Is the Honda CR-V more reliable than the Subaru Forester?

No. The two are effectively tied. The CR-V draws 8 owner complaints per 10,000 sold and the Forester 8.7, and both hold a good reliability standing. The Honda costs less to repair each year. The Subaru has a much shorter recall list. Their problem areas differ more than their overall reliability does.

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

The Honda CR-V has far more. Federal recall records list 46 recalls across the 2018 to 2026 model years, compared with 13 for the Subaru Forester over the same years. Whichever you buy, look up the VIN to confirm that every open recall has been completed.

Do Subaru Forester windshields crack easily?

Many owners say yes. The Forester's largest complaint category, with 819 filings, centers on cracks that formed with little or no impact, for example overnight in a parked car, after a hard frost, or from a tiny pebble. A small crack can spread across the driver's view within hours. Some replacement glass cracked again, and most owners paid out of pocket or through insurance.

What is the Honda CR-V steering problem?

Owners report the steering wheel sticking near center or at the start of a turn and then letting go suddenly, which leads to overcorrecting. Clicking, creaking, or popping often comes with it. Reports cluster around 47,000 to 53,000 miles. Dealers usually diagnose a failing rack or gearbox and quote $3,500 to $4,478. Twenty-four of these complaints are crash-linked.

Does the Honda CR-V brake by itself?

Some owners say it does. Complaints describe the car braking hard with nothing ahead while it flashes a BRAKE warning and beeps, at speeds from under 15 mph up to highway speed. Several reports involve adaptive cruise control or curves. Thirteen of these reports are crash-linked, the main danger is being rear-ended, and dealers often cannot recreate the problem.

Last updated: 2026-10-10

Honda CR-V vs Subaru Forester: Reliability Compared

More Reliable

Honda CR-V

Good

Subaru Forester

Good

The Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester are effectively tied on reliability. Owner complaints arrive at nearly the same rate per vehicle sold. Repair cost is the clearest difference. The CR-V averages about $407 a year in repairs against $632 for the Forester, but the Honda has far more recalls on record.

How Do the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester Generations Compare?

Weak years cluster at the start of each model's range, but they sit differently in the generation cycle. For the Honda, 2018 and 2019 were pre-facelift fifth-generation cars. That generation ran from 2017 to 2022, got a facelift for 2020, and gave way to the sixth generation for 2023. The Forester's two weakest years straddle a redesign. The 2018 was the last year of the fourth generation, and the 2019 was the first year of the fifth, which got a facelift for 2022. The sixth generation followed for 2025. So a 2018 Forester and a 2019 Forester are different designs, even though both rank among the model's weakest years.

Verdict

The Honda CR-V is more reliable than the Subaru Forester, scoring 75/100 vs 74/100.

Effectively tied. Owner complaints come in at almost the same rate, 8 per 10,000 sold for the CR-V and 8.7 for the Forester, and both hold a good reliability standing. What separates them is the kind of trouble. The Honda's worst reports involve steering that sticks and then lets go, and emergency braking that triggers with nothing ahead. Both are linked to crashes. The Subaru's largest pile of complaints is about cracked windshields, which cost money to replace, but none of those reports are crash-linked. The CR-V is cheaper to keep running, and the Forester has far fewer recalls. Neither edge decides the matter.

Key Differences

1Honda CR-V costs $225 less per year to repair
2Subaru Forester has 33 fewer total recalls
3Honda CR-V has 4% lower major repair risk

Category Scoreboard

5Honda CR-V

—

1Subaru Forester

Reliability ScoreTotal RecallsComplaint RateAnnual Repair CostRepair FrequencyMajor Repair RiskSafety Rating

Honda CR-V vs Subaru Forester: Which Is More Reliable?

Honda CR-V vs Subaru Forester at-a-glance reliability comparison
Metric	Honda CR-V	Subaru Forester
Reliability Score	75/100	74/100
Years Tracked	9	9
Total Recalls	46	13
Complaints per 10k Sold	8	8.7
Annual Repair Cost	$407/yr	$632/yr
Repair Frequency	0.3/yr	0.4/yr
Major Repair Risk	9%	13%
Safety RatingNHTSA overall	2026 NHTSA	2026 NHTSA
Frontal
Side
Rollover
Year Wins	5	4

What Are the Common Problems With the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester?

Steering and phantom braking dominate the Honda's complaints. Owners describe a wheel that catches near center and then releases suddenly, with reports clustering around 47,000 to 53,000 miles and dealers quoting a new rack or gearbox. Others say the car brakes hard on its own, which risks a rear-end hit. Highway power loss with a flashing check engine light and fuel injector failures come next. On the Forester, the top issue is windshields cracking with little or no impact, sometimes more than once. Dead batteries from parasitic drains follow. Each model has a crash-linked area missing from the other's main problems: steering and collision avoidance on the CR-V, and a passenger airbag that switches itself off on the Forester.

