All generations and engines together · 10,174 MOT tests in the 2025 data · typical mileage at age 7: 60k
Split by first-registration year. Cars registered in a changeover year can belong to either generation.
Computed from DVSA MOT results, all of Great Britain, 2025. Nothing here is opinion.
Share of tests where each item was recorded. The dark tick is the class average across all tracked models; bars are scaled within each group.
The rows that judge the model rather than its keeper. 3,764 tests in this band.
Tyres, pads and stone chips say more about how the car was driven and maintained than about how it was built.
Owner folklore from forums and the motoring press. Most of it never shows up in an MOT, which is why this section exists at all.
A steady stream of owners across generations report creaks and knocks from the front end and rear subframe over speed bumps and potholes, usually traced to worn control arm bushes, strut top mounts or sway bar links. Subaru itself recalled Foresters built April 2017 to May 2019 because the bolts on the rear stabiliser bracket could work loose, a genuine manufacturer safety action rather than just forum chatter. This lines up with the measured MOT data, where suspension is the standout fault category for this class of small SUV, so a test drive that throws up knocks over bumps is worth taking seriously rather than dismissing as normal Subaru clatter.
Owners of the 2.0D Boxer diesel report repeated glow plug failures, in one case a 2018 car needing all four replaced twice by 36,000 miles, along with hard cold starts and warning lights. The DPF can also struggle to regenerate on cars used mainly for short runs, leading to warning lights and, eventually, a costly filter clean or replacement. A full glow plug set plus labour typically runs a few hundred pounds, DPF work can run into four figures if it is left too long. Only relevant to the diesel manual, not the petrol or e-Boxer hybrid.
Two separate manufacturer recalls cover cars stalling unexpectedly. Petrol Foresters built between September 2016 and October 2019 could suffer ignition coils shorting out and failing, causing a stall or no-start. Cars built between November 2020 and June 2021 were recalled over a fuel pump impeller fault that could cause the pump to fail and the engine to cut out. Both are free dealer fixes if not already done, so it is worth checking the recall was actually carried out on the specific car rather than just registered.
The Lineartronic CVT fitted to automatic Foresters is generally reliable but a recurring complaint is a shudder or hesitation pulling away from rest, and a droning, rubber-band feel under load that some owners find tiresome on longer journeys. Early cars from around 2014-2015 attract the most forum complaints about solenoids and torque converter shudder; later cars are less troublesome. Repairs when they do go wrong are expensive, often a reconditioned or replacement unit rather than a simple part swap, so a hesitant or jerky pull-away on the test drive is worth walking away from.
The Starlink touchscreen unit fitted from around 2013 onwards is reported to freeze, go blank or fail to reboot, with owners on Honest John quoting around £1,500 for a dealer replacement unit. It is an annoyance rather than a safety issue since the car still drives fine, but it is not a cheap fix and there is no widely reported free goodwill repair. Worth checking every function of the screen, camera and sat nav works properly during a test drive rather than assuming it is fine because it powers on.
Owners report batteries going flat or struggling to hold charge after the car sits for a week or so, and on some 2020-on hybrid e-Boxer models the small 12-volt starter battery has needed repeated replacement, with dealers advising owners to take longer drives with the headlights on to let the alternator work harder. It points to an alternator or battery management system that is marginal for a car doing mostly short local journeys, rather than a single faulty part. A new battery is a modest cost but repeat failures suggest a deeper charging issue worth investigating before buying.
Built from the two sections above.
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