The initial Subaru Impreza-based Forester first appeared way back in 1997, representing Subaru’s take on a compact crossover SUV, and in the ocean of soft roading SUVs out there, the Forester built its reputation on being one of the more rugged and capable alternatives with symmetrical all-wheel drive, a boxy shape and Subaru’s reputation for making ultra-reliable vehicles.
Since then has transitioned through five generations, bringing us to the current SK Forester, which first appeared here in Australia in 2018.
Initially only available here in Australia with a 2.5-litre non-turbo engine, a 2.0-litre Hybrid engine joined the range in 2019 with both power plants sending their drive through all four wheels, via a 7-speed CVT.
In terms of trim specs, the range here in Australia initially consisted of four variants kicking off with the 2.5i then 2.5i-L, 2.5i Premium and this, the top-spec 2.5i-S, while a Sport variant joined the team late in 2020.
Meanwhile, the Hybrid models were split between the base spec L and higher spec S.
A pretty substantial mid-life update was bestowed upon this generation for the 2022 model year, featuring updates both cosmetically and mechanically.
Exterior:
There have been a few reports that the OEM windscreens can crack quite easily. Obviously it generally only happens when small rocks or pebbles hit the the glass.
However the problem is, some aftermarket windscreens can play havoc with the safety cameras and sensors, requiring any replacement windscreen to be an OEM part. The problem with that is that, for some owners, the windscreen may crack multiple times.
There are a few sporadic reports of the electric windows being faulty or not working at all.
And there are a few complaints that the Reversing Camera can be very unclear at night.
Interior:
There are reports that the airbag indicator light can turn on sporadically.
Also that the air conditioning can be faulty or fail all together due to issues with the compressor. The repair for this requires much of the dashboard to be removed and this will become expensive.
The A pillar is known to rattle and the seat belt can squeak where you clip it in. The good news is a pool noodle cut to size fixes this.
And most concerning for left hand drive markets is that there have been reports of Steering Problems, specifically a loss of power steering, harshness or rattles. The good news is there has been a recall addressing this and these problems haven’t seemed to effect Foresters in right hand drive markets.
Mechanically:
If you had asked a mechanic or service technician 10 years ago, are Subarus reliable? Most would’ve said yes, they’re not too bad. But ask a mechanic these days you’ll most likely get a different answer.
Over the years things like, head gasket issues, CVT transmission complications, and wheel bearings failures have just become way too common.
The FB25D (the direct injected version from 2018 onwards) so far isn’t too bad in terms of reliability, however it is early days.
Oil consumption has been an issue as have oil leaks. Also being direct injection, they are prone to clogged up inlet systems so Subaru’s upper cylinder cleaning process (which is basically a spray-in chemical cleaner), is now needed more than ever. Interestingly, Subaru have been doing this for years.
Gone is the timing belt of the older generation Foresters so overall serving costs are much lower.
There’s not a great deal of information around about problems with the FB20 mild Hybrid, which doesn’t really mean they don’t have problems.
Currently in Australia they simply have not sold as many hybrids when compared to non-hybrid and this can lead to a whole other set of problems related to poor or non-existent ongoing factory support and availability of parts in the long term.
The CVTs yes, are still problematic with many issues
Exterior:
There have been a few reports that the OEM windscreens can crack quite easily. Obviously it generally only happens when small rocks or pebbles hit the the glass.
However the problem is, some aftermarket windscreens can play havoc with the safety cameras and sensors, requiring any replacement windscreen to be an OEM part. The problem with that is that, for some owners, the windscreen may crack multiple times.
There are a few sporadic reports of the electric windows being faulty or not working at all.
And there are a few complaints that the Reversing Camera can be very unclear at night.
Interior:
There are reports that the airbag indicator light can turn on sporadically.
Also that the air conditioning can be faulty or fail all together due to issues with the compressor. The repair for this requires much of the dashboard to be removed and this will become expensive.
