There are 7 stored owner reports matching the brakes leading-label group for the 2013 Subaru Forester in our NHTSA-sourced dataset. These are unverified consumer reports and may not reflect confirmed defects.
This group counts stored reports whose component label starts with one of this site's matching prefixes, ignoring case. Each matching report counts once within the group. Components mentioned later in the label or only in the narrative are not searched. How component counts work
Loaded 7 of 7 matching reports.
Open the full vehicle complaint log (all categories)When the clutch is depressed the engine kills without indication anything is happening. All the dash lights come on and the power steering goes out. It has been happening repeatedly since last June. More frequently over time. If it happens on an off ramp or at an intersection the engine will not start for up to 5 minutes creating a safety hazard.
My 2013 Subaru Forester had some noise (grinding) from the rear passenger side brake pad. I set up an appointment to have it inspected later that week. I then used my car to run an errand several days later. I was driving on the highway and found I had no brakes (brake pedal went to the floor). I was able to get to a parking lot and stop the car. When I exited the vehicle, I went to the right (passenger side) rear wheel and noticed brake fluid was on the pavement. This is concerning as the brake system should have redundancy (front brakes still work if the rear does not or vice versa). I had no brake pressure. I was told by the Subaru dealer that the brake pad had broken and fallen out, and in so doing the piston "went too far out" and brake fluid leaked as a result. This to me should not have eliminated all braking power for the vehicle. I was lucky to have been able to stop and get to a parking lot safely.
I HAVE BEEN HEARING A SLIGHT SQUEAKING NOISE WHEN DRIVING. THE OTHER DAY IT WAS A HORRIFIC, LOUD SCREECHING NOISE! TOOK IT IN TO MECHANIC, MY CALIPER IS STUCK. THEY COULDN'T EVEN MANUALLY SPIN TIRE. BECAUSE OF THIS IT BURNED UP ROTORS AND PADS, SO NOW I NEED TO REPLACE THEM ALL AT A COST OF $900! HOW DOES A CALIPER JUST FREEZE UP??
MY CAR WAS RECALLED AND I NEVER GOT THE NOTIFICATION THAT I COULD GET IT FIXED - IT'S BEEN OVER A YEAR!
2013 SUBARU FORESTER. 07/25/14 CAR HAD DIFFICULTY TIME ACCELERATING ON HIGHWAY.REPORTED TO THE DEALER THAT RIGHT FRONT WHEEL STARTED VIBRATING AND GETTING VERY HOT. DEALER INSPECTED R/F WHEEL, ROTOR WAS BLUE AND HARD TO TURN. INSPECTED BRAKES AND FOUND PADS STUCK IN BRACKET. CLEANED AND LUBED PAD SLIDES, CHECKED CALIPER WHICH WAS OK. REPLACED R/F ROTOR DUE TO RUNOUT CAUSED BY HEAT, HAD .007 RUN ROADTEST OK.) THE CALIPER WAS NOT REPLACED ON 07/25/2014. ON 08/18/2014 THE SAME PROBLEM HAPPENED CAR HAD DIFFICULT TIME ACCELERATING. BOTH FRONT RIGHT SIDE AND LEFT SIDE WERE VERY HOT. GOT CAR TOWED TO DIFFERENT SUBARU DEALER ON 8/18/2014 AND THEY COULD NOT FIND ANY PROBLEMS WITH IT. *TR
ON DEC 28,2014 I AM GOING TO MERILAND,MA FROM PHILADELPHIA. I WAS DRIVING MY SAID VEHICLE AT REGAL SPEED 65. JUST AFTER REST AREA MARILEND HOSE, TRAFFIC SUDDENLY SLOW DOWN, I APPLIED MY BRAKE BUT ITS WONT STOP IN TIME, I SWITCH DRIVING LINE AND AVOID ACCIDENT, BUT MY FAMILY AND ME ALL SCARED. AFTER THIS INCIDENT I WENT TO MY SUBARU DEALER FOR SERVICE I COMPLAINED SERVICE MANAGER TOO. HE DROVE WITH ME AND SAID ITS WORK FINE, NEXT TIME ITS HAPPEN , YOU APPLIED EMERGENCY BREAK TOO. I KNOW SUBARU HAVE A RE-CALL FOR BRAKE LINE, IT WAS ALSO DONE WAY BEFORE TOO. NOW I RECEIVED 2ND RE-CALL ABOUT SAME THING.I DID WROTE SUBARU TOO THIS MORNING. SEE WHAT HAPPEN. THIS IS JUST TO INFORM GOV, NOT FOR COMPLAINED. THANKS [XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR
MY VEHICLE WAS INSPECTED IN APRIL AND APPROVED, BUT BY OCTOBER OF THE SAME YEAR MY BRAKING SYSTEM WAS COMPLETELY RUSTED AND STUCK. MY MECHANIC SAID HE HAD NEVER SEEN ANYTHING LIKE IT. THE REAR PADS WERE INTO STEEL, ROTORS DEEPLY GROOVED, FRONT BRAKE PADS STUCK IN BRACKETS CAUSING BRAKE PRESSURE TO GO TO REAR BRAKES CAUSING QUICK WEAR. THE REAR BRAKE PADS AND ROTORS HAD TO BE REPLACED, THE FRONT BRAKE PADS WERE ALSO REPLACED, THE BRAKE ROTORS HAD TO BE RESURFACED AT A COST OF $791. WHEN I COMPLAINED TO SUBURU OF AMERICA, I WAS TOLD TO TAKE THE CAR TO THE DEALERSHIP WHERE THE REPAIR WOULD BE COMPLETELY REDONE AT NO COST TO ME. I AM STILL WITHOUT THE $791 AND WILL HAVE TO SPEND MORE WAITING TIME FOR A REPAIR OF THE REPAIR. HOW COULD THIS HAVE HAPPENED TO A NEW CAR WITH JUST 24,000 MILES? I HAVE DRIVEN A SUBARU SINCE THE LATE 70S AND HAVE NEVER HAD A PROBLEM WITH THE BRAKES...NEVER! *TR
Complaints are unverified consumer reports submitted to NHTSA. A high complaint count may reflect vehicle popularity, not defect severity. Data sourced from NHTSA public records.
NHTSA source checks for this vehicle year
Checks are recorded separately for each dataset, not for the whole page. Dates use UTC. A missing check date does not mean no records exist.
Vehicle import recorded: Apr 28, 2026. This is the stored import date, not confirmation that every source was successfully refreshed.