Compact SUV · what it costs new, what it’s worth used, and who has one near you.

The 2012 Subaru Forester is a compact suv we track across the used market in Canada. It comes in gas (9.7 L/100 km) and hybrid (6.9 L/100 km) forms, so the main choice is fuel — the hybrid earns its premium back over enough kilometres. A 22-year-old one keeps roughly 3% of a current model's market price — what actually matters over five years of ownership.
Fuel economy & range: Natural Resources Canada (Open Government Licence — Canada). Safety recalls & owner-reported complaints: US National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (public domain); complaint shares are a relative signal, not a failure rate. Prices, payments, depreciation, listing counts and dealer inventory: Conquest market data; payment estimates use market-average terms and are not an offer of credit. Independent service — not affiliated with or endorsed by Subaru.
Each dot is a live listing — price by mileage, with the market trend line. Click any dot to view it. Showing 9 of 38.
Days on market across 9 listings — most sell in about 47 days (typical range 37–50). The longer a car sits, the more room to negotiate.
The view no marketplace shows you
Typical payment
$123/mo $4
Typical asking price
$6,990 $252
Gas — combined
9.7L/100 km
Hybrid — combined
6.9L/100 km
Fuel / year (20k km)
$3,453
Hybrid saves
$997/yr
Typical figures. See what it costs for your commute.
Median market price by vehicle age
Same data pipeline, every rival — tap to open its page
2585693 ONTARIO INC.
Toronto, ON · 2 in stock
WHYBUYNEW MOTORS LTD.
Scarborough, ON · 1 in stock
FRONTLINE MOTORS INC.
Toronto, ON · 1 in stock
ANDY'S AUTO INC.
Cambridge, ON · 1 in stock
INVENTUS AUTO LEASING INC.
Barrie, ON · 1 in stock
SOMI INC.
Mississauga, ON · 1 in stock
1427555 ONTARIO INC.
Ottawa, ON · 1 in stock
LNDN H AUTO LP
London, ON · 1 in stock
Owner-reported problems and open safety recalls
Most-reported problems
Across 105 owner complaints filed on the 2012 Subaru Forester
Share of complaints naming each system — a signal of what owners report most on this model, not a failure rate. The denominator is people who filed a complaint, not every owner. Complaints are filed with the US regulator; the same models are sold in Canada.
Safety recalls
15 campaigns issued by the manufacturer
Air Bags · Frontal · Passenger Side · Inflator Module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, and Legacy vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Maryland, Missouri, Nebraska, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Campaign 19V008000
Air Bags · Frontal · Passenger Side · Inflator Module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2013 Forester, 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Outback, Legacy, and 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Campaign 19V007000
Air Bags · Frontal · Passenger Side · Inflator Module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2010-2014 Tribeca, WRX, Legacy and Outback vehicles, 2010-2011 Impreza vehicles and 2010-2013 Forester vehicles sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New York, North Dakota, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the passenger frontal air bag, these inflators may explode due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Campaign 19V009000
Electrical System · Ignition · Switch
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2009-2013 Forester vehicles, 2008-2011 Impreza vehicles, 2008-2014 WRX vehicles, 2005-2014 Legacy vehicles, 2005-2014 Outback vehicles and 2006-2008 Tribeca vehicles equipped with a mechanical key ignition switch installed as a replacement part. The ball spring inside the switch may break, reducing the strength of the ignition switch. If this occurs, the weight on the key ring and certain road conditions could cause the ignition switch to move out of the run position to the accessory position, turning off the engine.
Campaign 19V297000
Air Bags · Frontal · Passenger Side · Inflator Module
Subaru of America, Inc. (Subaru) is recalling certain 2005-2006 Subaru Baja, 2006-2011 Impreza (including WRX and STI models), 2006-2012 Tribeca, 2009-2012 Forester, Legacy, Outback, and 2012 WRX vehicles originally sold, or ever registered, in the states of Alabama, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Texas, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands (Saipan), and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These vehicles are equipped with certain air bag inflators assembled as part of the passenger frontal air bag modules, and used as original equipment or replacement equipment. In the event of a crash necessitating deployment of the front air bags, these inflators may rupture due to propellant degradation occurring after long-term exposure to absolute humidity and temperature cycling.
Campaign 17V014000
+ 10 more campaigns.
Recall campaigns are manufacturer-issued and fixed free of charge. This is the US campaign set matched by year, make and model — it is not a check against a specific VIN, and Canadian campaigns may differ.