Which one, and which years, drew fewer problems per car sold
The short answer
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Subaru Forester drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 265 per 100,000 against 374 for the Subaru Outback, or 29% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2014 and 2021 for the Outback and 2021 and 2022 for the Forester.
Subaru Outback
Subaru Forester
By age group
| Model years | Outback | Forester | Fewer problems |
|---|---|---|---|
| Older (2012 to 2015) | 251 | 226 | About even |
| Middle (2016 to 2018) | 432 | 286 | Forester |
| Newer (2019 to 2022) | 425 | 280 | Forester |
Owner complaints per 100,000 cars sold, pooled across the years in each group. Lower is better. A model counts as ahead only when it is at least 10% lower.
Year by year
| Year | Outback | Forester |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 265 | 142 |
| 2013 | 252 | 63 |
| 2014 | 150 | 252 |
| 2015 | 334 | 352 |
| 2016 | 352 | 233 |
| 2017 | 488 | 334 |
| 2018 | 456 | 290 |
| 2019 | 572 | 463 |
| 2020 | 591 | 341 |
| 2021 | 193 | 139 |
| 2022 | 316 | 88 |
| 2023 | Too new | Too new |
| 2024 | Too new | Too new |
Complaints per 100,000 sold for each model year. Green is a good year for that model, amber average, red a year to watch out for.
Most reported problems
Questions
Is the Outback or Forester more reliable?
Across the 2012 to 2022 model years, the Subaru Forester drew fewer owner complaints per car sold: 265 per 100,000 against 374 for the Subaru Outback, or 29% fewer. The gap holds for the newer 2019 to 2022 cars too. The best years to target are 2014 and 2021 for the Outback and 2021 and 2022 for the Forester.
Which Outback and Forester years should I avoid?
For the Outback: 2019, 2020. For the Forester: 2019.