2006 Subaru Forester

No clear pattern

12.4% of complaints about the 2006 Subaru Forester arrived in its first year of service. That is an unusual figure for a 2006 vehicle, but with only 121 complaints on record the sample is too small to call it a pattern — the margin of error covers the range where ordinary vehicles sit. The figures below are reported without a verdict. The most-reported system is speed control (20 complaints), typically at 4.8 yr or about 36,340 miles.

Complaints: 121
Median age at failure: 7.2 yr
Median mileage: 51,000 n=91
Crash / fire / tow: 24% of reports
Safety recalls: 2

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

11V464000 2011-09-06

Suspension:front:control arm:lower arm

SUBARU IS RECALLING CERTAIN MODEL YEAR 2002-2007 IMPREZA, MODEL YEAR 2003-2008 FORESTER, AND MODEL YEAR 2005-2006 SAAB 9-2X VEHICLES MANUFACTURED FROM SEPTEMBER 5, 2000 THROUGH NOVEMBER 26, 2007 ORIGINALLY SOLD, OR CURRENTLY REGISTERED IN, MASSACHUSETTS, MARYLAND, MICHIGAN, NEW HAMPSHIRE, NEW YORK, PENNSYLVANIA, VERMONT, WISCONSIN, CONNECTICUT, DELAWARE, IOWA, ILLINOIS, INDIANA, MAINE, MINNESOTA, MISSOURI, NEW JERSEY, OHIO, RHODE ISLAND, WEST VIRGINIA AND THE DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS MAY BREAK AT THE HANGER BRACKETS DUE TO CORROSION IF THE HANGER BRACKET IS EXPOSED

A BROKEN CONTROL ARM CAN RESULT IN THE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE, INCREASING THE RISK OF A CRASH.

07V043000 2007-02-12

Air bags:frontal

ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT MAY HAVE BEEN PINCHED DURING PRODUCTION. PINCHING OF THE WIRING HARNESS BETWEEN THE FLOOR CROSSMEMBER AND THE SEAT MOUNTING BRACKET COULD RESULT IN A SHORT CIRCUIT.

THE PASSENGER'S FRONT AIR BAG COULD BECOME DISABLED AND MAY NOT DEPLOY IN THE EVENT OF A CRASH INCREASING THE RISK OF INJURY TO THE SEAT OCCUPANT. ALSO AN ELECTRICAL SHORT CIRCUIT COULD CAUSE A FIRE.

In owners’ own words

Speed control 100 mi 2 mo in service

DT: THE CONTACT STATED VEHICLE IS HESITATED AND SURGED. THIS HAPPENED MORE OFTEN WHEN TRAVELING DOWN A MOUNTAIN. THE VEHICLE HAS BEEN TAKEN TO A CERTIFIED DEALERSHIP FOR DIAGNOSIS, AND THE PROBLEM WAS DUPLICATED. HOWEVER, THE MANUFACTURER CONCLUDED THERE WAS ACTUALLY NO PROBLEM WITH THE VEHICLE. IN ADDITION, THE MANUFACTURER OFFERED $1,000 GIFT CERTIFICATE AS INCENTIVE TO HAVE NO FURTHER CONTACT WITH THEM. *AK

Speed control mileage not reported 1.5 yr in service

ON COLD START THE ENGINE RACES UNCONTROLLABY UP TO APPROXIMATELY 3500 RPMS AFTER CLUTCH WAS DEPRESSED. IT RACED UP AND DOWN UNTIL IT WARMED FULLY UP. IT SOMETIMES RACES LIKE THIS AFTER HIGH SPEED DRIVING WHEN YOU COME TO A STOP. *AK

Speed control 4,000 mi 1.6 yr in service

TL*THE CONTACT OWNS A 2006 SUBARU FORESTER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE VEHICLE SUDDENLY ACCELERATED TO MORE THAN 30 MPH WHEN GENTLY DEPRESSING THE ACCELERATOR PEDAL. THE VEHICLE FAILED TO STOP WHEN THE BRAKES WERE DEPRESSED. AFTER MANEUVERING THE VEHICLE AROUND A BUILDING THREE TIMES THE IGNITION WAS ABLE TO BE SHUT OFF. THE VEHICLE WAS TOWED TO THE DEALER , FIRST TEAM AUTO MALL, AND NO FAILURE COULD BE FOUND. THE CURRENT AND FAILURE MILEAGES WERE 4,000.*AK

Other Forester model years

How to read this

This is what owners reported, not a reliability rating. People file with NHTSA about alarming failures, not routine ones, and complaint volume tracks how many cars were sold.
Failure ages come from the incident date on each complaint, populated on about 83% of records. Mileage is shown where reported — NHTSA’s 2021 system change cut mileage capture to roughly 15%, so it thins out sharply after MY2020.
Every rank compares this vehicle only against others of the same model year. A 2025 car has not had time to accumulate five-year failures, so comparing early-failure share across years is meaningless.
Fourteen make-months distorted by media storms and mass recalls — Toyota in February 2010 ran 11× normal volume across 33 models — are excluded.
Recalls are manufacturer actions and authoritative; complaints are not. A recall listed here may already have been performed on any individual car. Check a specific VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls.

2006 Subaru Forester

When each system is reported — middle 50% of complaints

Safety recalls — NHTSA campaigns

In owners’ own words

Other Forester model years

How to read this