The 2018 Subaru Forester is a five-seat crossover with a spacious interior, excellent visibility, and good fuel economy. Problems have been reported relating to its airbags, windshield, and transmission, though the automaker has taken some steps to address these issues.
Key Points
- The 2018 Subaru Forester has been recalled three times, including a major recall to address airbags that may not deploy in the event of a wreck.
- In general, owners have made over 300 complaints to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which is a little more than some competitors.
- Some drivers have noted that windshields can crack spontaneously.
- Subaru extended a transmission warranty, but replacement of a failed component after that could be costly.
- The Forester has a good overall crash-test record and wide availability of collision-avoidance tech.
The 2018 Subaru Forester Has Three Recalls Covering a Mislabeled Sticker, Faulty Fuel Pump, and Failing Airbag Sensor
So far, the 2018 Subaru Forester has been recalled three times. The first recall covered about 3,700 cars and involved replacing a federally-mandated label displaying information such as recommended tire pressures.
More critically, a subsequent recall affecting all Forester models equipped with heated front seats – a feature standard on all but the base Forester 2.5i for the 2018 model year – was launched in 2019.
Dealers were instructed to inspect and potentially replace the system in the front passenger’s seat that detects whether there is an occupant.
In filings with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Subaru said that the sensor wiring harness may come loose, which would prevent the right-side airbag from deploying in a wreck.
That recall stemmed from an investigation opened by the NHTSA in mid-2019 following 51 complaints from owners of 2016 through 2018 Forester models.
In the summer of 2021, Subaru also recalled a small number of Foresters with the optional 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder – marketed by Subaru as the Forester XT – to replace their fuel pumps.
The faulty fuel pumps could limit how much gasoline reaches the engine, which may lead to stalling. Subaru said that just 2,010 2018 Forester XT models were equipped with the faulty fuel pump from the factory, however.
While two of the three recalls are small in scope, the 2018 Forester has been subject to more recalls than some of its competitors such as the Honda CR-V and Ford Escape.
Owners Report Spontaneous Windshield Cracking, Airbag Warning Lights Randomly Activating
The NHTSA has logged 316 complaints about the 2018 Forester, and more than 100 revolve around issues with the windshield. Vehicle owners have noted that the windshield will crack even if there are no apparent chips or other damages.
Some owners have reported finding cracks after leaving their vehicles outdoors in unusually cold weather. After a court ruled against Subaru, the automaker agreed to extend the windshield warranty to eight years on select models, including the 2018 Forester. This means that 2018 Foresters may be covered by the warranty extension into 2026, depending on when they were originally sold.
Additionally, owners complained dozens of times about dashboard lights illuminating to note that the passenger-side airbag has been deactivated. These complaints likely involve the seat occupancy detector wiring, which the automaker will replace for free as part of the recall.
Subaru Has Extended The Continuously Variable Transmission Warranty to 100,000 Miles
Subaru first began fitting the Forester with a CVT – which behaves like an automatic transmission in normal driving but features an infinite number of gear ratios to improve fuel economy and performance – when this model was introduced for the 2014 model year.
In 2019, Subaru extended the warranty on the CVT to last from five years/60,000 miles to 10 years/100,000 miles. The automaker says that the “change is not in response to any specific condition,” though owners have reported lurching during highway merging as well as low-speed hesitation that can lead to the engine stalling.
The Forester XT uses the same type of transmission, and an owner posted on Subaru Forester mentioning failure at around 41,000 miles. That owner had the transmission replaced under warranty. Though as these models begin to age out of warranty coverage or their odometers exceed 100,000 miles, such replacement could be costly.
Owners have reported that performing more frequent transmission fluid changes than recommended by Subaru may help ward off longevity concerns.
Despite Some Reported Problems, the 2018 Subaru Forester is a Safe Overall Choice With a Good Crash-test Record
The NHTSA rates the 2018 Forester with a perfect five stars overall, though its frontal crash and rollover ratings are four stars.
Separately, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety called the Forester a Top Safety Pick in 2018 – with some caveats. Tweaks made early in the 2018 model year mean that only those equipped with LED projector lights (standard on Limited and Touring trims and included with the Black Edition package on the Premium) earn an “Acceptable” score for nighttime visibility. Other models qualify as “Marginal.”
Subaru’s EyeSight suite of driver-assistance tech includes automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, and a few other crash-avoidance features that came standard on the Touring trim level and was optional on Premium and Limited trims with the automatic transmission.
Buying the Most Reliable 2018 Subaru Forester
Overall, the Forester has a pretty good track record since the automaker seems to have addressed the biggest owner complaints with the seat occupancy detector recall and warranty extensions for the windshield and CVT.
Models without the CVT – both the base 2.5i and the 2.5i Premium came standard with a six-speed manual transmission – may wind up being the least-problematic versions. Though they were unavailable with the EyeSight crash-avoidance tech. That’s a tradeoff some consumers may be willing to make.
One thing’s for sure, though: The available turbocharged engine seems more prone to transmission issues than the base non-turbo engine.
Photos: Subaru
