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VinCanary

Reliability report · 2022 Subaru Forester · Updated July 2026 · ~$2,150/yr fuel · what it costs to keep →

One of the calmest Foresters here — 94 complaints and a single free recall, with the early-gen5 bugs behind it.

The 2022 Forester is one of the quietest years in our set: 94 federal complaints and a single recall. That recall (23V755) covers an inhibitor switch whose insufficient weld can let water in and make it fail, which can stop the reverse lights and the rearview-camera image — a free switch replacement. The old early-gen5 threads (thermal control valve, start/stop stalling) are much thinner here, though the auto start/stop system still draws the occasional complaint.

This is also the first year of the Wilderness trim, which files under 'Forester' in NHTSA rather than as a separate model. Nothing points to an expensive out-of-warranty pattern on the 2022. Confirm the one recall by VIN and you're buying the mature version of the fifth generation.

Evidence: 94 NHTSA complaints · 1 recall campaigns · 4 mechanic & forum sources

Canary status

Calm

What that means: 94 federal complaints — a fraction of the 2019 launch — and just one recall, a free inhibitor-switch fix. This is the settled, mature end of the fifth generation, and it's also the first year of the rugged Wilderness trim (which files under Forester, not a separate model).

CalmChirpingSquawkingFainted

94

Federal complaints

1

Recall

Federal crash tests

5-star scale
Overall
Frontal crash
Side crash
Rollover

Tested variant: 2022 Subaru Forester SUV AWD (NHTSA VehicleId 16679)

Source: NHTSA New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) →

Known issues

Ranked by the cost of ignoring them. Every claim carries its source.

Inhibitor-switch recall — free, verify it

moderate

The 2022-specific recall is 23V755 (Subaru code WRQ-23): an insufficient weld can let water into the inhibitor switch and cause it to fail, which can prevent the reverse lights from illuminating and the rearview-camera image from displaying — both a visibility concern when backing up. Dealers replace the switch free. Confirm it shows completed by VIN.

Inhibitor switch replacement (recall)

$0

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 Subaru Forester (true count 94) · NHTSA recalls + manufacturer communications (23V755; windshield and head-unit extensions)

Auto engine start/stop — occasional, much quieterminor

The auto start/stop stalling thread that dominated 2019–2020 is much thinner on the 2022 but hasn't vanished — a few owners still report the engine not restarting cleanly at stops. It's a driveability nuisance rather than a covered defect. On the drive, run several stop/start cycles in traffic and confirm the engine restarts every time; the feature can be disabled each trip.

Sources: NHTSA complaint database, 2022 Subaru Forester (true count 94)

What you no longer worry about — and what still carries coverageminor

The fourth-gen cam-carrier oil leak is a different-engine-era, earlier-car concern that doesn't define the 2022, and the head-gasket meme has never applied to the FB25. The thermal control valve's 15-year/150,000-mile extension covered 2019–2021, so it doesn't extend to the 2022 by that program — but the far lower complaint volume suggests the valve issue also settled. The windshield extension (2019–2022) and head-unit extension (2019–2023) still include this year, so ask about those if the windshield cracks or the head unit misbehaves. Keep the CVT (continuously variable transmission — the automatic with no fixed gears) fluid serviced and this is a low-drama Subaru.

Sources: NHTSA recalls + manufacturer communications (23V755; windshield and head-unit extensions) · Independent Subaru mechanic channel transcripts (gen5 context, head-gasket/CVT rumor debunk)

The contact owns a 2022 Subaru Forester ... equipped with the Auto Start/Stop feature.
4 mechanic & owner sources

Open recalls

Free fixes at any Subaru dealer. Run the VIN — “completed” isn’t always completed.

  1. 23V755Insufficient weld may let water into the inhibitor switch and cause it to fail, stopping the reverse lights and rearview-camera image (2022 Forester, 2021 Crosstrek, 2021–2023 Legacy/Outback). Free switch replacement. Subaru code WRQ-23.open

What it costs to keep

The purchase price is what you negotiate. These are the numbers you live with afterward — each one sourced, none of them blended into a fake total.

The ownership picture — 2022 Forester

Four sourced numbers. No fake total.

Fuel

29 MPG combined (26 city / 33 highway) for the AWD, 2.5L on the EPA federal fuel-economy test.

Source: FuelEconomy.gov (EPA) — EPA’s federal fuel-economy test, recomputed with current gas prices. EPA record 44484 (Forester AWD).

$2,150/yr

at $4.15/gal · 15,000 mi/yr · 55/45 city/hwy · pulled Jul 12, 2026

Crash losses

Insurers lose about 38% less on this vehicle than on the average car. Lower collision losses tend to show up in what you pay for coverage.

Source: HLDI — the insurance industry’s loss-data institute — HLDI collision losses, 2020–22 models, published April 2023 (report R-23). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Subaru Forester 4dr 4WD with EyeSight.

62 vs 100

38% below average

Theft

Stolen about 82% less often than the average vehicle. One less thing to price into coverage.

Source: HLDI — HLDI whole vehicle theft losses, 2022–24 models, published May 2025 (report WT-24). 100 = the all-vehicle average. Series read: Subaru Forester 4dr 4WD with EyeSight.

18 vs 100

82% below average

Repair risk

What this specific year is known to need. Pulled from the issues above — the repairs owners actually report, at the costs they report them. Averages from other sites blend every year together; these are this year’s own numbers.

Source: this report — 01 Known issues.

Inhibitor switch replacement (recall)$0
Why there’s no single “cost to own” number: sites that promise one are guessing at your insurance quote, your annual miles, and your luck. These are the numbers we can actually source — and each one carries its receipt.

Shopping this year?

Get the printable pre-purchase checklist and an alert if this year’s recall sheet changes.

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Have a specific one in your sights?

The VIN is on the listing. We’ll check this exact car — build, open recalls, and whether the “completed” repairs stayed fixed.

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Before you buy

Print this
  1. 01Confirm the inhibitor-switch recall (23V755) is closed by VIN.
  2. 02Test reverse lights and the rearview camera specifically — the symptom the inhibitor-switch recall addresses.
  3. 03Run several auto start/stop cycles in traffic and confirm the engine restarts cleanly every time.
  4. 04Check the acoustic windshield for cracks (2019–2022 extension) and test the head unit for freezing/rebooting (2019–2023 extension).
  5. 05If it's a Wilderness, note it files under 'Forester' in recall lookups — the same VIN check applies.
  6. 06Ask for CVT fluid service history — the strongest longevity sign on any Subaru.

Own one already?

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vincanary.com/subaru/forester/2022