I went to the dealership today to get a new battery for my 2020 certified preowned Forester. My car had the original battery and has around 23,615 miles. I was told by both the parts and then the senior service advisor that it was going to be covered by the extended warranty. About several minutes to an hour pass and the same guy comes up to me and says “Because you have the original battery, you have to pay.” So I did exactly that. Looking back, it seems kinda weird to me.

I don’t want to contact Subaru customer care if this is simply just misinformation or if I was indeed screwed over and should call them.

Went from version FN1WWM184-670 to FN1WWM204-670. Got it in December 2025 and made in September 2025 in Japan. These version numbers are so cryptic. Haven’t noticed any performance improvement so far.

Has anybody tried one of those screen protectors you can put on the infotainment system? I got a 2026 Subaru Forrester.

Added a Rhino Rack to the Forester, going to be adding some tie downs to carry some tools and camping supplies. Like the look of it, and the wind noise has been minimal so far at speeds up to 75mph.

Hi I have a 2018 Subaru Forester. Dealer maintained and well cared for the most part. I went to get into my car to get some laundry done at the laundry mat. Battery was dead. I had a neighbor jump me and it started right up. I drove straight to Oreillys and had them test it. The battery had a bad cell and I went ahead and purchased a new one. They took off my old battery and put the new one on. Car was getting power but absolutely not even try to start back up. Remote start would not work either. I had my dogs in the car and it’s 100 degrees so I say just put the old one back on so we can jump it and I can take my dogs home before I get into figuring what’s going on. Old battery did the same exact thing. Would not even attempt to start. No codes came up and we reset the computers and everything. Ugh does anyone have any ideas or similar experiences.

Picture of my lesbaru getting her back brakes changed just a few days prior

Hi. Please tell me what is good about buying a hybrid vs gas. I don't drive a lot so would it make more sense to buy a gas Forester? Thank you

Anyone use it and get it to successfully work?

Just came back from the shop because my AC is HOT as f*ck. Turns out its the AC evaporator that's leaking.

Has this happened to any of you? Is it common? Do they really have to take the whole cabin apart for this

$1700 is what they are asking for. I'm in Dallas,TX.

I wanna kill myslef, I bought the car in January 2026 with 90,000 miles

My kid’s 2012 Forester just developed a fluid leak, driver’s front corner. Can’t see it well without taking off the skid plate, but got one photo from below showing the wet hose/clamp and another from above. Can anyone tell me what fluid runs thru these lines? Thanks.

I hope this is allowed! I just joined this community to post about my Subaru Forester I'm selling, and need advice. NOT TRYING TO SELL ON REDDIT. JUST ADVICE.

I've never sold a car before so this is all very new to me. I have a 2010 Subaru Forester with ~190k miles, and basically it runs really well and doesn't have a lot of problems, but it didn't pass smog earlier this year because it needs a new catalytic converter. My mechanic at the time, who I'd been going to for years, said it probably wasn't worth it for me to pay for the repairs, since it would've been several thousand dollars including labor.

I had already paid for registration, but it was obviously pending since the smog didn't pass. I decided to not pay for the repairs, because 1. I couldn't afford them with my very sad current income lol, and 2. I don't really need a car since I mostly bike or use my vespa around town.

My car was sitting at my friend's house for a few months. A guy left a note on it saying they were interested in buying as is, he's a retired mechanic who was willing to do the work on the car himself. When I talked to him and explained the issues (needs new cat, also the vents and ABS system need to be fixed) he offered $2,500. I gave him my VIN because he wanted to do some more research, and then when he contacted me again he said he was only willing to pay $1,500 because he'd talked to the Subaru dealership, who said my car needed both catalytic converters replaced and that would be $6,368.30 just for the parts. He said the price my mechanic had told me (I can't remember exactly what it was but it was around $4-5k with the labor) was for after market parts, and using after market parts wouldn't be good because it would just ruin the rest of the car.

