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Honda CR-V vs Subaru Forester: reliability compared

From 2006 to 2026, owners filed an average of 644 complaints per model year about the Honda CR-V and 262 about the Subaru Forester.

Side by side

Honda CR-VSubaru Forester
Model years compared2006-20262006-2026
Owner complaints13,5235,510
Complaints per model year644262
Recalls4940
Years to avoid201720182019201520162017201820192020
Best years202020212022200720082013
Most common problemEngineVisibility
Crash ratingNo dataNo data
Fuel economy29-40 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 Honda CR-V: 3982006 Subaru Forester: 8820062007 Honda CR-V: 8882007 Subaru Forester: 742008 Honda CR-V: 9632008 Subaru Forester: 5020082009 Honda CR-V: 3862009 Subaru Forester: 1782010 Honda CR-V: 4832010 Subaru Forester: 26220102011 Honda CR-V: 5552011 Subaru Forester: 1472012 Honda CR-V: 4032012 Subaru Forester: 10720122013 Honda CR-V: 3822013 Subaru Forester: 782014 Honda CR-V: 5882014 Subaru Forester: 40320142015 Honda CR-V: 6742015 Subaru Forester: 6172016 Honda CR-V: 3962016 Subaru Forester: 41620162017 Honda CR-V: 1,7822017 Subaru Forester: 5942018 Honda CR-V: 2,1692018 Subaru Forester: 49920182019 Honda CR-V: 1,1102019 Subaru Forester: 8342020 Honda CR-V: 3632020 Subaru Forester: 60420202021 Honda CR-V: 3422021 Subaru Forester: 2152022 Honda CR-V: 2722022 Subaru Forester: 10020222023 Honda CR-V: 5182023 Subaru Forester: 762024 Honda CR-V: 3962024 Subaru Forester: 3120242025 Honda CR-V: 2712025 Subaru Forester: 1022026 Honda CR-V: 1842026 Subaru Forester: 352026
Honda CR-VSubaru Forester

Problems compared

CR-VForester
Engine2,339851
Electrical2,133783
Airbags1,725739
Steering1,718164
Driver assistance1,668312
Fuel system1,626273
Visibility4991,237
Transmission891418
Acceleration441412

Questions about the Honda CR-V vs Subaru Forester

Which is more reliable, the Honda CR-V or the Subaru Forester?

Between 2006 and 2026, the Honda CR-V has 3 years to avoid and the Subaru Forester 6. The Honda CR-V has been more consistent from year to year. By raw volume, the Subaru Forester drew fewer complaints per model year (262 vs 644), though sales volume affects that number.

Which has more recalls, the Honda CR-V or the Subaru Forester?

From 2006 to 2026, the Honda CR-V was covered by 49 recalls and the Subaru Forester by 40.

What years of the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester should you avoid?

Honda CR-V: 2017, 2018 and 2019. Subaru Forester: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

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