2020 Subaru Forester
Showing the 2020 Forester Sport. NHTSA's VIN data shows it with a 2.5 L engine, but that may not be every version of it, so the numbers below cover every version of this model year. Every version
Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
About every 2020 Forester
The 2020 Subaru Forester has 603 owner complaints filed with NHTSA, the most for windows, mirrors and wipers at 252, followed by electrical system at 103. It is rated 29 mpg combined on gasoline, with a 5-year fuel cost of $11,200 at U.S. average prices, based on 15,000 miles a year. NHTSA gives it 5 overall stars. NHTSA lists none for recall campaigns, and no defect investigations are open.
Written by AI from public EPA and NHTSA data. Not a review.
- Fuel economy
- 29 mpgcombined; city 26, highway 33; every version of this model year
- Five years of fuel
- $11,200U.S. average; Ohio $10,010 at local prices; every version of this model year; fuel only, not other costs of owning it; 15,000 miles a year, at EIA fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026
- NHTSA overall safety rating
- 5 starslowest across the versions NHTSA tested
- Recall campaigns
- 0none on file
- Owner complaints
- 603filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales
Trims
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2020 Forester. A trim's engine and numbers are shown as its own only where EPA names versions after the trim and no other version could be it; "seen with" means a source shows that engine on the trim, not that it was the only one. Recalls and complaints cover the whole model year: whether a recall applies to a car depends on its VIN, on NHTSA's recall lookup.
- Base seen with 2.5 L
- Base Plus seen with 2.5 L
- Limited seen with 2.5 L
- Limited Base seen with 2.5 L
- Sport seen with 2.5 L
- Sport Base seen with 2.5 L
- Trg seen with 2.5 L
Problems owners report
Owners have filed 603 complaints with NHTSA about the 2020 Forester. These are unverified owner reports, counted by the part of the car they name; one complaint can name several parts. Counts aren't adjusted for how many were sold, so they don't show how reliable a car is.
| Part | Complaints | Crashes | Fires | Injuries |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Visibility/wiper | 252 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown or other | 107 | 5 | 3 | 0 |
| Electrical system | 103 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Engine | 81 | 2 | 4 | 0 |
| Visibility | 49 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 43 | 4 | 1 | 7 |
| Power train | 32 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 24 | 12 | 0 | 9 |
| Lane departure | 22 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Structure | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 13 | 3 | 4 | 1 |
| Service brakes | 13 | 5 | 1 | 7 |
13 more parts
| Air bags | 11 | 6 | 1 | 5 |
| Steering | 11 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Engine and engine cooling | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 4 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Exterior lighting | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seat belts | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Electronic stability control (ESC) | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Latches/locks/linkages | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Back over prevention | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chest clip, buckle, harness | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Parking brake | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Wheels | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Complaints by model year
Newer years have had less time to collect complaints, and counts aren't adjusted for sales, so a shorter bar doesn't mean a more reliable year.
Every Forester year side by side
Recalls
NHTSA lists no recalls for the 2020 Forester. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.
Service bulletins and investigations
Carmakers sent NHTSA 481 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2020 Forester, the latest on Oct 5, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (292), equipment (179), engine and engine cooling (43), power train (41), engine (39).
NHTSA hasn't opened a defect investigation that covers this model year.
Maintenance
Oil
The owner's manual gives the oil and how often to change it. We show oil facts only once we've checked them against the manual, and we haven't yet for the 2020 Forester.
Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5
Used ones for sale
See used 2020 Subaru Foresters for sale on: Autotrader · CarMax
These are searches on those sites; we don't copy or check their listings. Your ZIP is used for these links and never kept.
Specs
EPA class: small sport utility vehicle. EPA greenhouse gas score: 6 out of 10. Each version EPA tested:
| Version | Engine | Transmission | Fuel | City / hwy / comb |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Forester All-Wheel Drive | 2.5 L, 4 cyl | Automatic (AV-S7) | Regular Gasoline | 26 / 33 / 29 |
Compare
Sources and dates
- U.S. EPA fuel economy data, file of Sep 29, 2026
- NHTSA owner complaints, file of Oct 17, 2026
- NHTSA recalls, file of Oct 17, 2026
- NHTSA manufacturer communications, file of Oct 17, 2026
- NHTSA defect investigations, file of Oct 17, 2026
- NHTSA 5-Star Safety Ratings, file of Aug 7, 2026
- U.S. Energy Information Administration, file of Oct 12, 2026
Fuel cost: EPA mpg with fuel prices for the week of Oct 12, 2026 and electricity prices for Jul 2026. Source: U.S. Energy Information Administration (Oct 2026). Complaints are unverified reports owners filed with NHTSA. About the data