IllustrationWHILE MAKING A RIGHT TURN, THE CONSUMER HEARD A RUBBING NOISE. UPON INSPECTION OF THE VEHICLE, THE REAR STRUT SPRING PLATE CORRODED AND WAS PUSHED DOWN ONTO THE TIRES. *AK THE REAR STRUTS WERE REPLACED. *TT *JB
1999 Subaru Forester
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1999 Subaru Forester do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 131.
About this comparison →How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Forester years →Counts vary with age, sales and reporting. They are not failure rates.
What owners reported most
All reported categories
Tap a category to read its complaints. One report may name several components.
When problems were reported
Mileage at the reported incident
40–25K
1025–50K
1250–75K
1375–100K
7100–150K
4150K+
50 reports with mileage · 81 unknown
NHTSA’s mileage field refers to the reported incident, not necessarily the filing date. This shows report counts, not the likelihood of a failure.
What to inspect
Issues worth paying extra attention to based on owner reports.
- Power Train. Review the 32 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Engine And Engine Cooling. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 25 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
5 crash reports1 fire reports4 injury reports
What owners actually said
131 reportsUNSAFE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT JACK PROVIDED WITH 1999 SUBARU FORESTER L AND IN ALL LIKELHOOD WITH SUBSEQUENT MODELS. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE A FLAT ON A LEVEL STREET, THE JACK BENT AND COLLAPSED, CAUSING THE WHEEL TO RETURN TO THE PAVEMENT. FORTUNATELY, NO HARM WAS DONE, BUT THIS JACK MIGHT CAUSE BODILY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE IN TH…
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UNSAFE ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT JACK PROVIDED WITH 1999 SUBARU FORESTER L AND IN ALL LIKELHOOD WITH SUBSEQUENT MODELS. WHEN ATTEMPTING TO CHANGE A FLAT ON A LEVEL STREET, THE JACK BENT AND COLLAPSED, CAUSING THE WHEEL TO RETURN TO THE PAVEMENT. FORTUNATELY, NO HARM WAS DONE, BUT THIS JACK MIGHT CAUSE BODILY AND PROPERTY DAMAGE IN THE FUTURE, IF IT HAS NOT ALREADY DONE SO IN THE PAST. *AK
CLUTCH PREMATURELY BURNED OUT. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, THE CLUTCH WOULD CHATTER OR DISENGAGE IN COLD TEMPERATURES. THE CLUTCH WAS REPLACED, BUT FAILED AGAIN. THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM, BUT THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE IT. THERE WAS NO SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM.*AK THE REPLACEMENT CLUTCH HADN'T F…
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CLUTCH PREMATURELY BURNED OUT. PRIOR TO THIS INCIDENT, THE CLUTCH WOULD CHATTER OR DISENGAGE IN COLD TEMPERATURES. THE CLUTCH WAS REPLACED, BUT FAILED AGAIN. THIS WAS A COMMON PROBLEM, BUT THE MANUFACTURER DID NOT ACKNOWLEDGE IT. THERE WAS NO SOLUTION FOR THE PROBLEM.*AK THE REPLACEMENT CLUTCH HADN'T FAILED COMPLETELY . IT STARTED EXHIBITING THE SAME PROBLEMS AS THE FIRST ONE BUT AT AN ACCELERATED PACE. CONSUMER NOTED MANY OTHER SUBARU OWNERS IN THE BAY AREA EXPERIENCED THE SAME DEFECT AND ARE NOT RIDING THE CLUTCH. *PH *NLM
