Home · 2012 Subaru Forester Wilderness · Complaints
These are the actual owner complaints behind this car’s reliability verdict, filed with the federal government, unedited. They’re unverified reports, not confirmed defects: read them as leads for your pre-purchase inspection, not a diagnosis.
2 of 105 complaints match · Body & structure · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters
WHILE PULLING INTO A PARKING STALL AT APPROXIMATELY 2-3 MPH I WENT TO PRESS THE BRAKES WHEN ALL OF THE SUDDEN THE CAR ACCELERATED AT FULL SPEED WITHOUT TOUCHING THE ACCELERATOR CAUSING ME TO HIT THE CONCRETE WALL IN FRONT OF ME. AIRBAGS DID NOT DEPLOY AND NEITHER ME OR MY PASSENGER WERE NOT HURT. DAMAGE TO THE BUMPER, FRAME, GRILL AND VARIOUS COMPONENTS JUST INSIDE THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT.
NHTSA ODI 11204536
WHILE OPENING THE DRIVER'S SIDE DOOR, THE TOP, RIGHT CORNER OF THE DOOR STRUCK MY FOREHEAD, CAUSING A GASH JUST ABOVE MY RIGHT EYEBROW THAT REQUIRED SIX STITCHES TO CLOSE. A LITTLE LOWER AND THE SHARP, POINTED CORNER OF THE DOOR FRAME COULD HAVE CAUSED THE LOSS OF MY RIGHT EYE. THE PROBLEM IS WITH THE DESIGN OF THE DOOR FRAME. IN ORDER TO OPEN THE DOOR, ONE MUST REACH FOR THE DOOR HANDLE AND, IN DOING SO, LEAN IN TOWARD THE DOOR. WHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED, IF ONE IS NOT STANDING BACK FAR ENOUGH, THE DOOR WILL HIT THE PERSON OPENING THE DOOR. THE DESIGN IS COMMON TO BOTH THE DRIVER'S SIDE AND FRONT PASSENGER SIDE DOORS. I INQUIRED WITH KINNEY MOTORS OF RUTLAND, VERMONT (802-775-6900), WHERE I PURCHASED MY 2012 SUBARU FORESTER TO SEE IF THERE IS A FIX FOR THE ABOVE PROBLEM AND, WHILE THE SERVICE MANAGER WAS POLITE AND TRIED TO BE HELPFUL, NO FIX WAS AVAILABLE. *TR
NHTSA ODI 10460042
Working with the data? Download all 105 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026