2019 Subaru Forester Safety Report
2019 SUBARU FORESTER Safety Report
Safety Decision Cockpit for the 2019 Subaru Forester
This page is the hub for deciding what to inspect next on the 2019 Subaru Forester. It connects recall campaigns, owner complaint patterns, service bulletins, sibling model years, component issue hubs, and the model buying guide so a shopper or owner can move from a single report into the wider safety graph.
| Signal | Value | What to inspect next |
|---|---|---|
| Recall burden | High (3) | Review campaign numbers, affected components, and dealer remedies below. |
| Owner complaints | High (828) | Scan complaint narratives for recurring symptoms, mileage, crashes, fires, injuries, and dates. |
| Crash and fire reports | 46 | Treat any crash, fire, injury, or fatality-linked pattern as a priority pre-purchase inspection item. |
| Primary component hub | Visibility/Wiper | Compare visibility/wiper issues across vehicles. |
| Cleaner nearby model year | 2022 | Compare against the 2022 Subaru Forester with 91 complaints and 1 recalls. |
| Riskier nearby model year | 2020 | Check the 2020 Subaru Forester before buying across this generation. |
Subaru Forester Year-by-Year Comparison
The safest purchase decision usually comes from comparing neighboring model years, not reading a single page in isolation. The table below uses only validated Subaru Forester years already present in the cleaned NHTSA dataset, so each comparison links to a real vehicle safety report rather than a generated combination.
| Model Year | Complaints | Recalls | Use case |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 Subaru Forester | 588 | 0 | Compare as a potentially cleaner alternative. |
| 2018 Subaru Forester | 480 | 3 | Compare as a potentially cleaner alternative. |
| 2021 Subaru Forester | 197 | 0 | Compare as a potentially cleaner alternative. |
| 2017 Subaru Forester | 564 | 1 | Compare as a potentially cleaner alternative. |
| 2022 Subaru Forester | 91 | 1 | Compare as a potentially cleaner alternative. |
| 2016 Subaru Forester | 400 | 3 | Compare as a potentially cleaner alternative. |
2019 Subaru Forester Complaint Theme Map
Complaint counts become more useful when they are grouped into inspection themes. For the 2019 Subaru Forester, these are the component areas with the clearest NHTSA complaint signals. Use each link to jump from this single vehicle into broader component hubs and make-specific issue pages.
Visibility/Wiper
346 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.
All Visibility/Wiper issues Subaru onlyUnknown Or Other
97 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.
All Unknown Or Other issues Subaru onlyElectrical System
72 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.
All Electrical System issues Subaru onlyEngine
35 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.
All Engine issues Subaru onlyVisibility
32 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.
All Visibility issues Subaru onlyPower Train
11 owner complaints mention this component in the current safety profile.
All Power Train issues Subaru onlyAI Safety Analysis for the 2019 Subaru Forester
Reliability Score
The 2019 Subaru Forester receives a reliability score of 82 out of 100 based on analysis of NHTSA complaint data, recall history, crash reports, and safety ratings. This indicates above-average reliability relative to comparable vehicles.
NHTSA Safety Ratings for the 2019 Subaru Forester
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) evaluates vehicles through controlled crash tests and assigns star ratings from 1 to 5, with 5 being the safest.
Known Issues for the 2019 Subaru Forester
The following issues have been identified from NHTSA complaint data and owner reports for the 2019 Subaru Forester:
| Issue | Severity | Frequency | Typical Mileage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Battery Charging Issues The battery does not charge sufficiently, causing the car to stall in traffic when the auto start/stop engages. |
Medium | Occasional | 30k-60k miles |
| Suspension Problems Recall issued by Subaru for rear suspension issues in 2018-2019 Crosstrek and 2019 Forester. |
High | Common | 30k-60k miles |
| Engine And Cooling System Failures Recall for 2019 Crosstrek, Forester, and Ascent vehicles due to exhaust system and crankcase (PCV) issues. |
Medium | Common | 30k-60k miles |
| Forward Collision Avoidance System Malfunctions The system has been reported to fail, causing the car to stop during a turn. |
Low | Occasional | 30k-60k miles |
Common Problems Reported by Owners
Based on NHTSA complaint data, the following components account for the majority of reported issues with the 2019 Subaru Forester:
23% of reported issues involve rear suspension problems.