The A pillar is known to rattle and the seat belt can squeak where you clip it in. The good news is a pool noodle cut to size fixes this.
And most concerning for left hand drive markets is that there have been reports of Steering Problems, specifically a loss of power steering, harshness or rattles. The good news is there has been a recall addressing this and these problems haven’t seemed to effect Foresters in right hand drive markets.
Mechanically:
If you had asked a mechanic or service technician 10 years ago, are Subarus reliable? Most would’ve said yes, they’re not too bad. But ask a mechanic these days you’ll most likely get a different answer.
Over the years things like, head gasket issues, CVT transmission complications, and wheel bearings failures have just become way too common.
The FB25D (the direct injected version from 2018 onwards) so far isn’t too bad in terms of reliability, however it is early days.
Oil consumption has been an issue as have oil leaks. Also being direct injection, they are prone to clogged up inlet systems so Subaru’s upper cylinder cleaning process (which is basically a spray-in chemical cleaner), is now needed more than ever. Interestingly, Subaru have been doing this for years.
Gone is the timing belt of the older generation Foresters so overall serving costs are much lower.
There’s not a great deal of information around about problems with the FB20 mild Hybrid, which doesn’t really mean they don’t have problems.
Currently in Australia they simply have not sold as many hybrids when compared to non-hybrid and this can lead to a whole other set of problems related to poor or non-existent ongoing factory support and availability of parts in the long term.
The CVTs yes, are still problematic with many issues with shuddering, noisy operation and catastrophic failures even at relatively low mileage.
From 2019 onward in Australia Subaru have a 5-year warranty so many of these problems are still covered. Plus, even outside of warranty periods, Subaru are still covering some issues with the CVTs however that’s not going to be the case for ever.
If you have this generation of Forester or you’re looking at buying one, you can mitigate the likelihood of CVT failure by ignoring the “fill for life” recommendations and serving them at least very 50,000km.
Recalls:
Exterior:
There have been a few reports that the OEM windscreens can crack quite easily. Obviously it generally only happens when small rocks or pebbles hit the the glass.
However the problem is, some aftermarket windscreens can play havoc with the safety cameras and sensors, requiring any replacement windscreen to be an OEM part. The problem with that is that, for some owners, the windscreen may crack multiple times.
There are a few sporadic reports of the electric windows being faulty or not working at all.
And there are a few complaints that the Reversing Camera can be very unclear at night.
Interior:
There are reports that the airbag indicator light can turn on sporadically.
Also that the air conditioning can be faulty or fail all together due to issues with the compressor. The repair for this requires much of the dashboard to be removed and this will become expensive.
The A pillar is known to rattle and the seat belt can squeak where you clip it in. The good news is a pool noodle cut to size fixes this.
And most concerning for left hand drive markets is that there have been reports of Steering Problems, specifically a loss of power steering, harshness or rattles. The good news is there has been a recall addressing this and these problems haven’t seemed to effect Foresters in right hand drive markets.
Mechanically:
If you had asked a mechanic or service technician 10 years ago, are Subarus reliable? Most would’ve said yes, they’re not too bad. But ask a mechanic these days you’ll most likely get a different answer.
Over the years things like, head gasket issues, CVT transmission complications, and wheel bearings failures have just become way too common.
The FB25D (the direct injected version from 2018 onwards) so far isn’t too bad in terms of reliability, however it is early days.
Oil consumption has been an issue as have oil leaks. Also being direct injection, they are prone to clogged up inlet systems so Subaru’s upper cylinder cleaning process (which is basically a spray-in chemical cleaner), is now needed more than ever. Interestingly, Subaru have been doing this for years.
Gone is the timing belt of the older generation Foresters so overall serving costs are much lower.
There’s not a great deal of information around about problems with the FB20 mild Hybrid, which doesn’t really mean they don’t have problems.
Currently in Australia they simply have not sold as many hybrids when compared to non-hybrid and this can lead to a whole other set of problems related to poor or non-existent ongoing factory support and availability of parts in the long term.
