140k miles: 0 complaints 140k to 160k miles: 0 complaints 160k to 180k miles: 0 complaints 180k to 200k miles: 0 complaints 200k+ miles: 0 complaints 040k80k120k160k200k miles Typical: 20,000 miles
Based on 12 complaints that include mileage. 92% were reported before 60,000 miles. The amber marker shows the median: half of these complaints happened before that mileage.
View the numbers
MileageComplaints
0k to 20k miles6
20k to 40k miles3
40k to 60k miles2
60k to 80k miles1
80k to 100k miles0
100k to 120k miles0
120k to 140k miles0
140k to 160k miles0
160k to 180k miles0
180k to 200k miles0
200k+ miles0

What the data shows

Of the 12 engine complaints that report mileage, the median is about 20,000 miles, and 92% were reported before 60,000 miles.

These complaints mention 6 crashes, 1 fire, 4 injuries.

What owners wrote

Front end collision with car making an illegal left in front of our Subaru. Our car hood, bumper, head lights, grill and parts of the engine were smashed, with liquid draining out of the engine. My husband (wearing a seatbelt) hit his knee and shoulder on impact. Airbags failed - Not a single airbag deployed. A police officer helped him move car parts out of the street. Safety was at risk because my husband hit the dash. Car is at an independent service center now. We need to know how to get it inspected.

June 2023 CrashInjury

Tl* the contact owns a 2018 subaru forester. While driving approximately 80 MPH, the vehicle suddenly lost engine power. The vehicle was coasted to an exit ramp. The contact stated that the engine was still idling extremely low and the vehicle was turned off and restarted. The dealer referred the contact to the manufacturer and offered a trade-in for a 2018 subaru outback. The manufacturer was not contacted. The vehicle was not repaired. The approximate failure mileage was 4,200. *

Reported at 4,200 miles, May 2018

Other problems reported for the 2018 Subaru Forester

Engine problems in other years

Engine problems across all Subaru models