2006 Subaru Forester: problems, recalls and reliability
2 recalls and 88 owner complaints on record; the weakest area is vehicle speed control (19% of complaints).
Data updated weekly · latest recall Sep 2011
All counts are reports filed with NHTSA in the United States - US market only, not worldwide totals.
Common problems
Computed from 88 owner complaints filed with NHTSA for this exact model year.
“Front drivers side control arm broke at bracket point and lost control of vehicle steering. And car was damaged hitting a post. Vehicle per recall for control arm had already been "fixed" contacted Subaru if control arms were replaced under recall or the "rust proofing" applied.”Owner report · Suspension · Nov 2023
“Front control arm failed on car. Which snapped the front axle and sway bar link on right side. Found out it was a known issue that was taken care of by dealer. Waiting to see if they will cover repairs.”Owner report · Steering · Nov 2022
“I was made a turn at roughly 15mph and the front passenger side control arm sheared in half causing me to lose control of the vehicle and then abruptly come to an immediate stop. My family was in the car and at a higher speed this could have been fatal. Had there been any vehicles behind me that could have caused an accident with unknown results. Had this been moments early I would have been in a head on collision. This is a known issue for this year, make, and model that was not properly resolved in the past by the manufacturer. The part should not fail in that manner. There were no warnings. The failure was inspected by the tow truck driver.”Owner report · Suspension · Mar 2022
Show 7 more owner reports
“As I was going down the road my car sped up and my foot was off the gas pedal as the pedal was stuck-I managed to stop my car but not before it reached 75 mph in a 50 I was originally going 50”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Aug 2021
“Tl* the contact owns a 2006 subaru forester. The contact stated that the lower control arm was rusted again. The contact called thomas subaru at 814-623-813 (located at 4003 business 220, bedford, pa 15522) and was informed that the vehicle was previously repaired per NHTSA campaign number: 11v464000 (suspension); therefore, the repair would need to be done at the contact's expense. The contact was unsure if the manufacturer was notified. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 126,000.”Owner report · Suspension · Nov 2019
“Two flat tires on brand new cooper evolution tour 215-60r16 (@100 miles), both on the front. One flat noticed after the vehicle had been driven but sat for a few hours (no visible deflation upon exiting); this tire had no visible punctures, though there appeared to be a bit of tear between the treads (see photo). After driving home on a spare, all remaining tires seemed ok. The next morning the other front tire was visibly deflated and had a sizable bulge.”Owner report · Tires · Sep 2019
“Car accelerated when my foot was not on the gas pedal. I needed to step hard on the brake to control the car. I put gear into neutral, and reviving engine sound did not stop. I removed original rubber floor mat, and problem stopped. Dangerous! 2 kids in the car with me. Today is 88 f today.”Owner report · Vehicle Speed Control · Jun 2019
“Sitting in the car, engine running; had pulled over for a couple minutes to let passenger out. Noticed smoke started to seep out from engine. Checked temp gauge and saw it was cool. Turned off engine and moved away from the car immediately. After a minute or two, saw flames coming out from engine compartment. Called the fire department, they arrived within a few minutes and extinguished the engine fire. Engine, front tires, everything in engine area completely destroyed by the fire. Prior to this, no problems, no engine light lit, no unusual sounds or handling or smells, nothing to indicate anything was wrong.”Owner report · Engine · Jun 2019
“While the vehicle was in motion on a highway, I drove over a pothole on the passenger side and my lower control arm broke due to a known problem with corrosion in this model year. There was a noticeable problem with wheel alignment which was able to be felt in the steering wheel. Subaru recall wvx-34 was supposed to fix this safety issue. The 'repair' was completed on my vehicle in january of 2012. As you can see from the photos, the rust proofing did not help.”Owner report · Suspension · Apr 2019
“Control arm is rusted completely through. I need to fully replace the entire arm. It's urgent, as the entire wheel and mechanism could fall off at any time.”Owner report · Steering · Nov 2018
When filing, owners marked a crash in 12 of these complaints and injuries in 5 - self-reported to NHTSA, not verified accident statistics.
Recalls - 2 campaigns
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.
Remedy: SUBARU WILL HANDLE THEIR VEHICLES AND SAAB WILL HANDLE THEIRS. DEALERS WILL INSPECT THE DEGREE OF CORROSION OF THE FRONT LOWER CONTROL ARMS, AND WILL EITHER RUSTPROOF OR REPLACE THEM. THIS SERVICE WILL BE PERFORMED FREE OF CHARGE. THE SAFETY RECALL IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN DURING DECEMBER 2011. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SAAB AT 1-800-955-9007.
ON CERTAIN VEHICLES, THE WIRING HARNESS FOR THE AIR BAG OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM IN THE FRONT PASSENGER SEAT MAY HAVE BEEN PINCHED DURING PRODUCTION. PINCHING OF THE WIRING HARNESS BETWEEN THE FLOOR CROSSMEMBER AND THE SEAT MOUNTING BRACKET COULD RESULT IN A SHORT CIRCUIT.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL INSPECT TO SEE IF THE WIRING HAD BEEN INCORRECTLY ROUTED UNDER THE SEAT BRACKET. IF SO, THE DEALER WILL REPAIR ANY DAMAGED WIRING, REROUTE AND SECURE THE WIRING HARNESS IN THE CORRECT LOCATION, AND RE-CALIBRATE THE OCCUPANT DETECTION SYSTEM AS NECESSARY. THE RECALL BEGAN ON MARCH 9, 2007. OWNERS MAY CONTACT SUBARU AT 1-800-782-2783.
Specifications
Factory options offered for the 2006 model year, decoded from the NHTSA vPIC database. Individual vehicles have one of each.
How other years compare
Check your exact Forester by VIN
Recalls and equipment differ between individual vehicles. Decode your VIN to see what applies to yours.
Open VIN decoderFrequently asked questions
Is the 2006 Subaru Forester reliable?
NHTSA has 88 owner complaints and 2 recall campaigns on record for the 2006 Subaru Forester. The most complained-about area is vehicle speed control (19% of complaints).
At what mileage do 2006 Subaru Forester problems usually appear?
Half of the complaints that mention mileage were filed at 54,611 miles or less.
Does the 2006 Subaru Forester have open recalls?
2 recall campaigns have been issued, the latest concerning suspension:front:control arm:lower arm. Check your specific vehicle by VIN - recall repairs are free at franchised dealers.
Source: NHTSA recall campaigns and owner complaints (public domain). Counts reflect reports on file and are not a defect rate.