Bulletins
| Bulletin | Bulletin date | Replacement Bulletin | Item no. | Summary | Added |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||||
| 166602 | 03/15/2003 | 10001352 | Transmission control unit (tcu) code 45 and all-wheel drive harsh engagement. *tt | 04/30/2003 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 2000 | 02/01/2000 | 610111 | This bulletin mentions if you have a 1999my or later vehicles with the new (second generation) 4eat and are diagnosing a code for a duty solenoid, check the transmission oil pan for any dents. *tt | 04/17/2000 | |
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION - CONTROL MODULE (TCM, PCM) | |||||
| 166599R | 03/17/2000 | 613408 | Customer complaint that the a/t temperature light flashing and code 38 found in the tcm. *tt | 07/13/2000 | |
| 166599 | 01/31/2000 | 610541 | Some customers may comment about the a/t temperature light flashing and code 38 found in the tcm. *tt | 05/05/2000 | |
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | |||||
| 035203 | 05/19/2003 | 10001726 | Clutch pedal sticking. *tt | 06/23/2003 | |
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE | |||||
| 010898 | 08/01/1998 | 605778 | Information on installing rear differential protector . *tt | 07/23/1999 | |
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION | |||||
| 17 | 01/01/2002 | 631081 | Subject regarding popping out of fifth gear condition. *jg | 05/02/2002 | |
Consumer Complaints
| Fail date | miles | occurences | Purchase date |
|---|---|---|---|
| POWER TRAIN | |||
| 01/01/1901 | 119000 | 1 | |
| 199 subaru forester. letter from congressman sarbanes on behalf of constituent with concerns about mechanical problems with subaru vehicles *tgw the consumer stated it was difficult to put the gear into drive. a mechanic informed the consumer the failure was with the clutch. the transmission failed with only a 119,000 miles on the vehicle. *jb | |||
| 08/07/1999 | 6 | ||
| Consumer complaint concerning 1999 forester gas mileage. *ts the consumer stated he experienced problems with the transmission, brakes, a knock sensor, a squeak in the cargo panel and the catalytic converter. *jb | |||
| 100 | 03/01/1998 | ||
| Every day i accelerate from my driveway immediately after start up the car hesitates and i do not understand why i have almost been in an accident because i pushed on the gas but there was a 1-2 second hesitation before the car took off. it is an automatic transmission and i live in ohio and it was spring and summer like weather and it did it from day one | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION | |||
| 04/10/2008 | 48700 | 1 | 11/30/1998 |
| Tl*the contact owns a 1999 subaru forester. while coasting, the vehicle began to accelerate on its own. the vehicle was towed to the dealer. the current and failure mileages were 48,700. updated 05/06/08 *bf the consumer stated dreyer & reinbold checked engine, transmission mounts speed control and found no problem. 05/06/08 *tr | |||
| 03/01/2006 | 72000 | 300 | 01/01/2006 |
| This problem initially occurred only once a month or so, but has since deteriorated to occurring multiple times per day. when approaching a stoplight, or braking harder than usual, the vehicle will slip into neutral. the shifter does not move, it is still in drive, however, without warning, the car will suddenly stop responding to the accelerator (except the engine still revs). the only remedy is to rev the engine to high revs, over and over, until the transmission catches, at which point the vehicle lurches forward, often violently, even with the brake depressed. this most often happens at stoplights/signs, however it will occur on the highway in traffic when brakes are applied hard. this seems to be quite potentially dangerous if it were to happen when it was necessary to move the vehicle out of the way of something oncoming and would not be able to. a dealer looked at it and flushed the transmission and added new fluid, which solved the problem for about 2 months, after which it has continued to get worse. the transmission is not low on fluid, and the fluid looks fine. i have heard this complaint from numerous other 1999 forester owners via various internet forums. *tr | |||
| 07/13/2005 | 5 | 12/30/1998 | |
| Dt: the consumer stated the vehicle would only go into reverse. *jb | |||
| 12/02/2004 | 74000 | 5 | 10/01/1998 |
