Owners have filed 596 safety complaints about the 2020 Subaru Forester with U.S. regulators. Here's what the federal data shows, system by system.
Complaints for this vehicle report 26 crashes, 8 fires, 16 injuries. No deaths have been reported.
Complaints filed with NHTSA name the vehicle system involved. For the 2020 Subaru Forester, visibility & lighting issues stand far above everything else.
"The contact owns a 2020 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving 40–45 MPH in the rain, the lower left corner of the front windshield cracked without impact. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was approximately 46,000."
"Windshield cracked. During a week of sub-freezing temperatures in January, the windshield cracked from the base of the windshield to the to the center point of the windshield (see photo submitted). Note: the windshield had had a very minor chip in it at the base of the windshield before the crack occurred."
Complaint filings for the 2020 Subaru Forester over time:
Across the Subaru Forester model years we track, the 2019 has the most complaints on file (832); the 2020 ranks 3 of 7.
Recall repairs are free at any dealer, with no time limit. Look up your 17-character VIN on the official NHTSA site to see open recalls for your specific vehicle. Check your VIN at NHTSA.gov →
NHTSA crash ratings measure how the car protects occupants in a crash — a separate question from the reliability complaints above. A vehicle can be both crashworthy and trouble-prone.
As of September 7, 2026, owners have filed 596 complaints about the 2020 Subaru Forester with NHTSA. The most-reported system is visibility & lighting.
The 2020 Subaru Forester has 0 NHTSA recalls on file. Recall repairs are free at any dealer.
NHTSA gives the 2020 Subaru Forester an overall crash rating of 5 out of 5 stars. Crash ratings measure occupant protection in a collision; they do not measure reliability, which is what the complaint data above reflects.
All figures come from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) public APIs: the Office of Defects Investigation complaint database, the recalls database, and NCAP safety ratings, retrieved September 7, 2026.
Complaints are self-reported by consumers and are not verified by NHTSA or by this site. A single complaint may cite multiple vehicle systems, so system mentions can sum to more than the complaint total. Complaint volume is influenced by fleet size, media attention, and recall notices, and is not by itself a measure of defect rates.
This site is not affiliated with NHTSA or any manufacturer. Nothing here is repair, purchase, or legal advice. For your specific vehicle, use the official NHTSA VIN lookup and consult a qualified technician.