SINCE THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE, IT BURNS WELL OVER A QUART OF OIL WHEN IT TRAVELED 1000 MILES. HENCE HAVING TO REPLACE 3 TO 4 QTS OF OIL BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. THE DEALER INSISTS THAT THIS IS ?NORMAL.? I THOUGHT THAT THEY SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO PUT THIS ON THE STICKER INFORMATION OF ALL NEW CARS WHILE OTHERS ARE DOCUMENTING T…
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SINCE THE PURCHASE OF THE VEHICLE, IT BURNS WELL OVER A QUART OF OIL WHEN IT TRAVELED 1000 MILES. HENCE HAVING TO REPLACE 3 TO 4 QTS OF OIL BETWEEN OIL CHANGES. THE DEALER INSISTS THAT THIS IS ?NORMAL.? I THOUGHT THAT THEY SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO PUT THIS ON THE STICKER INFORMATION OF ALL NEW CARS WHILE OTHERS ARE DOCUMENTING THE SAME INFORMATION. *LA
THE CAR IS 4 YEARS OLD WITH 24100 MILES. AT 16000 MILES, RIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED AND WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. AT 22000 MILES, RIGHT REAR BEARING NOISE RETURNED AND THE DEALER 'ADJUSTED' THE BEARING FOR 'FREE', EVEN THOUGH THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY HAD PASSED. AT 24100 MILES, THE BEARING FAILED WITH GRINDING AND SMOKING…
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THE CAR IS 4 YEARS OLD WITH 24100 MILES. AT 16000 MILES, RIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED AND WAS REPLACED UNDER WARRANTY. AT 22000 MILES, RIGHT REAR BEARING NOISE RETURNED AND THE DEALER 'ADJUSTED' THE BEARING FOR 'FREE', EVEN THOUGH THE 3 YEAR WARRANTY HAD PASSED. AT 24100 MILES, THE BEARING FAILED WITH GRINDING AND SMOKING WHILE VEHICLE WAS ON THE HIGHWAY. DEALER REFUSED TO COVER THE EVENT UNDER WARRANTY.A TECHNICIAN AT THE DEALERSHIP TOLD CONSUMER THAT OTHER FORESTERS WERE HAVING SIMILAR BEARING PROBLEMS,AND THAT THEY WE RETOLD TO STOP USING THE OEM BALL BEARINGS, AND GO TO A ROLLER BEARING.*AK
VEHICLE CONTINUES TO RUN HOT. DEALER NOTIFIED.*AK
1999 SUBARU FORESTER S. AT 40,000 NEW TRANSMISSION. AT 45,000 SPEED ODOMETER STICKING NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. NOW AT 96,000 MILES LEAKING HEAD GASKET NEEDS TO BE REPLACED. ALL MAJOR PROBLEMS REQUIRING MAJOR MONEY TO BE REPLACED.*AK
CHRONIC ENGINE AND OIL LEAKAGE OF A 1999 SUBARU FORESTER. NO SATISFACTION FROM 2 DEALERSHIPS (BALD HILL SUBARU AND PILGRIM SUBARU). I HAVE NOTED THE LAST DATE OF SERVICE, BUT THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN CONSTANT AND CHRONIC. I HAVE LOST TIME FROM WORK, HAD BREAKDOWNS ON 2 VACATIONS, AND HAVE CONSTANT ANXIETY ABOUT THE SITUATION. *N…
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CHRONIC ENGINE AND OIL LEAKAGE OF A 1999 SUBARU FORESTER. NO SATISFACTION FROM 2 DEALERSHIPS (BALD HILL SUBARU AND PILGRIM SUBARU). I HAVE NOTED THE LAST DATE OF SERVICE, BUT THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN CONSTANT AND CHRONIC. I HAVE LOST TIME FROM WORK, HAD BREAKDOWNS ON 2 VACATIONS, AND HAVE CONSTANT ANXIETY ABOUT THE SITUATION. *NLM
THE WHEEL BEARINGS HAVE BEEN REPLACED 3 TIMES SINCE THE VEHICLE HAD 29000 MILES. *NLM
