Every record we hold for this vehicle, as plain tables, with nothing added. The consumer page shows the same records with the maintenance schedule, price ranges and nearby shops around them.
vehicle
2021 / subaru / forester
known issues
6 clusters (reviewed 2026-08-20)
complaints
207 on file (2021-01-21 → 2026-07-07)
recalls
0
investigations
0
fars
30 occupant deaths, crash years 2010-2024 (legacy-code)
Windshield spontaneous cracking without impactVISIBILITY/WIPER95 complaints2021-04 → 2025-07forester-2021-windshield-cracking
11521522 Subaru's Windshield problems persist. Bought a 2021 forester in 2021, shortly after had a small chip turn into a giant crack in a matter of days. Dealership wouldn't repair under warranty, so $1000+ to have it replaced and Eyesight recalibrated
11444187 The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 70 MPH and passing a vehicle, he heard a sound coming from the windshield and the windshield cracked from the driver side to the middle of the windshield
11592004 I was driving along the highway when I heard the sound of a pebble hitting my windshield. When I got home, I immediately checked my windshield and did not see any damage. I was quite relieved. Two hours later, I looked out and saw a very long crack had appeared
Front suspension bushing and sway bar failureSUSPENSION4 complaints2021-07 → 2025-10forester-2021-front-suspension-bushing-failure
11483619 The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that on two separate occasions while driving below 35 MPH, the sway bar fractured and detached from the subframe of the vehicle. There was no warning light illuminated
11696387 Issue started with hearing a clunking noise from the front of the car, had the dealer inspect at 37,000 miles. They said they the clunking was caused by ECU issue and reprogrammed the ECU to correct it. Obviously, a software update did not correct the noise
11423682 Top bolt on strut fell out. Caused wheel to collapse and bent drive axle
Auto Stop/Start restart failure and battery drainELECTRICAL SYSTEM, ENGINE29 complaints2021-07 → 2026-07forester-2021-auto-stop-start-restart-failure
11748058 My 2021 Subaru Forester has a recurring, worsening defect in the Idle Stop/Start (ISS) system that creates a stalling hazard. When ISS shuts the engine off at a stop, the engine intermittently fails to restart when I try to move again
11635323 12/14/24-I was stopped at a red light at a VERY busy intersection. The engine was in stop mode by the start/stop feature. When the light turned green, the car failed to start. The entire car shut down, with alarms sounding and dash lights flashing
11696842 The vehicle has experienced four separate engine shutdowns while stopped in traffic. Each time, the engine turned off unexpectedly, requiring a manual restart. One incident occurred near a railroad crossing with my child in the car
Unintended acceleration at low speed or parkingVEHICLE SPEED CONTROL11 complaints2022-06 → 2026-03forester-2021-unintended-acceleration-parking
11723858 The contact owned a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while driving at approximately 4 MPH and slowing to park, the vehicle accelerated on its own. The contact stated that the vehicle drove out of the parking lot and crashed into a wall
11499550 The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while shifting the vehicle into the drive gear, the vehicle accelerated at high speed without any warning and drove into the wall of her garage causing front damage to the vehicle
11688867 Unintentional Acceleration - 2 times within 4 days of each incident. 9/17/25 while stopped to pull into a parking lot my 2021 Subaru Forester accelerated as I was stopped. I had to slam on the brakes, take a deep breath and was shocked at the pull and speed the car wanted to go
11672501 While driving on I-17 Southbound near mile marker 311 at approximately 75 mph, I experienced a sudden and dangerous malfunction of the Lane Keep Assist (Auto-Steer) system in a 2021 Subaru Forester
11680124 On August 12, 2025, at approximately 10:16 AM, while driving at normal speed on CR-43 NW southbound just past Minnesota Ave in Big Lake, MN, my Subaru’s EyeSight Driver Assist System, specifically the Automatic Emergency Braking (AEB) / Pre-Collision Braking System, suddenly
11560155 The contact owns a 2021 Subaru Forester. The contact stated while driving 40 MPH, the automatic emergency braking system activated, bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. The vehicle returned to normal functionality, but the failure became a regular occurrence
Thermo control valve failurePOWER TRAIN5 complaints2024-01 → 2026-01forester-2021-thermo-control-valve-failure
11713463 On January16,2026 while driving from Houston,TX to Austin TX the vehicle experienced a complete loss of power on Highway 71 W. We were traveling at approximately 70 MPH when the engine completely failed
11573729 Vehicle was parked and idling unoccupied for under 5 minutes when an extremely noxious, hot blast of fumes came from underneath the back
11564774 Thermo control valve failed at about 42000 miles on 2021 Subaru Forester Premium, on 1/1/24. Owned 3 yrs 1 mo. Car was parked at work
FARS counts every occupant death in a fatal crash, whatever the cause — it does not mean the vehicle was at fault or defective. Counts are not adjusted for how many of each vehicle are on the road.
Cite this
Derived data is CC BY 4.0. Link back to the page you used. Text and BibTeX below.
Wrench.Pro (2026). 2021 Subaru Forester vehicle data [dataset]. https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2021/subaru/forester
@misc{wrenchpro_2021_subaru_forester_2026,
author = {Wrench.Pro},
title = {Wrench.Pro vehicle data: 2021 Subaru Forester},
year = {2026},
howpublished = {\url{https://www.wrench.pro/data/vehicles/2021/subaru/forester}},
note = {Derived from NHTSA public records. CC BY 4.0.}
}
