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Ford Escape vs Subaru Forester: reliability compared

From 2006 to 2026, owners filed an average of 1,102 complaints per model year about the Ford Escape and 262 about the Subaru Forester.

Side by side

Ford EscapeSubaru Forester
Model years compared2006-20262006-2026
Owner complaints23,1365,510
Complaints per model year1,102262
Recalls8140
Years to avoid20132017201520162017201820192020
Best years200720212022200720082013
Most common problemEngineVisibility
Crash ratingNo dataNo data
Fuel economy26-40 mpg combined (2026)26-35 mpg combined (2026)

A car that sells more collects more complaints, so the fairest test is the number of years to avoid, which compares each year with a typical year of the same car.

Complaints per model year

2006 Ford Escape: 4642006 Subaru Forester: 8820062007 Ford Escape: 2542007 Subaru Forester: 742008 Ford Escape: 1,9742008 Subaru Forester: 5020082009 Ford Escape: 1,6932009 Subaru Forester: 1782010 Ford Escape: 2,0712010 Subaru Forester: 26220102011 Ford Escape: 1,3202011 Subaru Forester: 1472012 Ford Escape: 6042012 Subaru Forester: 10720122013 Ford Escape: 2,7532013 Subaru Forester: 782014 Ford Escape: 2,0912014 Subaru Forester: 40320142015 Ford Escape: 1,1482015 Subaru Forester: 6172016 Ford Escape: 1,1932016 Subaru Forester: 41620162017 Ford Escape: 2,7102017 Subaru Forester: 5942018 Ford Escape: 1,8332018 Subaru Forester: 49920182019 Ford Escape: 6042019 Subaru Forester: 8342020 Ford Escape: 1,6212020 Subaru Forester: 60420202021 Ford Escape: 3562021 Subaru Forester: 2152022 Ford Escape: 2382022 Subaru Forester: 10020222023 Ford Escape: 1022023 Subaru Forester: 762024 Ford Escape: 782024 Subaru Forester: 3120242025 Ford Escape: 262025 Subaru Forester: 1022026 Ford Escape: 32026 Subaru Forester: 352026
Ford EscapeSubaru Forester

Problems compared

EscapeForester
Engine8,351851
Transmission4,236418
Steering3,703164
Fuel system2,389273
Electrical2,048783
Acceleration1,755412
Visibility4751,237
Airbags335739

Questions about the Ford Escape vs Subaru Forester

Which is more reliable, the Ford Escape or the Subaru Forester?

Between 2006 and 2026, the Ford Escape has 2 years to avoid and the Subaru Forester 6. The Ford Escape has been more consistent from year to year. By raw volume, the Subaru Forester drew fewer complaints per model year (262 vs 1,102), though sales volume affects that number.

Which has more recalls, the Ford Escape or the Subaru Forester?

From 2006 to 2026, the Ford Escape was covered by 81 recalls and the Subaru Forester by 40.

What years of the Ford Escape and Subaru Forester should you avoid?

Ford Escape: 2013 and 2017. Subaru Forester: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

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