1999 Subaru Forester

AFTER PURCHASING MY 1999 SUBARU FORESTER, AT 67,000 MILES THE LEFT REAR WHEEL BEARING BEGAN TO FAIL. THIS APPEARS TO BE A COMMON EVENT JUDGING FROM THE COMPLAINTS I HAVE RESEARCHED FROM VARIOUS INTERNET SOURCES. INSTEAD OF RECALLING THE DEFECTIVE PARTS, SUBARU HAS DECIDED TO IGNORE THE ISSUE AND MAKE THE VEHICLE OWNERS HAVE THEIR DEFECTIVE WHEEL BEARINGS REPLACED (WITH DIFFERENT BEARINGS) AT THEIR OWN EXPENSE.*JB

REAR WHEEL BEARINGS ON MY 1999 SUBARU FORRESTER PURCHASED ON MAR 6, 1999 HAVE FAILED ON THE LEFT REAR WHEEL AT 31619 MILES ON NOV. 13, 2001. THE RIGHT REAR WHEEL BEARING FAILED ON JULY 1, 2004 AT 58974 MILES. THE LEFT REAR FAILED AGAIN ON A VACATION TRIP TO VERMONT ON JULY 12, 2004 AT 59832 MILES. ON THIS LAST FAILURE THE LEFT REAR HOPUSING HAD TO BE REPLACED AS EXCESSIVE HEAT SCORCHED THE PART. THE FIRST INCIDENT WAS COVERED UNDER THE MANUFACTURERS WARRENTY. THE OTHER 2 FAILURES WERE COVERED UNDER AN EXTENDED $900 WARRENTY THAT WAS PURCHASED WHEN THE CAR WAS PURCHASED OTHERWISE ADDED EXPENSE TO MYSELF WOULD HAVE $286.33 FOR THE SECOND FAILURE AND $507.17 FOR THE THIRD FAILURE AS THE CAR WAS OUT OF THE STANDARD CAR WARRENTY. THIS STILL COST ME $100 (2 INCEDENTS AT $50 DEDUCTABLE). AT THE REPLACEMENT OF THE LAST 2 BEARINGS THE MECHANICS PERFORMING THE WORK SAID SUBARU CAME UP WITH A NEW HEAVIER DUTY BEARING A FEW YEARS BACK TO REPLACE THE STANDARD BEARINGS SUOPPLIED WHEN THE VEHICLES WERE MANUFACTURED. IF NOT FOR THE PURCHASE OF THE EXTENDED WARRENTY THE REPAIRS WOULD HAVE COST ABOUT $800. AS I WAS ON VACATION AND TRAVELLING ON THE HIGHWAY AT 65MPH WHEN THE LAST BEARING FAILED WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT HAVE HAPPENED IF THE BEARING HEATED UP MORE THAN WHAT IT DID. PARTS WERE KEPT BY THE LOCAL SUBARU DEALER HERE IN LAKEWOOD AND THE SUBARU DEALERSHIP IN ST. JOHNSBURY, VT. I'M HOPING THATR SUBARU'S NEW DESIGNED BEARING WILL LAST LONGER THAN THEIR ORIGINAL EQUIPMENT SUPPLIED ON THEIR VEHICLES. I'M STILL OUT THE $100 I HAD TO PAY FOR MY DEDUCTABLE ON GETTING THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. WHO KNOWS HOW MANY SUBARU'S ARE OUT THERE THAT CAN CAUSE SOME MAJOR PROBLEMS IF THE OLD DESIGN BEARINGS GET HEATED UP ENOUGH TO CAUSE LOSS OF CONTROL OF THE VEHICLE. FOR ME, THESE INCIDENTS BASICALLY CAUSED LOSS OF TIME, ESPECIALLY THE LAST INCIDENT AS I LOST 6 HOURS OF VACATION TIME WAITING FOR THE REPLACEMENT PARTS TO BE FOUND AND THE VEHICLE REPAIRED. *AK

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

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

DEALER REPLACED WHEEL BEARING AT 29,000 MILES UNDER WARRANTY. WENT BAD AGAIN 30,000 MILES LATER, EVEN THOUGH OWNERS MANUAL STATES THAT IT DOESN'T NEED SERVICED UNTIL 60,000 MILES. DEALER SAID THAT WE DROVE ON IT TOO LONG AND DAMAGED THE HUB AND HOUSING, $700 REPAIR BILL. DEALER SAID THAT THEY HAD BEEN HAVING A LOT OF PROBLEMS WITH THESE BEARINGS AND THEY REPLACED IT WITH A LEGACY BEARING. SERVICE MANAGER STATED THAT WE WERE 'LUCKY' TO ONLY HAVE HAD BEARING FAIL TWICE. WE FEEL, AFTER RESEARCH, THAT IT IS A DESIGN PROBLEM AND THERE NEEDS TO BE A RECALL BY SUBARU TO FIX THIS PROBLEM AND WE SHOULD BE REIMBURSED FOR OUR EXPENSE.*JB