general problems of the 2023 Subaru Forester

18 problems related to equipment have been reported for the 2023 Subaru Forester. The most recently reported issues are listed below. Please also check out the statistics and reliability analysis of the 2023 Subaru Forester based on all problems reported for the 2023 Forester.

1 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 04/03/2026

This vehicle has died 4 times in one week. When this happens, multiple lights have flashed in the dash board, including the "eye sight" warning. Then, it would not restart but continued to "turn over" when the ignition button was pushed. One instance was on a busy street at a stop light, another at a busy intersection in the inner left turn lane, the other 2 instances were in parking lots. The first 2 times the vehicle was able to be jump started and was not taken to the dealership. The 3rd, it was jump started and taken to the dealership. They said the battery was slightly low, but had sufficient charge. They changed the fob battery, and topped off the car battery. That was all. The next day was the episode where it died in the turn lane. I had it towed to the dealership. This time they changed the battery to a more high capacity battery, and admitted that these vehicles have a battery put in them at the manufacturer that is not strong enough for the systems it runs. I even found a service bulletin about it online, #TSB 07-218-23r. This should be a recall item, and they should have changed this battery at my first visit! a vehicle suddenly dying on a busy roadway puts those inside at risk, as well as everyone around them. Very disappointed in this 2023 Subaru Forester premium.

2 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 10/01/2025

Traveling at approximately 45 mph through a green light at a 4-way intersection a car making a right on red turn turned into the outside lane in front of me. I had no warning sounds or automatic braking, to avoid a collision I had to steer to the left after an on coming car passed. There were no chimes or auto braking. I have had several instances similar with no alerts. My eyesight system has been problematic for the life of the car and required many diagnosis and recalibration with many trips to the dealership and no permanent repair. Frequent software updates and days with no eyesight -see manual. Finally had a total eyesight replacement with the assurance this was a long awaited technology all under 60,000 miles. A few months later eyesight malfunctioned again and required another update. Eyesight still remains unresponsive and goes in and out a couple of times a day. The technology is defective and unreliable. Subaru has provided no lasting fix.

3 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 09/10/2025

This complaint is in relation to a 2023 Subaru Forester. The car was purchased new at white river Subaru in white river junction, vt less than two years ago. Before it reached 30,000 miles the following problem has arisen 1) rusty brakes and pads 2) a wheel bearing had to be replaced 3) a faulty tire pressure gauge. However, must concerning, I noticed greasy film was forming on the inside of the windshield. I took it dealership and was told there was an ac leak in the engine bay. The service shop told me the substance on the windshield was condensation. I do not believe this to be true. The substance created a visible film across the glass, when it did met with condensation and cold it turned a solid milky color with almost no visibility through the windsheild. When touched the film smudgles and has a greasy texture. I am concerned as this has serious health implications.

4 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 07/19/2025

My vehicle has experienced repeated stalling events, including while the vehicle is in operation. The first occurrence began at approximately [mileage] and has continued intermittently despite multiple service visits. During these incidents, the vehicle unexpectedly loses power without warning. This creates a serious safety concern, particularly when driving in traffic, as it increases the risk of collision due to sudden loss of acceleration and potential impact on vehicle control. The issue appears to be intermittent and cannot be reliably reproduced. In some instances, a check engine light has appeared in connection with the events. Despite multiple attempts to diagnose and repair the vehicle at an authorized dealership, the problem has not been resolved. I have been informed that prior issues may have been addressed; however, I was also told that the root cause has not been definitively identified, and there is no assurance that the stalling will not occur again. The vehicle has been in service multiple times without a confirmed fix. Despite this, I have also been told that there are “no safety concerns” and that the vehicle is safe to operate. This is concerning given the unresolved and recurring nature of the issue. The vehicle is primarily used to transport my young children, which heightens the urgency of this safety risk.

5 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 07/06/2025

I had been driving for 30 minutes from mokena towards rosemont. I was on [xxx] near rosemont when the rear passenger-side window spontaneously shattered without warning. There was a loud pop, and tempered glass collapsed inward into the rear cargo area and passenger footwell. Some of the glass traveling quite far. I did not hear or see any object strike the vehicle, and there is no visible damage or point of impact on the exterior or interior trim. I have also not been able to locate any evidence of an object. All glass remained inside the vehicle, which I have read is consistent with spontaneous failure rather than impact. Safety concerns: the sudden breakage was extremely loud and could easily startle or distract a driver to cause an accident or injure the driver with glass. I was alone, but this could pose a serious injury risk if a child or passenger had been seated in the back. The volume and distribution of shattered tempered glass throughout the car will require extensive cleanup. While I suppose it could have been object, this appears consistent with a known safety risk involving nickel sulfide inclusion or internal glass stress in tempered automotive windows. Action taken: I have documented the incident with extensive photographs. I am in contact with Subaru, but they are looking into prices for us to fix that window. I am submitting this report to ensure visibility and support further investigation into whether this issue is occurring in other 2023 Foresters or related Subaru models. If it was an object, then should that be noted as well given it was on a highway. Information redacted pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).

