2019 Subaru Forester · symptom sheet
Brakes grind, pulse or wear early
- 26owner reports
- 23,000median miles
- 9involved a crash
Newest report Aug 21, 2026 · checked Oct 2, 2026
26 of the 833 complaints on this car describe brake wear.
Tick what matches of 26 reports
Brake wear on other Forester years
Report counts are for each model year on its own, so a newer car has had less time to collect them. Model years with too few reports of it for a sheet: 2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2025, 2026.
What this problem usually is
Brake reports cover a wide spread of symptoms. Grinding or squealing is common, and so is a pulsing pedal or a shake through the car when stopping. Others describe pads and rotors worn out long before they expected, a brake warning light, or a pedal that goes soft or sinks toward the floor. The most serious ones say the car didn't stop in time.
What got replaced
Few of these reports name the part that was replaced.
Recalls and investigations
No recall on the brakes covers the 2019 model year as of Oct 2, 2026.
When it happens
The middle half of failures fell between 12,000 and 34,000 miles, from the 17 reports that gave a mileage.
Is this a known problem?
The manufacturer has sent NHTSA 3 service bulletins or notices for the 2019 Subaru Forester that deal with this problem. Newest first.
Federal rules make a manufacturer send NHTSA a copy of any notice about a defect that goes to more than one dealer or owner. Most of these are service bulletins, the repair instructions manufacturers send to dealers. NHTSA generally leaves safety recall bulletins out of this file, and recalls are listed separately.
This bulletin announces availability of a Vehicle Dynamics Control Module (VDC) reprogramming file to address DTC B2809 & B2C22.
This bulletin provides diagnosis and procedure information to be applied when diagnosing potential fluid leaks on front and rear brake calipers. This information has been developed to reduce unnecessary brake caliper replacement.
This Service Information bulletin announces instruction for application of additional lubrication between the brake caliper support and pad clips.
What owners wrote
“Braking for stop - brake pedal sinks, car accelerates ; requires extreme brake pedal push to stop car. A very unsafe condition. No warning or any dash board indication. Happened several times already.”
Filed Aug 3, 2022
“The lane keeping assist even when shut off prevents lane changes. A truck drifted into my lane and I had to use extreme force to steer over the car. The collision assist will randomly brake at high way speeds, also while off. The brakes will get squishy, not properly engage and make funny noises while the parking collision is off as well.”
Filed Jun 15, 2022
Should you keep driving it?
This page can't tell you that. 9 of 26 reports involved a crash and 2 people were hurt. Owners who file are the ones who had a bad experience, and nobody checks their reports. If the problem affects steering, braking, power or a fire risk, treat it as a safety fault and have it inspected before a long or high-speed drive.
File your own report with NHTSA. Complaint counts are how a problem gets an investigation. How reports land on this sheet.
Guide Taking it to a shop? How to describe this problem so it gets found
Other problems on this car
- Windshield cracks or distorts 399 reports
- Battery dies or the car will not start 61 reports
- Engine stalls or loses power while driving 57 reports
- Check engine light or misfire 52 reports
- Infotainment, screen or backup camera fails 32 reports
- Multiple warning lights come on at once 28 reports
- Windshield wipers stop working 27 reports