| 1999 subaru forrester. vehicle transmission began having difficulty shifting into drive. after approximately 7-10 days, vehicle slipped into neutral upon braking. took several minutes to get vehicle back into drive. 2nd instance almost caused a major accident. i braked to turn left and began my turn. when i depressed the accelerator, i found the vehicle had again slipped into neutral and i was helplessly coasting with traffic heading toward me. luckily, the oncoming traffic was able to stop in time to avoid an accident. transmission was inspected for a possible linkage problem, but none was found. a complete transmission flush and fill did not remedy the situation. vehicle has since slipped out of drive 3 additional times (luckily no accidents).*ak | |||
| 11/20/2002 | 93000 | 1 | 10/31/2002 |
| Have a 1999 forester l w/auto tramsmission. i can drive in reverse all day with no problem. going forward is hit and miss. sometimes i can sit for 15 to 30 minutes before the forward gears engage. once forward engages, i have no problem until i turn off the ignition. servicing the trans is a temporary fix for a few thousand miles and then the problem slowly returns. i really like my car, but i'm sure the trans will eventually cease working all together.evidently other are having same problem according to chat rooms.*ak | |||
| 04/19/2004 | 75000 | 1 | |
| Catastrophic transmission failure. *ak | |||
| 12/01/1999 | 15000 | 1 | 09/20/1998 |
| With about 15-18k miles, i started having problems with stuttering in first and second gear. it was always worst in winter, when it was cold. i searched the internet for other issues and found several chat rooms where people were having similar issues. i took the car in several times to the dealers who said they could not duplicate the problem. when reading the chat rooms, some people did have the dealers say this was a problem. i called subaru's customer line and was told to go to the dealer. *jb | |||
| 06/02/2003 | 96000 | 3 | 03/27/1999 |
| 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 | |||
| 09/29/2000 | 1 | 10/01/1998 | |
| The original failure was due to a transmission fluid leak. the next 3 remanufactured transmissions also developed leaks. the 4th remanufactured transmission is ok to date.*ak | |||
| 02/15/2000 | 2 | 11/01/1999 | |
| Driving on fast downhill section of mountain 2 lane highway, on ice / packed snow, tapped brakes while entering curve ... 2 seconds later with absolutely no warning the vehicle lost adhesion, oversteering dangerously. i recovered with considerable oppposite steering lock and slight application of power (car is all-wheel-drive.) it happened so fast, i knew not what had caused the car to slide out of control. today, i learned the cause of the problem. with the gearshift selector in drive, trailing throttle and application of brakes, the computer will occasionally (automatically) down-shift the car into 3rd. gear. this software bug, completely unexpected and totally dangerous in marginal traction conditions causedg a vicious skid from which most drivers of average experience would have not recovered. we put abs on cars so that braking can be more predictable when driving under marginal coefficients, than we design software with a bug which has the potential to throw the car totally and unpredictably out of control on ice. nice work, subaru !*ak | |||
| 02/11/2000 | 3 | ||
| Gear shift resulted in a severe jolt to passengers and the driver of the vehicle due to transmission failure. yh | |||
| 01/26/2000 | 2 | 06/01/1999 | |
| Vehicle first showed problem 11/99. vehicle bangs into gear with tremendous jolt. dealer replaced transmission and returned vehicle 12/9/99 after 25 days out of service. problem reoccurred in 1/26/00 in new transmission. dealer not willing to consider alternate solution but will replace transmission. suspects problem is not transmission but another problem causing transmission to go bad. *ak | |||
| 05/04/1999 | 30 | 03/01/1999 | |
| The automatic transmission shifts down to 3rd gear at any speed if the driver touches the brake pedal. at speeds over 60 mph this sharply reduces the driver's ability to control vehicle speed. the transmission subsequently does not shift up to 4th gear again. it must be shifted up manually. this is a serious safety hazard in moderate to heavy traffic on hilly highways and freeways. i have demonstrated the problems to a dealer service representative. a subaru representative told me in a telephone call that subaru has corrected the high speed downshift problem in legacy and outback models but will not repair the same problem in forester models. | |||
