Owners have filed 26 complaints with NHTSA about this car, most about the airbags and wipers and visibility. The 7 checks below target those problems, in the order you would do them at the car.
2024Tick items off on your phone at the car, or print it. Ticks stay on this device.
0/7 checked
2024 Subaru Forester: inspection sheet
Before you go, or before you touch the car0/3
Engine off, key in hand0/3
At least 20 minutes, with some highway0/1
These checks are specific to this model year. For tires, body panels, fluids, and the other basics every used car needs, use the general inspection guide.
These years share the 2024's design and most of its parts, so their problems are the ones to look for on this car too.
Worth adding to your 2024 checks
Worth adding to your 2024 checks
Worth adding to your 2024 checks
EPA figures for each version of the 2024 Subaru Forester. Use them to confirm you are looking at the version that was advertised, and as a yardstick on the test drive.
| Version | Drive | EPA rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5L 4-cyl | AWD | 29 mpg |
NHTSA complaints for the 2024 Subaru Forester, grouped by the part owners named. Open a row to read what goes wrong.
The front passenger airbag stays switched off, according to the dash indicator, when a light adult sits in the seat. Reports involve passengers of roughly 85 to 100 pounds, and some say the problem has been present since the car was new. Dealers often find no fault. One said the system needs 105 pounds to turn on, a limit owners say the manual does not mention. Others report that Subaru knows about it but has no fix. The risk is an unprotected passenger in a crash. One separate report describes a collision with a pole where the airbags did not deploy. That car had not been inspected yet.
Windshields crack with no sign of impact, including on cars parked in a garage. Cracks show up along the bottom edge near the heating element or in a corner. They spread over days until they block the driver's view. Several owners report a second crack after the windshield was already replaced. Dealers confirm the damage but say the bumper-to-bumper warranty does not cover it, and one replacement estimate was about $1400. One crack appeared at 7900 miles.
Excerpts from complaints Forester owners filed with NHTSA, as written. Listen for the same symptoms on your test drive.
The airbag does not go on all the time when my wife is in the passenger seat. My wife weighs approximately 100lbs. We have been at the dealer 2x's and they say that the airbag is working perfectly. I disagree with them very strongly. We have had multiple cars and do not have this problem. We just traded in a Buick encore gx and no problem with the airbag. Subaru claims there is nothing more they can do.
Filed with NHTSA, June 2024
The Car is available for Inspection. Front Passenger Side Air Bag. When My Wife Sits in the Front Passenger Seat, The Air Bag indicator Indicates the Air Bag System is Off. This Means My Wife seated in the front passenger seat is not protected by the air bag system, this is un acceptable. This Condition Existed Since the car was new. Current Car Milage is 14,052 11/12/2024.
Filed with NHTSA, November 2024
On 6/10/2025 noticed a small crack on the left side drivers windshield when getting ready to go to work. Nothing hit it that I know of, it just appeared one afternoon. Since then the crack has been growing and blocking drivers view. This is 2024 Subaru Forester. There is a won lawsuit for Subaru windshields doing similar thing on 2019-2022 models.
Filed with NHTSA, June 2025
Windshield cracked in same exact spot on bottom of windshield with no point of impact while sitting in our garage. Looks like it started at heating element. Our windshield was replaced for this same reason 2 months ago
Filed with NHTSA, February 2025
Complaints for this year next to the average for the other model years, area by area.
The 2024 has the fewest owner complaints of the 8 Forester years we cover, well under the average of the others. Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, so compare like with like.
Redesigns and mid-cycle updates change what can go wrong.
The 2024 is the sixth model year of the Forester's fifth generation (2019–2025).
It includes the 2022 update.
What changed for 2022
Recall repairs are free at any Subaru dealer, but the seller may never have had them done. Check each campaign number against the VIN.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Crosstrek, Impreza, 2023-2024 Forester, and 2023 WRX vehicles. The front driveshaft assemblies' outer race may develop cracks and break.
Risk: A broken driveshaft can cause a loss of drive power while driving or vehicle rollaway when the vehicle is in park without the parking brake engaged. Either of these scenarios can increase the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the left and right front driveshafts as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed January 8, 2024. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRP-23.
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2024 Forester vehicles. The engine water pipe may have loose attachment bolts, allowing the pipe to lose its seal and leak coolant.
Risk: Leaking coolant can contact a hot exhaust pipe, increasing the risk of a fire.
Fix: Subarus independent distributor processing facilities will tighten the water pipe attachment bolts. The affected vehicles have not been delivered to dealers or sold to owners and therefore, no owner notification letters will be sent. Owners may contact Subaru's customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRO-23.
Cars shoppers compare with the Subaru Forester, with their own 2024 checklists.
2024 owner complaints, side by side
