Recalls are a dime a dozen these days, but this is not Tesla or Ford. This time, it’s Subaru — one of the most reliable automakers in the world.
Before you bring your Subaru into the woods for your annual off-roading adventure, just remember what Smokey the Bear said. Why? Subaru is recalling some of its new hybrids. 71,207 SUVs have been affected, including 51,707 Forester hybrids from 2025 and 19,500 Crosstrek hybrids from 2026.
According to Subaru’s safety recall, submitted to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), both of these models have fuel caps with faulty seals. When the gas tanks are nearly full and exposed to warmer temperatures, the pressure within the tanks can cause fuel to rise up and leak out of the cap. This could become a huge fire risk.
Subaru has advised owners to park their hybrid Crosstrek and Forester vehicles outside and not to fill the fuel tanks more than halfway. That puts a damper on a long weekend trip.
If you’re wondering if your hybrid 2026 Crosstrek or 2025 Forester is affected — it is. It’s all of them. Owners will receive a mail confirmation of the recall by March 25th. Before then, you can also enter your VIN on the NHTSA site to learn more. You will be able to get the gasket replaced with an improved version at a Subaru dealership.
Subaru stills remains one of the most reliable brands
You don’t hear of a Subaru recall too often. According to Consumer Reports, Subaru is currently the second-most reliable car brand in the world. This is based on data from 380,000 vehicles gathered from the last few years, focusing on everything from broken interior trim to engine issues.
Subaru had the top spot in 2025, which was taken by Toyota in 2026. While the Impreza has remained Subaru’s most reliable model, its SUVs are not as solid across the board. The Forester Hybrid is especially notable, with just an above-average reliability score. This doesn’t align with Consumer Reports overall data, which shows that hybrids are more reliable than EVs across the board.
Of course, this one recall doesn’t mean that the Forester and Crosstrek are unreliable or that Subaru is falling apart. Ford averaged a recall every 2.5 days in 2025, but its models are not deemed unreliable — Ford guys would even say they never experience an issue ever! However, numbers are not the only story and many recalls are not severe or dangerous.
Subaru notes that they’ve received a few dozen complaints about the fuel cap leak but there have been no fires yet.
