IllustrationVEHICLE EXPERIENCED SUDDEN ACCELERATION WHEN PUT IN REVERSE, DRIVER LOSE CONTROL RESULTING IN DRIVER HITTING A MAN.
1998 Subaru Forester
Owner reports · Recalls · Investigations
Similar to other model years
Owner complaints for the 1998 Subaru Forester do not stand out strongly from the model-year median of 131.
Counts are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. A lower count does not establish that a car is problem-free.
About this comparison →101Owner complaints
Model-year median: 131
1Recall campaignsView recall details →
0InvestigationsView investigation details →
Check a VIN with NHTSA ↗ Model-level counts do not show whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.
Inspection summary
1998 Subaru Forester
NHTSA snapshot: September 18, 2026. 101 owner complaints · 1 recall campaigns · 0 investigations.
Counts are not failure probabilities and are not adjusted for sales, age, mileage exposure or reporting. One report may name several categories. Comparison method and limitations.
Top reported categories (up to 5)
- Power Train: 23 reports
- Suspension: 17 reports
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic: 15 reports
- Engine And Engine Cooling: 14 reports
- Vehicle Speed Control: 14 reports
Full reported-category list and vehicle report
Recall links
Check a VIN with NHTSA. Model-level history does not establish whether a particular VIN is affected or repaired.
Print the top reported categories, recall links, snapshot date and comparison limits.
How this year compares
Owner complaints by model year
Compare all Forester years →Counts vary with age, sales, mileage exposure 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
Limited mileage data: 18 of 101 reports include usable mileage. There isn’t enough coverage to show a useful chart.
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 23 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Suspension. Review the 17 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
- Service Brakes, Hydraulic. Review the 15 owner reports in this category and discuss these concerns during a pre-purchase inspection. Read reports →
NHTSA owner reports · September 18, 2026 snapshot.
7 crash reports5 fire reports2 injury reports
Vehicle Speed Control complaints
14 reportsSECURITY SYSTEM GOES OFF WHEN HAZARD LIGHTS ARE ENGAGED/ABS BRAKES SQUEAK. IN ADDITION, WHILE PULLING OUT OF PARKING SPOT, VEHICLE LUNGED FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY, AND ENGINE CHECK LIGHT COMES ON.
WHILE COMING TO A COMPLETE STOP WITH FOOT ON BRAKE THE VEHICLE SURGED FORWARD UNEXPECTEDLY, CAUSING AN ACCIDENT. DEALER SAID THERE IS NO PROBLEM. *AK
VEHICLE SURGED WHEN BRAKING AT SLOW SPEEDS AND CRASHED INTO VEHICLE IN FRONT OF IT.
Recall campaigns
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 ↗
Defect investigations
0No exact-year investigations in this snapshot.
An investigation is not a finding of a defect, and closure does not prove a vehicle is problem-free.