1998 Subaru Forester drivetrain & axles problems
23 complaints about drivetrain & axles have been filed for the 1998 Subaru Forester, which is 17% of all its NHTSA complaints. It is the most reported problem area for this model year.
At a glance
- Complaints
- 23 17% of this year's complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 0 and 0
- Injuries and deaths
- 0 and 0
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
What the data shows
None of the drivetrain & axles complaints mention a crash, fire, injury or death.
What owners wrote
Grease and oil dripping onto the catalytic converter starts smelling. Dealer cannot duplicate the problem, but is aware of the problem. *akthey doubled the viscosity of the driveline grease. From 90 to 150 weight. Tthere only one problem with this.the fumes coming off the exhaust were making me sick.the laekage was bad enough that I thought the car was starting on fire- fire hazard. *adj
Clutch chatters badly and clutch does not engage until the pedal is almost fully depressed when vehicle sits overnight. Problem seems more pronounced in colder weather, but occurs in all weather conditions. In addition to causing an unsafe driving situation, the condition may cause first and reverse gears to grind when selecting these gears from a stop. After driving a few miles the problem goes away and the clutch operates normally.
Other problems reported for the 1998 Subaru Forester
- Suspension 18 complaints
- Brakes 17 complaints
- Engine 15 complaints