The Lemon Index$4,500 middle bill · most between $3,000 and $5,000
Lower than the $8,000 middle bill owners of all 168 models reported.
2003–2014 Subaru Forester
Subaru Forester owners reported paying a median of $4,500 for a engine replacement, with the middle half of bills between $3,000 and $5,000. That's from 7 owner reports (6 complaints to NHTSA and 1 YouTube video). Costs vary by shop and region.
What owners paid
- Under $5000%
- $500–$1,0000%
- $1,000–$2,50014%
- $2,500–$5,00057%
- $5,000 and up29%
Share of the 7 owner reports in each price band.
By model year
- 2003 Subaru Forester1too few for a middle
- 2011 Subaru Forester2too few for a middle
- 2012 Subaru Forester2too few for a middle
- 2014 Subaru Forester1too few for a middle
- 2009–2013 Subaru Forester (YouTube)1too few for a middle
Reports per model year, with the middle bill where there are 3 or more. YouTube amounts count for the generation the video covers.
How often owners report the failure
- 2011 Subaru Forester10 complaints name it7% of that year's complaints
- 2009 Subaru Forester9 complaints name it5% of that year's complaints
Owner complaints to NHTSA whose own words name a engine failure. Raw counts: popular years get more complaints. A complaint is a report, not proof of a defect.
Engines in these years
Engines with a page of their own that this model was sold with in the years above. Owners don't always say which engine they had.
Keep going
- Subaru Forester reliability by year
- Engine replacement cost on every car
- Car symptoms and what they can mean
Other repairs Subaru Forester owners reported
Wheel bearing replacement (10) · Head gasket replacement (9) · Wiring harness repair (8) · Brake repair (7) · Transmission replacement (7) · Strut and shock replacement (6)
The details
How we count
Every number here is a repair bill an owner reported, never a shop's price list. Two sources: the bills owners wrote in their own complaints to the U.S. government (NHTSA), and the dollar amounts owners said out loud in YouTube repair and ownership videos. A figure counts for a repair when that repair is the part named nearest to it. Left out: purchase prices, payments, rentals, towing, warranties and deductibles, amounts under $50 or over $15,000, parts-only prices ("the part was $80 on Amazon"), bills for two different repairs named together, and money someone else paid. One number per complaint (or video) and repair: the biggest, so it's the bill, not the diagnosis fee.
The range is the middle half of the bills (the 25th to the 75th percentile), so one wild number can't swing it. Owners who complain to the government often had expensive repairs, so a typical bill can be lower. Costs vary by shop and region, by dealer vs independent shop, by parts and by miles. This is what owners reported, not a quote for your car.
Check the bills yourself
NHTSA complaint numbers (search them at nhtsa.gov): 11470063, 11450311, 11331762, 11321334, 10450420, 10281824.
Said out loud on YouTube: $4,500 ▶
Quick answers
How much does engine replacement cost on a Subaru Forester?
Subaru Forester owners reported a median of $4,500, and the middle half paid $3,000 to $5,000, from 7 owner reports. Costs vary by shop and region.
Is a Subaru Forester engine replacement more expensive than on other cars?
The Subaru Forester middle bill of $4,500 is lower than the $8,000 owners of all 168 models we have reports for paid.
Where do these Subaru Forester repair costs come from?
From 6 complaints to NHTSA and 1 YouTube video: what owners themselves said they paid. They aren't verified bills or a shop's quote.
Which Subaru Forester years report this failure most?
In complaints to NHTSA, owners of the 2011 (10), 2009 (9) Subaru Forester named it most. Raw counts, not a failure rate.
Sources: NHTSA owner complaints and YouTube videos (amounts said out loud), sorted by The Lemon Index. Owner reports, not a price quote. Costs vary by shop and region.