These help you judge whether this one is worth its price.
Costly problem zones ahead at your miles come with a Car Hunt Pass or Pro. See plans
Loading the EPA's yearly fuel cost
What about the price? Check the asking price on two listing sites. Buying from a dealer? Run its offer through the offer X ray.
Education, not financial or mechanical advice. Have any used car checked by a mechanic you trust before you buy.
The full record
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What owners complain about
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Seller kit
Questions for the seller, test drive checks and price points
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Walk up to the seller ready
Questions to ask the seller of a 2019 Subaru Forester, built from this year's owner complaints and recalls. What to feel, hear and look at on the test drive, with boxes to tick at the car. Honest points to raise on price, from the records and never from guesses. Copy the questions to your phone in one tap.
A ready to send offer for the seller, by text or email
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Send the seller a fair offer
Type the asking price and your own offer for the 2019 Subaru Forester, tick what you found, and get a polite message ready to text or email. Its reasons come from this year's owner complaints, recalls and crash ratings, and never from made up repair prices.
NHTSA's stars out of five, for each version it tested. Front crash stars only compare cars of about the same size and weight.
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Fuel economy
The EPA's estimates for each engine and transmission, and its own yearly fuel cost. Yours depends on how you drive and the shape the car is in.
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True cost to own
The loan, fuel, insurance and upkeep, a month and over 5 years
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What it really costs to own
What the 2019 Subaru Forester costs a month and over 5 years: the loan and its interest, fuel worked out from the EPA's figures for the version you pick, and your own insurance, registration and upkeep. A cost a mile, a link that reopens your numbers, and the breakdown copied to your phone in one tap.
Owner complaints for each model year, this one outlined. Tap a year to open it. The newest 2 are not judged yet. Bars are totals, so older years stand taller; the verdict compares every year at the same age.
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Before you buy this one
Built from this year's numbers. Whatever the data says, the car in front of you is the one that counts.
Year verdict: Typical year: 76 complaints, the median of 5 nearby years, leaving out 2015, 2017 and 2018, which were high themselves. Each counted over its first 8 years from January 2018; this one had 821.
Same car, better year: 2021 or 2022 Forester (both Worthy)
Not every car needs every fix. Run the VIN at NHTSA to see which are still open. Repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand; ask before any work.
Suspension
Apr 15, 2021 · Recall 21V263000
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2018-2019 Subaru Crosstrek, 2019 Crosstrek Hybrid, and 2019 Forester vehicles. The rear stabilizer bracket bolts may loosen and detach.
What can happen
Missing bolts may allow the rear stabilizer bracket to shift, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will retorque and replace any missing bolts, free of charge. Owner notification letters were mailed May 17, 2021. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WRD-21.
Engine
Dec 2, 2019 · Recall 19V856000
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Crosstrek, Forester, and Ascent vehicles. The aluminum Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV) valve can separate, allowing the separated components to enter the engine, resulting in a loss of power while driving.
What can happen
An unexpected loss of power while driving can increase the risk of a crash.
The fix
Subaru will notify owners, and dealers will inspect and replace the PCV valve, free of charge. If the PCV valve has separated and the components cannot be found, the short block engine will be replaced, free of charge. The recall began January 31, 2020. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUW-08.
Steering
Feb 6, 2019 · Recall 19V065000
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019 Forester and Crosstrek vehicles. A connector inside the Electronic Power Steering (EPS) unit may short circuit resulting in a loss of electric power steering assistance.
What can happen
Loss of power steering assist would require higher steering effort, increasing the risk of a crash.
The fix
None of the affected vehicles have been sold yet. Subaru has notified dealers and they will inspect the steering gearbox, replacing it as necessary, free of charge. The recall began February 7, 2019. Owners may contact Subaru customer service at 1-844-373-6614. Subaru's number for this recall is WUC-88.
834 complaints; the part named most is the windows, wipers and visibility
Unverified reports, not adjusted for sales. One complaint can name several parts, so shares add up past 100%. Filed Dec 27, 2018 to Oct 11, 2026. 19% name a part that is usually costly to fix.
Owners reported 37 crashes, 11 fires, 21 injuries and 1 death in these complaints.
Windows, wipers and visibility406 · 49%
Other or unknown144 · 17%
Electrical134 · 16%
What one owner wrote about the windows, wipers and visibility
In May 2025, I had the passenger-side mirror on my 2019 Subaru Forester replaced at a licensed Subaru dealership. I was told the replacement part would be factory-original and matched to the vehicle’s VIN, which specifies a dark metallic grey exterior. After the repair was completed, I noticed that the mirror casing was the wrong color — a visibly lighter…
Filed Jun 4, 2025NHTSA complaint 116647851 of 18 owner quotes
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15 more parts, and 18 owner quotes
Every part owners name for the 2019 Subaru Forester, with their own words about what went wrong. Usually costly to fix among them: Engine, Transmission and drivetrain, Body and frame.
5 checks, with a close look at the windows, wipers and visibility
The bar holds the middle half of the complaints that gave a mileage; the dark mark is the middle one. 163 complaints of 834 gave one. Owners file when something fails, so this shows when problems were reported, not how long the cars last. These cars are young, so problems at higher miles have not had time to show.
EngineCostly30,000 to 70,000 mi
Half of these 30 complaints came between about 30,000 and 70,000 miles, the middle one around 50,000.
050K100K150K200K250K
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Mileage for 3 more parts
The mileage band for every part owners name, and your car's miles laid across them.
Run the VIN at NHTSA to confirm every recall was fixed.
This year has 3 recalls on file. Recall repairs are usually free at a dealer for the brand. Ask the dealer to confirm before any work is done. Look up a VIN at NHTSA.
Ask the seller for the service records.
Look closely for any work on the windows, wipers and visibility. It is the part owners complain about most for this year.
Have a mechanic you trust inspect it before you pay.
Ask them to look at the windows, wipers and visibility first.
Look at a vehicle history report.
It can show reported crashes, flood or salvage titles, and mileage that does not add up.
On the test drive, pay attention to the windows, wipers and visibility.
Run the wipers, washers, defrost and every window.