6 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 05/29/2025

Air leak puncture on my left front tire driver side.

7 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 02/05/2025

Front windshield crack came out of no where. No idea ever had a stone or anything connect with windshield.

8 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 01/05/2025

I was stopped at a red light when, suddenly, my car engine completely shut down, a loud and high-pitched alarm began to squeal and many alerts flashed on my screen. One of the alerts stated that the eye--sight was not functioning. The car would not move when the traffic light turned green and I applied the gas pedal. Cars behind me and those in oncoming traffic had to swerve around me. I was in the center lane of traffic. Fortunately, I was able to put the emergency blinkers on. The traffic light turned red again. It occurred to me to shift into park and attempt to restart the car. The car did restart and I was able to drive home when the traffic light again turned green. I made an appointment to take the car into concordville Subaru and, there, I was told that the battery was low and I was given a new battery since the car is under warranty. I am reading from other owners that this is a temporary fix only and that it does not address the real problem.

9 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 09/08/2024

Windshield cracked after dust hit car while on road. Crack split aggressively in 1 day from 1 inch to 14 inches. This is the second time it has happened.

10 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 08/13/2024

I checked on kbb. Com and my car came up as having a recall for the drive shaft. The NHTSA campaign id - 23v754000 and when I called my dealership about it, I am being told that there is no recall. This is a serious issue and I am seriously concerned. ,.

11 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 06/30/2024

I was driving down the main street of a small city. There is a decent amount of traffic, so I’m not sure what speed I was going but likely no more than 25 mph. All of a sudden, for no apparent reason, the pre-collision braking went into effect and slammed me to a total stop. I wasn’t too close to the vehicle in front of me, there were no pedestrians in the road, etc. Thankfully the vehicle behind me was able to stop and did not hit me. I was able to move forward and pulled into the closet parking lot. I looked and could see anything directly on my vehicle. Subaru is saying that one of my tire’s pressure was low and that may have caused it or sunlight may have caused it. There was no low tire pressure light on my vehicle. The light had been on not too long before this and I had filled the tires. But no warning light on the day this happened. I was able to successfully drive further with no issues. Subaru does not seem to be taking this seriously. But, no matter the cause, if either of these things will cause a vehicle to come to an immediate stop, that is definitely a safety issue. And it is a safety concern that should be looked into.

12 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 05/15/2024

The car was parked for several weeks in a friend's driveway. I was on a trip overseas. When I came back, I started the car and the rear window glass shattered and blew into the car. There was no evidence of anything striking the glass from outside.

13 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 05/06/2024

Windshield developed chip driving down a quiet residential street. Expected windshield to be much durable, but seems to be a very common issue with Subaru windshields, even though this is a 2023 model!.

14 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 02/04/2024

Car only has 6,000 miles,had 2 tiny stones hit the windshield and put 2 pebble sized holes in windshield, got those fixed and a week later another stone hit and now it has a quarter size chip,hole ,never had any other car I owned have this happen too,I would think a #1 safety rated manufacturer would have better windshields.

15 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 10/24/2023

Spontaneous windshield crack. I parked car in garage overnight. In the morning, there was a spontaneous crack on passenger side. Not sure if it is related to using car heater for the very first time 2 days prior to the spontaneous crack. The vehicle is 8 months old with 10,000 miles.

16 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 10/08/2023

Hit a deer the vehicle immediately was on fire and burnt to the ground. It had 3000 miles on it.

17 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 09/15/2023

Driver and passenger seats are collapsing to the point we are sinking into the seats unevenly and we can feel the hardware in the seats. We have bells that ding intermittently while driving. The dealership stated this is due to the airbag sensors located in the seats. Both seat manufacturer covers are splitting extensively. Due to the defective breakdown/collapsing seats the airbag timing in an accident and deployment in an accident can be affected and/or the airbags could spontaneously deploy. The passenger seat foam and cover was replaced once, VIN specific, and is collapsing worse than before. Subaru of America will not acknowledge this defect as it is very expensive and will likely not be a lasting fix as it has happened previously. The seat quality is defective and poses a serious danger to occupants.

18 Equipment problem

Failure Date: 05/04/2023

This 2023 windshield can easily be chipped. It has more than 10 visible chips/cracks.


Other Equipment related problems of the 2023 Subaru Forester


Forester Service Bulletins
Forester Safety Recalls
Forester Defect Investigations