I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS ON MY 1999 SUBARU FORESTER THREE (3) TIMES. THE LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARINGS HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE BEFORE 35K MILES AND THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING JUST FAILED AT 50K MILES. CLEARLY SUBARU HAS A DESIGN AND/OR MANUFACTURING PROBLEM WITH THE 1999 SUBARU REAR WHEEL BEARINGS. I DON'T KNOW I…
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I HAVE HAD TO REPLACE REAR WHEEL BEARINGS ON MY 1999 SUBARU FORESTER THREE (3) TIMES. THE LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARINGS HAD TO BE REPLACED TWICE BEFORE 35K MILES AND THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING JUST FAILED AT 50K MILES. CLEARLY SUBARU HAS A DESIGN AND/OR MANUFACTURING PROBLEM WITH THE 1999 SUBARU REAR WHEEL BEARINGS. I DON'T KNOW IF IT IS A SERIOUS SAFETY ISSUE BUT HAVING A WHEEL BEARING FAIL COMPLETELY AT HIGHWAY SPEEDS WOULD SEEM LIKE A BAD THING.[I FOUND OUT ABOUT YOUR SITE ON CARTALK.COM]. NLM
Official recalls
199V040000 · Service Brakes, Hydraulic:foundation Components:master Cylinder
Mar 3, 1999
VEHICLE DESCRIPTION: PASSENGER AND SPORT UTILITY VEHICLES EQUIPPED WITH ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS). (THE 1999 2.2 LITER LEGACY VEHICLES ARE EXCLUDED). IN EXTREMELY COLD WEATHER, THE BRAKE PEDAL GOES TO THE FLOOR AND THE VEHICLE STOPPING DISTANCE IS INCREASED.
Consequence & remedy
Consequence: THIS CONDITION CAUSES THE VEHICLE STOPPING DISTANCE TO BE INCREASED, POSSIBLY RESULTING IN A CRASH.
Remedy: DEALERS WILL REPLACE THE BRAKE MASTER CYLINDER.
Model-level recall history does not show whether a particular VIN is affected or has received a repair. Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗
NHTSA investigations
1PE99020 · Seat Belt Anchorage Separation
Opened Mar 5, 1999 · Closed Mar 26, 1999
Status: closed (inferred from source dates) · Seat Belts:front:anchorage
ODI HAS ONE COMPLAINT ALLEGING THE PASSENGER'S SIDE SAFETY BELT ANCHORAGE, LOCATED BETWEEN THE SEAT AND CENTER CONSOLE, BECAME DETACHED WHILE DRIVING.IN ADDITION, THE OWNER INSPECTED THE DRIVER'S SIDE SAFETY BELT ANCHORAGE AND FOUND THAT THE BOLT WAS PARTIALLY BACKED-OUT.THE COMPLAINT VEHICLE WAS EQUIPPED WITH LEATHER SEAT COVERS AND HEATED FRONT SEATS.BECAUSE OF THESE OPTIONS, THE FRONT SEAT BELTS WERE INSTALLED BY AN OUTSIDE VENDOR AT THE PORT OF ENTRY IN VANCOUVER, WASHINGTON.SUBARU STATES THAT A SMALL QUANTITY OF VEHICLES WITH HEATEDFRONT SEATS DID NOT HAVE THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLY INSTALLED WHEN THEY ARRIVED IN VANCOUVER.THE SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES WERE SUPPLIED SEPARATELY FROM THE FRONT SEATS AND AN OUTSIDE VENDOR INSTALLED BOTH THE LEATHER SEAT COVERS AND THE FRONT SEAT BELT BUCKLE ASSEMBLIES TO THE SEAT FRAME.SUBARU HAS SEARCHED THEIR FILES AND FOUND NO ADDITIONAL COMPLAINTS OR WARRANTY CLAIMS ON FORESTER VEHICLES FOR LOOSE SEAT BELT BOLTS.SUBARU ALSO CONFIRMED THAT WITH THEIR CURRENT QUALITY ASSURANCE INSPECTIONS THAT SUCH A CONDITION CANNOT GO UNNOTICED IN THE FUTURE.