Home · 2018 Subaru Forester Wilderness · Complaints

What 488 owners told NHTSA about the 2018 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 (488)Crash / fire / injury (28)Visibility & wipers (156)Airbags (92)Electrical system (68)Engine (31)Speed control (30)Seats (28)Steering (24)Transmission & drivetrain (23)Fuel system (20)Suspension (15)

2 of 488 complaints match · Steering · crash/fire/injury only · clear filters

Jun 14, 2019SteeringSpeed controlCrash

WHILE PARKING IN A LOT: WHEN PULLING INTO A SPACE, HIT BRAKE PEDAL AND CAR ACCELERATED RESULTING IN MINOR DAMAGE TO MY CAR AND OTHERS CARS. I BELIEVE THE CAR MALFUNCTIONED RESULTING IN THIS ACCIDENT.

NHTSA ODI 11220029

May 21, 2019SteeringBody & structureCrash

I CAME TO A COMPLETE STOP TO WAIT FOR ONCOMING TRAFFIC BEFORE MAKING A LEFT TURN. I ONLY HAD ABOUT TWENTY FEET TO GO TO ACCESS THE ANGLED PARKING SPACE FOR THE BUSINESS ON THE CORNER. AS I TURNED INTO THE SPACE, MY FORESTER SUDDENLY JUMPED THE CURB, MOWED DOWN A SIGN POLE, AND CRASHED INTO THE BUILDING WINDOW. AFTER REPLAYING THIS INCIDENT OVER IN MY MIND, I TRULY BELIEVE THIS WAS A CASE OF UNINTENDED ACCELERATION. FORTUNATELY, NO ONE WAS INJURED. I WAS ON A CITY STREET AND WAS TOTALLY SHOCKED THAT THE VEHICLE ACCELERATED LIKE IT DID.

NHTSA ODI 11209053

Working with the data? Download all 488 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 2018 Subaru Forester Wilderness verdict →