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What 578 owners told NHTSA about the 2017 Subaru Forester Wilderness

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.

All (578)Crash / fire / injury (45)Airbags (160)Visibility & wipers (115)Electrical system (105)Engine (46)Transmission & drivetrain (44)Speed control (33)Seats (31)Steering (24)Body & structure (15)Brakes (14)

1 of 578 complaints match · Transmission & drivetrain · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Oct 4, 2021Transmission & drivetrainCrash1 injury

The contact owns a 2017 Subaru Forester. The contact stated that while attempting to shift gear into reverse, the vehicle made a strange noise, then lunged forward inadvertently. The vehicle's front driver-side tire ran over the contact's daughter's upper legs. The contact's daughter received medical attention on the scene for injuries sustained to her legs and was now receiving physical therapy. A police report was filed. The vehicle was appraised by the insurance company for front-end damage and was repaired by an auto collision center. The dealer and manufacturer were not made aware of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 90,000. The VIN was not available.

NHTSA ODI 11435400

Working with the data? Download all 578 complaints as CSV · fetched from NHTSA July 19, 2026

How to use these: a complaint is one owner’s report, filed voluntarily and published unverified. Patterns matter more than any single story. If several owners describe the same failure at similar mileage, put that system at the top of your pre-purchase inspection list. Back to the full 2017 Subaru Forester Wilderness verdict →