| 04/04/1999 | |||
| When the truck is parked on a slight incline with the engine off it will jerk one or two inches forward. this happens when the truck is parked in reverse with the emergency brake engaged. the problem has been reported to the dealership. please provide any further concerns. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY | |||
| 01/13/2004 | 53000 | 06/01/1999 | |
| Multiple major and costly repairs to a vehicle that is driven on hard road services only, and in a safe manner. the vehicle has had all routine maintenance. repairs include replace oxygen sensor & emission control computer. i was eventually reimbursed for this service/part which took 7 visiits to dealer and much convincing on my part. other major repairs include replace defective transmission seal (2 visits), replace oil pump, replace left rear wheel bearing. replacement of other wheel bearings is possible and pending. i have no confidence in this car, just waiting for the next major repair. | |||
| 12/19/2000 | 5 | 04/01/1999 | |
| 06/27/00 at 39787 miles, noise gradually getting louder in rear, vibration. right rear wheel bearing and axle replaced at dealership. 09/14/00 at 46801 miles, same wheel bearing replaced again. 09/25/00 at 47660 miles, bearing failed suddenly while traveling about 45 mph in rain on i-66, grinding and screeching. i was able to stop safely and exit freeway. dealer again replaced bearing. 10/25/00 at 49750, dealer again replaces bearing and housing also this time. concerned about the effects of vibration on tires, i also ask for an alignment. 12/19/00, problem returns. car is scheduled for service 12/27/00. i travel roughly 500 miles per week, mostly on very rural roads. i chose subaru very carefully and need to know i can rely on my vehicle to avoid being stranded alone on the most deserted of roads. this is the 2nd subaru i have owned (no problems with the first one), purchased because of the safety and reliability of the awd system; however, i am losing confidence in this particular car. i love the forester, and would buy another one! i am so disappointed. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT | |||
| 08/20/2001 | 3 | 10/01/1998 | |
| August 2000. right rear bearings broke apart while driving off road. since i didn't know what the problem was and i was on vacation, i had the vehicle towed to the nearest private garage. i submitted the bill for the repairs and rental car to subaru which they paid. august 13, 2001: right rear bearings went out again on city streets near home. my son took the car to stevens creek subaru. they told me when i picked up the car on 8/15 that foresters of all years have this recurring problem. further, once a car has the problem, it will continue to recur. the warranty covered all costs. less than one week later, 8/20, the bearings went out again. this time we were on a mountain road going around a left bend when they broke. i nearly lost control of the car as it started to slide towards the cliff, but managed to get it to a small turnout safely. the service manager at 49er subaru in angels camp, ca, told me that the axle exploded as a result of the bearings going out, which is why the car had started to slide. they used all forester parts to replace the broken ones, with the exception that they used legacy bearings instead of forester bearings. they told me that it was a factory approved change, but they could not provide a tsb or anything in writing stating that this was an approved substitution. subaru paid for all repairs and the hotel, and they extended my warranty to 6 years 100,000 miles. dene witt, subaru central region office, 15000 e. 39th ave, aurora, co 80011 was very helpful and kind throughout this ordeal and went out of her way to make sure we got back on the road quickly (she had to have an axle overnighted from out of state). can this complaint be kept anonymous since i still own the forester and may have to deal with subaru in the future? thanks, sharon eileen cervantes. *ak | |||
| 4 | 04/01/1999 | ||
| Bearings have failed four times. increasing noise from rear of vehicle and vibration proceeded failure each time. | |||
| 12/19/2000 | 5 | 04/01/1999 | |
