Check a VIN

Subaru Forester vs Volkswagen Tiguan: reliability compared

From 2009 to 2026, owners filed an average of 294 complaints per model year about the Subaru Forester and 131 about the Volkswagen Tiguan.

Side by side

Subaru ForesterVolkswagen Tiguan
Model years compared2009-20262009-2026
Owner complaints5,2982,354
Complaints per model year294131
Recalls3839
Years to avoid2015201620172018201920202018
Best years2013201420152017
Most common problemVisibilityEngine
Crash ratingNo dataNo data
Fuel economy26-35 mpg combined (2026)25-29 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

2009 Subaru Forester: 1782009 Volkswagen Tiguan: 16820092010 Subaru Forester: 2622010 Volkswagen Tiguan: 1102011 Subaru Forester: 1472011 Volkswagen Tiguan: 16220112012 Subaru Forester: 1072012 Volkswagen Tiguan: 1532013 Subaru Forester: 782013 Volkswagen Tiguan: 14020132014 Subaru Forester: 4032014 Volkswagen Tiguan: 842015 Subaru Forester: 6172015 Volkswagen Tiguan: 6220152016 Subaru Forester: 4162016 Volkswagen Tiguan: 972017 Subaru Forester: 5942017 Volkswagen Tiguan: 7720172018 Subaru Forester: 4992018 Volkswagen Tiguan: 2892019 Subaru Forester: 8342019 Volkswagen Tiguan: 19620192020 Subaru Forester: 6042020 Volkswagen Tiguan: 1412021 Subaru Forester: 2152021 Volkswagen Tiguan: 14620212022 Subaru Forester: 1002022 Volkswagen Tiguan: 2812023 Subaru Forester: 762023 Volkswagen Tiguan: 7220232024 Subaru Forester: 312024 Volkswagen Tiguan: 802025 Subaru Forester: 1022025 Volkswagen Tiguan: 5820252026 Subaru Forester: 352026 Volkswagen Tiguan: 38
Subaru ForesterVolkswagen Tiguan

Problems compared

ForesterTiguan
Visibility1,23492
Engine805744
Electrical766559
Airbags721319
Transmission401211
Acceleration37894
Driver assistance309239
Fuel system245202

Questions about the Subaru Forester vs Volkswagen Tiguan

Which is more reliable, the Subaru Forester or the Volkswagen Tiguan?

Between 2009 and 2026, the Subaru Forester has 6 years to avoid and the Volkswagen Tiguan 1. The Volkswagen Tiguan has been more consistent from year to year. By raw volume, the Volkswagen Tiguan drew fewer complaints per model year (131 vs 294), though sales volume affects that number.

Which has more recalls, the Subaru Forester or the Volkswagen Tiguan?

From 2009 to 2026, the Subaru Forester was covered by 38 recalls and the Volkswagen Tiguan by 39.

What years of the Subaru Forester and Volkswagen Tiguan should you avoid?

Subaru Forester: 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019 and 2020. Volkswagen Tiguan: 2018.

More compact SUVs comparisons

Honda CR-V vs Toyota RAV4Nissan Rogue vs Toyota RAV4Ford Escape vs Toyota RAV4Chevrolet Equinox vs Toyota RAV4Hyundai Tucson vs Toyota RAV4Kia Sportage vs Toyota RAV4Mazda CX-5 vs Toyota RAV4Subaru Forester vs Toyota RAV4Toyota RAV4 vs Volkswagen TiguanJeep Cherokee vs Toyota RAV4Jeep Compass vs Toyota RAV4GMC Terrain vs Toyota RAV4Mitsubishi Outlander vs Toyota RAV4Honda CR-V vs Nissan RogueFord Escape vs Honda CR-VChevrolet Equinox vs Honda CR-VHonda CR-V vs Hyundai TucsonHonda CR-V vs Kia SportageHonda CR-V vs Mazda CX-5Honda CR-V vs Subaru ForesterHonda CR-V vs Volkswagen TiguanHonda CR-V vs Jeep CherokeeHonda CR-V vs Jeep CompassGMC Terrain vs Honda CR-V

VIN decoder

See the problems and recalls for an exact car