Forester (SK)

The Forester SK is a single-engine reliability story with the most concerning fire record in current-production compact SUVs. The 2.5L FB25 boxer four (2019-2025, 182 hp) owns 1,652 of 1,673 complaints, or 98.7%, and accounts for 30 of the 32 fires plus both deaths in the file. Across 2019-2025, the SUV accumulates 1,673 NHTSA complaints, 8 recalls, 95 crashes, 32 fires, 50 injuries, and 2 deaths. The complaint volume itself is mid-pack for the Compact SUV segment, but the fire-and-death ratio is the outlier.

The 2019 recall stack carries most of the fire explanation. 19V856 covers an aluminum Positive Crankcase Ventilation valve that can separate during operation, allowing components to enter the engine and create fire or failure conditions. The defect affected the 2019 Crosstrek, Forester, and Ascent jointly because all three share the FB25 powertrain. 19V065 covers an Electronic Power Steering connector short circuit on 2019 cars that can cause sudden loss of power assist while driving. Both recalls were issued early in the SK production run, suggesting first-year manufacturing issues that persisted into the field. Subsequent recalls cluster on lower-volume items: 21V263 (2019 rear stabilizer bracket bolts), 23V754 (2023-2024 front driveshaft cracks, multi-model), 23V755 (2022 inhibitor switch water entry, multi-model), and 23V723 (2024 engine water pipe attachment bolts).

The complaint distribution carries the same NHTSA "other" category concentration as the Outback BT (2020-2024). The FB25's 1,652 complaints split with 941 in the catch-all "other" bucket, 266 in electrical, 209 in engine, 181 in safety systems, and 87 in transmission. The "other" bucket on a Subaru typically captures customer-experience complaints (windshield cracking under impact, multimedia freezing, ADAS false alerts) rather than mechanical failures. Powertrain reliability and customer-experience reliability tell different stories on the same vehicle, and the buyer should weigh them as separate concerns.

For the 2025 model year alone, two new manufacturing-quality recalls appeared: 25V033 covers 18" aluminum alloy wheels with incorrectly specified lug seat surfaces, and 25V419 covers child seat anchor bolts that may have been improperly tightened. Both target the final year of the SK platform before the 6th-generation Forester launches for 2026. End-of-platform model years sometimes accumulate quality-control issues as production winds down toward the redesign.

For shoppers, the Forester SK is a difficult recommendation. The fire-and-death record on the FB25 has no clean year to point at within the SK generation because every model year carries the same engine. Cross-shoppers should compare against the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 for cleaner reliability profiles in the Compact SUV segment. Within Subaru, the Outback BT carries a similar pattern (and the same FB25 in the U5 trim), which limits brand-internal alternatives. Buyers who want a Subaru wagon-shaped SUV with all-wheel drive and the brand's safety-systems story should weigh the FB25 fire record carefully against the use case.