The 2019 Subaru Forester has 3 NHTSA recall campaigns affecting an estimated 470,301 vehicles. Recall repairs are always free at any authorized dealer. Owners have filed 1,084 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the visibility/wiper. Last updated July 5, 2026.
Recall campaigns
SUSPENSION21V2630002021-04-15408,271 affected
Defect
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.
ENGINE AND ENGINE COOLING19V8560002019-12-0251,613 affected
Defect
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.…
STEERING19V0650002019-02-0610,417 affected
Defect
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.
Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal
information removed.
“Car swirving as if someone grabbed the steering and pulled right left quickly when applying breaks. First incident happened on interstate which nearly caused an accident. Carriage makes a “clunkâ€� sound when moving forward or backwards and you feel the cabin continue in motion when first…”
“I am reporting a serious safety issue involving my 2019 subaru forester related to failure of the electric power steering (eps) system. Since april 21, 2026, I have been in communication with subaru of america regarding whether this issue is related to an existing safety recall (wuc-88). During…”
“We have replaced the battery twice and likely will need a third battery soon. I have learned that there is a known issue with the dcm trying to connect using 3g. This is causing a parasitic drain on the battery. The vehicle will fail to start. This has occurred many times over the last few years.…”
“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…”
“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…”
“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…”
“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…”
“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…”
Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL,
FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2019 Subaru Forester as of
July 5, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page
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