Subaru Forester 1998–2002
1st generation (SF)
NHTSA data through 13 August 2026667 complaints, 269 with mileageMethod
- Reports with mileage
- 269
- Median of reported failures
- 74,000 mi
- Most-reported system
- Transmission and driveline (19.0%)
- Recalls
- 0
Before-you-buy checklist ↓Check this VIN — NHTSA ↗
On this generation, failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 43,000 and 100,150 miles.
Figure 1 · Subaru Forester 1998–2002 · 269 reports with mileage
Mileage at failure
Complaints per 20,000-mile bin, 0 to 200,000 miles, equal bins on a linear scale. Tallest bar = 48 complaints.
- Rest of the range
- Median
- 200,000+ — 5 complaints (1.9%), plotted separately
- 10%
- 21,700
- 25%
- 43,000
- Median
- 73,500
- 75%
- 100,150
- 90%
- 160,823
Show the numbers
| Mileage | Complaints | Share |
|---|---|---|
| 0–20,000 | 21 | 7.8% |
| 20,000–40,000 | 39 | 14.5% |
| 40,000–60,000 | 46 | 17.1% |
| 60,000–80,000 | 39 | 14.5% |
| 80,000–100,000 | 48 | 17.8% |
| 100,000–120,000 | 29 | 10.8% |
| 120,000–140,000 | 10 | 3.7% |
| 140,000–160,000 | 9 | 3.3% |
| 160,000–180,000 | 14 | 5.2% |
| 180,000–200,000 | 9 | 3.3% |
| 200,000+ | 5 | 1.9% |
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain. Complaint counts reflect what owners reported and are not a measure of failure rate per vehicle sold.
What this can and cannot tell you: these are complaints owners chose to file, not a failure rate. Popular models accumulate more of them simply by being common. How this is built.
Owners filed 667 complaints with NHTSA about the 1998–2002 Subaru Forester, and 269 of them record the mileage at which the failure happened. That is enough to show not just what fails, but when.
Failures are spread across the mileage range, with the middle half between 43,000 and 100,150 miles. The median is 73,500 miles.
The most-reported areas are the transmission and driveline (19.0% of complaints, typically around 56,000 miles), the engine and its cooling system (13.6% of complaints, typically around 82,000 miles), the suspension (13.3% of complaints, typically around 69,000 miles).
If you arrived asking “is it reliable?” — this page answers the version of that question the data can support: which problems owners reported, and at what mileage.
How many miles does a 1998–2002 Subaru Forester last?
Half of the failure reports on the 1998–2002 Subaru Forester were filed by 74,000 miles and 90% by 161,000 miles — figures drawn from 269 NHTSA complaints that record an odometer reading, so they time reported failures, not the cars whose owners never filed one.
5 reports (1.9%) came in past 200,000 miles — each one proof a Forester reached that mileage, not that it died there.
Before you buy a 1998–2002 Forester: the 3-minute check
Generated from 269 mileage-tagged complaints, 4 documented problem areas. Print this page — the checklist survives print.
- Check head gaskets (ej25d) on 1998 cars. The DOHC EJ25D suffers internal head gasket failure allowing coolant into the cylinder, producing overheating, coolant loss and combustion contamination. Distinct mechanism from the later SOHC failures.
- Check head gaskets (ej251/ej252 sohc) on 1999–2002 cars. The SOHC engines fail differently - external coolant seepage at the head gasket, weeping down the block, often with slow coolant loss and no overheating at first. Subject of a class action settlement; Subaru extended…
- Check wheel bearings on 1998–2002 cars. Front and rear wheel bearing failure producing a growling noise that changes with steering load; a routine failure item across early Foresters.
- End with a pre-purchase inspection of this car. Aggregate data describes the population; the example in front of you has its own history.
For a buyer, failures on this generation are spread rather than concentrated: the middle half falls between 43,000 and 100,000 miles, with a median of 74,000. There is no single mileage threshold to watch, which means condition and maintenance records are more informative than the odometer.
On inspection, the transmission and driveline and the engine and its cooling system are where this generation's reports concentrate, so those are the areas worth a specific look. The transmission and driveline in particular shows a median failure mileage of 56,000, which gives a concrete number to compare against the odometer of any car you are considering.
