Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Subaru Forester 2013: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 68 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2013 Subaru Forester were passes.

Summary

With 779 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2013 Subaru Forester differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist.

At a glance

How 779 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
68 in every 100
Did not pass first time
32 in every 100250 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
12 yearsabout 95,963 miles
First tests counted
779

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2013 Subaru Forester vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

Three faults. The strongest is the suspension arm pins and bushes (front): 3.9 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 250 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Suspension arm pins and bushes (front)

Failed on 47 first tests3.9 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Pins and bushes on suspension arms fail as Major when they are excessively worn. They are graded Dangerous when likely to become detached. DVSA uses the same wording for a suspension joint.

Also noted as an advisory

Testers also noted it as an advisory, worn but not yet failing, on 56 first tests, 2.8 times as often as on similar cars.

Coil spring (rear)

Failed on 42 first tests3.5 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

A missing bump stop rubber is not a reason to fail a coil spring. When the vehicle is jacked and lowered, a spring that does not correctly locate as the suspension returns to its normal running position is rejected as insecurely attached. A missing spring is Major, and graded Dangerous where directional control is affected.

Suspension arm ball joint (front)

Failed on 38 first tests2.1 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

A suspension arm ball joint is failed under the general suspension pin, bush or joint wording. Excessively worn is Major, and likely to become detached is graded Dangerous.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage. Advisories count notes recorded on failed first tests only.

Advisories

Other things testers noted as worn or close to failing, more often than on similar cars.

An advisory is a note from the tester about something that has not failed yet. It is an early warning, not a fail. Advisories for the faults above are shown with those faults.

Rigid brake pipes (rear)

Noted on 24 first tests2.8 times as often as similar carsElevated evidence

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Counts cover advisories recorded on failed first tests only, compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
68in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
5in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
27in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 67.9% of 779 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 72.5%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 5 fixed and the 27 not fixed make the 32 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsPassed first time, as tested
Petrol39870
Diesel38066

Figures are in every 100 first tests.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

406080100200520102013Older carsNewer cars
40608010020102013Older carsNewer cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
200357 in every 100469
200465 in every 100651
200560 in every 100797
200660 in every 100743
200763 in every 100714
200860 in every 100481
200959 in every 100365
201054 in every 100649
201161 in every 100773
201263 in every 100392
2013 This car68 in every 100779
201469 in every 1001,077
201573 in every 100940
201674 in every 1001,141
201779 in every 100871
201883 in every 100895
201989 in every 1001,070

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

With 779 first tests, there are too few to say whether the 2013 Subaru Forester differs from the model years either side. Treat the faults below as a checklist. In 2025, 67.9% of 779 first MOTs on the 2013 Subaru Forester passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 72.5%. Among 250 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) appears more often than on similar cars (18.8% of those tests; 47 observed failures; about 3.9× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) (18.8% of those tests; 47 observed failures; about 3.9× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Suspension arm pins and bushes (front) shows up more often than on similar cars (18.8% of those tests; 47 observed failures; about 3.9× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2013 Subaru Forester include Suspension arm pins and bushes (front), Coil spring (rear), Suspension arm ball joint (front). These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
Advisories flag issues noted at the test and are not a fail rate. We show advisory patterns that appear more often than on similar cars among failed first-attempt tests, separate from common failure rows. Use them as early-warning checks, not as a pass/fail score.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2013 Subaru Forester (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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