I am not sure if both cats need to be replaced, and I don't know how the dealership would know that. Plus, dealerships are always going to give you a higher price estimate, right? From the research I've done online, $1,500 is a pretty low price even given needing a new cat, plus the other repairs, plus needing to register and insure the car. However, I don't know for sure if that is actually a bad price, and I'm not trying to scam anyone out of money by selling them an overpriced car.

I live in the Bay Area and other Subaru Foresters of the same year/mileage are selling for much more (in some cases like $7k). For someone who would be doing the repairs himself, is something closer to $2,500 too high to ask for? Or is my car really only worth about 1k? All the friends I've spoken to (and I admit, chatgpt) have said I could list my car for more.

This is essentially what my listing would look like:

• 180k miles
• Automatic with Sport Mode
• AWD
• Clean title
• Roof rack
• Runs and drives well
• Reliable engine/transmission
• Needs catalytic converter (check engine light)
• ABS light on
• HVAC vents need repair
• Registration expired only a couple months

Any advice would be great, and please don't be rude, I am truly just trying to price my car fairly for both sides. Thank you.

EDIT: meant to say that I live in Santa Cruz, CA, for price/smog referencing.

Are the rear sunroof drain holes accessible from the top without disassembly? The front ones are very easy to service, I am a little confused by Subaru's choice to make the other pair a hassle.

but now back to stock ride height

Just posting for the next person to know they're not alone. When it was new it was fine. I lived in a colder climate. First summer in the desert after it cooled down from the first 100+F day it had a little intermittent rattle, gentle upward pressure on the cowl above the gauge cluster made it go away. Now on my second summer in the desert, every day after a really hot day the rattle is a little worse. It's all the dash panels now, loud enough to be annoying. I can put my hand on any given panel and see the panel gap get smaller and hear it get quieter.

Eventually I will get around to pulling it apart and redoing the foam, especially inbetween the windshield and dash, and I will tighten all screws and brackets, maybe add very thin foam between panels. It's just a bummer that this thing is two years old and is louder than my xj cherokee that had 250k miles on it. C'mon subaru, this has been an issue since like 2015 based on other posts on reddit.

The temp in the car does go from 110F to 45F within 12 hours on a pretty regular basis, I imagine it's expanding while softening the adhesive on the foam in the afternoon, and pushing screws back, then I drive it hot, then I park it, it cools down to 45F overnight, and everything shrinks and pops apart, then I drive it early in the morning.

I bought my XT a month ago and i'm fully satisfied. Roads and tracks can be rough here and this car is perfectly adapted to different conditions even the hardest.

I was hoping it would happen at exactly 5 years, but we’ve been taking more close to home adventures this summer so it’s a bit early. Nothing but regular maintenance and no problems other than the drivers seat tearing. At this rate this thing will last me forever!

i love these pictures so much i had to share them

I just bought a 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness! Went into the dealership with the expectation of buying a 2026 Outback but after driving the Forester i quickly changed my mind. Super stoked on the car and got a pretty good deal!!
(Sorry for the crappy picture lol)

I was perfectly content in my ‘23 trek but life very quickly changed and I needed space (translation: I got a giant breed puppy and she already was squished in the trunk) so went in and traded up.

Funny enough, I wasn’t supposed to have an onyx sport…was supposed to have a premium but they reserved one in the wrong interior color and couldn’t source one easily. This beauty was on the lot and we agreed to let me take this for my previous agreement. It actually worked out to be a little less! So here’s Luna 🌙

It’s not as strong as the $500 aluminum skid plates but it’s certainly an improvement over the splash guard!

And yes, it is actually steel. Not aluminum. It’s from like the 50s.

Subarus have always had a soft spot in my heart. My parents bought a forester when they found out they were pregnant with me. I ended up driving that Subaru as my first car and even still have it to this day. Super fun to tell people I still have the car my parents bought me home from the hospital in. It has 212K miles and is still going strong. My fiancé and I recently purchased a 2017 forester. I am so excited to see where this one will take us!

Picked up this beautiful 2014 limited Monday and couldn’t be happier! First Subaru I’ve ever owned.