None of this is a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection on the individual car. Aggregate patterns describe a population; the example in front of you has its own history.
What fails, and when
Figure 2 · Subaru Forester 1998–2002
When each system fails
Bar spans the middle half of reports; the notch inside each bar is the median. Miles at failure on a proportional scale — equal distances are equal ratios, not equal miles.
- Transmission and driveline127 reports56,00030,000–91,000Transmission and driveline: 127 reports, median 56,000 miles, middle half 30,000 to 91,000 miles.
- Suspension89 reports69,00044,000–115,000Suspension: 89 reports, median 69,000 miles, middle half 44,000 to 115,000 miles.
- Engine and its cooling system91 reports82,00053,000–100,000Engine and its cooling system: 91 reports, median 82,000 miles, middle half 53,000 to 100,000 miles.
- Fuel system24 reports82,00065,000–101,000Fuel system: 24 reports, median 82,000 miles, middle half 65,000 to 101,000 miles.
- Throttle and speed control77 reports91,00032,000–109,000Throttle and speed control: 77 reports, median 91,000 miles, middle half 32,000 to 109,000 miles.
- Fuel and propulsion system13 reports121,00090,000–180,000Fuel and propulsion system: 13 reports, median 121,000 miles, middle half 90,000 to 180,000 miles.
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it in “Where your car sits”
Ordered by median mileage, earliest first. The first 12,000 miles are shaded: that is the boundary this site uses between a manufacturing defect and ordinary wear, not a property of the world.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
| System | Complaints | Share | Median | 25–75% |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transmission and driveline | 127 | 19.0% | 56,000 | 30,000–91,000 |
| Engine and its cooling system | 91 | 13.6% | 82,000 | 53,000–100,000 |
| Suspension | 89 | 13.3% | 69,000 | 44,000–115,000 |
| Throttle and speed control | 77 | 11.5% | 91,000 | 32,000–109,000 |
| Hydraulic brake circuit | 59 | 8.8% | — | — |
| Tyres | 31 | 4.6% | — | — |
| Airbag system | 31 | 4.6% | — | — |
| Fuel system | 24 | 3.6% | 82,000 | 65,000–101,000 |
| Visibility equipment | 14 | 2.1% | — | — |
| Problems owners could not categorise | 14 | 2.1% | — | — |
Where your car sits
Failure reports by the odometer reading they were filed at. Pick the anchor nearest your car — or type the exact mileage: your marker lands on this curve and on the timing chart above.
Figure 3 · Subaru Forester 1998–2002 · 269 reports with mileage
Share of reports below each mileage
Share of mileage-tagged reports filed at or below each odometer reading. Steps rise only at bin edges, by exact counted shares.
- 60,000 mi — 39% of reports below
- 120,000 mi — 83% of reports below
- Median — the staircase crosses the 50% line here
- Your odometer — appears after you enter it below
The staircase tops out at 98%: the remaining 1.9% of reports (5) came above 200,000 miles.
Nothing is smoothed or interpolated. Linear axis, same as Figure 1.
Source: NHTSA Office of Defects Investigation, public domain.
At 60,000 miles
39% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 30,000–91,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 53,000–100,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 44,000–115,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 32,000–109,000 mi
Mostly reported later
- Fuel system — middle half 65,000–101,000 mi
- Fuel and propulsion system — middle half 90,000–180,000 mi
At 90,000 miles
62% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
In the reporting window
- Transmission and driveline — middle half 30,000–91,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — middle half 53,000–100,000 mi
- Suspension — middle half 44,000–115,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — middle half 32,000–109,000 mi
- Fuel system — middle half 65,000–101,000 mi
- Fuel and propulsion system — middle half 90,000–180,000 mi
At 120,000 miles
83% of the failure reports on this generation came below this mileage. That describes reports, not your odds.
Reported earlier than this mileage — ask for repair records
- Transmission and driveline — median 56,000 mi
- Engine and its cooling system — median 82,000 mi
- Suspension — median 69,000 mi
- Throttle and speed control — median 91,000 mi
- Fuel system — median 82,000 mi
In the reporting window
- Fuel and propulsion system — middle half 90,000–180,000 mi
Which systems, and when
Complaints about this generation are not spread evenly across the vehicle, and the systems that generate the most of them do not all fail at the same point in a car's life. The median failure across all systems here is 73,500 miles; the figures below show which parts of the car run ahead of that and which run behind.
