1998 Subaru Forester problems
Owners have filed 138 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998 Subaru Forester. Drivetrain & axles is the most reported problem area, at 17% of complaints. After that come suspension (13%) and brakes (12%).
At a glance
- Complaints
- 138 filed with NHTSA
- Most reported
- Drivetrain & axles 17% of complaints
- Crashes and fires
- 9 and 5
- Injuries and deaths
- 9 and 1
- Typical mileage
- 98,000 miles 23 complaints with mileage
Source: NHTSA owner complaints
Where the complaints are
Share of this model year's complaints by the part of the car involved. One complaint can name more than one part, so the shares can add up to more than 100%.
When problems show up
View the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints |
|---|---|
| 0k to 20k miles | 0 |
| 20k to 40k miles | 2 |
| 40k to 60k miles | 1 |
| 60k to 80k miles | 6 |
| 80k to 100k miles | 4 |
| 100k to 120k miles | 4 |
| 120k to 140k miles | 4 |
| 140k to 160k miles | 2 |
| 160k to 180k miles | 0 |
| 180k to 200k miles | 0 |
| 200k+ miles | 0 |
What the data shows
Among the 23 complaints that report mileage, the typical (median) problem appeared at about 98,000 miles.
Safety-related details: 9 complaints mention a crash; 5 complaints mention a fire; 9 injuries reported; 1 death reported.
Looking only at complaints filed within five years of the model year (so older and newer years are comparable), the 1998 ranks 15th most-complained-about out of 29 model years of the Subaru Forester with enough data (102 complaints in that window). It is also covered by 1 safety recall campaign.
What owners wrote
A few complaints as filed, shortened and with personal details removed. The first ones are among the most serious reports for this model year; the rest are typical.
When vehicle was turned on it suddenly accelerated backwards very fast, crashing into two vehicles. Consumer has contacted dealer. Cause of the problem has yet to be determined. While vehicle was in park and consumer had foot on the brake and turned on ignition the vehicle accelerated very fast in reverse and caused accident, consumer is also having various electrical problems with the vehicle, such as the battery draining, security system goes off while parked, and the doors lock by themselves.
The rear wheel bearing showed signs of excessive wear every 30000 to 40000 miles. The dealer/independent shop replaced the part. *scc
(1) noticed periodic overheating on 1998 forester with 2.5l dohc engine. (2) head gasket failed temperature spiked and coolant boiled over, large amount of white steam from hood. (3) dealer said problem was head gasket and the engine was repaired for $1800, subaru of america was notified and denied any problems with this year engine in spite of a large number of similiar head gasket.