A genuinely dependable wagon-SUV whose risks split cleanly at the 2019 redesign — older cars leak oil at the cam carrier, newer ones stall on a thermal valve that Subaru covers for 15 years — so the real question is which era you're buying and whether the work got done.

The loudest year in the range. 831 federal complaints — the most of any Forester here. It's the fifth generation's launch year, and the headline is the thermal control valve (coolant bypass valve) failing with codes P26A3/P2682, stalling the engine and lighting up EyeSight and check-engine warnings together. Subaru extended the valve's coverage to 15 years/150,000 miles (2019–2021), so it's free — but the year also carries a PCV-valve recall that can shed debris into the engine (19V856, short-block replaced free if needed), an EPS (Electric Power Steering) recall (19V065), and a rear-stabilizer recall (21V263). Confirm all three recalls and the thermal-valve work by VIN.

Quieter, but still a thermal-valve year. 591 complaints — well down from the 2019 launch — with the same thermal control valve (covered 15 yr/150k) and auto start/stop stalling threads. We could not surface a 2020-specific Forester recall in NHTSA and verified the era's platform recalls (CVT — continuously variable transmission — chain-slip 22V485, occupant-sensor airbag 24V227) apply to the Outback and Legacy, not the Forester — so it reads as a light-recall year, but confirm by VIN since the data can lag. Buy one where the thermal-valve work is documented.

The busiest fourth-gen year on complaints. 578 complaints — the most of the fourth generation here — but the pattern is the familiar cam-carrier oil leak plus a handful of oil-consumption reports, not a new failure. Only one recall applies (the passenger-airbag occupant-sensor connector, 19V701), and it's free. The oil-consumption warranty program does NOT cover this car — that ends at the 2015 model year — so a heavy oil-burner has no program to fall back on. Inspect the engine for cam-carrier seepage and check the dipstick.

The quietest Forester in our set. 69 complaints — the fewest of the whole range, partly because it's newer with fewer cars on the road — and a single recall: front driveshafts whose outer race can crack (23V754), a free inspect-and-replace. The early-gen5 thermal-valve and start/stop threads have quieted, and no expensive out-of-warranty pattern is named for the year. Confirm the one recall by VIN and you're buying the mature fifth generation.

Settled, with one free recall. 94 complaints and a single recall — an inhibitor switch whose weld can let water in and stop the reverse lights and rearview camera (23V755), replaced free. The old thermal-valve and start/stop threads are much thinner here. It's also the first Wilderness-trim year, which files under 'Forester' in NHTSA rather than as a separate model. Nothing points to an expensive out-of-warranty pattern — confirm the recall by VIN.

The settling fifth-gen year — last of the thermal-valve coverage. 207 complaints — a third of the 2019 launch — and, like 2020, no 2021-specific Forester recall we could surface (the era's platform recalls are Outback/Legacy, not Forester). It's the last model year inside the thermal control valve's 15-year/150,000-mile extension, so if the valve needs doing it's still free. Confirm by VIN and this is one of the calmest years in the range.