15% of reported issues are related to battery charging.
12% of reported issues are related to engine and cooling system failures.
5% of reported issues are related to forward collision avoidance system malfunctions.
Recall Details for the 2019 Subaru Forester
The following 3 recalls have been issued for the 2019 Subaru Forester by NHTSA:
Summary: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Subaru Crosstrek, 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid, and 2019 Forester vehicles. The rear stabilizer bracket bolts may loosen and detach.
Consequence: Missing bolts may allow the rear stabilizer bracket to shift, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will retorque and replace any missing bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-21.
Summary: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Crosstrek, Forester, and Ascent vehicles. The aluminum Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve can separate, allowing the separated components to enter the engine, resulting in a loss of power while driving.
Consequence: An unexpected loss of power while driving can increase the risk of a crash.
Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the PCV valve, free of charge. If the PCV valve has separated and the components cannot be found, the short block engine will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began January 31, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUW-08.
Summary: Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Forester and Crosstrek vehicles. A connector inside the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) unit may short circuit resulting in a loss of electric power steering assistance.
Consequence: Loss of power steering assist would require higher steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
Remedy: None of the affected vehicles have been sold yet. Subaru has notified dealers and they will inspect the steering gearbox, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUC-88.
NHTSA Complaint Summaries for the 2019 Subaru Forester
Below are complaint narratives filed by owners of the 2019 Subaru Forester with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 5 complaints involved crashes. 1 involved fires. 3 reported injuries or fatalities.
Dear National Transportation Safety Board, I would like to bring a situation that happened to me while driving my 2019 Subaru Forester last Saturday March 7th, 2026 at 10:40am. I was coming back to my house from an errand. While waiting for my garage door to go all the way up, my car suddenly accelerated forcefully and lunged through the garage and into my home through the wall. There was a c...
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at an undisclosed speed, the vehicle stalled, with several unknown warning lights intermittently illuminated. The failure had occurred on several occasions. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed with thermal control valve failure. The vehicle was repaired; however, the failure persiste...
The electrical system fails, and the battery is not charging sufficiently. When the auto start/stop engages, the car does not restart in traffic. Requested a battery test at the dealership in May 2025; was told it could not be done that day because it would require leaving the dealer service shop. Eventually, the electrical system became unstable, and the car stopped in traffic on 11/07/2025. Repl...
Pipa Rx Aire base latch system appeared to latch when it wasn’t secured to the anchor. I moved the base between vehicles. When reattaching the base, the right indicator clicked and turned green without actually being attached to the anchor. The seat felt secure, but shifted when I removed the carrier, which is when I realized it was not attached. Photo of latch system showing green and of manufac...
While at a Stop as the engine turns off and awaits decompression of brake to turn on again vehicle moves forward bit, then the engine shuts down while in drive (stalls) had a vehicle hit me in rear but luckily I had my trailer hitch on because it saved me from body damage . I had to place in park and restart this has happened several times before and I’m kinda nervous and makes my wife nervous whe...
The Thermal Control Valve on my Subaru Forester failed while I was driving recently. The failure caused the car to stop while making a turn. It was a very frightening experience. Luckily at that time the traffic was light. The car was towed to a Subaru dealer, and the Thermal Control Valve was replaced at no charge because Subaru extended the factory warranty. Subaru should have had a Recall Notic...
Engine lost power and was misfiring while many warning symbols appeared on the dash. There was a divider separating the lanes. The car coasted to almost to a stop, but the engine chugged enough to slowly turn left at the first opening in the divider and just barely made it off the main road. The engine stopped. I restarted it several times. The engine was misfiring barely running. The electric bra...
I had a tire rotation at my Subaru dealer in 12/2024. Two weeks later I had a flat and could not break two lug nuts. Tire repair dealer found that the lug bolts had been stripped. I had the remaining lug bolts examined by the dealer and a 3rd was found stripped. All three had to be replaced. I underwent tire rotation on 12/11/2025 and dealer found a fourth lug bolt stripped which needed repla...
The contact owned a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving and merging onto the highway in the rain approximately 62 MPH, the contact’s vehicle was rear-ended by another vehicle that was driving erratically. Due to the impact, the vehicle spun out of control approximately 3-4 times and the vehicle bounced off the concrete highway sound barrier. The vehicle continued to spin ou...