| 06/27/00 at 39787 miles, noise gradually getting louder in rear, vibration. right rear wheel bearing and axle replaced at dealership. 09/14/00 at 46801 miles, same wheel bearing replaced again. 09/25/00 at 47660 miles, bearing failed suddenly while traveling about 45 mph in rain on i-66, grinding and screeching. i was able to stop safely and exit freeway. dealer again replaced bearing. 10/25/00 at 49750, dealer again replaces bearing and housing also this time. concerned about the effects of vibration on tires, i also ask for an alignment. 12/19/00, problem returns. car is scheduled for service 12/27/00. i travel roughly 500 miles per week, mostly on very rural roads. i chose subaru very carefully and need to know i can rely on my vehicle to avoid being stranded alone on the most deserted of roads. this is the 2nd subaru i have owned (no problems with the first one), purchased because of the safety and reliability of the awd system; however, i am losing confidence in this particular car. i love the forester, and would buy another one! i am so disappointed. | |||
| 5 | 10/01/1998 | ||
| Bearings failed several times causing wheel to vibrate and humming sound. mjs | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE ASSEMBLY - AXLE SHAFT - SEAL | |||
| 02/12/2003 | 51032 | 2 | 07/27/2002 |
| 99 subaru forester l after 50,000 miles rear axle bearings and hub broke. steering on corners was affected. | |||
| 1 | |||
| Defective seal on the transmission caused transmission fluid to leak into exhaust assembly. yh | |||
| 06/01/1999 | |||
| Would hear grinding noises coming from rear. the faster the vehicle was going, the louder the noise. took vehicle to dealer at least 4 times: 6/23/ 7/2/ 11/8; & 11/15. the wheels locked up at one point when this happened. the seal had broken. each time was repaired. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - AXLE HUBS | |||
| 02/12/2003 | 51032 | 2 | 07/27/2002 |
| 99 subaru forester l after 50,000 miles rear axle bearings and hub broke. steering on corners was affected. | |||
| POWER TRAIN - CLUTCH ASSEMBLY | |||
| 12/16/2003 | 41421 | 1 | 04/29/1999 |
| Clutch failed catastrophically while driving at highway speeds on the pennsylvania turnpike. *ph the vehicle was repair, however the dealer refused to honor the warranty, they claimed the clutch was considered a wear item. the consumer has retained a lawyer. *jb | |||
| 55000 | 2 | ||
| 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 | |||
| 01/22/2003 | 0 | 02/05/1999 | |
| Especially during cold or damp weather my 1999 subaru forester's clutch shudders strongly when shifting gears. this occurs primarily when starting in first gear and in the upshift to second gear. it also occasionally ocurrs in the upshift from second to third gear. it does not ocurr on the downshifts. this problem first appeared at about 45,000 miles. the dealer said i needed a new clutch. i have been driving manual transmission cars since 1969 and never had to replace a clutch before 100,000 miles, and on my 1986 honda accord i sold it at 260,000 miles and never had to replace the clutch. i did not replace the clutch on my 1999 subaru forester. it now has 83,000 miles, cold weather has returned, and so has the clutch shudder | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DIFFERENTIAL UNIT | |||
| 08/01/2000 | 1 | 03/13/1999 | |
| Differential fluid has metal pieces/shavings in it, dealer says this is okay. *slc | |||
| POWER TRAIN - DRIVELINE - DRIVESHAFT | |||
| 07/23/2001 | 05/01/1999 | ||
| The failure probably occurred thousands of miles earlier since i heard a noise that i though was tire noise but no longer hear since the wheel bearing was replaced. the noise kept getting worse so i finally realized that it must be something else. the dealer took my car immediately and fixed the problem the same day. i would not be reporting this except that on the internet this seems to be a frequent problem that often reoccurs including multiple times on the same car. this is also a problem that does not normally happen on low-mileage cars. *ak | |||
| POWER TRAIN - MANUAL TRANSMISSION - LUBRICANT | |||
| 01/13/2004 | 53000 | 06/01/1999 | |
| Multiple major and costly repairs to a vehicle that is driven on hard road services only, and in a safe manner. the vehicle has had all routine maintenance. repairs include replace oxygen sensor & emission control computer. i was eventually reimbursed for this service/part which took 7 visiits to dealer and much convincing on my part. other major repairs include replace defective transmission seal (2 visits), replace oil pump, replace left rear wheel bearing. replacement of other wheel bearings is possible and pending. i have no confidence in this car, just waiting for the next major repair. | |||