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Exterior lightingPart report

2023 Subaru Forester Exterior lighting Problems

Complaints
4about this part
Share
5%of 74 total for the year
Median mileage
—not reported
Trend
Too newThis model year is less than 4 years old, so a trend is not meaningful yet.

NHTSA recorded 4 complaints about the exterior lighting of the 2023 Subaru Forester, 5% of the 74 complaints for this model year.

Fewer than 15 complaints name this part, so treat the figures as a rough indication only.

Example complaints

Selected from NHTSA records; personal details are removed. They are consumer reports, not findings.

“No incident yet. Have LED projection lights which are supposed to prevent glare to oncoming drivers. Live in rural area where there is little lighting. Even on dim, lights apparently are too bright & other drivers flash their brights as if I have them on bright. Don't understand how this helps safety. The projection prevents me from seeing the top 2/3 of screen at night the dark cut off line allows me to see very little in front of me. I will try to upload photos. Have almost hit deer. …”

NHTSA complaint #11533802, filed 2023-07

“I see black/gray spots on the headlights and sometimes I cannot detect if it is something in the road. Especially if it is raining. I called today for my maintenance and I am going to address this. Another issue that scared me to death. I was backing out of my garage, I was clear to continue backing but it kept beeping. Again I checked and nothing there, I began to continue and all of a sudden the car braked on its on hard. It was so alarming. I’m glad I was not in traffic. I am addressing this as well at my dealership. …”

NHTSA complaint #11611294, filed 2024-08

“The low beam headlights project a light field which has distracting dark spots within the field. When turning the car the dark spots move as the headlight field moves and appear to be an animal or unknown object in the field of vision. We asked the Subaru dealer for a different type of headlight. The dealer said Subaru has no other options for headlights. We were not told about this feature when we purchased the car. And we did not test drive the car at night. The dark spots are dangerously distracting as a driver is trained to alert when an object is in front of the car. …”

NHTSA complaint #11540943, filed 2023-08

“Factory installed headlights are dangerous as the low beam has a black line approximately halfway in the field of vision. Subaru states this is to keep from blinding oncoming vehicles. Driving in town not too bad, however in rural mountain areas with winding roads the headlights do not provide necessary lighting causing driving to be extremely dangerous. Low beams should not blind oncoming traffic. Dealer states these projection headlights cannot be replaced with traditional headlights. …”

NHTSA complaint #11641177, filed 2025-02

Related service bulletins

Exterior lighting: other model years

YearComplaintsShare of year
202613%
202588%
202426%
202345%
202288%
202110%
202031%
201920%
201820%
201741%
201661%
2015152%
2014102%
201345%
201211%
201143%
201031%
200942%
200812%
200734%
200645%
200164%

Other parts of the 2023 Subaru Forester

Other or unknown
20 complaints
Forward collision avoidance
13 complaints
Visibility (wipers, defrost, mirrors)
12 complaints
Electrical system
8 complaints
Air bags
6 complaints
Brakes
6 complaints
Vehicle speed control
6 complaints
Engine
5 complaints
Lane departure
5 complaints
Transmission and drivetrain
5 complaints
Seats
3 complaints
Body and structure
3 complaints

← All problems reported for the 2023 Subaru Forester

About this data. Data from NHTSA (ODI) complaints, recalls, TSBs and investigations, updated Oct 31, 2026. Complaints are unverified consumer reports and may be duplicated or inaccurate.

To check a specific vehicle for open recalls, use its VIN at nhtsa.gov/recalls. Methodology