Subaru Forester Parts, Specs and Maintenance Guide

The Subaru Forester is a compact, boxy crossover that has built its reputation on tall greenhouse visibility, class-leading ground clearance, and standard symmetrical AWD rather than outright power or luxury, which is why "Forester years to avoid" is one of the most-searched Subaru questions online. 5XT turbo held onto the EJ25 turbo (224 hp) paired to a conventional 4-speed automatic, not a CVT. 0XT trim only, now CVT-equipped) and is remembered for turbo oil-starvation from a clogged banjo-bolt oil-feed filter, a 2015–2018 passenger-airbag sensor recall, and the tail end of an FB25 oil-consumption class-action settlement.

The SK generation (2019–2024) rode on the Subaru Global Platform with a direct-injected FB25D (182 hp, no turbo offered in the US) and introduced the Wilderness off-road trim in 2022; it's dogged by a well-documented Thermo Control Valve (TCV) failure that Subaru extended warranty coverage on to 15 years/150,000 miles, plus windshield-cracking and parasitic-battery-drain class actions shared across the Subaru lineup. The redesigned SL generation (2025+) keeps the FB25D (180 hp) and adds Subaru's first factory Forester Hybrid (194 hp combined, e-CVT), with EyeSight driver assist standard fleet-wide. Across every generation, maintenance follows Subaru's familiar pattern: 6,000-mile/6-month synthetic oil changes, an 11-year/137,500-mile first coolant service, a Group 35 battery, 89 ft-lb lug torque, and a CVT on nearly every trim whose long-term health is the single biggest driver of Forester resale value.