Subaru Forester 2019 January - February of 2025: issue initially presented as the hatch beeping, indicating that it was not closing fully. The hatch would not pop back up as if something was in the way, just remain down & continue beeping. The car would then not start, with only the hatch beeping noise (beep beep beep) going off. When I drove it, it kept warning me that the hatch wasn't shut compl...
The contact owns a 2019 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving approximately 70 MPH, the Forward Collision Avoidance system activated, and the vehicle immediately decelerated to 56 MPH. The failure was intermittent but had occurred several times over 5 years. The contact had to manually turn off the Forward Collision Avoidance system to avoid the failure. The vehicle was taken to t...
I have reported this before but it never went anywhere. When at a red light or in a traffic slowdown, the car will activate the auto start/stop system. Three times in the past 2 days, the car would not turn back on and required me to turn the car off and back on again. You can imagine that this leaves me in a dangerous situation because the cars behind me see a green light and get ready to move, o...
About a month ago while approaching a stop light turning green at a busy intersection, I was slowing into the left turning lane when my car just stopped. No avoidance, no alerts. I had a semi behind me who started pulling out around me in heavy traffic. I could use my flashers. I turned the car off, then on and it finally restarted. This is a 2019 Subaru Forester, original owner, only one incid...
While I was driving on a major road, the car appeared to sense an issue and automatically started to brake. While I was a road with 55mph drivers, my car was forcing me to stop. May warning light appeared; Eyesight Issue, Check Engine, Brake and many others. I was able to disengage the crash prevention manually and continue to drive. When I took it to my mechanic, he told me all the codes went...
The auto stop/start feature occasionally causes the entire vehicle to totally shut off. This happened 3 times 2 years ago and I was to it was a low battery. On 10/4/25, the car is stopped at a red light on a four lane highway and when my wife stepped on the gas to start, the vehicle totally shut off. After panicking, I helped her turn the electronics on in order to start the flashers, then move t...
- *Incident 1 (2023):* While driving, my vehicle suddenly stopped while in drive gear, accompanied by a high-pitched alarm and multiple engine service lights. It took over 30 seconds to shift into park and restart the vehicle. The incident occurred at an intersection, and I was fortunate to avoid any collisions. - *Incident 2 (September 2025):* The same problem recurred on two separate occasions- ...
Car has died 10+ times in the last 2 weeks. Will not hold a charge and it’s getting to the point that my car is dying in the middle of the road, during heavy traffic. That or the car will just not start unless jumped
50k Mileage Mark: When the vehicle turned off at the stop light to save gas, the car stalled. I had to frequently put the car back in Park, and restart the engine. Since then, I had to turn off the “auto turn off” function for fear of the car stalling on the road. This has caused unnecessary anxiety and fear while driving, harming my psychological wellness. Since the 50k mark this has happened abo...
At a stop light, auto stop engaged. When foot put on gas, engine died and every warning light the car has appeared on the dash board. It took several tries, but I did get the car started again. Took to dealer who confirmed the incident and replaced the starter at 38, 126 miles. The fuel pump relay was also replaced. After this incident, the cancel auto stop/start button was used most of the t...
My 2019 forester touring. The sound system will randomly raise to extremely high volume. It’s an extremely loud, distorted, static version of what you were listening to. You cannot turn it down with the volume control with knob or power it off. It is unresponsive and you must wait 5-10 seconds for the sound to go back to normal. Not knowing when it’s going to happen scares the heck out of me. I’m...
Showing 20 of 828 complaints. Additional complaints are available via the NHTSA database.
Frequently Asked Questions About the 2019 Subaru Forester
Has the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER been recalled?
Yes, the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER has 3 recalls on record with NHTSA. Each recall addresses a specific safety defect identified by the manufacturer or NHTSA.
How many complaints does the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER have?
The 2019 SUBARU FORESTER has 828 complaints filed with NHTSA. Of these, 35 involved crashes. 20 injuries and 1 deaths have been reported.
What is the safety rating for the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER?
The 2019 SUBARU FORESTER received an overall NHTSA safety rating of excellent (5/5). Frontal crash: 5/5. Side crash: 5/5. Rollover: 4/5.
