The 2021 Subaru Forester has 207 official NHTSA owner defect complaints and zero open safety recall campaigns recorded in the federal database. The most frequently reported component area is Visibility & Wipers, accounting for 67 reports (32% of total complaints). EPA testing covers 1 certified vehicle configuration spanning 2.5l 4-cyl powertrain configurations. Gasoline and hybrid variants deliver 29 MPG combined.

Key Data Findings
  • • NHTSA Owner Complaints: 207 reports
  • • Safety Recall Campaigns: 0 campaigns
  • • Top Reported Defect Area: Visibility & Wipers (67 / 32%)
  • • Safety Incident Signals: 16 crash / 5 fire / 5 injury reports
  • • NHTSA Overall Safety Rating: 5 / 5 Stars
  • • EPA Efficiency: 29 MPG (1 variant)
Data Note: Compiled directly from official NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI), NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, and EPA FuelEconomy.gov databases.
Fuel Economy
29MPG
1 EPA certified variant (2.5l 4-cyl powertrain configurations)
Reported Complaints
207
207 submitted owner reports
Safety Recalls
0
0 open safety recalls
NCAP Safety Rating
5 / 5 Stars Overall

What is the fuel economy and range of the 2021 Subaru Forester?

Official EPA laboratory test ratings, electric driving range, and annual energy cost estimates by certified vehicle variant

Variant Engine Drivetrain Transmission City Highway Combined EV Range Est. Annual Fuel Cost
Forester AWD 2.5L 4-Cyl All-Wheel Drive Automatic (AV-S7) 26 MPG 33 MPG 29 MPG — $2,100 / yr
Data Boundary Note: EPA specifications are shown by certified vehicle configuration. NHTSA complaints and recall totals are recorded at the model-year level across all configurations.

What are the crash test safety ratings for the 2021 Subaru Forester?

Official 5-Star Safety Ratings evaluated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Tested Drivetrain / Cab Variant Overall Rating Frontal Crash Side Crash Rollover Rating Rollover Risk
SUV AWD 16.900000000000002%
Active Driver Assistance Systems (NHTSA Recorded): Forward Collision Warning (FCW) is documented as Standard and Lane Departure Warning (LDW) is documented as Standard in official NHTSA records for tested 2021 Subaru Forester models.
View complete 2021 Subaru Forester crash test & safety breakdown →

What defect complaints are reported for the 2021 Subaru Forester?

Summary of 207 verified consumer defect submissions filed with the NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI)

Total Complaints
207
Crash Reports
16
Fire Reports
5
Complaints w/ Injury
5
Total Injuries
8

Top Reported Problem Categories

Ranked by total consumer complaint submissions recorded by NHTSA

Visibility & Wipers 67 complaints
Electrical System 16 complaints
Visibility / Glass 13 complaints
Engine 11 complaints (1 crash)
Vehicle Speed Control 6 complaints (3 crashes)

Data Attribution & Context: Complaints are self-reported by vehicle owners to NHTSA and represent unverified consumer submissions. Complaint volume does not equal a statistically controlled failure rate and is not adjusted for total vehicles sold or cumulative mileage driven.

View all 2021 Subaru Forester problems & component breakdown (56 categories) →

Are there open safety recalls on the 2021 Subaru Forester?

Manufacturer safety recall campaigns monitored and recorded by NHTSA

No open safety recall campaigns are currently on file with NHTSA for the 2021 Subaru Forester.

View all 2021 Subaru Forester recalls & campaign history (0 campaigns) →
Official US Government Data Provenance

The specifications, safety ratings, defect reports, and recall campaigns published on this page are retrieved directly from official United States Government agency databases:

  • NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation (ODI): Consumer complaints and defect reports.
  • NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP): Frontal, side, and rollover 5-Star crash safety test ratings.
  • U.S. EPA / FuelEconomy.gov: Standardized multi-cycle dynamometer fuel economy, MPGe, and electric driving range ratings.

Local Production Store Compiled: August 2026 • Deterministic Audited Dataset • Zero Dynamic External API Runtime Latency.