RecallMyCar

2013 Subaru Forester Recalls, Complaints & Specs

12 safety recalls list the 2013 Subaru Forester, and owners have filed 77 complaints with NHTSA. Check your own VIN below.

12
safety recalls
77
owner complaints to NHTSA
13 / 2
complaints citing a crash / fire
21–23
MPG combined (EPA)

12 safety recalls for the 2013 Subaru Forester

Most recent first. Recall repairs are free at any authorised dealer. Click a recall for the full defect, consequence and remedy text.

  1. Seat belts

    NHTSA 22V838000 Reported 16 vehicles potentially affected Subaru of America, Inc.

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles. The front seat belt assembly force-limiter may not operate correctly in the event of a crash.

    Remedy: Dealers will inspect and replace the seat belt assembly, if necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed December 9, 2022. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at…

  2. Inflator module (air bags)

    NHTSA 20V001000 Reported 258,813 vehicles potentially affected Subaru of America, Inc.

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South…

    Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators with alternate inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru Owners…

  3. Inflator module (air bags)

    NHTSA 20V002000 Reported 127,547 vehicles potentially affected Subaru of America, Inc.

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas,…

    Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer…

  4. Inflator module (air bags)

    NHTSA 20V003000 Reported 111,562 vehicles potentially affected Subaru of America, Inc.

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (including STI), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan,…

    Remedy: Subaru will notify their owners. General Motors will notify Saab owners. Dealers will replace the passenger air bag inflators, free of charge. The recall began January 7, 2020. Subaru owners may contact Subaru customer…

  5. Switch (electrical system)

    NHTSA 19V297000 Reported 511 vehicles potentially affected Subaru of America, Inc.

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may…

    Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect the ignition switch, replacing the ignition switch, if necessary, free of charge. The recall began May 10, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at…

  6. Inflator module (air bags)

    NHTSA 19V007000 Reported 43,394 vehicles potentially affected Subaru of America, Inc.

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana…

    Remedy: Subaru has notified owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's…

  7. Inflator module (air bags)

    NHTSA 19V008000 Reported 330,120 vehicles potentially affected Subaru of America, Inc.

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, and Legacy vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada,…

    Remedy: Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's…

  8. Inflator module (air bags)

    NHTSA 19V009000 Reported 452,630 vehicles potentially affected Subaru of America, Inc.

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North…

    Remedy: Subaru is notifying owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on January 25, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's…

  9. Inflator module (air bags)

    NHTSA 18V012000 Reported 64,179 vehicles potentially affected Subaru of America, Inc.

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Legacy, Forester, Tribeca, WRX and Outback vehicles, and 2009-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern…

    Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the front passenger air bag inflator, free of charge. The recall began on February 9, 2018. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's…

  10. Electrical system

    NHTSA 16V738000 Reported 100,127 vehicles potentially affected Subaru of America, Inc.

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2007-2009 model year Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2008-2014 Impreza vehicles and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, all equipped with turbo-charged engines. The relay that controls the secondary air injection pump may fail, causing the pump to continuously operate and overheat.

    Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will replace the secondary air injection pump relay, free of charge. The recall began December 2016. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-800-782-2783. Subaru's number…

  11. Service brakes, hydraulic

    NHTSA 14V830000 Reported 200,064 vehicles potentially affected Subaru of America, Inc.

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2008-2011 Impreza, 2008-2014 WRX and STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio,…

    Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will apply an anti-corrosion wax to the four-way joint connector area of the brake line system, free of charge. The recall began on January 27, 2015. Owners may contact Subaru…

  12. Hoses, lines/piping, and fittings (service brakes)

    NHTSA 14V311000 Reported 461,338 vehicles potentially affected Subaru of America, Inc.

    Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain model year 2005-2009 Outback and Legacy, 2008-2011 Impreza and 2008-2014 Impreza WRX/STI, and 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, currently, or formerly, registered in Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New…

    Remedy: Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will test the brake system by depressing the brake pedal and inspecting for brake fluid leaks. If no brake fluid seepage is observed, the affected areas will be rustproofed with…

77 owner complaints filed with NHTSA

Owners of the 2013 Subaru Forester have filed 77 complaints with NHTSA; 13 describe a crash and 2 describe a fire. Reports cite 11 injuries and 0 deaths. The average mileage at failure in those reports is 54,098 miles. Complaints peaked in 2019 with 16 filed that year.

Most-reported components

What owners are reporting

“I had a family member driving an 2013 Subaru Forester all-wheel drive with a manual transition. The car had crash and rolled. The car at the most rolled twice and none of the air bags never deployed.”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, December 28, 2025 · Air bags

“The contact owns a 2013 Subaru Forester. While the contact's daughter was driving at an undisclosed speed, the check engine warning light illuminated. In addition, the contact stated that the vehicle”

Owner complaint to NHTSA, February 4, 2025 · Engine

Fuel economy and specs

EPA ratings for the 2013 Subaru Forester (Forester AWD). Ranges cover every tested configuration.

Combined21–23 mpg
City / Highway19–21 / 23–27
FuelPremium, Regular
EPA classSmall Sport Utility Vehicle 4WD
Engine4 cyl, 2.5 L
TransmissionAutomatic (S4); Manual 5-spd

Compare Subaru Forester model years

Recall and complaint counts for every Subaru Forester model year in NHTSA's database.

Model yearRecallsComplaints
1998 Subaru Forester1101
1999 Subaru Forester1131
2000 Subaru Forester075
2001 Subaru Forester0139
2002 Subaru Forester188
2003 Subaru Forester3189
2004 Subaru Forester2219
2005 Subaru Forester193
2006 Subaru Forester288
2007 Subaru Forester174
2008 Subaru Forester150
2009 Subaru Forester17178
2010 Subaru Forester17262
2011 Subaru Forester16147
2012 Subaru Forester15105
2013 Subaru Forester1277
2014 Subaru Forester2403
2015 Subaru Forester3615
2016 Subaru Forester3415
2017 Subaru Forester1587
2018 Subaru Forester3498
2019 Subaru Forester3833
2020 Subaru Forester0601
2021 Subaru Forester0209
2022 Subaru Forester198
2023 Subaru Forester174
2024 Subaru Forester229
2025 Subaru Forester396
2026 Subaru Forester324

Checking a specific 2013 Subaru Forester

How do I know if my 2013 Subaru Forester has an open recall?

Enter your 17-character VIN above. The VIN is on the driver's side dashboard (visible through the windshield), the driver's door jamb sticker, and your registration or insurance card. The check runs against NHTSA's live database and tells you which campaigns list your vehicle. 12 campaigns currently list the 2013 Subaru Forester; your car may already have been repaired under some of them.

Is the recall repair free?

Yes. Under federal law, manufacturers must fix safety recalls at no charge for vehicles up to 15 years old from the date of sale to the first owner. Contact any authorised Subaru dealer with your VIN and the NHTSA campaign number (for example 14V311000).

What is the difference between a recall and a complaint?

A recall is a safety campaign filed by the manufacturer or ordered by NHTSA, with a defined defect and remedy. A complaint is a report an owner sent to NHTSA; it is not verified, but patterns of complaints are what trigger NHTSA investigations and, eventually, recalls.

Other Subaru models

Source: NHTSA recall and complaint databases and EPA fuel economy data, October 2026. Complaint counts are owner reports to NHTSA, not verified defects. Recall counts are safety campaigns that list this model year; whether a particular car was already repaired depends on its VIN. How this data is compiled.