2021 Subaru Forester Recalls

No recalls on record Updated July 2026

No NHTSA recalls on record for the 2021 Subaru Forester. That means NHTSA has no open safety campaign for this vehicle — it does not guarantee the absence of problems. Owners have filed 285 complaints with NHTSA, most often about the visibility/wiper. Last updated July 13, 2026.

Complaints by component

VISIBILITY/WIPER
76
UNKNOWN OR OTHER
41
3crashes3fires1injuries
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM
33
1crashes1fires1injuries
ENGINE
32
4crashes3fires6injuries
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: AUTOMATIC EMERGENCY BRAKING
13
1fires
VISIBILITY:WINDSHIELD
13
POWER TRAIN
12
4crashes4injuries
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL
11
5crashes1injuries
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS
7
SERVICE BRAKES
7
3crashes2injuries
Total complaints285

What owners report

Verbatim reports filed with NHTSA, lightly edited for readability and with personal information removed.

“My 2021 subaru forester has a recurring, worsening defect in the idle stop/start (iss) system that creates a stalling hazard. When iss shuts the engine off at a stop, the engine intermittently fails to restart when I try to move again. It cranks progressively slower, warning lights illuminate, a…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2026-07-01

“My 2021 subaru forester has a recurring, worsening defect in the idle stop/start (iss) system that creates a stalling hazard. When iss shuts the engine off at a stop, the engine intermittently fails to restart when I try to move again. It cranks progressively slower, warning lights illuminate, a…”

ENGINE · reported 2026-07-01

“My 2021 subaru forester has a recurring, worsening defect in the idle stop/start (iss) system that creates a stalling hazard. When iss shuts the engine off at a stop, the engine intermittently fails to restart when I try to move again. It cranks progressively slower, warning lights illuminate, a…”

POWER TRAIN · reported 2026-07-01

“The contact owns a 2021 subaru forester. The contact stated that while trying to roll up vehicle windows from driver sits and passenger sit they would roll up to 3/4th all the way up and they would roll back down after. The contact stated this was a recurring event. The dealer was aware of failure…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2026-06-15

“2021 subaru forester the vehicle has experienced recurring electrical and battery-related issues for several years. The original battery was replaced by the subaru dealer with a larger-capacity battery because of repeated starting concerns. The replacement provided only temporary improvement. The…”

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM · reported 2026-06-03

“My subaru forester has a significant safety defect. If my web searches are representative this software problem affects multiple models and years of subaru. I have addressed this problem with the local dealer, subaru america, and subaru japan and have been told "that is the way it was designed and…”

FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE: WARNINGS · reported 2026-05-14

“My subaru forester has a significant safety defect. If my web searches are representative this software problem affects multiple models and years of subaru. I have addressed this problem with the local dealer, subaru america, and subaru japan and have been told "that is the way it was designed and…”

LANE DEPARTURE: WARNING · reported 2026-05-14

“My subaru forester has a significant safety defect. If my web searches are representative this software problem affects multiple models and years of subaru. I have addressed this problem with the local dealer, subaru america, and subaru japan and have been told "that is the way it was designed and…”

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS · reported 2026-05-14
Sources & methodology

Recall, complaint, and investigation records from official NHTSA datasets (FLAT_RCL, FLAT_CMPL, FLAT_INV), synced weekly. Counts reflect NHTSA records for the 2021 Subaru Forester as of July 13, 2026. Complaint narratives are consumer-submitted and unverified. This page contains ads and affiliate links. Full methodology.