Honda CR-V vs Subaru Forester common problem areas comparison
Component	Honda CR-V	Subaru Forester
VISIBILITY/WIPER	0.2Very Low	3.1Average
ELECTRICAL SYSTEM	0.9Very Low	1.2Low
STEERING	1.8Low	0.1Very Low
UNKNOWN OR OTHER	0.3Very Low	1.2Low
FORWARD COLLISION AVOIDANCE	1Very Low	0.1Very Low
ENGINE	0.7Very Low	0.4Very Low
AIR BAGS	0.2Very Low	0.5Very Low
POWER TRAIN	0.2Very Low	0.4Very Low
FUEL SYSTEM	0.6Very Low	—None
SERVICE BRAKES	0.4Very Low	0.1Very Low
VISIBILITY	—None	0.5Very Low
FUEL/PROPULSION SYSTEM	0.4Very Low	—None
VEHICLE SPEED CONTROL	0.1Very Low	0.2Very Low
STRUCTURE	0.1Very Low	0.1Very Low
EXTERIOR LIGHTING	—None	0.1Very Low
SEAT BELTS	—None	—None
SEATS	—None	—None
LANE DEPARTURE	—None	—None
SUSPENSION	—None	—None

Complaints per 10,000 units sold, aggregated across all tracked model years from NHTSA owner reports.

Which Is Cheaper to Maintain: Honda CR-V or Subaru Forester?

Repairs on the CR-V average about $407 a year, compared with $632 for the Forester. That $225 gap adds up to roughly $1,125 over five years. The Honda also makes slightly fewer unscheduled shop visits, about 0.3 a year against 0.4, and any given repair is less likely to be major: 9% versus 13%. Owner reports point to some costly Forester items, including repeat windshield replacements and a 4G telematics module replacement quoted at about $2,000.

How Does Honda CR-V vs Subaru Forester Reliability Compare by Year?

Honda CR-V vs Subaru Forester year-by-year reliability scores
Year	Honda CR-V	Subaru Forester	Edge
2026	83/1000R / 35C	77/1001R / 0C	Honda CR-V
2025	80/1006R / 201C	79/1002R / 48C	Honda CR-V
2024	77/1004R / 406C	78/1002R / 26C	Subaru Forester
2023	72/1007R / 578C	79/1001R / 61C	Subaru Forester
2022	76/1005R / 242C	77/1001R / 86C	Subaru Forester
2021	77/1003R / 241C	76/1000R / 196C	Honda CR-V
2020	74/10010R / 358C	71/1000R / 584C	Honda CR-V
2019	69/1007R / 996C	63/1003R / 825C	Honda CR-V
2018	65/1004R / 1960C	66/1003R / 475C	Subaru Forester

Best years to cross-shop: The 2024 Honda CR-V scored 77/100 and the 2023 Subaru Forester scored 79/100 — the strongest shared model years that have been on the road for at least two years, where available.

Who Should Buy the Honda CR-V vs the Subaru Forester?

Pick the CR-V if you want lower running costs. It goes to the shop less often, and its repairs are less likely to be major. On the test drive, feel for steering that sticks near center and listen for clicking or popping when you turn. Because the CR-V has so many recalls on record, check that every open one has been done on your car. Skip 2018 and 2019, its weakest years. Choose the Forester if a short recall history matters more to you than repair bills. Look over the windshield closely for small cracks. With the passenger seat empty, check that the airbag warning light behaves. Ask the seller about battery replacements, because owners often report dead batteries after the car sits a few days. Avoid 2018 and 2019. The 2023 is one of its stronger years. Be cautious with the newest years of either model, since they have had less time to collect complaints.

Honda CR-V vs Subaru Forester: Common Questions

Is the Honda CR-V more reliable than the Subaru Forester?: No. The two are effectively tied. The CR-V draws 8 owner complaints per 10,000 sold and the Forester 8.7, and both hold a good reliability standing. The Honda costs less to repair each year. The Subaru has a much shorter recall list. Their problem areas differ more than their overall reliability does.
Which has more recalls, the CR-V or the Forester?: The Honda CR-V has far more. Federal recall records list 46 recalls across the 2018 to 2026 model years, compared with 13 for the Subaru Forester over the same years. Whichever you buy, look up the VIN to confirm that every open recall has been completed.
Do Subaru Forester windshields crack easily?: Many owners say yes. The Forester's largest complaint category, with 819 filings, centers on cracks that formed with little or no impact, for example overnight in a parked car, after a hard frost, or from a tiny pebble. A small crack can spread across the driver's view within hours. Some replacement glass cracked again, and most owners paid out of pocket or through insurance.
What is the Honda CR-V steering problem?: Owners report the steering wheel sticking near center or at the start of a turn and then letting go suddenly, which leads to overcorrecting. Clicking, creaking, or popping often comes with it. Reports cluster around 47,000 to 53,000 miles. Dealers usually diagnose a failing rack or gearbox and quote $3,500 to $4,478. Twenty-four of these complaints are crash-linked.
Does the Honda CR-V brake by itself?: Some owners say it does. Complaints describe the car braking hard with nothing ahead while it flashes a BRAKE warning and beeps, at speeds from under 15 mph up to highway speed. Several reports involve adaptive cruise control or curves. Thirteen of these reports are crash-linked, the main danger is being rear-ended, and dealers often cannot recreate the problem.

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How we score the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester

Scores weight complaint severity at 35%, repair costs at 30%, recall impact at 20%, and the spread of complaints across systems at 15%, with complaint counts adjusted for US sales. Read the full methodology.

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