The CVTs yes, are still problematic with many issues with shuddering, noisy operation and catastrophic failures even at relatively low mileage.
From 2019 onward in Australia Subaru have a 5-year warranty so many of these problems are still covered. Plus, even outside of warranty periods, Subaru are still covering some issues with the CVTs however that’s not going to be the case for ever.
If you have this generation of Forester or you’re looking at buying one, you can mitigate the likelihood of CVT failure by ignoring the “fill for life” recommendations and serving them at least very 50,000km.
Recalls:
Even the most perfect used fifth generation Subaru Forester has a couple of problems. The first being one of its siblings.
For the same asking price as this generation Forester, you can buy an ever so slightly older Outback, which will be ever so slightly larger and ever so slightly better in basically every conceivable way.
However, that brings us to the second problem the Forester has, and it impacts the Outback too.
Subaru’s simply aren’t what they used to be, they once were seen as the most European of the Japanese brands, offering a near perfect blend of Euro panache with precision Japanese engineering and reliability
However more recently, it seems that Subaru have swapped out Japanese reliability for the lower end European reliability, hence quite a few Subaru’s are having major mechanical tantrums.
Overall, there’s no denying, and when ignoring any potential issues, the Forester is a great SUV, when new and with a full factory warranty, they are easily one the very best SUVs in their class and there are thousands of owners around the world that have never, and will never have an issue, but it’s pretty foolish to ignore potential issues isn’t it.
If you just must own a Forester and you find one with a perfect service history that has clearly been looked after, sure, buy one.
Even the most perfect used fifth generation Subaru Forester has a couple of problems. The first being one of its siblings.
For the same asking price as this generation Forester, you can buy an ever so slightly older Outback, which will be ever so slightly larger and ever so slightly better in basically every conceivable way.
However, that brings us to the second problem the Forester has, and it impacts the Outback too.
Subaru’s simply aren’t what they used to be, they once were seen as the most European of the Japanese brands, offering a near perfect blend of Euro panache with precision Japanese engineering and reliability
However more recently, it seems that Subaru have swapped out Japanese reliability for the lower end European reliability, hence quite a few Subaru’s are having major mechanical tantrums.
Overall, there’s no denying, and when ignoring any potential issues, the Forester is a great SUV, when new and with a full factory warranty, they are easily one the very best SUVs in their class and there are thousands of owners around the world that have never, and will never have an issue, but it’s pretty foolish to ignore potential issues isn’t it.
If you just must own a Forester and you find one with a perfect service history that has clearly been looked after, sure, buy one.
Even the most perfect used fifth generation Subaru Forester has a couple of problems. The first being one of its siblings.
For the same asking price as this generation Forester, you can buy an ever so slightly older Outback, which will be ever so slightly larger and ever so slightly better in basically every conceivable way.
However, that brings us to the second problem the Forester has, and it impacts the Outback too.
Subaru’s simply aren’t what they used to be, they once were seen as the most European of the Japanese brands, offering a near perfect blend of Euro panache with precision Japanese engineering and reliability
However more recently, it seems that Subaru have swapped out Japanese reliability for the lower end European reliability, hence quite a few Subaru’s are having major mechanical tantrums.
Overall, there’s no denying, and when ignoring any potential issues, the Forester is a great SUV, when new and with a full factory warranty, they are easily one the very best SUVs in their class and there are thousands of owners around the world that have never, and will never have an issue, but it’s pretty foolish to ignore potential issues isn’t it.
If you just must own a Forester and you find one with a perfect service history that has clearly been looked after, sure, buy one.
Have ultimate peace of mind when buying a used car by purchasing an official PPSR report.
Please note that pricing information is subject to fluctuations in the automotive market.
Information correct as of November 25, 2022.
The advice provided on this website is general advice only. It has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Before acting on this advice, you should consider the appropriateness of the advice, having regard to your own objectives, financial situation and needs.
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