Selling a junk Subaru Forester
Any Forester sells for scrap or parts, running or not. Below: what owners report most often for each model year, the recalls on file, and which of those change the offer. Enter your ZIP for a buyer near you.
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What owners report about the Subaru Forester
NHTSA has 8,453 owner complaints on file for the Subaru Forester, model years 1998 to 2022, the 57th-most of the 423 models in our data. The most-reported components are visibility and wipers (1,224, 14%), air bags (899, 11%), other (856, 10%). 867 complaints involved a crash, 148 a fire, and 519 say the vehicle had to be towed. The median mileage when the problem was reported is 39,590 miles. The 2019 model year has the most complaints (1,088). Data as of 2026-10-12.
The guides below explain how each kind of fault changes what a buyer pays.
Subaru Forester by model year
| Year | Complaints | Most reported | Crash | Fire | Recalls | Median miles |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 138 | Transmission and drivetrain | 9 | 5 | 1 | 98,000 |
| 1999 | 156 | Transmission and drivetrain | 6 | 1 | 1 | 72,000 |
| 2000 | 95 | Transmission and drivetrain | 7 | 0 | 0 | 82,000 |
| 2001 | 169 | Speed control | 39 | 0 | 0 | 64,000 |
| 2002 | 109 | Speed control | 29 | 1 | 0 | 93,000 |
| 2003 | 238 | Fuel system | 28 | 0 | 3 | 86,150 |
| 2004 | 270 | Fuel system | 19 | 4 | 2 | 97,000 |
| 2005 | 105 | Fuel system | 23 | 1 | 1 | 80,615 |
| 2006 | 121 | Speed control | 20 | 10 | 2 | 54,000 |
| 2007 | 93 | Fuel system | 20 | 1 | 1 | 64,000 |
| 2008 | 67 | Suspension | 8 | 6 | 1 | 90,000 |
| 2009 | 228 | Air bags | 25 | 8 | 18 | 60,000 |
| 2010 | 307 | Seats | 29 | 8 | 17 | 66,483 |
| 2011 | 195 | Engine | 41 | 7 | 16 | 60,000 |
| 2012 | 140 | Engine | 22 | 5 | 15 | 43,405 |
| 2013 | 94 | Engine | 17 | 3 | 12 | 50,000 |
| 2014 | 576 | Suspension | 84 | 6 | 2 | 54,432 |
| 2015 | 899 | Engine | 92 | 12 | 3 | 45,000 |
| 2016 | 625 | Air bags | 78 | 6 | 3 | 40,000 |
| 2017 | 804 | Air bags | 66 | 1 | 1 | 30,000 |
| 2018 | 687 | Visibility and wipers | 53 | 1 | 3 | 16,000 |
| 2019 | 1,088 | Visibility and wipers | 67 | 26 | 3 | 10,100 |
| 2020 | 817 | Visibility and wipers | 46 | 16 | 0 | 7,499 |
| 2021 | 288 | Visibility and wipers | 28 | 10 | 0 | 9,500 |
| 2022 | 144 | Driver assistance | 11 | 10 | 1 | — |
Complaints are owner reports to NHTSA, not confirmed defects. Median miles is the odometer reading owners gave when they reported a problem, shown only where 20 or more reports include it.
Subaru Forester recalls
NHTSA lists 37 recall campaigns across these model years, most often for air bags (14), engine and cooling (4), brakes (3). Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer. Before you sell, check your VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls; a buyer who plans to resell the car will.
- 2022 model year, transmission and drivetrain (campaign 23V755000, Nov 2023): Subaru of America, Inc. is recalling certain model year 2021 Crosstrek, 2022 Forester, 2021-2023 Legacy, and Outback vehicles. An insufficient weld may allow water to enter the inhibitor switch, causing it to fail.
- 2009 model year, seat belts (campaign 22V838000, Nov 2022): Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles. The front seat belt assembly force-limiter may not operate correctly in the event of a crash.
- 2018 model year, fuel system (campaign 21V587000, Jul 2021): Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2019-2020 Ascent, 2018 Forester, 2018-2020 Impreza, Legacy, Outback, 2018-2019 BRZ, WRX, and Toyota 86 vehicles. The low-pressure fuel pump inside the fuel tank may f…
- 2019 model year, suspension (campaign 21V263000, Apr 2021): 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.
- 2009 model year, air bags (campaign 20V001000, Jan 2020): Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester, 2003-2006 Baja, 2004-2011 Impreza, 2004-2014 WRX (STI included), 2003-2014 Legacy and Outback, and 2005-2006 Saab 9-2X vehicles originally sold, o…
What a Subaru Forester is worth as a junk car
Buyers price a junk Forester on four things: its weight at today's scrap steel price (the floor), the parts still on it that can be resold, whether it starts and drives, and how far they have to tow it. None of those come from a complaint database, so use this page to describe the car accurately and our junk car value guide to work out a ceiling for the metal. Then get more than one offer.
Guides for selling this car
How to sell a car that doesn't run 
How much is my junk car worth? 
How junkyards price cars 
Catalytic converters and junk cars 
How to prepare your car for the junkyard 
Junk car scams and how to avoid them Other Subaru models
- Subaru Outback 12,007
- Subaru Legacy 3,674
- Subaru Impreza 3,334
- Subaru Crosstrek 1,295
- Subaru WRX 1,207
Questions people ask
- What is a junk Subaru Forester worth?
- What a yard can recover: the car's weight at the current scrap steel price, plus parts it can resell (the catalytic converter, engine, transmission and wheels if they're good), minus towing and processing. The same Forester gets different offers from different buyers, so compare at least two. Our value guide shows the public benchmark.
- Will a junkyard buy a Subaru Forester that doesn't run?
- Yes. Junkyards and junk car buyers take cars that don't start, and most arrange the tow. Tell them honestly whether it starts, whether the engine and transmission are still in it, and whether the catalytic converter is on; those are what change the price.
- Should I fix an open recall before selling a Subaru Forester?
- Recall repairs are free at a franchised dealer for as long as the car exists. If the car is going for scrap, the repair won't change the scrap price. If a buyer might resell it or pull parts, a completed recall can help. Check your VIN at NHTSA's recall lookup first.
- Where do these Subaru Forester numbers come from?
- From the complaint and recall data NHTSA publishes for every make and model, counted by model year on 2026-10-12. A complaint is an owner's report, not a confirmed defect, and the count rises with how many of the model were sold.