The transmission and driveline accounts for 19.0% of complaints (127 reports, 58 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 56,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 30,000 and 91,000 miles.
The engine and its cooling system accounts for 13.6% of complaints (91 reports, 53 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 82,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 53,000 and 100,000 miles.
The suspension accounts for 13.3% of complaints (89 reports, 45 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 69,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 44,000 and 115,000 miles.
Throttle and speed control accounts for 11.5% of complaints (77 reports, 30 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 91,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 32,000 and 109,000 miles.
The fuel system accounts for 3.6% of complaints (24 reports, 12 of them with a mileage figure), with a median of 82,000 miles, close to the vehicle's overall pattern. The middle half of these reports falls between 65,000 and 101,000 miles.
The fuel and propulsion system accounts for 1.9% of complaints (13 reports, 10 of them with a mileage figure), and it fails late — a median of 121,000 miles, considerably beyond the vehicle's overall median. That pattern is consistent with normal service life rather than a defect, though it matters for anyone buying an example already near that mileage. The middle half of these reports falls between 90,000 and 180,000 miles.
Differences between model years
Within this generation, complaint volume is not constant across model years. The 2001 model year drew the most — 169 complaints — while 2000 drew the fewest at 95. The median year sits at 138.
Recalls and what they cover
No recall campaigns covering this generation appear in NHTSA's post-2010 recall file. That is not the same as an absence of problems — recalls address safety defects specifically, and many of the complaints above concern faults that are expensive or annoying without meeting that threshold.
Reported severity
What owners reported alongside the failure itself, out of 667 complaints against this generation:
- Crashes
- 90 (13.5%)
- Fires
- 7
- Injury reports
- 46
- Fatality reports
- 2
These flags are self-reported by complainants and unverified by NHTSA; one report can carry several flags, so the counts overlap and do not sum to a total. They are not adjusted for how many of these vehicles are on the road. No chart is drawn here on purpose: overlapping counts spanning very different magnitudes cannot be honestly encoded as lengths.
Documented problems
Head Gaskets (ej25d) 1998
The DOHC EJ25D suffers internal head gasket failure allowing coolant into the cylinder, producing overheating, coolant loss and combustion contamination. Distinct mechanism from the later SOHC failures.
Head Gaskets (ej251/EJ252 Sohc) 1999–2002
The SOHC engines fail differently - external coolant seepage at the head gasket, weeping down the block, often with slow coolant loss and no overheating at first. Subject of a class action settlement; Subaru extended coverage to 8 years / 100,000 miles and specified a cooling system conditioner as part of the remedy.
Wheel Bearings 1998–2002
Front and rear wheel bearing failure producing a growling noise that changes with steering load; a routine failure item across early Foresters.
Body / Structure 1998–2002
Rear strut tower and rear quarter panel corrosion in road-salt regions.
By model year
| Year | Complaints | With mileage |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | 138 | 23 |
| 1999 | 156 | 57 |
| 2000 | 95 | 44 |
| 2001 | 169 | 85 |
| 2002 | 109 | 60 |
What owners reported
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…
1998 · 30,000 miles · Transmission and driveline
Please note!..... My 1998 Forester l-model with only 54400 miles has been diagnosed as having a leaky oil pump....Thus causing oil to be dripping from the engine, front area, on to a plastic splash pan....Where it lies until it has built-up enough of a puddle that it now seeks to be blown rearward along the inside of…
1998 · 50,000 miles · Engine and its cooling system
1. Engine failure due to a manufacturer's defect -- the cylinder walls are being bored into to place the engine bolts on the Subaru 2.5L engines. In this case the cylinder wall cracked through the entire section where it was substantially bored into on the number 1 cylinder causing the engine to fail completely. Each…
1998 · 72,000 miles · Engine and its cooling system
My 1998 Subaru Forester hesitates on acceleration in the low RPM range. Once over about 3000 RPM, it runs fine. According to a technical service bulletin released by Subaru in jan 1999, #11-53-98, this is caused by the engine control module incorrectly interpreting vibrations in the engine as skipping and readjusting…
1998 · 98,000 miles · Fuel system, other
Built from 269 NHTSA complaints with mileage · snapshot 2026-08-18 · open data · reproduce this page