141 problems have been reported for the 2012 Subaru Forester. The following chart shows the 19 most common problems for 2012 Subaru Forester. The number one most common problem is related to the vehicle's engine and engine cooling with 28 problems. The second most common problem is related to the vehicle's air bags (20 problems).
In our research we use the PPMY index to compare the reliability of vehicles. The PPMY index of a certain model is defined as the problems reported per thousand vehicles per Year. The total sales of the 2012 Subaru Forester in the United States are 64,138 units [1]. If the total number of problems reported by Subaru Forester owners in the last 14 years is 141, and the age of the vehicle is 14, the PPMY index can then be calculated as
PPMY Index = 141 / 64,138 / 14 * 1000 = 0.16.
For more information, refer to this page: A study of reliability comparison across Subaru Forester model year vehicles.
The following chart shows the number of problems reported during each of the service years since the debut of the 2012 Subaru Forester in 2012.
| Service Year | Number of Problems |
|---|---|
| 2026 | |
| 2025 | |
| 2024 | |
| 2023 | |
| 2022 | |
| 2021 | |
| 2020 | |
| 2019 | |
| 2018 | |
| 2017 | |
| 2016 | |
| 2015 | |
| 2014 | |
| 2013 | |
| 2012 |
When making the decision between buying a new or used Subaru Forester, the following table can be used to compare the 2012 Subaru Forester with the Subaru Forester from other model years. Note that the number of problems reported for the 2012 Forester is 141 while the average number of problems reported for the 29 model years of the Subaru Forester is 296.