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2025 Subaru Forester Wilderness
Buyable, but go in with open eyes: this car has specific known issues to check before money changes hands.
79 owner complaints · 3 recalls · data verified July 19, 2026 · source: NHTSA
Buy-rated alternatives from this era
Other 2023–2027 cars in the same rough price bracket with a clean, matured Buy verdict — worth cross-shopping before you commit to the 2025 Subaru Forester Wilderness.
Why caution?
12 complaints involve a crash, fire, injury, or death. Read them before deciding.
Score breakdown, by factor
Full methodology →#255 of 291Among the 2025 models with a matured record, the 2025 Subaru Forester Wilderness ranks #255, scoring higher than 8% of them. See the 2025 ranking →
Complaints filed per year
Fading = early teething worked out. Climbing = problems aging in.
How it crashes
NHTSA’s own crash tests, separate from the reliability score above.
NHTSA crash-tested this model year but didn’t publish an overall star rating for it.
Source: nhtsa.gov/ratings. Star ratings compare vehicles within the same class and size, not across every car on the road.
The road ahead
What breaks on a 2025 Subaru Forester Wilderness, plotted where owners report it happening.
Also reported (mileage varies): Visibility & wipers (19) · Fuel system (13) · Driver assistance (9) · Lights (8)
Mileage medians come from owners who mentioned an odometer reading in their NHTSA complaint, a rough guide, not a schedule.
Visibility & wipers
24%19 complaints · 19 in the last 2 years
“Windshield crack started under windshield wiper and then within 12 hours spread from center of car to the passenger side. Took it to dealer then said there was an impa…”
Fuel system
16%13 complaints · 13 in the last 2 years
“The contact owns a 2025 Subaru Forester. The contact received notification of NHTSA Campaign Number: 26V106000 (Fuel System, Gasoline); however, the part to do the rec…”
Driver assistance
11%9 complaints · 9 in the last 2 years
“I experienced a false emergency braking event twice at the same area near my home. The vehicle falsely identified a stopped car ahead of me and slammed on the brakes, …”
Lights
10%8 complaints · 8 in the last 2 years
“Significant issues with adaptive headlights having a large shadow in middle of beam as well as two smaller dark shadows at end of beam that are very distracting. It al…”
Check it against this car’s mileage
Type the odometer reading on the actual car you’re looking at to see which of these problem areas owners tend to report before it, around it, or after it.
Too few owners named a mileage on this model to place issues against an odometer yet.
Read all 79 owner complaints in their own words → · just the 12 crash/fire/injury reports →
Recalls (3)
Safety recall repairs are free at the brand’s franchised dealers. Before buying, run the VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and make the seller show the work was done.
Equipment · 26V436000
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2026 Crosstrek Hybrid, 2025-2026 Forester Hybrid, Forester, and 2019-2026 Ascent vehicles. These vehicles were manufactured with an incorrect Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) on the certification label. As such, these vehicles fail to comply with the requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 110, "Tire selection and rims."
Risk: An incorrect GAWR label may lead to an overloaded vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.
Fix: Subaru will mail a new certification label to owners, free of charge. Owners may also choose to have a dealer install the new label, free of charge. Letters informing owners of the safety risk are expected to be mailed August 25, 2026. Additional letters will be mailed once the remedy is available. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRH-26.
Child Seat · 25V419000
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles. The child seat anchor bolts may have been improperly tightened, allowing the bolts to come loose.
Risk: A loose child seat anchor bolt increases the risk of injury to a child during a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect the child seat anchor bolts and, if necessary, tighten the bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed August 15, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRC-25.
Wheels · 25V033000
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2025 Forester vehicles equipped with 18" aluminum alloy wheels. The wheels may have been manufactured with an incorrectly specified lug seat surface, which can result in the wheel being improperly attached and cause a loss of vehicle stability.
Risk: A loss of vehicle stability increases the risk of a crash.
Fix: Dealers will inspect and replace the wheels, as necessary, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed February 28, 2025. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRB-25.
Questions to ask the seller
Questions worth asking the seller of this Subaru before you buy, drawn from its public record:
- NHTSA lists 3 recall campaigns for the 2025 Subaru Forester Wilderness. Can you run this car's VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls and confirm each one shows "Remedy Completed"?
- Owners of this model report visibility & wipers problems more than anything else. Has this car shown any visibility & wipers symptoms, and are there repair records for it?
- Owners of this model report fuel system problems more than anything else. Has this car shown any fuel system symptoms, and are there repair records for it?
- Has this car been in any accident or had any structural, airbag, or flood-related repair? Do you have a clean title and a recent history report (Carfax / AutoCheck)?
- How many owners has it had, do you have the maintenance records, and why are you selling it?
- Are you open to me having an independent mechanic inspect it before we settle on a price?
Before you hand over money
Check the VIN for open recalls
NHTSA’s free lookup shows whether this exact car had its recall remedies completed.
Free NHTSA VIN check ↗Get a pre-purchase inspection
A $150 to $250 independent inspection of this exact 2025 Subaru FORESTER WILDERNESS beats every score on the internet, including ours.
What to ask forNot set on the 2025? See how every Forester Wilderness model year scores →
Cross-shopping? Compare the 2025 Subaru Forester Wilderness against another car →
What owners say
Real owners of this exact model-year, shown separately from the NHTSA score. If they disagree, that’s worth knowing.