Are Subaru Foresters Reliable? A Used-Buyer's Guide

The Forester has a strong overall reputation, but reliability depends heavily on the model year and engine in front of you. A used Forester is really three or four different vehicles depending on the era, and the issues worth checking change with each one. Use the map below to orient yourself, then read the detail on each item before you shortlist a specific car.

Three specific issues come up most often, and in each case Subaru issued coverage that tells you exactly where to pay attention. Here they are at a glance, with the detail in the sections that follow.

The pattern across every generation is the same. A Forester with complete maintenance records and a clean history report is a very different buy from one without. At AZ Auto Gallery every car comes with a Carfax report, so you can confirm a Forester's service and title history before you commit. If you want to understand what those reports do and do not show, see our guide on Carfax vs AutoCheck.

Older Foresters built around the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter EJ25 engine have a well-documented history of external head-gasket coolant leaks, where coolant seeps at the seam between the cylinder head and the block rather than mixing internally. Subaru acknowledged the concern on earlier cars with a service campaign, WWP-99, covering certain 1999-2002 Foresters equipped with the 2.5-liter engine. Under that campaign, dealers added Subaru Cooling System Conditioner, and Subaru extended coverage for external head-gasket coolant leaks to 8 years or 100,000 miles. That extension had conditions and did not cover internal leaks, overheating, head-gasket replacement, or internal engine damage.

For a used buyer today, the takeaway is practical rather than alarming. Many of these engines can run well past 150,000 miles when the cooling system is maintained. On any older EJ25 Forester, look for coolant staining around the head-gasket area, check the overflow tank and radiator condition, and ask whether the head gaskets have already been replaced with updated parts. A documented head-gasket repair is a plus, not a red flag.

When Subaru moved to the FB-series 2.5-liter engine, some early examples used engine oil faster than owners expected. This became the subject of a class-action lawsuit, Yaeger v. Subaru of America, which received final approval in 2016. As part of the resolution, Subaru extended the powertrain warranty to 8 years or 100,000 miles for qualifying engine oil-consumption repairs.

For the Forester, the covered vehicles were 2011-2014 models with the automatic or CVT, below a specified VIN breakpoint, and 2011-2015 models with the manual transmission. The original reimbursement claim deadline has long passed, but the history is still useful when you shop. On a 2011-2014 Forester, ask the seller to show recent oil-level checks and service records, and watch the dipstick between changes once the car is yours. Many of these engines are perfectly healthy, especially later builds that received production updates. Confirming a specific car's eligibility or coverage is a VIN-level question best answered by a Subaru dealer.

Foresters from the 2014 redesign onward use Subaru's Lineartronic continuously variable transmission, or CVT. A CVT feels different from a traditional automatic, with smooth, stepless acceleration and sometimes a slight rubber-band sensation under hard throttle. That behavior is normal and is not a fault.

The reliability question is separate, and Subaru addressed it directly. In 2017 Subaru issued a warranty extension that lengthened CVT powertrain coverage from 5 years or 60,000 miles to 10 years or 100,000 miles on certain vehicles, including 2014-2015 Foresters. Subaru described it as a warranty extension, not a recall, and said it did not affect safety. On a used CVT-equipped Forester, confirm the transmission fluid has been serviced according to the owner's manual, listen for shudder or hesitation on your test drive, and factor the remaining extended-coverage window into your decision on older, higher-mileage examples.

The issues above are worth checking, but they do not erase why the Forester is such a popular, long-lived used SUV. Several strengths are built into the design:

• Standard all-wheel drive. Subaru's Symmetrical All-Wheel Drive is standard across the Forester lineup, a real advantage for Arizona drivers who head north into snow.
• Ground clearance. Standard Forester trims offer 8.7 inches of ground clearance, more than many car-based crossovers, which helps on rough forest roads and unpaved trailheads.
• Visibility. The Forester's tall glass and upright roofline give it some of the best outward visibility in its class, which makes it easy to place and park.
• Safety. The current Forester is an IIHS Top Safety Pick+, earning Good ratings in the small overlap front, updated moderate overlap front, and updated side crash tests. Subaru says the Forester has earned an IIHS Top Safety Pick award more times than any other small SUV since 2007.

If you want to see what is on the lot right now, browse our Subaru inventory.

The Forester is a mainstream SUV, so routine parts and service are widely available and generally affordable. A few ownership notes are specific to Subaru's boxer-engine, all-wheel-drive layout:

• Tires in matched sets. Subaru's all-wheel-drive system works best when all four tires are the same size and wear level, so plan to replace tires as a set and keep them matched. Mismatched tires can add strain to the driveline.
• Boxer-engine access. The horizontally opposed engine sits low and wide, which can make a few jobs, such as spark plugs or head gaskets, more labor-intensive than on an inline engine. Routine maintenance itself is straightforward.
• Fluids and intervals. Keeping up with oil changes, and on CVT cars the specified transmission-fluid service, is the single biggest factor in how a used Forester holds up over time.

None of this makes a Forester expensive to run. It simply rewards owners who stay on top of maintenance, which is exactly what a clean, documented service history on a used example tells you.

Arizona changes the Forester equation in two ways. First, heat is hard on cooling systems and air conditioning. Because older EJ25 Foresters are sensitive to cooling-system health, an Arizona buyer should pay extra attention to the radiator, hoses, coolant condition, and a strong-blowing A/C system on any used Forester. On the upside, Arizona vehicles are not exposed to the road salt that rusts out cars in snowbelt states, so clean, corrosion-free undercarriages are the norm here.

Second, people sometimes ask why you need all-wheel drive in the desert. The answer is what sits a few hours north. Foresters are popular with Phoenix and Mesa drivers precisely because they make the run up to Flagstaff, the rim country, and the high-country snow easy and confident, then come home to commute efficiently. That combination, sure-footed when you travel and practical every day, is a big part of the Forester's appeal here.

Shopping locally, you can browse our used cars in Mesa, AZ, and we also keep a rotating selection of used MINI and Subaru models. Every car is one set, no-haggle price, and comes with a Carfax report.