Subaru Forester, SJ (USA / CAN)

Manual transmission fluid capacity & service interval

Subaru Forester, SJ (USA / CAN) manual transmission fluid capacity is 3,3 liters. Service intervals include checking at 30000 miles or 30 months, and changing at 15000 miles or 15 months. The data covers 6 configurations.

The configuration chart below lists fill volumes and service intervals for each engine and trim variant.

TypeSpecifications
Forester 2.5i (2015-2018)
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 3,3 liter
  • Check 30000 miles/ 30 months
  • Code: 6/1
Forester 2.5i (2015-2018)
  • Use: Severe
  • Capacity 3,3 liter
  • Change 15000 miles/ 15 months
  • Code: 6/1
Forester 2.5i (2014-2015)
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 3,3 liter
  • Check 30000 miles/ 30 months
  • Code: 6/1
Forester 2.5i (2014-2015)
  • Use: Severe
  • Capacity 3,3 liter
  • Change 15000 miles/ 15 months
  • Code: 6/1
Forester 2.5i (2013-2014)
  • Use: Normal
  • Capacity 3,3 liter
  • Check 30000 miles/ 30 months
  • Code: 6/1
Forester 2.5i (2013-2014)
  • Use: Severe
  • Capacity 3,3 liter
  • Change 15000 miles
  • Code: 6/1

Additional Notes

  • The Subaru Forester SJ (USA/CAN) 2.5i manual transaxle holds 3.3 liters of fluid across all model years covered in the 2013-2018 range, a figure that applies uniformly regardless of service condition or model year grouping.
  • A 3.3-liter transaxle fill is a moderately sized capacity for a compact SUV manual gearbox, consistent with a combined transmission and differential housing typical of front-wheel-drive-based all-wheel-drive layouts.
  • Under normal use conditions, the 2.5i manual transaxle is subject to a fluid check at 30,000 miles or 30 months across all three model year groupings, meaning the fluid level is inspected rather than replaced on that schedule.
  • Under severe use conditions, the 2.5i manual transaxle requires a fluid change at 15,000 miles, cutting the service distance in half compared to the normal-use check interval.
  • The 2013-2014 severe-use specification lists only a mileage interval of 15,000 miles, while the 2014-2015 and 2015-2018 severe-use specifications add a time component of 15 months alongside the same 15,000-mile distance, indicating a refinement in how the service interval was expressed between those groupings.
  • The overlap at model year 2014 across two separate row groupings (2013-2014 and 2014-2015) reflects how Subaru service data is sometimes structured around production or publication cycles rather than strict calendar years, though the capacity figure of 3.3 liters remains unchanged across both.
  • The consistent 3.3-liter capacity across all six specification rows indicates no mid-cycle hardware change to the manual transaxle assembly that would have altered the fluid volume requirement between 2013 and 2018.

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