2008 Subaru Forester: Best bet

1. Speed control42% · 5 complaints · median 16,000 miles
2. Brakes17% · 2 complaints
3. Air bags8% · 1 complaints
4. Engine8% · 1 complaints
5. Fuel and propulsion8% · 1 complaints
6. Steering8% · 1 complaints
7. Doors and latches8% · 1 complaints
8. Wheels and tires8% · 1 complaints
9. Other8% · 1 complaints

Bars rank problem areas by complaints weighted for severity (crashes, fires, injuries and deaths count more). A complaint can name more than one area. Mileage is reported on about half of complaints.

• NHTSA 11V464000September 2011318,215 vehicles

  Suspension: front: control arm: lower arm

  Subaru is recalling certain model year 2002-2007 impreza, model year 2003-2008 forester, and model year 2005-2006 saab 9-2x vehicles manufactured from september 5, 2000 through november 26, 2007 originally sold, or currently registered in, massachusetts, maryland, michigan, new hampshire, new york, pennsylvania, vermont, wisconsin, connecticut, delaware, iowa, illinois, indiana, maine, minnesota, missouri, new jersey, ohio, rhode island, west virginia and the district of columbia. The front lower control arms may break at the hanger brackets due to corrosion if the hanger bracket is exposed to salty and humid environments such as roads containing snow melting agent.

  Risk: A broken control arm can result in the loss of control of the vehicle, increasing the risk of a crash.

  Fix: Subaru will handle their vehicles and saab will handle theirs.

A recall only helps if the repair was done. Enter the vehicle's 17-character VIN on NHTSA's official recall lookup before you buy.

Subaru sent NHTSA 153 service bulletins and other notices to dealers covering the 2008 Forester. These are repair instructions, not recalls. Warranty extensions and bulletins about its top problem areas:

• Subarunet Announcement · July 2024This announcement provides information on Takata Recall Escalated Towing Program.
• 06-90-24 · June 2024This bulletin provides diagnosis and procedure information to be applied when diagnosing potential fluid leaks on front and rear brake calipers.
• TKA-20R/TKB-30R/ · October 2023SUBARU OF AMERICA, INC.
• 06-68-19R · July 2019This Service Information bulletin announces instruction for application of additional lubrication between the brake caliper support and pad clips.
• WQK47-2 · June 2014New Subaru Recall Campaign: Brake Line Corrosion WQK?47
• SB-001487 · October 2012Subaru: information being provided regarding counterfeit air bags, being used as replacement parts and installed in certain vehicles.
• 15-308-23R · August 2026This Service Information Bulletin outlines a systematic procedure for diagnosing parasitic draw (dark/standby current) in vehicles experiencing battery drain when the ignition is off, leading to…
• 15-304-22R · August 2026This Bulletin has been developed to outline the steps for gathering basic but essential information during diagnosis of Infotainment concerns.

All 2008 Forester bulletins on NHTSA ›

Questions owners ask

Is the 2008 Subaru Forester reliable?

Owners filed 12 complaints with NHTSA about the 2008 Subaru Forester in its first five years on the road, about 21 for every 100,000 sold: 0.2× the rate of a typical Forester year. That's among the fewest of any Forester year. Ratings compare Forester years with each other using complaints filed with NHTSA; they don't measure every problem owners have.

What are the most common 2008 Forester problems?

Owners' complaints most often involve speed control (42%), the brakes (17%) and the air bags (8%). A complaint can name more than one area.

Has the 2008 Subaru Forester been recalled?

Yes. NHTSA lists 1 recall campaign for the 2008 Subaru Forester, the most recent in September 2011 (suspension). Enter the vehicle's VIN on NHTSA's recall lookup to see whether the repairs were done.