What are the most common problems with the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER?
The most commonly reported problems with the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER involve visibility/wiper (346 complaints), unknown or other (97 complaints), electrical system (72 complaints). Other affected components include engine, visibility, power train.
How many crash reports does the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER have?
There are 35 crash reports associated with the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER out of 828 total complaints (4.2% of complaints involved crashes).
How many fire reports does the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER have?
There are 11 fire reports for the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER out of 828 total complaints. Fire reports are among the most serious safety concerns tracked by NHTSA.
Are there any deaths reported for the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER?
Yes, 1 death has been reported in NHTSA complaints for the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER. These are self-reported by complainants and do not imply the vehicle caused the death.
How many injuries are reported for the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER?
20 injuries have been reported in NHTSA complaints for the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER. These are self-reported by vehicle owners as part of their safety complaints.
Should I buy a 2019 SUBARU FORESTER?
Based on NHTSA data, the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER is extreme caution advised. It has 828 complaints, 3 recalls, and a excellent (5/5) safety rating. Note: 1 death(s) have been reported. Always have a pre-purchase inspection done by a qualified mechanic.
What components fail most on the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER?
The components with the most failures on the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER are: 1. VISIBILITY/WIPER (346 complaints), 2. UNKNOWN OR OTHER (97 complaints), 3. ELECTRICAL SYSTEM (72 complaints), 4. ENGINE (35 complaints), 5. VISIBILITY (32 complaints). VISIBILITY/WIPER is the single most-reported problem area with 346 complaints.
What should I know before buying a 2019 SUBARU FORESTER?
Be aware of potential battery charging and suspension issues, and consider the recall for engine and cooling system problems. The 2019 SUBARU FORESTER has 828 NHTSA complaints and 3 recalls on record. NHTSA rates it excellent (5/5).
How reliable is the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER?
The 2019 SUBARU FORESTER receives a reliability score of 82/100, indicating above-average reliability. This is based on 828 owner complaints, 3 recalls, and 46 crash/fire reports in the NHTSA database. Key known issues include Battery Charging Issues and Suspension Problems.
What are the known issues with the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER?
Known issues with the 2019 SUBARU FORESTER include: Battery Charging Issues, Suspension Problems, Engine and Cooling System Failures, Forward Collision Avoidance System Malfunctions. These are based on patterns found across 828 NHTSA complaints. 3 of these patterns resulted in formal recalls.
What are the most common issues with the 2019 Subaru Forester?
Common issues include battery charging problems, suspension problems, engine and cooling system failures, and forward collision avoidance system malfunctions.
Are there any recalls for the 2019 Subaru Forester?
Yes, recalls have been issued for rear suspension issues and engine and cooling system problems.
What should I do if I experience battery charging issues?
Have the battery and charging system checked by a professional mechanic.
Buyer Advice
Our recommendation: Be aware of potential battery charging and suspension issues, and consider the recall for engine and cooling system problems.
NHTSA Data Summary for 2019 Subaru Forester
This safety report is based on a comprehensive analysis of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) for the 2019 Subaru Forester. The data includes 828 consumer complaints filed by vehicle owners, 3 manufacturer-initiated safety recalls, 35 reported crashes, 11 fire incidents, 20 reported injuries, and 1 fatalities associated with this vehicle.
The NHTSA has assigned the 2019 Subaru Forester an overall safety rating of 5 out of 5 stars, with a frontal crash rating of 5 stars, a side crash rating of 5 stars, and a rollover rating of 4 stars. These ratings are determined through controlled crash testing conducted by the NHTSA.
All data presented in this report is sourced from public NHTSA databases. Our AI analysis identifies patterns across complaint narratives, correlates them with recall history, and produces the safety assessment above. This analysis is updated as new complaints and recalls are filed with the NHTSA.
Consumers are encouraged to report vehicle safety problems to the NHTSA at nhtsa.gov. If your vehicle is subject to a recall, contact your dealer to schedule the free repair.
Disclaimer: This analysis is AI-generated from NHTSA public data and does not constitute professional automotive or safety advice. Always verify recall status at NHTSA.gov and consult a qualified mechanic.
Analysis last updated: 2026-05-16