2021 Subaru Forester
Owner complaints, recalls, fuel economy and safety ratings from public NHTSA and EPA data, updated Oct 17, 2026.
- 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
- 210filed with NHTSA; not adjusted for sales
Trims
NHTSA's VIN data lists these trims for the 2021 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
- ES seen with 2.5 L
- Limited seen with 2.5 L
- Plus seen with 2.5 L
- Sport seen with 2.5 L
- Touring seen with 2.5 L
Problems owners report
Owners have filed 210 complaints with NHTSA about the 2021 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 | 76 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Unknown or other | 42 | 3 | 3 | 2 |
| Electrical system | 33 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Engine | 33 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| Forward collision avoidance | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Power train | 15 | 5 | 0 | 4 |
| Visibility | 14 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Vehicle speed control | 12 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
| Lane departure | 8 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Fuel/propulsion system | 7 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| Service brakes | 7 | 3 | 0 | 2 |
| Suspension | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
9 more parts
| Steering | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Structure | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Air bags | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Back over prevention | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Chest clip, buckle, harness | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Exterior lighting | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Seats | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tires | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 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 2021 Forester. NHTSA's recall lookup checks a specific VIN.
Service bulletins and investigations
Carmakers sent NHTSA 371 service bulletins and notices that cover the 2021 Forester, the latest on Oct 5, 2026. They tell dealers how to fix known issues.
The parts they mention most: electrical system (218), equipment (123), engine (38), engine and engine cooling (36), power train (35).
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 2021 Forester.
Oil change near you: Jiffy Lube · Take 5
Used ones for sale
See used 2021 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 |
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